Trimming My Stash - August 2020 Edition - Empties, Mini Reviews And A Life Update*

I've been reading a few bits online lately about how to write a blog post, well if you're me start with an apology! I've been trying to practise a little bit more self care recently and cut down on the apologies and the guilt trips, but again I'm sorry for the lack of posts but I've been taking a little bit of time out to work on that self care thing.

Seeing as though another lockdown seems to be increasing likely, I decided to bite the bullet and go and get my eyebrows done, and do a little bit of shopping. Despite the inability of some people  to wear a face mask correctly (COVER YOUR NOSE!!!) I felt pretty safe, but I've got to say that some of the joy that I usually experience when I head to somewhere like Intu Metrocentre seemed to be pretty much non existent, hence I didn't got too crazy and I only bought a few treats and a few essentials (check out the highlights section on my Instagram page, and click into Instahaul 3 and scroll through to see some of the bits that I bought x)

The fun aspect though just wasn't there, and I very much doubt that the carefree experience is going to return in the near future. With local restriction in Co Durham increasing on almost a daily basis, and a ban on meeting people outside of your household, it's a stressful and scary time. My beloved godmother is 90 next month and the thought of not being able to help her celebrate, or even not being able to spend Christmas with her, fills me full of so many emotions that I really don't want to think about it. My fingers are tightly crossed that people stick to the new rules and that things will hopefully get better.

So my eyebrows look great, but like so many people I'm worried about the future, and the what if's, cue lots of self care, and some distraction techniques, including plenty of cat cuddles, some sorting, some decorating, and some blogging.

Before I continue on with my late Glossybox unboxing's and reviews, I thought that I would share a couple of other posts with you including a really interesting nail polish brand discovery, and my August beauty empties.

Cuccio Naturale White Limetta & Aloe Vera Cuticle Revitalising Oil - 3.7ml
Neals Yard Remedies Bee Lovely To Your Hands Hand Cream - 50ml
John Frieda Radiant Red Red Boosting Conditioner - 250ml
Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque -125ml
Kocostar Slice Mask Sheet - Watermelon - 12 Slices - 20ml

Total - 5 Items 

After the highs of June and July, August's total of 5 items was a bit of a disappointment, but with only 4 months of 2020 left, I'm still in with a chance of equalling or even bettering last years total of 67 items. No make up yet again (I haven't been wearing it that often) but I still managed to finish a good assortment of skin, body, and hair care items.

1. Cuccio Naturale White Limetta & Aloe Vera Cuticle Revitalising Oil - 3.7ml

As the mini glut of nail posts will probably tell you (including another one scheduled for tomorrow), my nails are actually pretty decent at the moment. To combat all of that washing and sanitising, I've been applying OPI Nail Envy regularly, as well as copious amounts of cuticle oil and hand cream.

Like I mentioned in my July empties post, I've been trying out a few different cuticle oils from US born, professional nail brand, Cuccio. In July I finished a mini bottle of their Pomegranate and Fig Cuticle Revitalising Oil, and in August I finished a mini bottle of their White Limetta & Aloe Cuticle Revitalising Oil.

In the same mini glass bottle with a brush applicator, this runny green / yellow oil contains a variety of natural plant oils including safflower, sunflower seed, cotton seed and vegetable oils, as well as aloe vera, lime, lemon peel, and bergamot extract.

It has a lovely green, slightly citrus scent that reminds me a bit of a mojito! It's a really nice oil to use, it's lovely and hydrating, without sticky, heavy or overtly greasy. I really enjoyed using both of the oils that I tried from Cuccio, but this one was my favourite, so I actually went out and bought it in the 75ml salon size. If this scent isn't for you Cuccio produce a wide variety of scents in this formulation, and they also come in several different sizes from various retailers including direct from Cuccio, and Nail Polish Direct. This particular size is great for both the product and the scent, it comes in a few different sets but you can also buy it on it's own for between £2.95 - £3.95.

2. Neals Yard Remedies Bee Lovely To Your Hands Hand Cream - 50ml

Next up another product that I mentioned in my July empties posts, and as well as being another hand and nail product, it's also fitting in National Honey Month to talk about the Neals Yard Remedies Bee Lovely To Your Hands Hand Cream.

As I've said before I'm not the biggest fan of the smell of honey, but if you feel the same as I do, don't let that stop you trying out this honey hand cream. Containing around 76% organic ingredients, including sunflower seed oil, Brazil nut oil, sweet orange oil, vitamin E, camellia extract, propolis extract and honey, this hand cream is also paraben, and GMO free. It also contains synthetic fragrances or colour, and it's both cruelty free and vegan.

