I Own It! : Lancome La Vie Est Belle

Hello lovelies!

Another 'I Own It' post from my previous reviews from samples I have received while on my travels.

I have been treating myself a lot recently because of my recent good luck but this happened to be a gift from my boyfriend. After getting an email from The Fragrance Shop regarding a 'happy hour' where there would be 20% off everything online. I suggested to my boyfriend to purchase something for my birthday/Christmas while the perfumes were going cheap. But he was very kind and told me he would buy it as a special gift.

So I asked for Lancome La Vie Est Belle because it was one of my favourite samples I had picked up on my shopping trips. After realising that this perfume is not one of the cheapest on the market, it was worth picking up while it had 20% off. This meant it could be purchased for £46 rather than £57.50. Since we are moving into the colder months, Eau De Parfum's are my desired fragrances of choice as they last ages and they won't become unbearable with the heat.

The thing that drew me to this perfume the most was its sweet scent. My summer fragrance of choice had been Prada Candy L'Eau and I wanted something equally as sweet but slightly stronger. This fitted the bill. 

One of the most attractive things of this perfume is the bottle. It is very simple yet very attractive (I apologise for the rubbish picture). I love that the bottom half of the bottle is glass as it looks modern yet classic. Some could argue it is a waste of 'packaging' (like my boyfriend) but a pretty bottle is a deal clincher for me.

On me, the fragrances most prominent is the initial scent of blackcurrant and then the base of praline and patchouli. I think I can also pick up the orange blossom scent because although I do not know it at the time, most of the fragrances I own contain notes of orange blossom.

Another interesting thing about this product is that the box actually has Braille on the side. It is quite nice to see that Lancome are catering for a wider audience.

I love this fragrance and that is why I own it. It may not be a scent for everyone but if you are a fan of Lancome fragrances, this may be for you.

See my other review here. 

Lancome Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate

Hello lovelies,

I've decided to do my first skincare post after being thoroughly impressed by a product I have been using recently. Yes, this is Lancome and they are notoriously pricey but this one of the products I have tried that has actually made a noticeable difference to my skin.

This is called Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate which is a serum promising plumper, less wrinkled skin for those trying to wind back the clock. Ok, I know I am only 22 and do not yet need anything promising to get rid of my wrinkles as mine are few and far between right now (phew!), but my Mum persuaded me to try this as she always says to me 'You're never too young to stop wrinkles.'

We received these samples when trying to find perfume samples for some party bags a few months ago. We went into our local independent department store, Hills, to see if we could bag any perfume samples. The perfume lady was rather reluctant to gave any fragrance samples away but the lovely lady at the Lancome counter offered us a whole pack of sample sized Genifique to put into the party bags - how nice! High end skincare is not something I would normally try as I wouldn't want to get hooked on it. But as I had never tried serums before I wanted to see what the fuss was about.

As I hadn't tried serums before, I have to admit, I read the instructions in the packet before I used it. I was absolutely clueless: do I use it instead of a moisturiser? Do I put it on day or night or both? Well, the instructions were really simple: apply to skin before your usual skincare routine day and night. I bent the rules a bit. Instead I applied after I had taken my make-up off with an exfoliating wipe and before I put on my night cream. I also decided I would not put it on in the mornings as I wanted this stuff to last me.

The serum is interesting. I expected it to be only slightly thinner than regular moisturiser and be clear. This was not. It was very runny to the point where I spilt a load on bed as I squeezed the tube - I didn't make that mistake again. To get the right amount out of this sample tube, I spread the nozzle over my face while gently squeezing and rubbing into my skin as I went along. The great thing about this serum is that it sunk into my skin really quickly (around a couple minutes) and it was OK to put my night moisturiser on top. I find this a good thing as it means that I am not adding many more minutes to my skincare routine (which, if I'm honest, I find a bit of a chore!).

The results were noticed in the morning. My skin really did feel noticeably smoother and softer than just using moisturiser. I suffer with dry skin so it was a dream to wake up with my skin not feeling so tight. As I am still quite young, I cannot comment on whether this helps banish wrinkles. I can only say my skin does feel plumper though.

Would I purchase this? Not for the price. As much as I love this stuff, I cannot justify the cost of a small bottle (about £50!). I would much rather try out some other, cheaper serums on the market and see if they have similar effects.

Do you like serums? Would you splash out on this product?

Oldie but a Goldie: Lancome Color Focus Palette in 311 Parure d'Etoiles

Hello lovlies!

I thought I would do a new kind of post because I have loads (maybe an exaggeration) of stuff in my make-up bag that I would love to share with you! Many of my Golden Oldies are higher end brands and this is one of them: my Lancome Color Focus Palette in 311.

I got this a few Christmas' ago when my Grandma was struggling to think of anything for my Christmas present. As she knew I liked higher end brands, she asked me if I wanted a new eye shadow set. Of course I jumped at the chance and settled on Lancome. Although I had always received Dior gifts from my stepmother and loved the products, I had also heard great things about Lancome and assumed it would be just as great (if not better!).

When I was picking this, I was in love with dark eye shadows. I loved the Goth look but was also taken with white eyelids too. This palette satisfied these needs. It was a range of 'blues'. The colours were white, a silvery blue, a shimmery gunmetal blue and a navy. This palette was actually specifically designed for creating something special (like make-up artists would do) but as I am not creative, I just use these as block colours.

This palette came with a handy little mirror inside which is ideal for travel. It also cames with two regular sponge applicators and a thinner one which is handy for when one wants to create an eyeliner effect.

These eye shadows have great staying power and usually last all day. They do have a good pigmentation, even the white which on this swatch looks quite weak. However, these Lancome eye shadows are not as soft as I like my eye shadows to be. Because of the hardness of the powder, it takes a while for my brush to pick up the colour.

Overall, I love my Lancome Color Focus Palette  and the shades it has are wonderful. My only disappointment is that it is a highly dense pressed eye shadow which makes it hard to get a lot on the brush.

Have you tried Lancome eye shadows? Do you like them?

Lancome 'La Vie Est Belle'

Time for a fragrance post!

This is one of the perfume samples I picked up a while ago. I got this sample from The Fragrance Shop while I was visiting Lincoln. I had never heard of this fragrance by Lancome as I had only really smelled Hypnose by them before. So I had no idea what to expect.

It turns out that 'La Vie Est Belle' (English traslation: The Beautiful Life) is a relatively new fragrance by Lancome having been released in Autumn last year. The decription on the card is too long to relay on here but 'The Perfume Shop' website describes it as a 'Floral Fruity Gormand'. As I love sweet and floral scents, I was looking forward to trying this.

Lancome 'La Vie Est Belle'

This scent did not disappoint. The top notes smelled typically Lancome (I know that is not the best description but it is how I can describe the smell around the counter in the department stores.) The top notes are very floral and initially very strong. However, this becomes so beautiful when the base notes develop as it smells of praline and vanilla. The sweetness is just so enticing. The longevity of this is excellent as it lasts a long while on the skin.

This is definitely a sweet scent and not for anyone that does not enjoy a 'chocolaty' smell. It is also described as 'fruity' but none of the blackcurrant notes were very prominent on me.

Would I purchase this? YES! I love this. I could not stop sniffing it. I do however think it is an acquired taste. But if you are like me, you will think this is gorgeous. 

Have you tried La Vie Est Belle? Do you like it?

xxxx