The Gourmand Diamond.

A dazzling gourmand diamond has been added to the Emporio Armani Diamonds collection.

I was a huge fan of the original fruity floral diamond back in 2007 incasing fruits and flowers I adore. The Rose addition was a fresh cut in 2013, and I was very surprised I couldn't smell vetiver in this ( a scent I can not withstand).

When I heard they were bringing out the violet addition, let's say I was just a little bit excited.  Although I kind of had a different scent in my head, I am definitely not disappointed.

As you may know gourmand Fragrances are the 21st century fragrance. I would like to think this is because 'we' of course are meant to be made out of " all things, sugar and spice". A fragrance which is made of scents good enough to eat.

The Violet addition at first smells very similar to her original sister, with a sweeter top note. This is because with the exception of the addition of passionfruit in the top note, The top and heart note are the same.

Give it a few minutes for the Base note to settle in and a nutty chocolate praline twist amerges. Giving this diamond a more seductive, mysterious edge to scent.

Notes for the fruity floral gourmand include lychee, raspberry, passion fruit, rose, lily of the valley, violet, patchouli, vanilla and praline.

This is one for my collection, personally I adore the Diamond's range, as each one suits a different mood for me.

The price is very competitive as well with a 50ml coming in at just £37 from all good retailers.

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I've finally met my ALIEN!

I love fragrances, the different ingredients and chemistry behind it. It's like science and magic combined with art.

With this I appreciate the Thierry Muglar unique scents of Angel, not only is it their 1st fragrance but one that creates a totally new fragrance family, the gourmand. A fragrance that combines ingredients good enough to eat.

Then there's the extraordinate and unique universe of Alien, 4 to be exact ranging from delicate and light to the most intense.

Both these fragrance collections are captured within the most beautiful bottles making it stand out on ones dressing table like a fine piece of art or jewel.

As unique as The Thierry Muglar fragrances are, I often think they remind me of marmite. You either love it or hate it.

For me, they are not a scent I would wear. That was before the NEW Alien Essence A Solus, an Eau de Perfum Intense arrived.

The most intense of the family infused with double of the signature ingredients from her Queen with the added notes of the Heliotrope flower a rich floral and the powdery notes of Iris. Add a dose of the warm notes of myrh and the sweetness of vanilla, gives birth to a bewitching and hypnotic scent, that has most definitely but a spell on me.

The bottle doesn't disappoint with the classic Alien head it's body is inspired by drops of gold with sculptured facets and gorgeous curves. It's fits in the hand like a glove.

The Thierry Muglar range are available from all good perfume stockist.

Diamonds are a girls best friend - Gucci Guilty Diamonds

We all like diamonds don't we girls? I mean who can't resist the beautifully cut, shimmering stone, radiating it's glow of reflection and elegance?
 Team it up with Gucci and what do you have, of course the most desirable bottle of perfume one girl could have on her dressing table. Well, I think so anyways :-)!

That's right Gucci's iconic fragrance now comes in a limited edition flacon adorned with 60 glittering diamond cut glass gems to which each stone has been place by hand. OOOHHH I can hear you say, and yes OMG the bottle is stunning as you can see here.

This is definitely going into my perfume bottle collection.

 They haven't forgotten about the guy's either. With just two glittering glass diamonds on either side.

If you haven't tried Gucci's, Gucci Guilty before. Now is the time to go and try it and indulge in moments of guilty pleasure.  Get captured in the alluring concoction of lilac and patchouli, laced with the voluptuousness of amber. Its like Mr Grey in a bottle!

This limited edition is exclusively available from The Perfume Shop.

Please note:  The opinions on this blog post is of my own. I have updated my blog disclosure inline with this blog post. 

Katherine Daniels - Skincare Review*

I love skincare, and who doesn't? and this latest brand I have come across is going to be added to my list of favourites.