Slightly off white in colour, it has a thick and creamy but slightly greasy texture. It has a nice workable texture and it's easy to apply and to massage into the skin.

It takes a little while to absorb though, so it's great for overnight use. I've been slathering it all over my hands and popping a pair of gloves on for a really intense treatment, but if you only apply a small amount you could use it during the day if your hands are especially dry. After it's completely absorbed, the skin feels silky smooth and the hands look noticeably more hydrated.

As I say if you're not a fan of honey based scents then don't worry, I doesn't smell at all sickly, there is warm background sweetness to it, but the more noticeable scent for me is a citrus, sweet orange juice scent.

Not only is this a really nice hand cream to use, but with every purchase you're also helping to protect the humble bee. Without the bee it would be almost impossible for humans to survive, so for every purchase from Neal's Yard Remedies Bee Lovely range, they will donate 3% of all of their sales to various bee charities who help protect bee populations across the world, including Bees For Development which is based in Ghana.

The packaging has changed slightly since I acquired this particular tube but it's still the same product inside, and a 50ml tube retails at around £10. The hand cream and all of the other products in the Bee Lovely range are available from a variety of retailers including direct from Neals Yard Remedies, John Lewis, Waitrose, and Look Fantastic.

3. John Frieda Radiant Red Red Boosting Conditioner - 250ml

Now would you believe that the next product is yet another item that's related to something that appeared in July's list? Well it is, and it did - it's the matching conditioner to the John Frieda shampoo that appears in July's countdown.

Designed to enhance the appearance and prolong the life of red tones in the hair, the shampoo was nice but it's the conditioner that really makes the difference. Again containing pomegranate extract and Vitamin E, as well as European plum extract, the conditioner is designed to infuse red tones into the hair and hold in moisture.

After washing with the Radiant Red shampoo, you apply the dark, pinky red cream to wet hair. My hair is a few inches longer than shoulder length, so I've been using a good sized glob (technical term ;). All you do is massage it through the hair and then you leave it for anywhere between 3 and 10 minuted depending on the desired affect before rinsing it out.

It has the same fruity, floral scent as the shampoo, and it has a lovely creamy, easy to apply texture. It takes a little bit of rinsing but it leaves the hair smooth and shiny. It doesn't make a huge difference to the red tones in my hair as it's currently quite a dark red, but I definitely think that it's helped my colour to last a little bit longer, especially when my full head of hair was coloured in a red tone.

I've already repurchased both the shampoo and conditioner and I'll continue to do so as long as I have red tones in my hair. Like the shampoo it's not that widely available but the best places to find it seem to be Boots, Amazon and in larger Tesco stores where it retails between £6 - £6.99.

4. Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque -125ml

This next item was a recent rediscovery - I was sorting out some of the bathroom drawers, and I found this tube of face mask at the back, and I decided to create some space by using up the dregs in the bottom.

I first purchased this face mask in 2016, after being invited along for a complimentary Kiehl's skin consultation and facial treatment, after an Intu Metrocentre Style Garden event. I subsequently bought a few of the products that were used during my treatment and this was one them.

I've had a real issue with visible pores and an oily t-zone, and this mask really helped to control my oily patches and to make my skin look smoother and my pores less visible. You can read a full review of it here but it's something I would definitely consider repurchasing. Understandably since 2016, the price has gone up, by nearly £6 in fact, and a 125ml tub now retails at £27.50 from various retailers including Kiehls, House Of Fraser, Feel Unique, Debenhams, and Space NK.

5. Kocostar Slice Mask Sheet - Watermelon - 12 Slices - 20ml

Finally another mask, and this time it was a more recent acquisition, and it was a sheet mask from Kocostar. This quirky mini watermelon mask came in the July 2020 edition of Glossybox UK, and you can read my full review here.

It was a fun mask, and it had a lovely fruity scent but I just don't think my skin liked it that much so I probably wouldn't repurchased.

So there you have it, a very late August empties post. With only a few days left of September I've already beaten August's total but fingers crossed I can maybe add another couple of items before Wednesday ends. As per usual if you have any comments on any of the products that I finished then please let me know xx

*This Post Contains Automatic Affiliate, Added Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links

An Overdue Collective High End Beauty Haul And Reviews

What can say, apart from welcome to the most overdue haul in history. I think I bought the first item in this haul at the end of April, and ever since then most of these bits have sitting waiting for their moment in the spotlight, so all I can say is I'm sorry for the delay, but as the saying goes better late then never.

