Orly charged up

Over the last year or so, I've built up a small collection of Orly polishes, and Charged up is one of my favourite colours to date:

I'd describe it as a beautiful deep purple creme, with a smooth, super glossy finish.

Compared to some of my other Orly polishes, I found the formula to be a little thinner, and it took up to 3 coats for an opaque even colour.

Formula aside, this is a gorgeous nail polish. I thought the colour was really easy to wear, and it seems to go with just about every outfit. Definitely one to check out if you love purple shades as much as I do!

Do you have a favourite Orly polish? What colours have you been wearing recently?

PR sample

Weekly round up and Instagram 007

 Revision snacks/Testing out some new lip products
 

Chicken & pesto sandwich for lunch/The best nail polish remover!
 

Happy birthday Glossybox!/Friday night snacks
 

Enjoying a frappuccino in the sunshine/Dim sum yumminess

My Instagram username is 'peonieslilies' if you'd like to follow me on there.

Most of this week has been spent revising for exams, however with the arrival of the hot weather, I couldn't resist taking some time off to enjoy the beautiful sunshine. Beauty wise, it was lovely to receive a much anticipated 1 year anniversary Glossybox and I've been loving the Seascape peppermint lipbalm.

As usual, the week has been filled with lots of yummy food, the highlight of which was enjoying a free dim sum buffet, courtesy of Ping pong's onsie promotion. Walking down a busy street in a bright green onsie was an interesting experience, but it was more than worth it for the food. I'd highly recommend the Char sui pork buns, spicy pork dumplings and the fish prawn wrap if you ever eat there.

Did anyone else take advantage of Ping pong's onsie offer? What was the highlight of your week?

Glossybox May 2012 - The anniversary box

This month sees the 1 year anniversary of Glossybox, and like a lot of people, I couldn't wait to see what they had in store for us:

Lolita Lempicka L'eau en blanc & Si Lolita
Let's go lashes
Weleda moisturiser
Noble Isle summer rising bath & shower gel
Glossybox mirror and birthday balloon
Uniqone all in one hair treatment

Now I know a lot of people aren't keen on perfume samples, however, given the number of other products in this box, I didn't mind too much. It's a nice way to try out new fragrances, and they're perfect for keeping in my handbag.

I wasn't keen on the false eyelashes, however, this was more than made up by the complimentary Glossybox mirror. As for the other 3 products, they're not the most exciting, but they will come in handy for when I go travelling this summer.

For more information and to sign up for your own Glossybox, click here.

Have you received your Glossybox yet? What do you think about this month's products?

*Affiliate link

An evening with Clairol eXtreme'n easy

A few weeks ago I was invited to a lovely dinner event, where we learnt all about the new Clairol eXtreme'n easy range:

 Thanks to the likes of Katy Perry and Rhianna, the demand for vibrant hair seems to be on the increase, and now the look can be easily re-created at home.

The dye has a cream formula, and interestingly, it only fully activates on contact with hair, thus ensuring maximum colour penetration.

The dye currently comes in a choice of 6 shades, with Arctic blond launching next month in June. Of the 6, my favourite would have to be Expresso brown, closely followed by the more eyecatching Ruby red.

At the event, we were also shown the new Maxfactor flipsticks, a creamy duo ended lipstick, and Herbal essences ignite my colour, a 3 piece range designed to keep coloured hair vibrant and soft.

Finally, as I'm a bit of a foodie, here a couple of photos of the delicious chilli crab cakes and cookies n cream cheesecake which we were served at the event.

What do you think about the new hair colours? Have you tried any of the Maxfactor flipsticks?

Instagram 006 and a little update

 

Dreaming about being back here

Green tea mochi
New Crabtree and Evelyn body cream

Can't bring myself to eat this!
13th floor view of London
Not as good as this view though

Strawberry kiss cocktails
Favourite pieces from the new Aurora Swarovski collection
AKA cosmetics

Chai tea and carrot cake
Graze box no 2
Regent street looking all patriotic

My Instagram username is 'peonieslilies' if you'd like to find me on there.

As a students, the summer months inevitably means revising for exams. Rather scarily, mine now are less than 3 weeks away. Unfortunately this means that for the next few weeks, blogging will taking a back seat. I'll still try and update when I can, but please bear with me if blogposts are less frequent than normal.

I will of course be back posting as normal in June with plenty of reviews, swatches and new product launches. In the meantime, good luck if you also have exams and see you on the other side!

What have you been up to this week? Do you have a favourite holiday destination?

