May 3, 2013 - 2:18 pm
What rocks this nationwide (Philippines only) UK beauty giveaway is it is a leap forward into spring (globally niweiz), it will blind you with coral pink, and frankly these bits of beauty aren’t readily available in retail here. I still haven’t made up my mind on whether I should sneak in past all of you and join in myself under an alias LOL (I kid alright).
LOVELY LOOT:
- Soap & Glory Pulp Friction Body Scrub 250ml £8.00
- L’Oreal Elnett Hairspray (Extra Strength) travel size 75ml £2.39
- Jo Malone Travel Candle(Lime Basil & Mandarin) 60g £22.00
- Rimmel London Apocalips Lip Lacquer (Stellar) 5.5ml £5.99
- Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, (Medium3 /MAC NC30) £4.19
- Maybelline SuperStay 14-hr Lipstick (Stay With Me Coral)
- L’Oreal False Lash Telescopic Mascara WP (Black) £10.99
- Givenchy Bloom Compact Mirror, w/ red velvet sleeve (gift w/ purchase)
All this stuff is seriously soooo hard to give away. To join simply follow the instructions given by the Rafflecopter widget at the end of this post, there are 3 required actions and 1 bonus action for more entry points. In the meantime click Read More to jump to close-up photos of the prizes and what I know about the praises sung of them. The trivia about a couple of these is quite compelling. The Rafflecopter mechanics follow immediately after.
April 28, 2013 - 8:34 pm
One of the brands I was way too excited to get my hands on in London was Soap & Glory a beauty range that actually looks like a bath & body first cousin of Benefit Cosmetics…they’re not related though. These guys do bath and body like nobody’s business. They do an excellent blend of clean and gourmande scents with a balance that’s uniquely hard to come by. This Sugar Crush Body Scrub seriously does not smell sickeningly sweet to me…it’s a yummy, tart sort of sweet. It makes me think of those sweet cola jelly bottles with a zesty dash of tart lime.
I made a mad dash for this at the Soap & Glory shelf and contemplated getting this or the body wash. I thought having the scrub which is more “touchworthy” in experience would set me off better the first time around. It’s got moisturizing and smoothing almond oil which I fully believe in aside from the scrubby bits of brown sugar and macadamia grains. The better way to use this so you get a thorough scrub and don’t waste product is to not have the shower running while applying this. Slather it on and rub generously…it isn’t painfully abrasive but it’s abrasive enough to be your smooth operator. As you will see in a bit I soooo needed this scrub right now as I delightfully thumb-type this from Norway. For a moment for truth’s sake, let me show you the semi-disgusting reason why I’m ever so glad I bought this when I did (believe me this was the compromise…showing my leggings instead of my scaly legs).
Don’t.judge.me…lol, and I have been bathing don’t you dare suggest that I wasn’t! What you’re seeing right there are my leggings having been pulled inside out so you can probably guess in what sort of state my lower legs were…it was not a pretty sight. I’d been faithful in moisturizing my face and hands here in Europe but I’m afraid I can’t say the same for my body. I used the scrub 2 nights ago and it set me straight for a day and a half but coming to Norway really dried up my legs again so it was time to convene with this star find once more.
“Use in the shower once, twice, or three times weekly, depending on the level of scaliness you struggle with. (Four times-even-if you’ve ever been labelled ‘old lizard legs’.)”
Two hours ago I used the Sugar Crush Body Scrub on damp legs with my feet in warm water sitting on the side of a hotel tub. It’s best on legs that aren’t too wet so the dense thick pasty consistency with the grains can exfoliate to the fullest. Whats lovely is you don’t just get the physical exfoliation…the almond and lime oil just makes the job a smooth, moisturizing, and nourishing experience and once you rinse your legs off you get a soft supple feeling that suggests no lotion required…but because we’re in a really dry country I still finished off my legs with my fave Nivea Baby Smoothy Cream which you can get in Manila. However you could walk out the door without doing so…because this is just a really fantastic scrub that moisturizes and doesn’t just exfoliate. Love this stuff.
April 5, 2013 - 5:59 pm
I have this on now. I smell the supremely nostalgic salty and fruity warmth of the shore. I am transported. Wish you were here.
In the heat of a Greek summer, “to get to the sea,” recalls Yves, “you had to walk through a natural orchard of wild fig trees.” Returning from Paris, Desmond brought back a few leaves of these trees in a little box. Years later, the leaves had lost none of their fragrance. Philosykos, which in Greek means “friend of the fig tree,” is an ode to the entire tree: the green, pungent freshness of the leaves, the wood warmed in the sun, the milky flavor of the fruit.
I first experienced the Diptyque Philosykos scent in a beauty boutique in Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. Caught up suddenly in a waft of throwbacks memories resurfaced (like the moment in Ratatouille where the food critic tastes it) of my childhood summers spent at my paternal grandmother’s Guimaras beach home. It recalls warm fruit (which would be the fig), hints of grass, rolling waves and the salty sweetness of a sea breeze blown through beach trees.