I'm going to start with the first thing that I bought nail polish. If you're a nail polish obsessive like me then you will know that the majority of high end, and professional nail polish brands, release limited edition collections several times a year, and earlier this year OPI released their New Orleans collection. Normally I just pick up the odd colour that shouts out to me from each collection but in this case I really couldn't decide which shades that I wanted so I bought them all.

Retailing at around £12.50 a bottle, buying the full collection would have been a bit excessive, thankfully though QVC were selling a limited edition boxed set of all 12 polishes in the 3.75ml mini size. As much as love looking at all of my full sized polished, I have to be honest and say that I do love a mini, you can buy more of them and lets face it how many full sized nail polishes have you actually finished!

In fitting with the city itself, the OPI New Orleans collection is full of bright, vibrant colours with a few classics thrown, think of all of the strands of beads at Mardi Gras and you're about there.  I love my purples and blues and this kit contains some real beauties including I Manicure For Beads, Rich Girls And Po Boys, and Show Us Your Tips. You've also got a bright green in I'm Sooo Swamped, a metallic taupe, in Take A Right On Bourbon, and a whole row of pink, peaches, and corals including the fabulously named She's A Bad Muffuletta!

Unfortunately this kit was a limited edition, so QVC don't seem to stock it any more, but if you have a little look online or check with your nearest OPI stockist, then you might still be able to buy some of these shades in the full size. Obviously I be posting some nails of the days in the weeks and months, so if there is any particular colour that you would like to see first then please let me know x

Over the last few months I've also picked up a few of my nail care essentials including a new bottle of Avoplex Cuticle Oil, and a new Leighton Denny Crystal Nail File. Both of these products are real staples in my nail care routine and if I can't find either of them I get a bit twitchy. I've also been trawling the discount beauty stall in Intu Metrocentre and I've recently picked up a couple of Nails Inc Limited Edition polishes including this pretty floral, Queensgate Gardens, that you can see below

I love my pretties and something that I couldn't resist when it I saw it on QVC in April, was this gorgeous highlighting palette from US brand Tarte.

From their Rainforest Of The Sea collection, the Skin Twinkle Lighting Palette is beautifully packaged and it contains 3 highlighting shades

On the left you have Sunlight, a gorgeous pale golden champagne shimmer. The middle shade is Filtered Light, which rather unusually is a matte shade, it's a sort of pale, creamy sand colour and finally on the right you have Moonlight, which is just a touch warmer is officially described as a rosy pearl.

All of these shades are silky soft and feel almost invisible on the skin.  Hopefully as you can see below even with with the matte shade Filtered Light the pigmentation is excellent.

Although Tarte are having a Today's Special Value day on QVCUK today, this palette doesn't seem to be in stock but I have been told that I might be back in the UK in the Spring, if you can't wait that long though then this palette is still available on the Sephora website and on Tarte's own website which also ships to the UK.

Whilst I still wish that Tarte was one of those brands that we could buy in a bricks and mortar store, I do like the fact that with QVC you always to get such a good deal on brands such as Tarte and Laura Geller. You normally get a bit of a price reduction or you get an extra thrown in. With this particular palette you also received the Rainforest Of The Sea Double Ended Highlighter Brush. In a beautiful metallic ombre design, this synthetic brush features a short, precision brush on one end and on the other end you have a fluffy angled brush. I have a few Tarte brushes in my collection now and they are all soft,  silky and strokeable. Again this particular brush is no longer on the QVC UK website but again it is available on both the Tarte and the Sephora website.

I love pretty things when it comes to make up but there is no point in apply pretty colours if you base isn't right. The last few products in this haul are all about creating that perfect canvas, through your make up base and through your skincare.

All of the product that I'm going to show you now, and all purchases that I was inspired to make after the Spring, Style Garden event and Intu Metrocentre earlier this year (You can read more about the event here). I going to go a bit out of sync though and I'm going to start with a foundation and probably the most expensive foundation that I've ever bought.

I own foundations at all different price points, and to me a higher price doesn't always mean a better product but in this case it is. At the Style Garden event I was lucky enough to have a mini Giorgio Armani Cosmetics makeover, and in an instant I fell in love with the foundation that the make up artist used on me. I debated and debated but eventually that little mink LouLou my alter convinced me to spend £42 of my birthday money on a bottle of foundation. It was a lot of money but I really do love the effect and the wear time on my often oil slick prone skin. This is the Giorgio Armani Designer Lift Foundation in Shade 5. If you would like to see a full review of this foundation then let me know, and I'd be happy to do one for you.

