A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

When it comes to enticing us into a purchase, beauty brands fully understand the power of gluttony. When was the last time you bought a shower gel from a supermarket without giving it a good sniff first?

Foody smells in beauty products have always been one of the most popular experience-enhancers available to the industry and I’ve been trawling my bathroom cabinet in the quest to find some of the most deliciously scented products around.

Things are about to get tasty!

Milkshake Conditioning Whipped Cream* even sounds completely edible!  This tasty product from Milk_Shake contains some great natural ingredients, including a milk protein that promises to leave your hair soft, shiny and thoroughly swishable.  But the best thing about it?  It smells like a bonafide strawberry milkshake.  Make no mistake, you won’t know whether to stick a straw in it and lap it up or smoothe it through the ends of your locks.  £14.79, www.specialisthairsupplies.co.uk

Radox Berry Burst Shower Cream is a fruity reinvention from a high-street classic.  Packaged rather snazzily in hot pink, you won’t miss this in the back of your bathroom cabinet.  The scent reminds me of a cross between Starburst (I nearly said Opal Fruits – I AM OLD ALRIGHT?) and a fruit salad, ensuring that the blend between completely synthetic and somewhat natural is fairly well balanced.  The scent doesn’t last long on the skin but the cream itself is pretty moisturising for an el-cheapo! £1.99, www.boots.com

Who thought that Roger & Gallet was the kind of brand you’d buy your Nan for Christmas?  Yeah, me too.  But things are getting modern with the Roger & Gallet Fleur de Figuier* range and this Body Lotion punches well above its weight with a tantalizing blend of: mandarin, grapefruit, fig pulp, and musk.  Still not convinced… how about when I reveal the little-know-fact that the fragrance for this new range has been created by none other than fragrance maestro Francis Kurkdjian.  Got your attention now haven’t I?  Seriously.  Lap this beauty up.  £12.50, www.marksandspencer.com

Another super-cheapy here in the form of Lidl’s very own Cien Nail Polish Remover, oh the glamour!  I’m not sure we’re supposed to be sniffing our nail polish removers (pack it in at once!) but this bargain-hunter’s dream purchase puts me in mind of a bakewell tart with its almondy-goodness.  It’s a pretty decent nail polish remover too!  Also… it’s got that pro-dispenser pump thing going on up top, and anything that makes removing your nail polish just a weeny bit more fun is ALL good in my books.  £1.49, Lidl

Finally, what else would you expect from a brand named Fudge than some foody-related shenanigans?  Fudge were one of the first hair brands I reviewed on this here blog so I’m pleased to be adding the Fudge Urban Iced Coconut Cocktail Hair Spray* to my list of tempting treats.  It makes sense for hair spray (which is notoriously noxious) to be made more pleasing to the senses and I’m delighted to report that Fudge have done the business nicely with this offering.  A mega-strong hold and lasting scent in a compact can ensures that my hair will be smelling delicious for the foreseeable!  £4.99 (currently £2.99), www.superdrug.com

What are your favourite foody-scented products at the moment?

* press samples

… from ME!

I came across the Korres-owned line of body products whilst surfing the Zuneta site late the other evening.  I was taking advantage of the free delivery code before it ran out and stumbled over this intriguing range of well-priced, temptingly-flavoured goodies!

I’m a sucker for warm scents and tobacco is one of my favourites.  The For Kings & Queen’s version doesn’t disappoint… it’s sweet without being sickly and intoxicating without being heady.  To my nose, I can detect a hint of juiciness that’s sharp enough to gently cut through the warmer base and keep things a little lighter.  It’s simply a beautiful unisex scent and Mr. L has already made one hell of a dent in our bottle.

The formula is runny and toned brown… so beware any spillages!  Another point to note is just how much lather the formula produces… just a tiny drop combined with a mesh bath puff will create miles of bubbles, ensuring excellent value for money!

The scent sadly doesn’t linger on my skin once I’ve left the bathroom, a real shame as I imagine this would make the most perfect layering foundation for some of my warm, amber-based fragrances.  Still, at £5.00 for 300ml I can’t expect the world and I’m very happy with what I get for my money.

Rather dangerously, there’s a particularly collectible element to the line up.  The For Kings & Queens range link their scents to specific royal persons, hence the “Tsar Peter” in this shower gel who was known to enjoy the flavours of aromatic pipe tobacco so much that during times of severe laws against tobacco smoking he extended this pleasure to his people allowing them to smoke freely. It’s like the pokemon of shower gels… gotta catch ’em all!

I’m fascinated by the Korres-owned range which I believe has been around for some time now (how did I not know!) and already have a few more earmarked for future purchase.

For Kings & Queens are available to buy online from Zuneta & ThePowderRooms (where the range is currently on sale) – also check out the brand’s website which has all the historical tidbits about the various royal references!

Have you tried the Kings & Queens range?  Any favourites?

If it weren’t for those pesky prematurely dark evenings… Autumn would be my favourite season by far.

