Caudalie Vinotherapie Vine Peach Shower Gel

RRP: £7.65/200ml from www.feelunique.com

--What does the promo say?--

"Caudalie Vinotherapie Vine Peach Shower Gel is for those who want to transform their shower into a moment of total relaxation. Its intoxicating fragrance blends the sweetness of vine peach and almond milk with the invigorating freshness of mint leaves. Soap and sodium laureth sulfate free, with a plant-derived base, this shower gel respects skin’s natural pH balance."*

 --Packaging--

 We are promised what the name suggests in a pink-orange plastic tube, which stands alone in the shower. Complemented by dark green script, it fulfils the image we expect of the product and fits in well with the rest of the Caudalie catalogue.

--Application--

Simply lather up in the shower and spread over wet skin before rinsing off.

--Appearance--

A pale pink gel that doesn't appear lurid or unnatural in any way (despite the apparent lack of actual peach in the product). Works up beautifully into a white lather that doesn't leave any visible residue on the skin.

--Scent--

Beautiful, rich and natural-smelling; completely conforms with what we expect, in the most positive of ways (although all we're told about it in the ingredients list is "Parfum (Fragrance)". Grrr.).

--Texture and consistency--

A smooth, creamy and totally luxurious lather; nothing thin or cheap about this. Truly adds to the idea of a spa experience at home.

--Effects on the skin--

With aloe vera and coconut oil I'd be surprised if it had no effect at all; it certainly made my skin feel baby-soft for hours when used in conjunction with the Nourishing Body Lotion.

--Value for money--

This product is a delight to use and it definitely restored my faith in the Caudalie empire, as hitherto I had not been terribly impressed with their offerings (particularly for skincare). Fits well within its category for the price (in this bracket you can find products by Korres, Roger and Gallet, and Neal's Yard, to name but a few) and definitely gives you a touch of luxury at home.

perfect partners

Caudalie Vine Body Butter, £16.95 (FeelUnique.com)

Caudalie Bath Trio Set, £20.50 (Debenhams)

Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa in a Bag, £33.15 (FeelUnique.com)

Caudalie Nourishing Body Lotion, £21.50 (FeelUnique.com)

No7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream (Normal/Oily)

RRP: £12.95/40ml
# of shades available: 2 (Fair/Medium)
Other variants: Normal/Dry, Dry/Very Dry

--What does the promo say?--
"Take off those winter layers and reveal your outer beauty this spring with new No7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream. Its unique 3-in-1 formula evens and enhances skin tone and disguises imperfections, while the nutrient-enriched formula helps to banish blemishes. And with the added protective power of SPF 15 and 5 * UVA technology to help skin stay youthful, BB is the only way to wear this season’s must-have essential - perfectly-pared back, beautiful skin."

--Packaging--
The black and white squeezy tube adds to the arsenal of colour schemes permeating the BB cream market: I've already seen BB cream packages that are peach and hot pink before this one, so it's always good to differentiate. I'm not such a fan of the shape, though: not for any practical reason, but only because it doesn't look like the rest of its No7 brothers and sisters (primers, foundations etc). This tube is squatter than the other similar products made by No7.


--Application--
Apply to clean dry skin, over primer if required. Nothing tricky about that.


--Appearance--
This product promises light coverage, and that is exactly what you get. If you have blemishes and were hoping that this product alone would cover them up completely before you went outside, you can forget it - you WILL need to use a concealer with this. Another thing you may wish to use, depending on your skin, is face powder: I found that this product did not deliver a mattifying effect (skin began to look shiny within an hour), so I needed to apply face powder to compensate. The colour match, however, was perfect for me (I was sent Fair), so I would definitely be happy to use it on days when I wasn't too concerned about covering up blemishes.


--Scent--
While I have heard other complaints about the scent of this product, I have not personally found this. I would in fact go as far as saying that the No7 BB Cream is scentless. Perhaps others just got a bad batch.


