Crabtree & Evelyn - Summer sets

Crabtree & Evelyn has come together with London-based designer Josie Shenoy to create the vibrant packaging for our new summer gift sets, including travel kits, Hand Therapy sets and more. Josie’s illustrations focus on themes of nature and decorative arts as well as a love of storytelling. At the heart of her designs for Crabtree & Evelyn are the floral treasures found within a glasshouse and the distinctively English tradition of afternoon tea. 

With these as inspiration, Josie has created a kaleidoscopic composition in a palette of vintage colours and textures that serves as beautiful packaging for our premium gifts. Along with the gift sets is the NEW Floral Body Care collection. The collection transforms the three beloved scents of our Flower Water perfumes into shower gels, body lotions and Hand Therapies.

Hand Therapy Samplers 
These spring treats are the perfect assortment of 3 x 25g Hand Therapies. Available in four carefully curated fragrance combinations, they make the perfect gift for family and friends.

NEW Fresh Cut Florals Hand Therapy Sampler 
Florentine Freesia Hand Therapy
Venetian Violet Hand Therapy
Old World Jasmine Hand Therapy 

Classic Florals Hand Therapy Sampler 
25g Lavender Hand Therapy
25g Rosewater Hand Therapy
25g Pear & Pink Magnolia Hand Therapy 

Botanicals Hand Therapy Sampler 

25g Pomegranate Hand Therapy
25g Citron Hand Therapy
25g Avocado Hand Therapy 

Deluxe Hand Therapy Collection
For the ultimate hand care gift. Hosts our best-selling fragrances in a collectable tin. 

Contains 12 x 25g Hand Therapies 
Gardeners

La Source

Rosewater

Lavender

Nantucket Briar

Summer Hill

Citron

Avocado

Pomegranate

Pear & Pink Magnolia

Evelyn Rose

Goatmilk 

Review of the bestsellers kit 

Uncover the delightful artistry and fragrance of nature’s prettiest flowers, with precious scents that cherish and sweeten the senses. Each range is composted with a fresh and uplifting twist, an invitation to rediscover the bouquet of these favoured English Garden Classics. 

La Source 5 Piece Traveller Set 

Take the power of the sea with you away for the weekend. The new La Source Traveller contains five hair and body essentials packed in a clear, zip top bag. 

The kit contains: 

50ml Refreshing Body Wash
50ml Hydrating Body Lotion
50ml Volumising Seaweed Shampoo
50ml Revitalising Seaweed Conditioner
25g Hand Therapy 

Mini Travellers 
These three piece travel sets are perfect for a weekend getaway. Each contains a travel size body wash, body lotion, and hand therapy and comes in a clear zip top pouch. 

Available in 7 fragrances: 

NEW Old World Jasmine 

NEW Florentine Freesia
NEW Venetian Violet
Rosewater
Pink Petal
Pomegranate
Goatmilk

Mini Traveler Contents 
50ml Body Wash
50ml Body Lotion
25g Hand Therapy

Florentine Freesia 

Hand Therapy 100g
Bath & Shower Gel 300ml
Body Lotion 300ml
Body Cream 200g
10ml Flower Water 

An enticing scent of freesia blended with elegant fruity floral notes. The heritage of freesia, a member of the iris family, the white iris was prevalent throughout Florence. 

Venetian Violet
Hand Therapy 100g
Bath & Shower Gel 300ml
Body Lotion 300ml
Body Cream 200g
Flower Water 10ml

Elegance of violet's with a fruity twist. Italian violet was the first to charm the Crabtree & Evelyn. In Venice, the Violet decorates as a symbol of purity and modesty. Venetian Violet Flower blended lychee, raspberry and peach, base notes of cedar wood and musk. 

Old World Jasmine 

Hand Therapy 100g
Bath & Shower Gel 300ml
Body Lotion 300ml
Body Cream 200g
Flower Water 10ml

The beautiful intense aroma of this classic flower that remains fashionable. Balancing white jasmine with a sparkling citrus notes. Valencia orange and Meyer lemon add a sweet refreshing edge. While gardenia, cyclamen and tuberose a floral fresh and very feminine. 

