New L'Occitane Limited Edition Frisson de Verveine

If there's one thing I look forward to each summer, aside from the fortnight or so of clement weather, it's the limited edition verbena release from L'Occitane. The summer time marks the start of the verbena harvest in Provence (home of L'Occitane) so it makes sense that we're spoiled with the bright, fresh products every year. In 2013 we had the minty fresh Verveine Menthe and this year we're all about cooling refreshment as Frisson De Verveine is set to hit stores in July. 

L'Occitane Frisson De Verveine: 100ml - €45

Frisson De Verveine is again a unisex scent, great news for gift buyers, not so much for me as I've been stashing this uplifting beaut from grabby teen mitts every single day. 

Smellophones needed!!

The sparkling, citrussy notes are rounded out with a base of musk and cedar wood that makes this EDT one that will appeal across the board. 

Fresh Shower Gel: 250ml - €17.50

As I do every single year, I'm going to recommend this fresh shower gel as an experience you need to have. Bubbles of air suspended in the citrus gel burst on contact to give an almost fizzy effect on the skin - glorious after a long muggy commute in the summer sun. 

Frisson De Verveine Icy Gel for Legs & Feet: 50mls- €23.50

Probably the stand out of the collection for me this year is the Icy Gel for Legs & Feet. This seriously cooling gel is dispensed using a cool metal roller ball for instant relief of tired calves and feet. 

I've been keeping this in the fridge for extra cooling sensation and I can't tell you the relief it's given me from sciatica and general summer cankle awfulness. If you know a lady of the pregnant variety, I urge you, buy her this. She will love you. Long time. 

The Frisson De Verveine cooling collection is rounded out by this refreshing little lot. While I'm not sure I'd ever take a bath to cool myself down so the salts aren't for me, both that hand cream and Refreshing Body Mist will be joining my desk summer stash toute suite. 

Frisson De Verveine is not due to hit L'Occitane stores until July but, if you're quick, you can nab the EDT online for the reduced price of €42 here. If you haven't decided on your summer scent yet, I'd advise you, strongly, to smell this first. 

What's your go to summer scent? 

YSL Babydoll Mascara in Fetish Black: Tried and Tested with Before & After Photos

Being an avid lover of YSLs Effect faux Cils and Shocking mascaras, there was an audible squee when the Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils Baby Doll press release arrived in my inbox. 'Eyes deprived of nothing' it said, 'A return to sophistication' it said. 

'GET ON MY LASHES' I said. 

Housed in the iconic high shine golden tube, the only way to differentiate this iteration from previous YSL beauties is the handwritten fuchsia pink 'babydoll'. 

The Babydoll wand is a lot thinner than you might expect for a truly volumising mascara. A rubber brush crammed full of short, stiff bristles that are set in an 'inverted spiral' to give you the best results when applying from root to tip of the lash in a zig zag motion. 

Working quickly, I applied it right from my tight line and the brush, unbelievably, gripped almost every lash.  The formulation is wet, though not messily so and speed is your friend with application. 

I have two/three coats on here and you can see quite clearly we're talking separation, we're talking volume and we're talking curl. In a nutshell, we're talking turkey.

I've had no flaking, no clumping and no breakage as can be a problem with many volumising mascaras and for that and all of the reasons above I'm giving Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils Baby Doll two thumbs up. 

Available from this month from YSL counters, priced at €32.50 and available in 4 colours: Fetish Black (my sample), Wheedler Brown, Audacious Blue and Indiscreet Purple. I'll certainly be picking up purple when pay day rocks around. 

Are we babydoll lovers? 

First Look: China Glaze Colour Match App for iPhones, iPods & iPads

We all know I'm a little bit nuts about nails and occasionally, just occasionally one brand will bring something to the table that blows my socks off. That's just what happened last night when I discovered the brand new China Glaze App. Now apps that let you, with the aid of CGI 'try on' polish colours are nothing new but this offering is something a whole lot slicker altogether. 

Using cutting edge technology, China Glaze have developed what I think will be the biggest interest point for nail nuts and nail polish occasional fanciers alike, the 'Match a Colour' Feature.  

This feature allows you to take a picture with your phone and will instantly give you 8 choices of polish that best match that colour. Think of all the time saved when trying to find a polish to match an outfit for a special occasion. Think of the relief of no longer having to think of the name of a colour so you can google its closest corresponding shade. 

I've just given you a little demo here from my phone to show you how it works. Neat, huh? 

The China Glaze App is free on all Apple devices from the iTunes store, you can try its basic functions here, but it is hoped that it'll be rolled out to Android within the next two months. 

What do we think? Am I getting excited over nowt? I can't hear you over the sound of my camera, nails the exact colour of Mr Whippy's pastel van here I come!