My visit to the intu Style Garden also led to another couple of purchases, and they are purchases that have since became real staples in my skincare routine. After the event I was lucky enough to go for a Kiehls facial and skincare analysis. I thoroughly enjoyed the facial and instead of introducing ever single product that they recommended at once I decided to try two product to tackle one of my problem areas, my pores.

The first product that I got is one that I've used religiously every week since I got it. The Kiehl's Rare Earth Pure Cleansing Masque which retails at around £21.50  for a 125ml tub.

I love a good clay mask, and this one which is crammed full Amazonian white clay, and soothing aloe vera, and oatmeal, leaves the skin feeling super clean, and really, really smooth, and refreshed, and it even seems to help clear up spots and blemishes. I apply it with a mask brush so a little goes a long way, that said I'm already half way down the pot!

After trying out a little sample I also decided to try the corresponding moisturiser, the Kiehl's Rare Earth Pore Minimising Lotion, which retails at around £26 for 75ml. This lightweight moisturising lotion acts and both a moisturiser and as a primer. Like the mask it's full of Amazonian White Clay, which helps to absorb excess oil, and to refine and smooth the skin. It's pretty lightweight and it's definitely not for you, if your skin is on the drier side, but since I'm combining it with night time facial oils, it's been a perfect addition to my spring and summer skincare regime. I love both of these products so much that the moisturiser has already featured in one of my beauty favourites videos.



As well as the products that I bought  I also got quite a few sample sachets to try, including the Midnight Recover Eye, Midnight Recovery Concentrate, Ultra Light Daily UV Defence Sunscreen SPF 50 PA +++, and 3 sachets of the Powerful Strength Line Reducing Concentrate. Kiehl's are very generous with the sample so you might see some of those in a future sample Saturday post.

As per usual I've made a little You Tube so you listen to me prattle on about what I've bought so you can watch it below or via this link x



I still have so much to show you haul wise, the picture below might just give you a taster but all of my future haul post will be combined haul and review post so I can (cue horrible saying!) kill two birds with the one stone! I've got lots of Benefit goodies to show you, including some of their newest releases, I've also got some Jay Manuel products, some Kat Von D, some KIKO, some Charlotte Tilbury, some more OPI products and much, much more to show you over the next few months so make sure you're following for your beauty fix.

In the meantime if you have any questions or comments on anything on this haul, then please leave me a comment x Thanks for reading.

Sample Saturday - Kiehls Creme de Corps Soy Milk & Honey Whipped Body Butter*

I've had a little bit of a blogging break over the last week but I'm back today with the return of my Sample Saturday series. Like blogging at the moment this series has taken a bit of a back seat but from this week Sample Saturday will be a regular thing once again.

One of my favourite brands at the moment has to be Kiehls, after an fascinating skin analysis, and an amazing facial**, At last I think I've discovered both a brand and products that can really make a difference to my skin.

The facial was the best pre birthday treat that I could have had, my skin felt incredibly, smooth and revitalised, and like all good beauty therapists, Kate from the Kiehls counter in House Of Fraser, in Intu Metrocentre went just that little bit further and gave me a relaxing and hydrating hand and arm massage.

I've made a couple of Kiehls purchases since my facial (a large beauty haul post is coming soon) and with those purchases and my skin analysis, I was lucky enough to receive quite a few sachets and sample sized products to try. I received a couple of things from the skincare line which have already become firm favourites and I also received a couple of sachets of one of their most famous products - Creme de Corps.

Kiehls have been around since 1851 and they have an amazing history and pedigree when it comes to skincare but probably one of their most famous products is their body cream - Creme de Corps. The original formulation remains one of their most loved products and it's held in high regard by a wide range of therapists, make up artists, celebrities and even Victoria's Secret Models.

The original formulation which is crammed full of sesame oil and cocoa butter remains one of their best sellers, but never one to rest of their laurels and their history, Kiehls are a brand that like to move with the times, and as a result they've introduced several new variants of Creme de Corps, including the one that I tried, Kiehls Creme de Corps Soy Milk & Honey Whipped Body Butter.