The excitement at dragging our lovely knitwear out from storage, discovering warming new recipes for the slow cooker, 100 denier tights and nature’s most vibrant display of colour.  It all combines to fill me with that pre-Christmas thrill.

For me, Autumn is the season of scents… crushed leaves underfoot, cordite in the air and hearty stews on the stove.

Here’s my take on some of the nicest Autumn scents that money can buy.

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Ancienne Ambiance Scented Candle Collection – Romana (£28)

Brainchild of Adriana Carlucci, Ancienne Ambiance offer luxury goods inspired by Antiquity.   When you burn an Ancienne Ambiance candle, you’re burning more than just a beautifully blended scent.

Romana is like a portal to another age.  Described as: A powder-like scent with sensual & comforting effects..particularly good when desiring a calm ambience.

Comforting is exactly right… it’s soft and evocative.  The amber tones are rich, earthy and overwhelmingly Autumnal.  Perfect for warming up these dark evenings.

The quality in this candle is evident with a flame which burned evenly throughout the many hours of enjoyment I’ve had thus far.  The scent remains true and consistent from the first time you light it through to the moment it extinguishes itself.

The Ancienne Ambiance Scented Candle Collection is available to buy online and instore at Fenwick of Bond Street.

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OCCO  Motovun no3 Bath & Body Wash (£18)

Croatian-inspired OCCO are a new to the UK, natural brand with a wide range of luxury products.

The Motovun no3 range combines essences of Cypress Leaf, Labdanum, Oak, Cedar Leaf, Vetiver and Black Pepper, to create an earthy and woody selection.

They say:

Oil of cypress tree fuses with gentle oat-based cleansers with anti-oxidant properties, to help restore elasticity and cleanse your skin. Natural extracts of pine and oak calm and centre your mood.

With an impressive list of active ingredients including: Pine Oil, Cypress Oil and Sage Oil Grape Extract, OCCO’s Motovun No3 promises to be a moisturising experience.  Something that our skins definitely crave this time of year.

All OCCO products contain a minimum of 95% natural ingredients and 100% natural fragrance blended from absolutes, extracts and oils to reveal subtle top, heart and base notes. All products are free from parabens, sulphates, petrochemicals and synthetic colours.

The brand are set to open a central London boutique this Autumn but for now, you can purchase online and instore from Harrods and John Lewis.

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Haus of Gloi Parkin Bubbling Scrub ($9)

My latest Haus of Gloi order turned up yesterday morning and amongst it was the newly released Parkin Bubbling Scrub.

Heavy in black treacle, ginger and roasted chestnuts… the initial ginger sweetness morphs into a richer, darker base that lingers on the skin for hours.  Synonymous with Bonfire Night, I was delighted to scrub myself silly with this yesterday morning to mark the historic date.

Now, if only I had some real sticky Parkin to go with it *nom*

Parkin Bubbling Scrub is available online from Haus of Gloi (for a limited time).

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LUSH / Gorilla Perfumes – Tuca Tuca (from £2.50)

I wanted to include an out and out fragrance in this selection but I found myself struggling to choose.  Sure, there are many amber and woody offerings…. even heady orientals that would fit with the theme but as I was exploring my stash of lovely things, I remembered Tuca Tuca.

It’s a love it/hate it pick.  Mr. L hates it, I love it.  Not quite as much as I love some of LUSH’s other new fragrance offerings (I’m looking at you Lust and The Smell of Freedom) but by Jove it reminds me of Halloween!

Tuca Tuca is an explosion in a Parma Violet Factory… and in this house, Parma Violets are king… or yano… queen… whatever, I ain’t discriminating.  Even better if we can find the jumbo ones… am not fattist either.  It’s playful, girly and comforting all at the same time.  But most of all?  It’s impish… mischievous and defiantly bold.

A pied piper of fragrances.

Tuca Tuca is available instore at LUSH or online.

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Neals Yard Remedies Lip Gloss with Organic Orange Oil (£9)

Neals Yard Remedies are new to cosmetics and I’m finding it hard to decide if this is a gloss, a balm or maybe just a bit of both!

Advertised as a gloss, it does indeed leave a lovely (if subtle) sheen behind.  It’s non sticky and wears just as well under a lipstick as it does over it!

But the real beauty is in it’s scent!

I have literally spent an entire car journey with the end stuffed up my nostril.  Well, not *up* my nostril… that would just be dangerous, imagine if we had to brake?

Let me explain…

As a child, around this time of year… I used to make orange pomanders and use them to scent drawers and wardrobes around the house.  The organic orange oil is an acute reminder of those days.

It’s got enough tartness to it to steer it away from being sickly, but enough softness to stop it from smelling like a kitchen cleaner.  Fragrance blenders… I have so much respect for the delicate balancing act you do!

No parabens, no silicones and no carmine.  Neals Yard Remedies offers the first collection to include Soil Association certified cosmetics.  But I’m still all about that orange!

Neals Yard Remedies Lip Gloss with Organic Orange Oil is available to buy instore and online.

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What are some of your loveliest Autumnal scents?  And which season is your favourite?