Aromatherapy Associates Limited Edition Renewing Rose Body Velvet

I am going to confess that I have a bit of a love thing going on with Aromatherapy Associates, to date there hasn't been a product I have disliked, only the opposite. Now as they celebrate their 30th Anniversary this year, a product has been created to celebrate and mark that occasion. That product is the Aromatherapy Associates Limited Edition Renewing Rose Body Velvet and the name alone screams luxury to me, so when it arrived, I couldn't wait to open it and loved it from the first time I smelt it.

 The body velvet combines the highest quality essential oils and plant extracts, to help rejuvenate the skin, for a noticeably firmer appearance and feel. Ingredients such as velvet flower extract which is rich in minerals ate designed to help your skin retain moisture levels for a younger, smoother looking skin. Add to that the inclusion of special peptides and gotu kola which on its own has some of the most amazing skin rejuvenating properties and assist a host of skin complaints and ailments such as cellulite, eczema, scarring as well as hosting the most amazing skin rejuvenating properties. Putting these together, not only is your left looking revitalised with improved tone and feeling softer for longer, you will see an improvement in your skins suppleness.  I have to say, it really does leave your skin velvety soft and smooth after using and is the perfect treat.

This cream as I said screams luxury and it really is a lovely thick and as soon as you apply it to your skin, it wants to absorb it as soon as it can, which it does realty well. Once it has been absorbed there is no greasy film or residue left behind, instead you get the lovely scent of rose, geranium and sandalwood, which makes it quite floral with a bit of a kick, that aroma you get when you walk into a spa is what it reminds me, something fresh and clean.

The tub costs £50 is huge at 200ml and for me, this is not a cream you would apply every day morning and night, it is something you would use as a treat, for a special occasion, a big night and so on, something to add a bit of luxury to your pamper session.

Top 5 Summer Scents

This post is about my favourite scents for the summer, it appeared on the lovely Vicky of Lots of Love, Me blog as a guest post. I am a huge lover of perfume and my collection is slowly growing, there are one or two favourites that I could never be without - Bvlgari Pour Femme being one of them.  Every now and again though I like a change and often find my inspiration from some samples that I receive.  All of the perfumes which feature within this post have grown on me and have been purchased from samples.

So as you can see there us quite a few brands here and starting in the top left we have Bvlgari Rose which was released in 2006 and is a scent that I loved from a very first spritz. described as follows:

Rose Essentielle is the richest and most sophisticated fragrance in the Bvlgari pour Femme Collection. Since 2006, this scent has been the ultimate expression of luxury, it offers women who seek an extremely sensual floral signature the perfect evening complement.

The ingredients add a youthful and graceful touch to the original scent, reminiscent of a delicate Rose. The added fruity notes of Bergamot and Orange add a zesty sparkle to the richness of the precious Rose notes in the heart of the composition, making this fragrance refined, transparent and luminous.

The fact there are two rose scents make this perfume absolutely stunning and is something you should all try and sample if like me you love rose scented products.  It has a really good longevity about it once spritzed and is one of those fragrances which will last all day.

Next we have DKNY Be Delicious. This is the only perfume from the range that I currently own, I say currently because I am keen to add more of them to my collection. Again I loved this from the first spritz and is described as follows:

"A modern feast for the senses, this juicy fragrance combines the scent of apple with a sophisticated blend of exotic flowers and sensual woods"

It literally smells just like the description and is one of those scents that has a long lasting scent and I find that if I spray it on my way to work in a morning, I can still catch a sniff of it on my way home 8-9 hours later.

Givenchy Very Irresistible is next and I got a sample of this in a perfume sample subscription box and wore it everyday until the sample ran out and then bought a full sized version.  It is described as follows:

"Very Irresistable Givenchy eau de toilette was created, from a unique alliance of 5 roses, the queen of flowers, emblematic of Hubert de Givenchy and Audrey Hepburn. The 5 roses are sublimated by their association with star anise, giving a bright, radiant, energetic and mouth-watering twist to the fragrance. The end result is a unique sensation of sheer seduction and luminous attraction".

Again for me it is that rose scent which catches my love and attention, there is something about it which works well with my skin and makes it last for a long time once it has been spritzed.

Marc Jacobs Daisy Sunshine was gifted to me by my work colleagues and at first I wasn't too sure that I liked it.  I persevered with it and now I absolutely love it, more so than the original Daisy.  It is described as a:

"Radiant and sparkling, the fragrance captivates with a mood-brightening infusion of juicy red fruits. The heart blooms with notes of vivid spring blossoms and tender lychee, then dries down to a velvety base of blushing apricot skin and musky woods".

Once you spritz it, the first scent you get is one of fruit and as the scent settles it does become less vibrant and in your face and more subtle and that is when I love it the most. Again it lasts a good 5-6 hours before you would need to re-apply it.

The final perfume is Miss Dior Cherie, a classic and another scent which took a while to grow on me, but once it did I loved it.  Described as follows:

"Romantic by nature, Miss Dior Chérie inspires an intense and playful love, for which she is also searching. She personifies the spontaneous joie de vivre of today's young women, representing a particular type of freedom and seduction. The fragrance is characterised by an instant and captivating charm".