--Texture and consistency--
This BB cream has the nicest texture of any I have tried. It's creamy without being too thick, blends beautifully, and is definitely not sticky. Nice one!


--Effects on the skin--
In terms of what this BB cream offers I have difficulty in seeing how it will clear up my blemishes or offer any other benefit beyond sun protection (which in its turn is a form of anti-ageing benefit), given that the SPF seems to be the cream's main selling point. I don't doubt that it does protect skin from the sun, but BB creams are surely supposed to be more than a tinted moisturiser or glorified sun cream. I haven't been able to use the product for long enough yet to say if this does help my acne, though, so the jury's still out on that one.


--Value for money--
I have to admit that £12.95 is about the most I would pay for this cream, given that I would expect a genuine BB cream to offer more than mere sun protection and light coverage. That, to me, is what a tinted moisturiser does. BB creams have historically (read: in Asia, where they originated) offered whitening properties, which is clearly never going to fly in the UK, so I wouldn't expect them to offer that, but I would expect No7 to offer something extra in their product, such as an active blemish-fighting ingredient (BB does stand for "blemish balm", after all!) or something to reduce scars. Admittedly, Garnier's version does not do much in this regard either, but it is still early days for BB creams in Europe and theirs at least has "inspired by BB creams" in its promotional material, which helps to distance their products from the genuine article. Still, BB cream or no, I'll be continuing to use this product as we get closer to summer (my least favourite season - boo hiss).


perfect partner
Airbrush Away Primer, £19.50/30ml

Give your lips the red hot look with the one million lipsticks giveaway

So while Special K's initial 'surprise' for me (which I later found out from other beauty bloggers to be a red nail varnish) never arrived courtesy of the combined crappiness of La Poste and the Royal Fail, their next promotion did: this time a red lipstick created in association with Max Factor. They're giving away one million Colour Elixir lipsticks in this classic shade (named Ruby Tuesday, which I like thanks to the perhaps unintentional allusion to the Jane Yardley book entitled Painting Ruby Tuesday) via their website. All you have to do is buy a box of Special K cereal, hotfoot it to the link, fill in your details (along with the unique code found inside your pack of cereal), and cross your fingers in hope that you'll be one of the lucky million winners. If my experience of the quality of other Max Factor products is anything to go by, you'll be getting a great value product that's long-lasting, and refined in its concept and ingredients.

JML Pedi Pro Deluxe

RRP: £19.99

--What does the promo say?--

"Pedi Pro Deluxe is a professional pedicure treatment that fits in the palm of your hand. This electronic personal bodycare system has a high-speed rotating head, with hundreds of ultra fine micro-crystals. The head quickly, but gently, removes dead and hard calloused skin, while exfoliating and rejuvenating your feet. The result? Silky smooth, soft soles that feel like they've just stepped out of the salon. Pedi Pro Deluxe has 2 different speed settings, and comes with buffing pads that will give your feet the perfect finishing touch. Skin shavings collect in the in-built storage tray, so there's absolutely no mess. Safe and easy to use, Pedi Pro Deluxe is the perfect at home salon solution to dry cracked skin on your feet, toes and heels."

--Packaging--

The ergonomic design of the appliance means it sits very well in your hand, and while large (probably the size of your hand!) it's easy to hold. The hot pink plastic means it seems to be very much aimed at women, so even though it's superficial, bringing it out in other colours, such as black, could help it reach a wider market. While it's not always easy to fit all the parts together initially, the appliance is easy to operate thanks to a switch with three settings (full blast, half strength, and off). All of the blades and accessories can be stored with the appliance in its accompanying hot pink drawstring bag.

--Usage instructions--

Push the switch to half strength initially until you get more of a feel for how the appliance works. While the whirring and buzzing does sound terrifying at first, when you put the spinning blade to the soles of your feet it really is as promised: just a gentle buffing away of dead skin akin to the procedures and equipment used by professional podiatrists. Use on dry feet only (i.e. not when you've just stepped out of the shower!) and you may also find it helpful to use it while standing in the shower: while the appliance itself will catch most of the dead skin, some excess does fall outside of this area.

