Laugh with me LeeLee - Benefit fragrance review.

 

When I left my job writing for Boots, my amazing workmates gave me a big bag of beauty goodies to say goodbye! Benefit's 'Crescent Row' gift set is definitely my fave treat - four beautiful fragrances, each with their own name, personality and poem (wow)...

So let's have a sniff of crisp and clean LeeLee!  

her playful wink
and mischievous smile

the flirtatious side
of her innocent style

no thought or worry
of what's meant to be

first laughter, then love
"... along came LeeLee"

LeeLee smells like a lily, hence her name. I can also pick out woody notes, citrus and a nice dash of jasmine mmm! There is something of the woods about LeeLee and she's perfect for breezy outdoor days – like a breath of fresh air. I'll admit the citrus aspect goes a bit 'air freshener' on me (sorry LeeLee) but if you adore light clean scents then she's hard to beat. However if you're looking for something more fruity then Bella is your woman, and Gina is downright FILTHY.

If LeeLee was a person she'd be a fun yet very hygiene-conscious fairy, playing in a bath of lilies and lemons inside a woodland glade (#imayhavetodrawher). She's young, wholesome and I can really feel that 'innocent style' mentioned in her poem, but her 'flirtatious side' less so. LeeLee would rather climb a mountain or scrub her bathroom to sparkling lemony freshness than steal your man - that's Gina's job! She is not a seductive scent, unless you want someone to lean in and whisper "Mmm, you smell nice and clean".

Overall I'd rate LeeLee as a lovely casual fragrance for having adventures with; she'll be particularly special on spring days! Hope you've enjoyed my review, now who should I sniff next?

LUSH! And the way it smells…

A post for Abi, who has been accepted as a minion into the ultimate temple o' smells.

My first experience of Lush was back in sixth form, when Retro products were still on shelves and generally a lot cheaper heh heh. I remember being blown away by the friendly staff (most of them hippies), how edible everything looked and most of all...The Smell. It became my obsession.

You can literally sniff out a city's Lush shop from the next street, or enchant/offend your entire office with their unmistakable whiff. Here are my three favourite perfumes by the great fragrant one:

Icon

Icon is the ultimate goth perfume. It smells like a Victorian funeral procession, Lord Byron's tears, and fresh orange incense all rolled into one. It also contains Jesus' fave myrrh  which gives it a mysterious eastern edge. You could use it to disguise the smell of that corpse you've been hiding.

Lust

Oh my! Lust is the big, bold whore of the Lush perfume counter. It's like a cat on heat, rolling around in a sweaty pile of jasmine and rose petals, and is known to make men's trousers explode. It smells warm and sexy, but also very playful and young. My fella loves this one because I used it to seduce him. Purr.

Karma

This smells like a spicy orange who's found himself transported back to the 1960s. It starts off sharp and almost medicinal, but deepens into a patchouli, pine and citrus festival in a forest. Your liking of this perfume probably depends on your liking of hippies. Like all Lush perfumes, it lasts bloody ages.

While I'm at it, here's a brief sniffing of my errr, modest collection...

Grass -- funnily enough, this smells like freshly cut grass

Popcorn -- smells like sweet buttered toast

Dream Cream -- smells like herby porridge

Smitten -- smells like it's gone off (must chuck)

Each Peach -- smells like a hula hula dancer

Candy Mountain -- smells like a happy toddler

Silky Underwear -- smells like a jasmine ghost

Shimmy Shimmy -- smells like strawberries and cream

Sex Bomb -- smells like a lovely day in bed

Snow Fairy -- smells like Princess Bubblegum

Snowcake -- smells like Smitten should (almondy)

Colour Supplement -- smells like nothing really

So there they are! I'm a whopping fan of Lush's skin and body products, but I'm slightly cautious as my skin is very temperamental (or just mental), so fragrance and essential oils aren't always the best thing for it. Paula's Choice does however just sound like a bitter nag.

Below is a perfume I would never want to wear, but I'd rather like to smell it just the once. 

On that note, there are a few Lush soaps that smell a bit cummy (I'm looking at YOU Fresh Farmacy), but we'll just ignore that won't we.

Ceci n'est pas une blog beauté.

I heard somewhere about a gynecologist who got sick of vaginas because he saw enough of them at work. Oh yes, it was an episode of Friends.

My job involves lots of writing about beauty products, so I thought I'd get sick of all that make-up and skincare stuff by the time I got home. But no, I find myself wanting to write about it in my spare time, like an actual girl.

So instead of the usual pretentious bollocks, here are my TOP 12 BEAUTY FAVES!

Frontcover Eyeshadows and Shadow Liner
I can see a rainbow? A colourful selection of baked bright eyeshadows, plus a clear liquid liner so you can line your eyes with them too. Genius!