This was the product that I was lucky enough to be massaged with during my facial, and just that small taste (and scent) of it left me wanting more. Designed to provide up to 24 hours of hydration, this body cream is packed to the brim full of good for you ingredients including shea butter, jojoba oil, beta carotene and Kiehls signature plant based ingredient squalane, and of course extracts of soy milk and honey. It also contains no parabens, glycols, or silicone's.

Unlike the original this product has an almost mousse like texture. It has a whipped, airy like appearance, yet it feels creamy and buttery on the skin. It's quite thick but it spreads easily onto the skin, and a little goes a long way.

Given the creaminess and buttery feel I was expecting this product to take an age to absorb but providing you don't use to much, it sinks in pretty much straight away, without any residue, or a sticky or tacky feel. I'm not sure whether or not the feeling lasted for the full 24 hours but immediately after application and for sometime afterwards my skin felt and looked smooth and hydrated, and smelled good enough to eat.

I have to be honest and say that the name originally put off this because I absolutely hate honey! I can't stand the taste of it and to me the smell is even worse! Thankfully though, this doesn't smell anything like honey. To me this smells like cake, it's a creamy vanilla, coconut scent that makes me think of coconut cake, smothered in creamy vanilla butter cream. Despite the creaminess and sweetness this isn't too sweet a scent, and despite the fact that I'm not the biggest coconut fan either I personally didn't find it either overpowering or sickly.

Although I've only used 2, 5ml sachets I can definitely say that I'm in love with this product. Despite it thickness it absorbs into the skin easily, and leaves the skin looking healthy and with an almost glowy appearance. Given the texture and the scent I think that this product would make the perfect summer body moisturiser and I also think that it would make a great after sun. Due to the insane amount of body creams and moisturisers that I already own, I can't see myself purchasing this at the moment, but I'd definitely consider buying the full size in the future. Kiehls Creme de Corps Soy Milk & Honey Whipped Body Butter comes in two sizes and retails at £36 for the 226g tub and at £45 for the 340g tub. It's available from Kiehls standalone stores and concessions nationwide and from their own website, and from various websites Debenhams, House Of Fraser and John Lewis. Have you tried Creme de Corps? Let me know in the comments x

*On Counter Sample
**Complimentary Skin Analysis And Facial

A Very Late May Beauty Favourites Video

I'm late again but I've just uploaded my May beauty favourites video and I'd love it you'd take a look, either by watching the video below or by clicking on this link.

Products Mentioned 

Gatineau Tan Accelerating Lotion For Face And Body 

Lavera Fine Loose Mineral Powder - Transparent*

(Read my review here x)

Kiehls Midnight Recovery Concentrate**

Kiehls Rare Earth Pore Minimizing Lotion

Flat Top Face Brushes - Various Ebay Sellers

Jewellery From Ebay Seller - MandyMax1971

I hope you enjoyed this video and / or you found it useful, If you did please subscribe and if you have any questions on anything that I talked about then please leave me a comment x Thanks for reading and hopefully watching x 

*Press Sample

**On Counter Sample 

intu Metrocentre #intuStyleGarden Event - A Sensory Explosion

Since it first opened in 1986, intu Metrocentre has become one of my favourite place to shop in the North East. Yes I remember the old days the lack of a bus station, Carrefour, amazing ice creams from The Cornish Candy Shop. and of course who could forget the yellow teapot play area, well I was only 8 were the centre opened!

The place has pretty much grown with me and I for one am delighted to have such a fabulous place to shop, eat, and relax right here on my doorstep. When I started to blog all those years ago I never in a million years dreamed that I'd end up working with intu Metro Centre, blogging has brought me so many fantastic opportunities and for that I'm eternally grateful.

I've been invited to a few intu Metrocentre events now but I have to say the one I went to last night was definitely one of the best. The intu Style Garden is an event that is running throughout the intu chain, so whether you're in Newcastle, Stoke or the West Midlands, over the next day or so, you can pop in and find out more about some of they key Spring, and Summer fashion trends.

When I received my invitation to the VIB (Very Important Bloggers) exclusive Style Garden event I expected to see a traditional catwalk show, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Instead of the familiar runway we were greeted with what resembled an art installation - it was almost as if an exhibit from the Chelsea Flower Show had been planted in the middle of the centre outside House Of Fraser.

With faux turf, metal patio tables, white picket fences, and floral displays, a green hedge like construction displayed mannequins showing off some of the key Spring and Summer fashion looks, for men, women and children, as well TV screens which showed experts talking about some of the key trends and must haves.

