Jean Paul Gaultier; Classique Fragrance

Timeless, elegant and a seductive weapon from the very first spritz...

'Classique' by Jean Paul Gaultier 

Think Hollywood dressing rooms circa 1950. Think expensive jewellery and lavish evening dresses. Think scandal and seduction and the kind of glamour that can only exist on a movie screen.

Alright, so maybe I'm being biased; this is my all time favourite fragrance. But 'Classique' really is a wonderfully moody, evocative perfume. It's classy. The packaging is perhaps the best of any perfume on the market, combining raw aluminium with the iconic, delicately curved glass figure. The tin comes stamped with the brand across it in  wonderfully industrial lettering; a theme that is continued with a small ring pull on the bottle when first opened. This kind of attention to detail really does make the perfume's fairly considerable price tag worth it. Quality costs - and in this case, it delivers.

Light enough to wear day-to-day, and sexy enough to wear in copious amounts when you're out to lure a handsome stranger into your life, it's a true all rounder. There's an overall sweetness to this scent, but don't let that put you off if you're more of a floral girl, there's nothing too overpowering about any of the elements in this fragrance. A faintly talcum powder scent softens the product,  preventing if from having that sharpness many fragrances leave behind. It's ethereal;  very graceful and understated [provided you've not completely lathered yourself in it..] A musky undertone grounds the fragrance and adds a real sense of 'old world glamour'. 

A single spray on the wrists in the morning and this perfume will last for a good 2/3 of the day, but will fade towards the evening. Thankfully, it's light enough to top up just once. Perhaps a downside to the product would be that the newer variations are all so similar that choosing between them is damned near impossible. As wonderful as it is to have the choices, JPG have really milked this winning formula for all it's worth. That said, try them all, they're all lovely!

But that's enough rambling from me, here's something from the people who know what they're talking about; to quote JeanPaulGaultier.com....

"Top notes offer the tenderness of rose played up with the freshness of star anise. In the middle notes, the spicy sweetness of orange blossom is combined with the aphrodisiac notes of ginger. Base notes feature the caressing sensuality of vanilla and amber wood."

This fragrance costs anywhere between £50-£70, depending on size. It can be found at Jean Paul Gaultier, Debenhams and The Perfume Shop. 

[If you want a bargain, keep an eye on the sales in Debenhams!]

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Burt’s Bees Rejuvenating Lip balm with Acai Berry

Clear hydrating lip balm with berry scent from Burt’s Bees

Lip balm is one of my everyday beauty essentials; in summer it may well be the only makeup I wear and in the winter it is the first thing I reach for (as the cold wind takes its toll on my lips). This lip balm in particular is a favourite of mine as recently I have been edging towards more natural products with less chemicals in and this lip balm ticks that box… claiming to be 100% natural and containing the 'superfruit' Acai berry along with vitamins A, C, D and E.

What I love about this lip balm most of all though is that it thoroughly hydrates my lips and really does leave them feeling soft and smooth… and this feeling can last for at least half an hour after I have applied it.

The packaging is Burt’s Bees signature red and yellow and the lip balm is in a simple little tube with a purple lid that easily pops off but stays put when popped back on.

Overall, I love this lip balm and I cannot rave about it enough. It has a lovely berry fragrance, it makes my lips so soft and smooth and is the perfect base before a lipstick. The packaging is cute, light and perfectly sized. It has lasted me a good 3 months of everyday use now and I shall be buying it again.

This lip balm can be purchased from the Burt’s Bees website, from Debenhams or Boots for around £3.49 - £3.69.

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Ruby Hammer Nail Polish

Nail Polish from Ruby Hammer Recommends Total Colour Set 

Ruby Hammer nail polish leaves you with bold, even colour and seriously sassy nails. This shade was from one of her Total Colour Gift Sets [complete with lip gloss, eye shadow etc...]

The first thing you'll notice with this nail polish is the strange [but not necessarily unpleasant] smell of cherries and/or almonds when it's wet. It's pretty unusual but personally, I much prefer it to that same old acrid smell you get with just about every other nail polish on the market. It's almost edible...if you like that sort of thing.

This pink-red shade in particular is great, because it not only has 2 very subtle variations on the shade to give a deep colour; it has a subtle glitter element. Nothing too aggressive, just a nice added sparkle to it. It's super pretty when it catches the light and gives it that lovely freshly painted look. 

However, it chips. My god, does it chip. But then let's face it, all nail polishes do to an extent. As lovely as the colours from her nail collection are, Ruby Hammer could really have done with spending some more time working on the durability of this product. 3 coats, and a layer of clear gloss, and it stays on for the best part of a week provided you don't do anything to 'hands on' [you know - nothing more than doing up the zip on your jeans...]

If it's not gift sets you're after, then it also comes with The Ruby Hammer Nail Collection itself; 7 shades in purples, reds, pinks and a clear glittery little number that I'd advise coating whatever colour you're wearing with. While the polishes are all lovely hot shades, they're not for practical ladies or anyone who values the ability to do manual work whilst looking good. Nights out, presents for friends and experiments with new nail colours? Those are the sorts of thing that this product is best suited to. Vibrant and sexy, but alas, not the solution to chipping.

Ruby Hammer Recommends Gift Sets and Nail Collections are around £10. They can be found on Amazon, in selected Debenhams stores and quite often on eBay.

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Freederm Fast Track

Very good; but not quite THAT good

Freederm Fast Track 

Great if you have the occasional breakout; not so great if you deal with bad skin on a regular basis. Freederm Fast Track works wonders on one off bouts of spots but used regularly, it's almost like your skin builds up a resistance to it. And as for working in 3 hours...well...

The product firmly states that it is to be applied after thoroughly cleansing the affected area; fair enough...but still something of an indicator that Fast Track needs all the help it can get to work. Whilst Freederm is one of the best, widely available brands for spot prone skin, from personal experience I've found it can leave you wondering what all the fuss is about.

Naturally, any product of this nature is going to have varied results from person to person. Thankfully, I have pretty decent skin about 80% of the time, but like any other 18 year old, some days that really isn't the case. If you're lucky enough to have a clear complexion then using Freederm every now and then is great because largely, it takes care of things. However for the times when you have a week long breakout etc, very little progress seems to be made. Personally, I don't think it's asking too much for a bit of consistency from a skin care product, particularly one that claims to be a fast fix for spots. 

My best advice with this stuff would be to make sure you have a good skincare regime. The more action you take to prevent breakouts, the happier you'll be in the long run, and the less you'll find yourself relying on Fast Track. That's not to say it's a bad product - compared to most others, it does work the best - but it shouldn't be mistaken for a daily staple in your routine. Drinking plenty of water, always taking makeup off at night and a good oil free moisturiser; they should be 3 steps you take every day. Freederm Fast Track? That should only come into the equation if the aforementioned slip up and you find yourself facing a bad skin day. It works well in conjunction with other products so there's no need to throw out your cleansers and scrubs  nor is it too harsh. But seriously, don't put all your hopes in it leaving you flawless in 24 hours, let alone the 3 it states you'll see results in.

This product retails at around £6 and can be found in Boots, Tesco and on Amazon.

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