--Effects on the feet--

Just as it says on the tin, dead skin (even really thick layers of it) is gently but quickly buffed away.

--Recommendations for improvement--

This appliance runs on batteries, and I prefer mains-powered appliances, so would prefer a version of the product that plugs into the wall to recharge, even if this makes the product more expensive. I'd also recommend that a version of the product is released that is more like a pen shape (or, alternatively, that an attachment for the current product is trialled), as this is also what's used by podiatrists to get to the sides of the toes and in between toes more easily.

--Value for money--

A great value electrical appliance that does exactly what it promises, is near-equivalent to equipment used by professional podiatrists, is affordable, and is an excellent step up from JML's previous product on this theme, the Ped Egg. Brava!

perfect partner

Pedi Pro Deluxe Replacement Pads, £2.99

Aura-Soma AEOS Cleansing Oil Dé-Maq

RRP: £39.98 for 75ml

--What does the promo say?--
"An oil-based cleanser containing a blend of organic and biodynamic essential oils, plant extracts, for skin that tends towards dehydration. Rich in Vitamin E and extracts from avocado oil help keep the skin hydrated. Natural oils from sesame seeds soften the skin and help in the removal of make-up for a deep down cleanse. Can also be used for removing eye make up."

--Packaging--
An opaque plastic bottle with a pump-action top that is so easy to control (unlike Dr Hauschka's products, whose pump action mechanisms are useless). Text on the bottle is also minimal, making the product look luxurious and uncluttered.

--Application--
One of Aura-Soma's retailers, Dolphins and Angels, recommends "[m]oisten[ing] cotton wool pads with water, add[ing] a few drops of the Dé-Maq cleanser and apply[ing] using upward sweeping movements over the face and neck. Repeat as necessary to remove all traces of dirt and make up. Use separate pads for each eye area when removing eye make up." However, I find it doesn't need to be this labour-intensive if you're in a rush: you can just use the pump action to drop five drops of oil into your palm, rubbing together over your palms to create a filmy layer, and then rubbing over your face before sweeping a dry cotton wool pad over.

--Appearance--
The oil is a golden yellow, non-shimmery colour that leaves no visible residues on the skin.

--Scent--
Sophisticated and not without finesse, the scent is luxurious without being too heavy. It's difficult to tell where this comes from, though - perhaps the rosewood, as I wouldn't say that the avocado or sesame oils are at all detectable. Certainly very pleasant and elegant at any rate.

--Texture and consistency--
Despite being an oil, I found that this was completely non-greasy and easy to wipe off with cotton wool.

--Effects on the skin--
It removes makeup effortlessly, but does not cleanse and remove makeup in one go - if you want to cleanse with it you'll need to repeat the process after removing makeup. However, it does cleanse well too and I may have even noticed a slight improvement in my acneic skin during the use of this product.

--Value for money--
At nearly £40 it is expensive (the brand is possibly punching above its weight a little - to put it into perspective, La Prairie, Sisley and Gatineau makeup removers cost this much) and I would arguably expect a product like that to cleanse and remove makeup in just one step. However, of the Aura-Soma products I've tried it is probably the one I'd be most likely to repurchase thanks to its luxuriousness and its efficacy and removing makeup, even though I don't normally spend anything like this much on makeup remover. Plus, we have to remember that all of these organic and biodynamic ingredients can't come cheap and we have to accept that you need to pay what something costs to make, first and foremost. Truly a spa experience at home, this bottle is likely to last a long time and not disappoint.

perfect partners
Gentle Exfoliant Yellow, £36
Enriching Moisturiser Blue, £59
Refreshing Hydrating Mist, £55
Dew Facial Wash, £40