Katherine Daniels Cosmetics is a brand that is new to 2014. Developed by two skincare experts, who have worked for many years with salons and therapist. They realised there was a gap in the British salon market with treating the most common skin types and conditions, whilst taking into consideration client lifestyle, environment and our climate.

With active ingredients are from plant, marine, Collagen and biotechnology sources ( I love active ingredients from marine as you know ), they provide result driven treatments for the salon and a retail line for the face and body for clients to use at home.

Their mission is simple - Giving salons the tools to truly treat skin in the UK effectively and to de-mystify skincare for everyone ( you can expect outstanding results without complicated products and confusing regimes).

I was kindly given a trial size pack for sensitive skin ( I was given the option either for dry or sensitive ), I chose the sensitive as my skin isn't particularly dry . I would say normal with a slight ( and very slight ) oily t-zone and sometimes it can be a little sensitive to products.

I thought the packaging of the products is very chic and stylish, yet beautifully simple, fitting well in a spa, or even in premium department stores beauty halls. 

The trial pack contained:
Essential Cleansing Milk
Essential Toning Lotion
Sensitive Skin Cream

Now I am not one for using a cleansing milk, as prefer to wash whilst in the shower every morning. I was pleasantly surprised how luxurious this milk felt but yet it wasn't as thick as most cleansing milks are. It was very gentle and light, making the skin feel incredibly soft , smooth and hydrated. It didn't make my skin feel tight or dry as i have found a lot of milks do. I still however, preferred to use this as a night cleanser due to my preference of my morning cleansing of my face. I would love for that reason to try the gel cleanser which would probably suit me more for in the shower.

I fall in love with the toning lotion. The smell is divine and even better it felt great on the skin. This is one of the toners that doesn't contain alcohol ( which dries the skin out ). It contains red seaweed extract, which helps soothes the skin and this toner certainly does. I felt I could bathe my skin in this as it felt so lovely on the skin. It also a toner that you may need to pat off slightly, but I normally just wipe over with the back of the cotton pad and let the skin drink the rest before applying a serum. You don't need a lot of the toner either on the pad for it to be soaked, so goes a long way.

The sensitive skin cream is much like the cleansing milk in the sense that it even though it is so simple, it feels so luxurious. You need a small amount to do both your face and neck as a little definitely goes a long way. The cream feels more like a gel, soothing your face like water, it instantly hydrates and makes your face feel so soft. I keep this one in my gym bag now too.

I managed to get a good 3 weeks out of the toner and still have some of the milk and cream left ( now 4 weeks ) and my skin looks and feels great. Its smooth, plump and glowing.

Prices for the products are competitively priced, sitting in the range of premium high street/ luxury department store with their essentials starting at £19, their creams at £34.50.

For more information on Katherine Daniels or to find a salon near you please visit :
www.katherinedanielscosmetics.com

Phd Women Nutrition Supplement Range Review Part 1

Sports nutrition is big in the male market with pills, shakes and bars to supplement your workout, build muscles, get lean, the list goes on.

As we know male and female bodies are different and require different needs regards to calories, vitamins and minerals.

PhD has been specifically designed to meet these needs for active women.  In this post, I will give you an introduction to PhD Women and there product range. I was kindly given to test and review some of their products. The post will have a  follow up post, part 2 with how I got on with the products, a review in a few weeks time.

The PhD Women Range

The products are spilt into 3 ranges:
Each shake and bar contains protein and designed to work with your workout to support you, help you recover and to help achieve a more tones/leaned and sculptured body.

Toning
Designed to help you get the best from your workout. All products contain proven ingredients to aid muscle tone and help your body repair and recover, as well as a tailored combination of female friendly vitamins and minerals, chosen to help you make the most of your busy lifestyle.

Products in this range include:
Support and Recovery Shake - Chocolate Cookie, Vanilla Crème or Strawberry Delight
Support and Recovery Bars - Chocolate Orange or Summer Berries

Weight Control
 Nutritional products designed to support the needs of the active woman. PhD Women weight loss products are intelligent formulations that have been created to help you lose weight, safely and effectively, whilst also achieving your exercise goals.