The Body Shop Lily Cole collection

Model and actress Lily Cole recently became the first Global brand advocate for The Body Shop and next month she'll be launching a limited edition make up line. Let's take a closer look at the products:

First up are these gorgeous Lip and cheek domes. They are designed to be applied directly onto the cheeks, and come in a choice of pink or coral. Both have a creamy gel formula and gives a lovely pop of colour to the cheeks.

There are 4 mini Hi shine lip treatments to choose from. The lipglosses are sheer in pigmentation but with a slight shimmer. Best of all, they feel moisturising and leaves a super glossy finish on the lips.

Pearl radiance primer is made up of lots of light diffusing beads and leaves a radiant finish on the skin. Finally, there's a colourful set of 4 shimmer cubes and a beautiful shimmery purple liquid eyeliner.

The range will be available both instores and online at TheBodyShop.co.uk

What do you think about the new collection? Any products in particular catch your eye?

MAC BAFTA masterclass and new product previews

For the 9th year running, MAC are the official sponsors of the BAFTA awards, and last week I was invited to a blogger's masterclass, where they showcased 2 red carpet looks:

After a quick introduction, champagne and canapes, senior artist Cher Webb got to work on the beautiful model.

(click to enlarge)

The first look very much emphasised the model's natural beauty, and I love the flawless finish of MAC face and body foundation teamed with something Special cremeblend blush. This was finished with some Groundwork paint pot and a slick of To the future pro longwear lipcreme.

The second was much more eyecatching, with sultry smokey eyes and a bright lip. Despite the drama, it was surprisingly easy to create and only required an additional 4 products. First Make your mark eyeshadow was applied all over the lids, followed by lashings of smudged Feline kohl pencil. A strip of #3 lashes was added for extra definition, and Pro longwear lipcreme in Good to go completed the look.

At the event, we were also shown a sneak preview of some upcoming MAC releases:

First up are these rather fabulous Full coverage foundation palettes. Each palette contains 6 shades, and they will be available in a variety of colours.

Finally, we were each given a sample of lip products from the new Reel sexy collection. Pink popcorn is a lustre lavender lipstick and Colour saturation an eyecatching deep wine cremesheen glass.

Which of the 2 looks do you prefer? Will you be buying anything from the new collections?

Graze snack boxes

I've been meaning to try out Graze snack boxes for quite some time now, but it wasn't until I saw (and tasted!) a friend's box that I finally got round to ordering some for myself:

For those of you that don't know, Graze will deliver a personalised box of 4 nutritious snacks, straight to your front door. There are over 100 options to choose from, and you can rate each snack according to how much you like them. There is also an 'send soon' option, if you'd like to try something straight away.

The rating system means there will always be an element of surprise. I opted for 2 send soons, but I'm also happy with the other 2 snacks they choose for me.

Black pepperdoms

Summer pudding

I love the thought of weekly snack boxes dropping through my letterbox, and it's certainly helped to keep my chocolate cravings at bay!

If this has whetted your appetite, and you'd like to try a free box, then simply use discount code W8MV2Z7.

Have you tried Graze snack boxes? What's your favourite healthy snack?

My week in Instagram photos

Love mint chocolate/New Lily Cole collection from The Body shop/Competition prizes from Revlon

Fresh strawberries/MAC BAFTA masterclass/A neutral red carpet look

New adventures are on their way!/Graze box/Chocolate and cookies- a perfect combination!

My uni exams are getting ever closer, which means that most of this week has been spent revising. None the less, I did allow myself some time off to attend the MAC masterclass, which was a real highlight. It was lovely to catch up with other bloggers and make up artist Cher created 2 amazing looks (more on that to come).

As usual, my week has been filled with plenty of yummy food, and I hope you like the photos. Do let me know what your Instagram usernames are, and I'd love it if you followed me (@peonieslilies).

Do you have a favourite chocolate bar? What was the highlight of your week?

Giveaway: £50 Experience Days gift voucher

As promised, here's another giveaway, this time courtesy of Experience days UK.

The prize will be a £50 voucher, which you can put towards a gift experience of your choice. The website features everything from meals out to spa days and overnight breaks, so you'll be spoilt for choice!

For you chance to win, simply 'like' Peonies and lilies on Facebook, and leave a comment below telling me what your favourite treat is. Finally, don't forget to leave an email address or twitter name so I can get in touch if you are the lucky winner.

This giveaway is open to all UK residents and will close at 11pm on 27th May.

Good luck!

L'occitane pivoine delicate shimmering powder and lipstick review

If there was a prize for best packaging, then this range would win hands down! I love the pastel pink floral print and I think it fits in perfectly with the girly, romantic scent of the products:

Pivoine delicate shimmering powder
This would make a lovely present for a girl friend. Packaged in a light glass bottle, with a pink pump, it's vintage looking, pretty and perfect for any dressing table. The powder has a talcy rose scent, and once rubbed in, leaves a subtle pink and silver shimmer on the skin.

