Priming with Touch In Sol

'You wouldn't apply paint to a wall without priming it' was my very first introduction as to why you should apply a base to your face before applying makeup.  Since those many moons ago, without question, I will always use a primer and if you find a good one, one which works for you and does the job you want it to do, then it is a huge plus.

I have for the past few months had a lot of fun playing with these three primers from Touch In Sol.  If you haven't read my blog recently, then I am a huge K-Beauty Fan and my current obsession is with Touch In Sol (featured here and here). The brand was created and founded in Seoul and is designed to embrace the spirit of Korean innovation. Touch In Sol is fun, innovative and uses some of the most advanced technologies and everything I have tried so far I have just absolutely loved.

Primers can do many things for your skin and makeup, it depends what it is you want them to do.  This is where Touch In Sol has something for everything.  Starting with the one most of you might have heard of, No Poreblem (£15).

If you have combination/oily skin and want to control that excess sebum, then this ticks the boxes. If you want to minimise the look of those pesky pores, again this ticks that box. For me, I have combination oily skin and there are certain days of the month when I need all the help I can get to defeat that mid-afternoon shine and when that happens, No Poreblem is the primer for me. Enriched with Green tea extract which provides soothing antioxidant benefits, building an invisible barrier to the elements and Collagen which protects skin as well as helping it to look firm, smooth and healthy.  Using a pump action bottle, you only need a few pumps to ensure you cover the parts of your face that need it the most and once it has settled, it creates a really lovely velvety finish.  This is one of my favourite discoveries to date.

Feel Like Honeymoon (£19.50) is up next and this should not be as amazing to use as it is, but I absolutely love everything about it.  Unlike anything I have ever come across or used before, it smells good enough to eat and makes my skin feel just incredible.

Honeymoon is a primer which looks after your skin and it is perfect for those of us who have dry skin that often looks and feels dehydrated or lacklustre. Enriched with eight botanicals which include rose, jasmine, lavender, lotus, chamomile and hibiscus there is also hydrolysed collagen, tiny suspended gold flakes and honey extract and they all come together to moisturise, firm and illuminate your complexion. Honeymoon is quite versatile because you can use it on it before you apply makeup or you can mix it in with your foundation or even your moisturising cream, depending on your preference and which make up products you will be using.  Unlike No Poreblem, Honeymoon has a spatula for applying and it is really easy to use and manages to hold just enough product.  It smells just like honey and has a texture which is quite similar to runny honey, but on the skin, it transforms into a none-sticky texture.  As it is ideal for dry skin, if like me you have dry patches of skin on your face, you will find that where products once glued themselves to the dry skin, they no longer do.

The Primer that intrigued me the most is Toc TocToning Capsule Base (£16). Beautiful to look at and I was drawn to the spots held within the formula.

Held inside an incredible moisturising gel which is non-stick or tacky are multi-pearl capsules which work to hydrate and illuminate skin and help to create that flawless canvas upon which to apply your makeup. The multi-pearl capsules which pop when applied help to add definition to the contours of your face and like other products within the range from Touch In Sol, this primer also cares for your skin. Using smoothing natural botanicals which includes jasmine, lavender, rose and hibiscus extracts they come together to soothe and moisturise, while also diminishing the appearance of fine lines.

The final primer I have been lucky enough to play with is 'I'm Very Useful' Make Up Boomer (£16) and this pearlescent cream primer is designed to add radiance, make your make up last longer and it can also be used as a highlighter over makeup.

I'm Very Useful is enriched with argan oil, jojoba oil, lotus, jasmine, lavender, chamomile, rose and lily which nourish and moisturise the skin. On the skin, it adds a subtle glow and I have found that it works just as well on its own as it does with your moisturiser, especially if you are having a no-makeup day and just want to look fabulous. As a highlighter, I love the glow it gives and it can be used on your cheekbones, bridge of the nose and brow bones and this is where the spatula applicator comes in really useful because it is easy to pat the product onto the skin, it doesn't use too much or too little, you can control just how much of a glow you want. If I am mixing with a moisturising cream or even BB cream, then I only add a few drops from the end of the spatula.

As you can see there are four very different primers which do very different things but all have something in common - they look after your skin as well as ensure your make up stays in place for longer.  There is a whole host of Touch In Sol makeup and skin to be discovered over at Cult Beauty, ASOS and recently launched at Feelunique and honestly, it is a brand which continues to surprise me.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page here

Jurlique Limited Edition Rose Body Oil

Until I was introduced to Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist, I absolutely hated the scent of anything Rose related and then suddenly all that changed. Jurlique as a brand is one I am a huge fan of and it is one I have featured on my blog many times and today, I am featuring the perfect scent for Valentines Day - The Limited Edition Jurlique Rose Body Oil.