Products in this range include:
Meal Replacement Shake - Chocolate Cookie, Vanilla Crème or Strawberry Delight
CLA - Conjugated Linoleic Acid Tablets
Body Sculpt Tablets -Food supplement capsules with Caffeine, Green Tea and L-Tyrosine.

Energy
Designed to keep you going, when you just need that little bit of extra help. With only 98 calories, they are perfect for when you need a boost.

Products in this range are:
Energy Bars - Chocolate Orange or Apple and Blackcurrant

Their website has some great tips as well like some exercises and healthy food.

If you go to their Academy page - you can download their weekly food plan, for either weight loss, toning or energy.

In the pack I received to review, I was given:
Chocolate Cookie Recovery and Support
2 sachet of Vanilla Crème Meal Replacement
2 sachet of Chocolate Cookie Meal Replacement
2 packs of Energy bars - one of each flavour
2 packs of Recovery and Support bars - one of each flavour
CLA Tablets
A Shaker.

Part 2 of this blog will up in a few weeks time, with progress of my start and finishing measurements and how I got with the products.

Skincare Review - HealGel

I am 32 this year and so aware of ageing, however, whether it is a combination of good skincare and genes, my face is wrinkle free at present so this moisturiser is definitely more of prevention for me. I also haven't had any skin changes in the 4 weeks except depending on what serum I used, I noticed my nose would be a bit more oilier in the day time. My skin felt moisturiser throughout the day and although I don't really use any face makeup these days ( as I work in a gym ), I could see this being a brilliant primer due to the smoothness of the skin.  For a moisturiser and what it does, the price fits the label of £48 and I would recommend this for anyone to try if they are looking for an anti ageing product.

Its been a little while since I have written a skincare review and I am glad to be writing about a fairly new company and two of their products for you.

As you will know, one of my favourites products are eye creams. Having only really used them in the last 5 years, it is something that I can now not live without.

So today's post brings you HealGel Eye and HealGel Face.




Wha is HealGel?

HealGel, an aqueous gel within an advanced skin rescue formula using the best active ingredients to  soothe, repair and protect the skin. Designed by a team of world leading plastic surgeon's and a reknown dermatological biochemist, together they formed a peerless base-layer treatment for all skin types.

Using nano-technological elements (liposomes containing the key ingredients), to deliver to the depths of the skin where they are most needed in a form of a light, non-greasy gel.

HealGel Face

An anti-ageing formula to firm, smooth and replenish the skin. 
Arnica and Madecassoside are suspended in liposomes with powerful peptides and biodynes to initiate a uniquely soothing and collagen boosting process. An exceptional blend of Omega Oils are used to replenish dehydrated skin and restore elasticity. Together with a unique three part hyaluronic acid complex provides an instantly plumping and revitalising effect.


Review

I have used this now for 4 weeks, using a combination of different serums underneath. You only need a small amount for it to go along way ( I used between a pea/1p size on my palm for my entire face and neck ).
I have definitely noticed my skin being more smoother, which is fab because as you know from my previous posts, I use a Clarsonic to wash and one of my serums ( blue therapy ) is also made my skin smoother, but to have even more smoother skin was fab and I really didn't expect that! 

HealGel Eye

An advance corrective formula to lift and condition the delicate eye area.
Using the same peerless anti-ageing formula to HealGel Intensive, this reduces the appearance of dark circles and puffiness by stimulating the sluggish mirco-circulation of the eye area. The duel action hyaluronic acid complex that locks moisture deeper into the skin and firms the eye contours. The effect softens the appearance of fine lines, even skin tone and improve the elasticity of the skin through intense hydration.  Light diffusers in the gel further improves sallow areas for a brightening and smoothing effect.