Although the perfume notes are Mediterranean the memories this cologne drew out were remotely Filipino. It was for me the very first time a scent got personal and Mom’s eyes widened with nostalgia, too, upon one whiff. Love at first sniff ♥ This is the 50ml Eau de Toilette bottle mom got for me in Hong Kong late last year at the boutique in IFC mall for about Php3800-Php4000 or about USD$88. Diptyque scents are also sold in Rustan’s locally I’m just not 100% sure if they stock Philosykos.
March 8, 2013 - 8:56 pm
Don’t you just hate it when sometimes fragrance brands do “fruity” versions of an existing scent for the younger bracket? I have nothing against fruity if it’s done uniquely and memorably well but sometimes it takes all the sophistication and spirit out of what could be something better. I was really hoping with all my might that Burberry Body Tender was not a very fruity spin off. Not everyone younger wants a fruity version, more often than not they just want something they can spray on everyday that doesn’t shout “formal dinner” but isn’t just plain body spray or cologne either. I was invited to the Burberry Body Tender launch yesterday at SM Makati and had a lovely time with some blogger friends I hadn’t seen for awhile and that was where they unveiled this.
Amidst offerings of scented ribbons, sparkling drinks, macarons and pink lemonade Burberry released its younger, clean and captivating scent, Burberry Body Tender. The original Burberry Body scent was launched last year and I’ll be honest when I say I have not sniffed that original release. Friends at this launch mentioned it was deeper and more intense than this one. So Burberry Body Tender which is supposedly a more gentle spin off from the original is actually my first Burberry Body Scent and you know what? I like it, I like it a lot 
It’s not at all a heavy fragrance though I can’t say the same for the bottle, lol, which is beautiful by the way, and this scent…it certainly lasts. I could smell it on me hours later even as I lay in bed last night. Is it floral upon first whiff? Mmmm…I’m not an expert but TO ME it’s like a soapy floral with an underlying sweet but barely fruity note.
“Burberry Body Tender is inspired by the freshness of youth, energy, hope, excitement, natural beauty, radiance, the English morning dew, English roses.”
Top Notes: fresh surge of lemon, crisp apple and green absinth
Heart Notes: a delicate blend of light rose, white jasmine and sandalwood
Base Notes: a soft base of cashmeran, amber and musk
It’s very feminine but not at all corny. It’s a quintessential day scent that I sense can nab a few 2nd glances for you. The bottle actually looks like it carries one dose of the fountain of youth which can turn you into Cara Delevigne with one swig lol. I wish I had a parfum version of this, it’s a complete head turner. Burberry Body Tender is available from Burberry boutiques and counters in leading department stores nationwide at these prices as per product size.
- 85ml: P4,898
- 60ml: P3,898
- 35ml: P2,898
March 2, 2013 - 11:03 pm
I’ve really got some sort of online hangover, it’s not that I don’t enjoy the net anymore, please, don’t think that AT ALL…I sooo love doing this. I actually love that I’m typing this now because no sense in pretending I’m a product post factory, right? Honesty is good stuff and deserves posting when appropriate. I just noticed that I’ve been get sleepy earlier ever since my best friend cousin’s wedding last February. I think it’s really the massive “sigh” after something major more than anything else. I put in a lot emotionally on that one because it really meant so much to me…and now..we’re back. In the bath and body department, Haus of Gloi power couple Matt and Briton have “dunnit” again in their secret vegan lab of delight. My friends, you are not looking at dessert. Behold their new babies (please note: not for eating) their dinky, scent filled, glam-ly gourmande scented Butterbombs.
“Toss these little scoops in hot bath water for a fizzy, slightly foamy and decadently moisturizing bath. Crumble under running bath water for best results! Please be cautious when moving around or standing in the tub, these little bombs can make things slippery!” – Haus of Gloi
From Top:
- TOASTED – “Reminiscent of warm milk, aromatic rice and burnt sugar. “
- A SIMPLE ROSE – “Bulgarian rose absolute supported by Egyptian geranium in a base of amyris wood.”
- WHITE BLUEBERRY – “Blueberries awash with white vanilla sugar, cream and a sprig of white thyme.”
- SEA SALT BROWNIES – “Dark chocolate brownie accord with supporting notes of cocoa c02, a gentle touch of coffee co2 and speckled with sea salt.”
To be honest, this first time I am mildly disappointed with these Butterbombs because I was so excited about them and I’ve never experienced anything lacking from a Haus of Gloi purchase. I have no complaints about the scent experience or the aromatherapy end on these butterbombs, in the smell department these guys at HOG do no wrong practically ever. Read more to know about my experience and why I prefer HOG’s bubbling scrubs over these.
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