If you have never come across or tried the brand before they have a great story to tell. Jurlique was founded by Jurgen and Ulrike Klein, a German couple who migrated to Australia armed with their natural expertise – his as a biochemist, hers as a botanist – and a vision to create the purest skin care on earth. What I love is that all of the ingredients used within the Jurlique products are grown on a farm and hand-picked for each item, they are also free from synthetic chemicals, pesticides, herbicides and insecticides. 

The Rose Body Oil comes presented in a beautiful rose decorate box comes an oil so luxurious it is a treat to apply. Inside the brown glass bottle, with accompanying pump, the oil is nourishing, it is hydrating and it glides onto the skin without leaving a greasy or tacky residue behind. 

There are three main ingredients within this oil which are worthy of being mentioned and the first is that of Rose which has been grown and extracted at the brand's organic farm in the South Australian hills, the rose extract used deeply hydrates to help skin feel softened, balanced and restored. Next is Macadamia Oil which has a composition which is similar to the skin’s sebum or natural oils. It is also rich in essential fatty acids so it helps to rebalance dryness while protecting skin from moisture loss. Thirdly we have Safflower seed oil which is deeply moisturising and soothes as well as helping to protect the skin against moisture loss. Alongside these three oils you will also find Jojoba Seed Oil and Rosemary Leaf Extract.

To use you only need a small amount of oil pumped into your palms and to then warm the oil you simply rub the oil between your hands before massaging onto the skin and the aroma is so incredibly fresh and relaxing. You can also add a few drops to your bath water and again the scent really does come to life with the steam from the water.

A delightful gift or treat, this oil has an RRP £58 and you can find it online and in store.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page here

His and Hers Candles with Urban Apothecary

With Valentines Day on the horizon and supermarkets and the high street is flooded with ideas and tempting bargains (oh and Easter Eggs) and whilst Santa was very good to both of us over Christmas, there is one item we both do enjoy (me more so) are candles.

I mention candles fairly regularly on my blog and absolutely love discovering new brands and new scents and the most recent has come from Urban Apothecary and the two candles I am sharing today are just totally stunning from the box they arrived in, to the overall design and scent.  The candles are made of soy wax with a cotton wick and each candle is hand poured in England and housed in mouth blown glass.  

Described as follows:

Urban Apothecary is a new take on home fragrance that will transform your rooms. Combining distinctive aromas, the candles and diffusers encapsulate mixtures of memories and moods.

The two fragranced candles I have are Smoked Leather and Tuberose Petals and they are both huge at 300g and have a burn time of approximately 60 hours and they cost £30 each.

Smoked leather is described as being a Meditative and calming. It has aromatic top notes of saffron, coriander and white thyme which open out into a heart of rich, resinous olibanum and amber and woody cedar. Then to the base which gives you the leather, suede and vetiver combination which is described as achieving a beautiful balance and sumptuous woodiness.  

The scent as you can imagine from that description is quite something and it is one you can already get a scent of before you remove the candle from its box.  Once it is alright the scent really comes alive and you get a delicious mix and it is smoky, it is just divine. 

Tuberose Petals is described as being opulent and botanical and this one is a definite try me now candle.  Again before the box is even opened, that fresh scent of rose petals is already filling my senses. If you know anything about then there are a few` scents I absolutely love the scent of Rose but more so Tuberose which has a heavier and sweeter scent. 

Again with an incredible set of notes, this candle starts with the refreshing top notes of green leaves and bergamot which combined with the heart notes of botanical tuberose and subtly sweet honeysuckle before the addition of carnation, sandalwood and coconut come together to create this beautiful scent.  I know a lot of people don't like the scent of coconut and honestly, it isn't the dominant scent here at all, Tuberose with a hint of bergamot most definitely is it.

With both of these candles, I have never felt the need to burn them for longer than a few hours at a time, the scent comes to life within minutes of the wick being alight and every room in the house is filled with an incredible scent.  I quite like having the two of these burning at the same time, they come together to make quite the mix with the smokiness of Smoked Leather but the fresh botanical scent of Tuberose Petals, it shouldn't work, but it most definitely does.

If you are in the mood to buy yourself a candle or treat someone else to a candle, then Urban Apothecary have an abundance of scents to tempt you from Cherry Tree and Fig Blossom to Verbena Leaves and Oudh Geranium and so many more.  I am always happy to be able to promote a British brand and Urban Apothecary are just that, with their factory in Leicester to which it has grown from the kitchen table, there is now a catalogue of scents and products to lust after whether you like candles, tealights or reed diffusers there is plenty of choice!