Revlon Just Bitten Lip Balm and Stain in Twilight
Twilight is an appalling book, but this lippy shade leaves a lovely stain and has a nice softening balm to boot. The name 'Just Bitten' reminds me of Hannibal Lecter or a bad case of bedbugs.

Max Factor Clump Defy Volumising Mascara
This lasts all day without doing that annoying greasy, smudgy thing that some mascaras like to do. And indeed, no clumps in sight!

Rimmel Clear Complexion Transparent Powder and Concealer

Cheap, cheerful and pale as Kate Moss, these are great for touching up my face throughout the day. Ooo, ooo yes. Sorry.

Bourgois Little Round Pot Blusher in Rose D'Or
One of my absolute faves, I've been loyal to this for years. It's easy to apply, looks and smells beautiful (what IS that smell?), and gives a radiant, English Rose glow.

Simple Kind To Skin Hydrating Light Moisturiser
Sometimes the simplest things are best. This takes care of my dry patches, makes a great base for make-up and has no irritating ingredients. A true bargain!

Quinoderm Cream
It's not very glamorous, but neither's the facefull of spots I get if I don't use this stuff religiously. The bleached towels and initial dryness are totally worth it.

Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner in Ultra Violet
A new find but already an essential. This stays put all day, so I don't have to keep sneaking off to apply it every few hours to avoid the dreaded "no eyes" look. 

Max Factor Facefinity Compact in Pale as Fuck
Max is a real man don't you know? This foundation is one of the only ones that stays put on my oily skin, without it looking mask-like. 

sk:n Vitamin-Rich Cleanser for oily skin
I saw a massive improvement in my skin after switching to this cleanser, it really helps to keep 'monster' zits at bay. Skip washing your face at your own peril!

Bravura Glycolic Acid 15% Night Treatment
My trusty miracle cream. My boyfriend says this stuff tastes salty (that'll be the 15% glycolic acid) so remember to warn people before you snog them.

Could this below be my number 13? Oh I hope so. The colours, the rubbish puns, the 1970s Mystic Meg packaging, the ridiculous price...

Next time, Power Dressing for the Office! It'll probably include cardigans and boring shoes.

Here are some blogs that do beauty better than me: my friend Camilla's blog IDEA YOU GAVE ME A FRIGHT DEAR, my workmate Emily's Nail Files, the inspiring Katie's Beauty Blog and the Boots Beauty Blog (which I write for sometimes, guh).

P.S. Cloud Atlas was amazing. See, I had to stick something pretentious in there.

Hair crushes.

Karen Gillan of Dr. Who fame, Spiderman’s new girlfriend Emma Stone, Spiderman’s old girlfriend Kirsten Dunst, and Christina Hendricks from Mad Men.

Dying later today (my hair, not actual death), so hoping I’ll turn out like one of these ladies, rather than like a cartoon character!

Trash telly binge rant spectacular.

"Fat Girls and Feeders" actually made me want to chuck!

Not because of the girls, because of the feeders! It's not fat appreciation itself that disgusts me, but basically killing someone to satisfy any fantasy is warped. They were seen as objects to fatten up and have a wank over, literally funnel-feeding liquid fat into another human being; how is that appreciation?! These people were exploiting a weakness, gaining so much control that these women became dependent enough to do ANYTHING to appear attractive to them.

Anyway, watch it if you want to see what's rattled my cage and form your own opinion. If you can find it anyhoo, it's an elusive documentary and I found it by chance when I flicked onto Really (where else).

Is it something about vulnerability, is it like a turn on? Sometimes I feel nature is cruel, that women have an ability to feel helpless with their femininity, rather than empowered. If a woman's preference was for a man to be geeky or shy or effeminate, is that still the same as it being a 'vulnerable' physical quality they were attracted to?

I'd feel uncomfortable saying I liked a guy based mainly on looks. I'm not slagging off what anyone finds attractive, that's personal and we're human, but you don't often see men portrayed in the media as chopping and changing themselves to stop a female partner from leaving. There's still media pressure on women to be beautiful and men to be powerful. And it makes me sad! I'm no expert on feminism, so feel free to put the woman in her place lol discuss this with me if I'm being an ass.

Another guilty pleasure this week, although Fat Girls and Feeders was more horrifying than entertaining, was "Big Fat Gypsy Weddings"! It never disappoints; there is something glorious about things that are considered kitsch or in bad taste, perfected with thousands of pounds. The clothes remind me of things I drew as a child (y'know, when you're about six and design your dream wedding dress) and when transferred to reality they really are spectacular! Again though, there's so much emphasis on the concept of beauty and etc. What a can of worms.

Babes of the week for me were the physicists on "Who's Afraid of a Big Black Hole", because the sexiest organ in the body is, of course, THE BRAIN! Quantum physics..tell me about it, stud.