Review

Just like the HealGel Face, I used this for 4 weeks every day. I was expecting my dark circles to reappear from stopping my previous eye cream which is also great at stimulating the circulation of the eye. However, I was pleasantly surprised that they did not return, and kept them looking bright, if not brighter. The skin is smooth and appears firm too. Just like the face, you only need a very small amount. A size no bigger than a pin head will do both eyes and so for £32, I feel this is great value.

My overall opinion on these products would be that I would consider getting these again. Having nothing but great results from both of these.

This post is my honest opinion on both the products and they were given to be to enable me to review the products.
complimentary

You can purchase the products though HealGel website at http://www.healgel.co.uk
Follow @HealGel

bobble water, putting a twist into drinking water

We are told constantly how much water is important in our daily lives. It not only keeps one hydrated but
plays a vital part in our lives in keeping us healthy and alive.




These are just some of the uses water has on our body.

• Water helps regulate our body temperature through perspiration, which dissipates excess heat & cools our bodies.
• We even need water to breathe! As we take in oxygen & excrete CO2, our lungs must be moistened by water.
• The kidneys remove wastes such as uric acid, urea & lactic acid, all of which must be dissolved in water.
• Water lubricates our joints.
• The actively growing blood cells in the bone marrow take priority over the cartilage for the available water that goes through the bone structure.
• Rheumatoid joint pain frequently decreases with increased water intake & flexing exercises to bring more circulation to the joints.
• Dehydration plays a major role in bringing on migraines. Dehydration causes stress & stress causes further dehydration.

I find drinking water hard, I hate the taste of tap water unless its filtered, and buying bottle of mineral can be quite expensive. I don't even drink squash to hide the taste of tap water as I hate squash too. But when a colleague told me about the bobble water bottle that had a filter in it, I was very keen to try it out, especially as I am now working in a fitness environment. This was one step into taking healthy steps to getting myself fit and healthy after having two kids.

I wrote to bobble and asked if they would be interested in myself reviewing their water bottle. I was kindly given two bottle, one for myself and one to give-away.

Who are bobble water?

bobble water was inspired by two product developers who saw a landfield full of single served water bottles, in 2008. With seeing consumers being willing to swap plastic bags for reusable ones at the checkouts, they saw a potential to re-invent the original water bottle.

Their philisophy is:  "We believe in design with a purpose. Our first product, bobble, effectively pioneered a new category: personal, portable water filtration. bobble is a reusable, filtered water bottle engineered to change people’s drinking habits by slowing the mass consumption of single-serve water bottles."

Since their launch in 2010 in the USA, the brand has  grown rapidly around the world.

bobble water Sport was designed by by Karim Rashid and just like the orginal line up, they are available in all the colours above.bobble sport takes the elements that have made bobble a global eco-phenomenon – the patented filtered water bottle, the sleek shape, the sturdy frame, the brilliant colours – and adds new durability features making it especially relevant for athletes. These include an integrated cap with a loop handle, additional capacity, a semi-translucent sturdy body, a bright colour selection and dishwasher compatibility. bobble water sport is recyclable, free of BPA, Phthalates and PVC. It is dishwasher-safe and holds 750ml of water. It retails for £9.99 at retailers nationwide.

bobble sport incorporates the same patented built-in, replaceable carbon filter found in the original bobble (550ml and 1L). The filter removes chlorine and organic contaminants found in everyday tap water, yielding a cleaner, crisper taste. Each filter equates to 300 single-serve water bottles, making bobble an environmentally- and budget-friendly choice.

My thoughts on bobble water

I love the whole concept of bobble water from its eco friendly concept to the pure filter and fab colours. It took me a few days to get in to the swing of drinking more water, but the taste is so much better even though its come from the tap. The colour engages me too and makes drinking water more fun. I would definitely recommend anyone who wants to add more water to their everyday life. For the amount of usage from the filter to the price you pay for the bottle or replacement filter is so much cheaper than buying a single use bottle. I have even thinking of getting my daugther one for her school lunch box.

If you like to win a Green bobble sport then send me a message in the contact form.