I love these gift and travel sets of various scent's, it really is a gift that can achieve anything from calming, extravagance and plain relaxing. New releases of scent's is always exciting. Crabtree & Evelyn really did produce quality sets for anyone you may need a gift for, or if you want a well deserved pamper evening. 

The natural ingredients mean's the scents and the quality is outstanding. As I said  I'm not a floral type of girl, so will stick to mostly fruity or sweet scents. I however now think that smelling nature in full bloom, is the most uplifting feeling to start the day with.The floral travellers sets are inspired by summer fresh blooms. 

It is inspired in every step from the grouping of products, to the beautifully illustrative decor on the hand therapy sets to the sturdy elegant travellers kits hand presentation. Is the best way I can describe this collection.

Essie - Wild nudes collection

Essie’s NEW Wild Nudes Collection are nature inspired and perfectly neutral. Become one with the outdoors with the wild nudes collection. These four rich crème colour shades are a permanent addition to the essie core range to add to the popularity and demand for essie nudes. These edgy shades are a modern take on a neutral palette.

Bare all with these scantily clad shades: 

Bare with me: You’ve got nothing to lose but your inhibitions in this apricot tone with grey cast

Exposed : Show your true colours to the world in this shade of mossy green with a slight white overcast

Clothing optional (hero shade): This sumptuous shade of lighter sienna brown covers all the essentials

Winning streak: it’s no sin to win. This shade of dark purple with a greyish tone loves to get your streak on

Choose neutral shades with a distinctive point of view with the essie wild nudes collection.

I have to say the packaging of this collection was so beautiful, then it made me excited to see what the shades would be like. I was not disappointed at all with these lovely wild nude colours. They are pigmented even with one coat, apply flawlessly and dry with a beautiful true to shade colour finish. They are versatile shades that can be mixed with other shades from Essie, to brighten or have a neutral look depending on the event your attending. 

As the sun was shining I decided to do some nail art, taping off half the nail then using each shade having the glitter tip to really pop the colour. I love the effect and was impressed by the longevity of this collection with no chips or need to touch up the polish. Fantastic collection and this is the first part of my Essie series. I will have a review and more nail art with the vibrant new Gel Couture shades plus highlight four of the treatment polishes for brittle nails with tips on great nail health. 

BeautyUK - Nails Polish

http://www.beautyukcosmetics.com

BeautyUK cosmetics is an amazing and affordable British brand. So as we approach the mid-point to 2014, an amazing release comes. In the form of a new line of nail polish. A amazing array of beautiful summer colours.  I was kindly asked to try 2 colours from the range. 

They say : Our range of cosmetics provides the tools needed, to stay on trend. Innovation and creative development. We give customers exciting products, that spark imagination enhancing their signature style. BeautyUK loves experimenting with new colours, shades to compliment look's. 

*Names are below

The new flagship nails collection boasts 22 statement shades of quick drying, long lasting, high gloss nail polish. 

New nails shades : 

1.Ice Ice Baby 

2.White Out 

3.Let's hit the peach 

4.Rustic rose

5.Pink lemonade          

6.Lady Lavender               

7.Under the heather

8.Pretty in pink 

9.Ultra violet 

10.Smoke signal 

11.Post box red 

12. Pink you've had enough 

13.Tealed with a kiss 

14.Daffodil delight 

15.Coral burst   

16.Pink pop

17.Purple pizzaz

18.Great blue beyond 

19.Cherry bomb 

20.Red royale 

21.Rouge rondevouz 

22.Black out  

Tealed with a kiss 

So "Tealed with a kiss" is a beautiful shade and one I was instantly drawn too. A Dark teal colour that was unusual, a happy change from pinks or a French manicure. I love the boldness of the colour. It will compliment my green makeup looks. It applied really nicely and has a thick, long haired brush. I had a good colour payoff on the first application. The second layer then gave me the strong, vibrant colour that was true to the bottle shade. Long wearing and smooth finish when the nail dried. Very impressed with this polish. 