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page here

Valentines Gift List For Her - The Fragrances

With Valentines Day arriving this week, there is still time to run out and grab that gift to surprise your better half. Today I am sharing some of the fragrances I have been absolutely loving lately and it includes one or two that have made an appearance on this blog before, but I adore them so much, it would be wrong not to include them because they are THAT GOOD!

Starting with Hugo Boss The Scent For Her which is new to my collection and one which I've worn everyday since it arrived. Described as being: A darker, more powerful version of the seductive classic, BOSS THE SCENT For Her with two exclusive raw materials, Osmanthus Absolute and Cistus Absolute which enhance the dark, captivating side of the fragrance, bringing the classic BOSS The Scent seduction to a deeper level.

Nestled inside a deep black, almost diamond shaped bottle, the perfume opens with the fruity note of Honeyed Peach which is just stunning and added with Freesia, if a fruity-floral fragrance is something you like, then this is the one you need. With middle notes of Osmanthus Absolute which is light and delicate and Cistus Absolute the scent really comes to life and with Cacoa as a base note the warmness of the fragrance is divine.  I love how much of a role the Cacoa plays within this scent because it is quite unlike anything I have ever tried.  Priced at £85 for 50ml you can find this beauty here.

I can't not include Zadig & Voltaire For Her which has featured on my blog before (here and here) and I absolutely adore it and it was without question my most worn scent of 2017. Described as being sensual, free and jauntily. The woody, floral and gourmand This is Her, signed by perfumer duo Sidonie Lancesseur and Michel Almairac, contains notes of pink pepper, Sambac jasmine, milky chestnut cream, vanilla and sandalwood. As a scent it is cosy, it is sweet, it is indulgent and most definitely unique. 

I love that it smells so totally different to anything else I currently own or have tried and on the skin, it starts out being quite floral until the fragrance settles and is mixed with vanilla and sandalwood it becomes just beautiful and I cannot get enough of it. Impressively it is one of those scents which lasts all day without the need to re-apply and it can still be smelt the following day if it is applied to clothing. You can find it HERE priced between £30 and £50.

When it comes to cuteness, Ghost Sweetheart Forever is up there and again, I featured this fragrance here on my blog.  An Oriental Floral fragrance, Sweetheart Forever is described as being a "fragrance that touches the spirit of today's modern, romantic woman" and evokes the spirit, adventure and optimism of those tender sweet first days of a fledgling romance.  A sweet fragrance which has notes of Cassis, Lychee, Orange and Vanilla it is girly, it is pink and it is just lovely.

For Valentines Day this gift set couldn't be more perfectly packaged. Not only do you get a 30ml bottle of the fragrance, but with it, you also get a rose gold Lock and Key Pendant and it costs £25 here at Boots.

If ever there was a bottle to wow you, then it is Versace pour femme Dylan Blue. Nestled inside a curvy bottle which is designed to evoke a ceramic bowl of amphora shape and ancient Greek culture and mythology.  Just how stunning is this bottle?

The deep blue colour is highlighted with golden details and the iconic Medusa head as the symbol of the brand.  The scent is not something I expected to like as it is described as being a Floral-Fruity-Woody composition but with top notes of blackcurrant sorbet, Granny Smith apple, clover, forget-me-not and Shisolia which has quite an earthy scent you already get an opening of all three compositions quite quickly with the blackcurrant quickly dominating alongside the Shisolia.  Then as it begins to dry down the heart notes of Eglantine rose, Petalia, Rosyfolia, Jasmine, ice infusion of peach really come to life and again the one scent I can pick out straight away is the Jasmine alongside Peach but  then we have the base notes of patchouli coeur, styrax, white smooth woods and musk the woodiness of the scent comes into its own and you really do quite get quite a mixture of scents and aromas and actually I really liked it.  It is a strong scent, so less is more and it lasts all day without even needing to top up.  You can find this stunning bottle right here for £98.50.

Can Valentines Day ever be the same unless there is a Jo Malone box waiting for you?  Velvet Rose and Oud is the only fragrance from Jo Malone that I have ever owned and I always get so many compliments when I wear it.

The scent is described as being "Darkest Damask rose is rich and textural, wrapped with smoky oud wood. Spiked with clove, decadent with praline". I love rose scent products, there is something about that fresh scent of roses which is incredibly relaxing but is a scent which works so well with my skin that it smells amazing.  Priced at £75 got 50ml you can find this fragrance here at John Lewis.

So there you have my gift guide to Valentines Day when it comes to choosing a fragrance for the woman in your life.  I would love to know what your favourite fragrance is right now and whether or not any of these tickle your fancy!

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page here