Again this fragrance combines the use of Turkish Rose and Bulgarian Rose to give it one of its main scents so it is not a surprise that I like it, but it also includes Patchouli and Neroli which make up the fruity scent.  This perfume is one which needs just a slight spritzing as it is quite a powerful scent and another one which can and will last all day long, it takes a good 2-3 hours when on my skin to fade slightly and again I can still smell it on my skin 8-9 hours later.

So those are my favourite scents for the summer.  Do you change your perfume during each season?  Do you have a signature scent for the summer and is there anything you would recommend I try?

Treasured Orchid Range - Ted Baker

When Ted Bakers new and indulgent Treasured Orchid** bath and body range dropped through my letterbox to try, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed.  Over the last few months, I have been really surprised at how good the Ted Baker Range is, whether it is a handbag perfume, nail polish or something for the man in your life, these products have been amazing quality.

The Treasured Orchid Range, is said to be inspired by Ted's latest fashion collection.  Described as being Beautifully Feminine, the print packaging which is a lovely shade of pink, is one that stands out.

The products I have been using are a hand cream, body wash and body spray which all feature the scent of rose, so if you are a fan of products with a rose scent, then these might just be for you.

The hand cream is a moisturising hand cream which is made with rose, sandalwood and raspberry, is white in colour and of a medium texture.  As soon as it comes into contact with the skin it absorbs itself instantly, leaving behind a floral yet fruity scent on your skin. It also contains Shea Butter which has natural moisturising properties.

The body wash, which is clear in colour with no tint to it again features rose, sandalwood and raspberry and the scent is similar, though not quite the same as the hand cream, it is much more of a floral scent.

The final product is the aptly described 'vivacious' body spray, in its clear plastic bottle with spritz applicator, the liquid inside looks the colour I would expect the hand cream and the shower gel to look.  once it has been spritzed, again with a combination of rose, sandalwood and raspberry and for me this is the one which has the fruitiest scent to it, the raspberry being more notable than the rose.

These products are available in Boots with prices starting at just £5.50 right up to £10 for a travel set and £15 for a gift box.  All of which make a lovely present and a great addition to your collection.

REN V-Cense!

REN skincare products are not something I have ever gone out of my way to try, even though many Bloggers rave about how brilliant they are.  A few weeks ago I was invited to attend a new product launch at the REN HQ here in London and I went along with the lovely Kimberley from Kimberleysbeautyblog to see what all the fuss was about.

Once inside REN HQ we got plenty of time to mingle with other bloggers and the lovely RN Staff as well as meet David Plenter who is the REN Global Brand Ambassador who then gave us a wonderful presentation into the world of REN and he spoke so passionately, it was hard not to want all of the products.

The reason for the event was to introduce to us the V-Cense collection which we got to test and try out as David was talking to use.  He was also very brave asking if anyone had any questions throughout his presentation, which with a room full of bloggers is no mean feat, but he handled everything wonderfully.   As David spoke to us all, we were able to test out some of the products mentioned which I found really helpfully, especially I was new to trying any REN product.

The V-Cense range is described as being an "innovative range of clean skincare designed to banish urban grey and combat fatigue".

Within this range there is the V-Cense Youth Vitality Day Cream which is described as being:  "A multi-active day moisturiser that prevents and minimizes the signs of premature ageing. Its complex of actives intensely hydrates, protects against free radical damage and smoothes fine lines and wrinkles while boosting skin energy and elasticity. Skin stays hydrated, protected and glowing."

Next comes the V-Cense Revitalising Night Cream which is said to "Hydrate and rejuvenate your skin overnight, waking to a radiant and healthy reflection. Frankincense Revitalising Night Cream contains bio-actives that moisturise, nourish and help combat the signs of premature ageing".

We also got to try out the REN Centifolia Hot Cloth Cleanser which is described as being"A rich and velvety lotion formulated to clean the skin from urban dirt and to remove make-up. Tannins from Centifolia rose petals soothes, tones and revives the skin while triglycerides from cocoa butter leaves it nourished and supple".  This product also comes with a Muslin cloth.

The final product we got to hear about is the REN V-Cense Flash Rinse 1 minute facial, yes you read that right.  This product is a gel-rinse that is designed to instantly revitalize and rejuvinate the skin after just 1 minute and last for 72 hours! It aims to neutralize ‘urban grey’ (especially good news for us living in London), remove blackheads, eliminate dead skin cells, reduce the signs of fatigue, diminish the signs of wrinkles and overall leave skin looking firm, toned and smoothed. Short term it is said to brighten your complexion, even skin tone and it also has an instant firming, toning and lifting effect.  To me, this all seems quite impressive and exciting for a product only being used for 1 minute and it is out in March 2014.

As soon as I saw all of these products and was lucky enough to try them, I wanted them as well as most of the products from the Moroccan Rose Range which smell absolutely amazing.  Amazingly, the wonderful people at REN had prepared an amazing goody bag ina lovely REN Tote bag for those of us who attended and here are the contents:

I was totally excited to see all of these products within my bag, especially two sachets of the 1 minute facial which I was itching to try having listened to David talk about it so passionately because it does sound simply amazing.

Have you tried any REN products? Do you have a favourite?