Leighton Denny light & dark perfume giveaway

Leighton Denny may be best known for his nail polishes but did you know he's recently launched a new perfume too? Named Light & Dark, the new perfume is designed to be worn both day and night and features a fruity oriental blend of mandarin, grapefruit, jasmine, lily, incense and myrrh:

Leighton Denny light & dark perfume

Designed for women looking for something out of the ordinary and with it's deep seductive notes, Leighton Denny light and dark would be perfect as a scent for Autumn/Winter. During October Leighton Denny will be donating 20% of all purchases towards Breast cancer care and to celebrate they've teamed up to give away a full sized bottle to one lucky winner.

To enter simply be a Bloglovin and GFC follower of Peonies and lilies then leave me a comment below with an email address or twitter handle so I can get in touch if you are the lucky winner. The giveaway will be open to all UK residents and will close at midnight on 7th November 2014. 

Good luck! 

Glossybox October 2014 - Pop art edition

Glossybox seem to be on a roll with their limited edition designs. Last month we had a Karen Millen/London fashion week collaboration and this month they've gone for a pop art inspired box: 

 Glossybox October 2014 - Pop art edition

 Glossybox October 2014

Glossybox October 2014
Etre belle cosmetics liplift peel
Yves Rocher France quelques notres d'amour 
Rimmel London BB cream matte
Nuxe 24hr soothing and rehydrating fresh mask
 Ciate london paint pot in talent scout
So susan cosmetics flutter mascara

With bold colours and a strong print the box itself is very eye catching. I'm currently in the process of having a little clear out but this months box is definitely one for the keep pile. As for the products themselves? There's a good mix of make up and skincare which always gets a big thumbs up from me. 

At first glance there's not a stand out item as such, probably because the box itself is so bright and I was expecting the products inside to be just as eye catching. That said there are some great winter staples this month. I'll be giving away the perfume and mascara but there's a lip scrub to help exfoliate and keep dry patches at bay, a soothing and hydrating face mask to fight against winter skin and a beautiful deep purple nail polish that'll be perfect for Halloween. 

Are you a Glossybox subscriber? What do you think about this month's pop art inspired box? 

Antonia Burrell bespoke facial review

With a busy stressful job and living in a polluted city like London, my skin can be left looking less than radiant. To combat this I regularly exfoliate and use a good face mask at home, but sometimes it's nice to treat it to a professional facial. Located at Urban Bliss salon in Notting Hill, Antonia Burrell offers a range of holistic treatments, including her tailored bespoke facial:

Antonia Burrell bespoke facial review

 Antonia Burrell skincare

Like all good bespoke treatments, we had a quick chat about my concerns first followed by an in depth analysis of my skin. I'd always thought of my skin as combination dry but as it turns out it's actually more on the oily side, with dehydration being one of the issues that I suffer from - something I was rather pleased to hear as hopefully that'll mean the wrinkles will be kept at bay for a few more years.

The facial uses a combination of her own skincare as well as a key selection of other blends. Unlike some of the other spas I'd been to this was completely tailored to my skin, to the point where she change a treatment during the facial as my skin responded to each individual product. To start off with my skin was thoroughly cleansed, massaged and steamed. Facial massages have always been one of my favourite treats and combined with the thorough cleanse, it felt so luxurious and relaxing.

After this, she really got to work, using a metal extractor to tease out any blackheads. This was by far the most uncomfortable part of the facial, but afterwards looking at my skin wow were the results worth it! As my skin was feeling particularly decongested, another face mask was applied followed by her Forest dew skin conditioner, a second massage and finally some moisturiser, sunscreen and eye cream. The whole process took about an hour and afterwards my skin was left looking a little pink but so clear and radiant. I've struggled with blackheads for years and the extraction had made all the difference.

Overall I loved the results of my facial and since then I've also been trying out Antonia Burrell Forest dew skin conditioner at home. An alcohol free toner which reduces sebum production and calms inflammation as well as adding hydration where needed. I'm notoriously bad with toners and found the formula a little too rich during the summer, but come winter the extra hydration will be perfect and I've already got this on standby for my skin inevitably becomes more dehydrated and sensitive.

Have you tried any Antonia Burrell skincare? What are your favourite pampering treats? 

Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stains

When it comes to lip colours it seems that Revlon can do no wrong. In recent years we've had super lustrous liplosses, lip butters, balm stains and now these beautiful new(ish) ColorStay moisture stains. It's no secret that I love a good lipgloss, but combine it with a long lasting stain and you've pretty much got my ideal lip product:

 Revlon ColorStay moisture stains
 

 Revlon ColorStay moisture stain in LA exclusive

Launched earlier this year Revlon ColorStay moisture stains come in a whopping 12 shades, each named after a global location. Shown above are Parisian passion (dark plum), Miami fever (hot coral), Stockholm chic (deep brown) and LA exclusive (neutral pink). As the name would suggest it goes on as a pigmented lip gloss but wears off to leave behind a long lasting stain. 

Revlon ColorStay moisture stains have a comfortable balm like texture on the lips but due to the pigmented nature of stains (especially with the darker colors), I find a little more care is needed during application. The trick though seems to be to layer up and not load too much onto the doe foot applicator in one go. They're also enriched with Vitamin E and shea butter so feel nice and hydrating on the lips.

Of the 4 shades shown above my favourite is LA exclusive, a milky pink shade that much like the city is very laid back and casual, ideal for everyday wear. There are some gorgeous brights in the collection too and top of my wishlist is India Intrigue and Barcelona nights, both hot pinks which would look great as a statement lip.

Have you tried any of the Revlon ColorStay moisture stains? What's your favourite shade?

Boss Ma Vie perfume

A change of season is usually the perfect excuse for a new perfume, but this year what the sun still shining most days and the fact that I've only just got back from holiday, I wasn't quite ready for my usual dark wintery fragrance. Instead I've been loving the newly launched Boss Ma Vie perfume:

Boss Ma Vie pour femme 

perfumed bath and shower gel, body lotion, deodrant spray and eau de parfum

Boss Ma Vie eau de parfum

In the past Boss perfumes have always worked well with my body chemistry and this new fragrance is no exception. Fronted by Gwyneth Paltrow Boss Ma Vie is a fresh floral fragrance with notes of cactus blossom, pink freesia, jasmine, rose and cedarwood. Much like the Hollywood star Ma Vie is a very elegant and feminine scent but with enough of a sweetness to it so that it's still modern and light. There's also a matching shower gel, body lotion and deodrant spray so you can layer up for a more intense fragrance.

Ma Vie is the third fragrance of the Boss Pour Femme trio and as such comes in the same tall slim bottle as Boss Jour and Nuit, albeit with a pink girly twist. I like to wear this during the day as I find it to be a very uplifting scent and as it was the only perfume I took with me on holiday recently, the scent will always remind me of happy memories in the sunshine. Very fitting as the fragrance was inspired by the spirit of a woman as she pauses to indulge in the simple moments in life!

Boss Ma Vie pour femme, available now from Boots

Have you tried Boss Ma Vie perfume? Do you have a favourite transitional scent?

5 year anniversary giveaway

Ok so guilty confession - in the midst of starting a new job and moving back to London I managed to miss my own 5 year blogging anniversary. It's crazy to think that Peonies and lilies has been going since August 2009 and it's now become such a huge part of my life. I'm truly grateful for each and every single one of you who read my blog and as I've also recently reached 1000 Bloglovin followers I thought what better time to hold a little thank you giveaway:

5 year anniversary/1000 bloglovin followers giveaway

Nougat sparking body shimmer

Ciate sequin manicure set

Nuxe multi purpose dry oil

B lipstick in 'Marilyn' 

Charles Worthington hair serum

Toni&Guy sculpting powder

Philip Kingsley elastizer

A selection of B skincare

4 L'oreal color riche nail polishes

Avon eyeshadow quad and mascara

3 Sleek make up pout paints

Benefit lipgloss in 'My people your people'

The winner will receive everything in the photo above, which includes a selection of prizes from Ciate, Philip Kingsley, L'oreal, Benefit cosmetics and Nuxe amongst others. The giveaway will be open worldwide (subject to shipping restrictions, an alternative product of similar value may be offered if necessary) and will close at midnight on 26th October 2014.

To enter simply be a GFC and Bloglovin follower of Peonies and lilies, then leave a comment below telling me what you are most looking forward to this Autumn. Please also leave an email address or Twitter handle so I can get in touch if you are the lucky winner. You can also get extra entries by tweeting about this giveaway or by following me on Instagram (username @peonieslilies). 

Thank you again to everyone for reading and good luck!