Ultra violet 

Again what a beautiful bold colour for summer. Shades of Pantone's "Rich Orchid" so your nails will be in trend when you venture out. The colour application was easy and the same as "Tealed with a kiss". Two layers gives a rich and vibrant colour. It's formula is long lasting, having worn them for nearly a week. There's been no major chipping, only slight wear at the edges. I am redoing my nails now, so for the polish to last this long has impressed me so much. 

I would purchase more of these polishes, as I think they are fantastic value for money. BeautyUK products I've tried have exuded quality for an affordable price. They are bringing out more products,  that I am excited to try. So it's a big thumbs up for these new Nails polishes. The shades are beautiful and also the application is very easy. 

Smooch Cosmetics - New lipstick releases (Steamy Nights collection)

So once again the wonderful Smooch have sent me a product to trial for them. Coming new collection of lipsticks. The new Steamy nights collection contains some beautiful shades of deep reds with more berry tones, for all us who love to show our lips to there full potential with some bold lipstick and colour. Also some pink morphing reds for those girly days in us where we want to rock some more pink then deep tones. Im so excited that i have already earmarked for my collection additions to purchase as they are stunning. 

Smooch's ethos is 

It all came about whilst getting ready for a celebrity bash. Kitty mused over the fact that cosmetics were a little like underwear – you have your everyday white, black and nudes, the base or foundation of your lingerie collection. Then there are the items you save for special occasions, the highlighters, the products that outline and define drawing attention to those areas you want to focus on. Be it the lacy bra that offers extra cleavage, the super sheer pants to give you a great bum, or the thong for no vpl.

Kitty wondered “Why can’t we have a cosmetic range that combines the two?” A range of make-up that could be viewed as basic but made one feel special every day. Launched in 2011 Smooch Cosmetics currently create products for Eyes, Face, Lips and Nails. Who needs shades of grey when we have over 50 shades of pink, red, plum, purple…..? At Smooch it’s all about confidence. We love our packaging but know that if we were to peel back the lace you’d still have a product that helps you to look good and feel great.

"The six saucy shades have moisturising qualities and boast long lasting shine." .... They say about Steamy nights and Indeed they do :OD 

I will place the colours released and the link to the colour below. I was sent was Berry kiss. A mix between a deep raspberry red and wine colour, looking quite scary in the tube it is not so and i implore anyone to try something out of there comfort zone plus they are build-able. 

So the Six new shades are -

Berry Kiss - A lovely deep wine/raspberry colour with a hint of sparkle to it without being over the top

Courtesan - The boldest shade of the pack being a deep vibrant purple

Devils Darling - This is a bold bright Crimson 

Flirtini - Bold pink with shimmer and hints of purple 

The 2 not on the site as yet are : 

Racy Lacy - Deep red, new take on the classic red we all know and love (looks to me like a red mixed with a deeper shade of scarlet included, taken to a new blood red level)

Sweetness -  Described as the ultimate cute colour for summer 2013 and to unlock the inner "Sandy" from grease. (Its a red with a mix of a sweet barbie pink hint )

Swatches and colour in the tube 

The lipstick is deeply pigmented but as you can see it transfers to the lips really nicely and not too intense, so can be built upon if you wish to wear this during the day. I think this Berry kiss is a lovely summers day colour when lightly layered. Plus they are not drying and very hydrating formula as were the last lipsticks I've tried from the range. 

Colours on my lips 

I really do want to purchase more from Smooch as i think i could really do some amazing looks with there line and if you are craving for affordable makeup with lovely packaging and chic twist on vintage then Smooch is for you. I adore the packaging with the pink and black lace detailing plus the tubes pattern just translates all the way in the product what Smooch are trying to achieve. 

I will be trying to get some face products and more eyeshadows next week to purchase and review for looks and also to see the quality of facial makeup on offer. This summer collection still has set my pulse racing and I'm over the moon that the quality just keeps getting better and the shades increase. 

Well done Smooch, i will be back for more to review soon. 

Have you tried Smooch ? What do you think ? 

Smooch Cosmetics Website