I love the way that intu Metro Centre embraces the whole blogging community and yet again we weren't disappointed, greeted by Bellini's, mini bottles of Prosecco, and mocktails all garnished with faux flowers, and food samples courtesy of Bella Italia, this really was an event that brought your senses to life.

Unlike previous events that have been very fashion focused, that one really focused on how to look beautiful from top to toe. Instead of a full catwalk show we we're treated to a talk from intu Metro Centre stylist Michaela Dale, who showed us some of her picks for Spring Summer 2016.

We were also treated to a mini fashion show from two beautiful models showcasing some particular trends - stripes,

and formal wear featuring monochrome, brights, lace, and laser work.

I particularly love the monochrome culotte outfit, and the lovely Michael Kors handbags - swoon - there were also some beautiful pieces on the rails, including a striped dress from Oasis - that would have my name on it if I could lose a bit more weight.

After that visual explosion we were given the chance to explore some of our other senses, mainly scent and touch by exploring some of the centre's, and in particular House Of Fraser's best beauty brands, including designer hair care brand Show,

I'm going to be talking a bit more about this brand in a future post, but they take hair products to another more luxurious level, and if you need a quick blow dry, this is the place in the centre to go, even if it's only to smell the beautiful fine fragrances, that they use in the products.

Speaking of beautiful fragrances another brand that we had the opportunity to talk to, was French brand Decleor, who are noted for their use of essential oils in both their body and skincare treatments, There was also an opportunity to talk and try products from a real problem solving skincare brand Murad, and luxury, high end skincare brand Creme De La Mer.

Another skincare brand that  was represented was Kiehls, now this is a brand that I wanted to find out more about, so I had a nice chat with representative, as well as a mini skin care analysis which confirmed what I guess I already knew, I have oily skin in some places and normal to oily skin in others. We were given the opportunity to book in for a bespoke complimentary facial so I can't wait to see what products they recommend. I'm also going to book a complimentary facial with another brand that I talked to Clarins who were demonstrating their new skincare Boosters.

There was one skincare brand though that I gravitated towards as soon as I saw it, Liz Earle. I've used Liz Earle on and off for the longest time, and to be honest I could have probably put on a uniform and promoted the products myself. I didn't know it all though and I was given the chance to try the new Superskin Eye Cream . I'm a bit scared of eye creams, but this was a really light weight, yet nourishing cream that absorbed really well into my skin even over make up. As well as their skincare they were also showcasing some of their perfumes and I'm love with No.100, which was designed to celebrate the centenary of the Chelsea Flower Show, perfect for the Style Garden theme. The ladies on the stand came from the Liz Earle counter in Boots and I have to say they were lovely and so enthusiastic about their products and the brand, and I was delighted when they gave a little goodie bag containing a travel size of my favourite Cleanse & Polish.

It wasn't all about skincare though, there were several opportunities to add a little bit of colour into your life, Nails Inc were offering demonstrations of their Paint Can polishes and Giorgio Armani were promoting some of their latest make up products. Given the price point Armani is one of the brands that I guess that a lot of people only aspire too, but after experiencing some of their products I can easily see why the brand is so popular. Their make up artists talked a little bit about some of the newest products before colour matching me to my ideal foundation, and then one of the lovely ladies then applied the Giorgio Armani Maestro UV Skin Defence Primer SPF 50 PA++  to my face, before applying the Giorgio Armani Designer Lift Smoothing Firming Foundation in 05, before she finished the look with the beautiful Giorgio Armani The Sepia Palette, a combined bronzer and highlighter compact.  Alas I didn't manage to get a picture but I'm completely in love with the foundation, the application was effortless, and it really evened out my skin tone, and left my face feeling silky soft.

I know this post has gone on a little bit but it's so hard to put into words the full sensory experience that I had at last nights event, every sense, from taste to sight, and smell, was enhanced and explored exactly the way that intu Metrocente had intended. On leaving the event we given a lovely bunch of flowers courtesy of The Rebel Flower Company, and a huge goodie bag courtesy of intu Metro Centre and House Of Fraser, that contained lots of lovely beauty products to continue the sensory experience at home.

I'd like to say a huge thank you to intu Metrocentre for inviting me and for hosting the event, and I'd also like to thank all of the other companies and brands that took part. If you're heading to intu Metro Centre tomorrow you've still get time to catch the intu Style Garden event, and to see some fashion presentations from brands including Warehouse, Oasis, Boux Avenue, Yours Clothing and Bonmarche. Were your senses tickled by this post? Let me know x