Vichy Capital Soleil BB Tinted Velvety Cream SPF 50+ review

Today was glorious... sun shining, birds chirping, children laughing and splashing in the paddling pool.  Long may it last.  It was the perfect day to try out the Vichy Capital Soleil BB Tinted Velvety Cream SPF 50+.

Chanel Chance Shimmering Products - preview

Mondays with MontyC will be back next week.  In the meantime, here's some information on a gorgeous Chanel release due out 13th June... Chanel is unveiling three new shimmering products for the body.  Unfurling the notes of Chance, Chance Eau Fraiche and Chance Eau Tendre, they perfume and illuminate the skin with a subtle pearly sheen in three different formats...

Roger & Gallet's New Body Lotions - preview

Another quick post today on another new Roger & Gallet offering: new Sorbet and Fondant body lotions are the latest offering from the French perfume house, available in five yummy scents and two different formulas.

Karora Golden Girl Gradual Tan - review

Golden Brown... Texture like Sun... dum de dum, dum dum de dum dum... (stuck in your head yet?)

This Friday I'm drooling over Karora's Golden Girl Gradual Tan.  Not literally, that would be gross. 

Karora are a relatively new, award-winning Irish cosmetics company on the scene dealing with all things tanular.  Their aim is to grace everyone with a bronzed and beautiful glow, whether it's a light tint or a full on deep tan you're after.  This gradual tan is definitely on the lighter end of the spectrum and is perfect for a really natural hint of colour for pasty girls like me.

Chanel Coco Mademoiselle New Bath Ritual - preview

Chanel's latest Coco Mademoiselle products -  bath foam & exfoliant

Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle is (according to Chanel) "a sensual and refined fragrance that combines audacity with elegance".  Unfortunately, for me, it combines headaches and migraines.  But that's me and more fragrances than not, I'm afraid - it's a large bummer as I love the smell of this one for about three minutes before the headache kicks in.  Anyhow, most of my best friends, my mother, my in-laws and my work colleagues wear this and love it.  And so many brides whose makeup I've done for them on their big day use this perfume and love it, that I had to start asking them to use it after I'd left!

So for my friends and for my family, and for all those brides, and for all of you who love Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, you'll be delighted to know that the fresh, oriental composition that has enjoyed such unwavering success (me aside!) since Jacques Polge created the Eau de Parfum in 2001, has got two new products joining the scent family to help you feel just that bit more pampered.

La Roche-Posay Lipikar range for Eczema - review

La Roche-Posay Lipikar range of products 

Did you know that over 50 million people in Europe alone suffer from eczema?  As a child I had bad eczema on my arms - I have memories of my elbows being bandaged on a daily basis.  Although it has been a long time since I suffered from the dreadful itch and attendant dry skin associated with eczema, I know of others who suffer badly.  My brother's hands used to get so bad they'd literally crack, and look like they'd been cut to shreds.  Thankfully, although he still gets the odd (usually stress-related) attack, he's no longer afflicted as badly as he used to be.  My other half also gets eczema, usually a low-grade, persistent tiny rash on the backs of both of his calfs, which is barely perceptible, but still drives him mad scratching it.  So he seemed like a good candidate to try out the Lipikar range from La Roche-Posay.

Balance Me Rose Otto Hand Cream

balance Me body Rose Otto cream & hand cream

On a recent trip to a lovely Pro store in Belfast, I chanced upon this stuff.  I'd heard about the balance Me range of products before but hadn't ever used it or found it anywhere to try it out in store.

So there was a tempting sample tube of this stuff out and I tried it.... ooooooooh it's so beyond yummy.

Christmas 2013 from Roger & Gallet - preview

Roger & Gallet have released their Christmas gift collections.

As a quick background - renowned expert Perfumer - Apothocary since 1862, Roger & Gallet believe in the promotion of well-being through fragrance, through the study of Aromachology, a science that studies the influence of scents on our behaviours and moods.

Personally, I've always had a thing for their soaps :-)  The collections are priced between €19.50 and €39.75, so there's a price for everyone.

Bridal Survival Kit - review

Carmel and Oonagh at Galánta Events, an Irish Event Planning/Management Service business based out of Waterford are clearly doing well, as they've won the Best in New Business/Enterprise Award at the FAB Waterford Women in Business Awards in 2012.  I noticed their call out, some time back on a recent Irish blogger site, looking for guest contributors, and while I had my hands sufficiently full with my own posts at the time, a few clicks later I found something that caught my eye - a product they've put together called the Bridal Survival Kit.  Being involved closely with brides, I contacted them and asked them if they'd be interested in me reviewing it.  So they agreed, and kindly send me one in the post.

Clarins Splendours Summer Make-Up Collection & Swatches

Clarins Splendours Summer '13 Makeup Collection Visual

Taking its inspiration from the idea of turning sunshine into gold, the Clarins Splendours Summer '13 makeup collection takes its cue from a pre-Colombian civilization that worshipped the sun, and gold features heavily in the collection.

KIKO Cosmetics Review

While in Venice recently, I chanced upon a cosmetics store called KIKO, selling their eponymous brand of makeup.  It's a reasonably new venture, founded in 1997 in Milan and now has stores all over the world, including an online shopping branch in the UK as I've recently discovered while doing some further research at home.

Vying with Inglot for volume of shades and formulations of both makeup- and skincare- products, and looking a lot like a candy store, I was hooked.

La Mer The Concentrate & The Body Crème: Scar-Reducing Miracle Combination

Miracle stuff!

This stuff is beyond amazing.  It would want to be, given the price.

Blog Posts: What to write about

Snapshot of some of the stats Google Blogger provides for a particular period of time
(these are for this week)

I took a look at my viewer stats this morning to see if I could get some inspiration on what to write about today.  I have a few posts started, but nothing near completion (or even near where they should be for editing down).  So instead I took a trip down memory lane on my postings in the last fiften months.  It was an interesting trip and revealed to me what people read the most.

If you're a blogger, or an aspiring blogger, perhaps this might prove useful.  If you're a reader, then maybe you'll discover some posts you haven't seen before!

Chanel 1932

Chanel 1932

Chanel are releasing a new fragrance which they are naming 1932, as an homage to very first jewellery collection (diamonds, naturally) launched by Coco Chanel in 1932.