Pivoine delicate lipstick
For me, this is definitely the star product of the range. The rose pink shade is similar to my natural lip colour, making it a great choice for every day wear. The lipstick is creamy in texture, has a rich floral scent and feels lightly moisturising on the lips. It has a very subtle shimmer, and pigmentation wise, it's sheer but buildable.

Available from From L'occitane.

Have you tried anything from the Pivoine Delicate range? What's your favourite L'occitane product?

Disclosure - PR samples

NOTD - Orly Truly tangerine

On the whole, I tend to shy away from orange colours, however this nail varnish has proved that it can in fact be a very flattering shade:

There's no doubt that Orly truly tangerine is bright and eyecatching, however it does have hints of coral, which I find easier to wear.

The nail varnish was opaque in 2 coats, and it dries to a smooth glossy finish. I love the combination of brights and glitter, so couldn't resisting adding a sweep on Nails Inc burlington arcade onto my ring finger as an accent nail.

Come summertime, I tend to gravitate towards brighter colours, and I can see myself getting a lot of use of this in the coming months.

Are you a fan of bright nail colours? What's your favourite Orly shade?

Disclosure - PR sample

1700 followers, John Frieda and Klorane giveaway winners

A big thank you to everyone who entered my various giveaways. So after going through all the entries, the winners are:

1700 follower giveaway - Hollys secrets

John Frieda giveaway - Dragon mommy
Kelly
MindyandRoo
(Please specify your choice of hair colour)

Klorane giveaway - Courtney
Steph
Victoria

Congratulations to all the winners. Can you please email me your address by 10th May, and I'll arrange for your prizes to be posted asap!

Thanks again for all your entries, and look out for another giveaway later this week. Happy bank holiday!

My week in photos

Glittery hot pink nails/Which cupcake to bake?/Rediscovering an old favourite

Such pretty packaging/A novel way to advertise/Chai tea - my new love

Penhaligon perfume launch/Delicious looking desserts/New novels to read

Pink peonies/Skincare treats/Chocolate cupcake

Love this chocolate body butter/Chinese food at my favourite restaurant/Amazing spa scents

Do let me know what you think about these weekly updates, and I'd love it if you followed me (peonieslilies) on Instagram.

What have you been up to this week? Do you have a favourite scent?

Elemis amnesty - Free pro collagen marine cream

Heading down to Oxford Street this weekend? Then make sure you pop into the newly relaunched beauty hall in John Lewis.

To coincide with the new launch, Elemis will be giving away one of their award winning moisturisers. To take advantage of this offer, simply bring in a face cream (any brand) and they'll exchange it for a free 15ml pro collagen marine cream (worth £26).

The amnesty will run from 4th to 11th May, whilst stocks last.

Happy swapping!

New CID cosmetics i-colour eye mousses

The latest launch from New CID cosmetics, these small pots of i-colour are packed with beautifully pigmented shimmery eye mousses:

Of the 2 that I was sent, Crystal quartz adds a golden sheen and Chocolate opal perfect for a more sultry look.

Both the colours have a soft mousse texture and are easily blendable. You can use a brush for a precise application but I found it easier to just apply with my fingers. The mousse texture means there is no fall out and they work well as a base for other eyeshadows.

Throughout the day, it does fade a little, but there was no creasing or smudging. Finally despite it's waterproof formula it comes off easily with any eye make up remover.

Have you tried any of the new i-colour mousses? What's your favourite New CID product?

L'oreal rouge caresse lipsticks

Allow me to introduce my favourite new lip products - the rather fabulous Rouge Caresse lipsticks from L'oreal Paris:

A hybrid between a tinted lipbalm and the traditional lipstick, they are perfect for people like me who suffer from dry lips and prefer the lightweight feel of a lipgloss.

Dating coral is the perfect my lips but better shade for everyday wear and Rebel red a great choice for a brighter lip colour or for a night out.

Both lipsticks have the lightweight feel of a lipbalm, and the pigmentation and glossy finish of a lipgloss. I find the glossy sheen wears off quite quickly, but the colour almost stains the lips, so it lasts for a good while after.

The lipsticks aren't a substitute for a good lipbalm, but they do contain jojoba butter to lightly moisturise, and both have now become firm favourites in my make up bag.

L'oreal rouge caresse lipsticks are priced at £7.99 and can be found both in store and online at boots.com

Have you tried any of the rouge caresse lipsticks? What's your favourite shade?

Disclosure- PR sample