A Little Naturisimo Haul

During the month of September I became more and more interested in natural beauty products - especially natural and organic make-up, which I haven't really had much experience with. One Little Vice doesn't exclusively feature natural and cruelty-free products, but I would like to become more knowledgeable about natural and cruelty-free alternatives and to share with you my experience of these alternatives. 

A week or so ago (just before I wrote my first Natural Beauty Wishlist post) I ordered a couple of products from Naturisimo to get me started. The make-up item I decided to try out first is Lavera's Natural Concealer in the shade Ivory which I'm hoping will stand up to my current drugstore favourites. I'm planning on doing a full review with swatches and a make-up look once I've had the chance to properly put it to the test. I also picked up two samples, a generous 15ml sample of Elemental Herbology's Facial Glow Radiance Peel (an old favourite of mine) and a very small sample of Vapour's Trick Stick Illuminator in Star. My first impression of the Illuminator are that it is very glittery, perhaps too glittery for my tastes, but I definitely need to test it out further before giving my final judgement.

What new make-up have you tried recently?

 Do you have any natural make-up favourites that you would recommend?

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Mid-Month September Empties

Mini Reviews: Elemental Herbology Samples

If you read my post last week about Naturisimo you'll know that in June I picked up a few (five..) sample sized Elemental Herbology products. Now, I don't usually post whole reviews of sample sized products but these samples are very generously sized at 15ml so they've given me enough usage to form an opinion on them. Elemental Herbology isn't exactly a super affordable brand and even I cringe at the prices so this post won't be of interest to everyone, however, before any of you click away it might put your mind at ease to know that I'm not about to sing the praises of all these products. It might interest you to know which of these four products are actually worth the price tag. 

Cell Plumping Facial Hydrator SPF 8 

This is a fancy name for a day cream. First thing you'll note, SPF 8 is a seriously annoying number; enough to reassure those who know nothing about SPF whilst mocking those who do. Secondly, the smell. Dear lord, this stuff is stinky. It smells like herbs? That's a question because guys, I don't even know. It smells how I imagine alien herbs smell. It isn't basil or rosemary, it's stinky alien herbs. However, in its purpose as day cream it is actually pretty dreamy. It doesn't aggravate my sensitive cheeks and gives my entire face enough moisture to visibly brighten it without clogging my pores of setting of the oil slick (a.k.a. my t-zone). Saying all that, it still isn't worth the smell. Sorry Elemental Herbology, lovely product but a seriously acquired scent. RRP £44!

Facial Souffle Overnight Repair Cream

This is a fancy night cream but could possibly be used as a hydrating face mask for those with normal/oily skin. I used this as a night cream and I think it really helped my skin move a little bit further away from it's dehydrated beginnings. It has a hint of the smell I was talking about earlier but it is much less intense and therefore bearable. I think this is a product worth investing in, especially if you have dry or dehydrated skin. I enjoyed using this and will be keeping my eyes peeled for another sample.

RRP £47!

Facial Detox Purifying Mask

A fantastic mask for sensitive skin because this doesn't dry up like clay masks and therefore doesn't tighten and tug on your skin. Again, this has the herby aroma that I just can't even describe. I don't feel like this did enough for my skin but I do have very clogged pores and congested skin. If you're after a gentle purifying mask then this might perhaps be for you but I personally think they're are nice face masks out there, and they're probably more affordable too. In conclusion, this is not something I'd say no to but I won't be buying it for myself any time soon.

RRP £28

Facial Glow Radiance Peel

 This is a skin brightening exfoliating peel that I liked so much I dedicated an entire post to it. You can check that out if you want lots of info, but in short this is the knockout product of the bunch. I loved it because it worked so well and made my skin visibly nicer. I can't, however, afford to buy this at the full price so I'm on the hunt for a more affordable dupe!

RRP £40 :(

Some of these samples are still available on Naturisimo for the affordable price of £2.25, a great way of trying them out! Did you find mini reviews helpful?

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Review: Elemental Herbology Facial Glow Radiance Peel

I don't usually like to post full reviews of sample size skincare items as you usually don't get enough product to really give them a thorough test. However, despite this Elemental Herbology Facial Glow Radiance Peel Mask only being a sample size it is an incredibly generous one at 15ml (with a full size coming in at 50ml). What's more, this little tube has so far allowed for six full-face masks with at least enough product for a few more. Honestly, a little goes a long way! 

For the last month, I've been using this Facial Glow Radiance Peel in lieu of a manual exfoliating product and have been reaching for it every five days or so. What I've noticed whilst I've been using it is that my skin has become seriously, visibly, obviously, all-the-"ly"s, less red and sensitive, and I've also noticed that the texture of my skin has been wonderfully smooth and even. This is a product that I didn't know I needed but now I don't think I can go without it. Sadly, the full size costs a beastly £40 (at Space NK) which puts it outside my price range. But, if you can get your hands on a sample or if you want a present that will keep on giving, then this is something that I couldn't recommend more highly. I love it and I'm going to scour the interwebz for sample sizes - if I can help it this baby is going to stay in my routine!

Do you use an exfoliating treatment?

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Collective Beauty Haul: High-er End Treats

Sooooooo... I went a little bit crazy on the shopping front. I've had a wish list the length of my arm for a while now and all it took was the promise of a few bargains for me to finally crack out my debit card and submit to the shopping urge. Now, don't get me wrong, I didn't get all of these beauties on the same day but rather over the last three or four weeks. I've tried a couple of them out but some of these items only arrived in the post this morning so in their cases it'll be more of a case of showing you them rather than having much to comment on!

Up first is my Escentual order, 30% off many french pharmacy brands (and a lovely £5 discount on the much acclaimed Dior Nude BB Cream) was too much for me resist. I picked up a 100ml bottle of Bioderma's Micellaire Water (with the intention to stock up on it later in the month if I like it),  Bioderma's Photoderm AKN Mat SPF 30 Mattifying Fluid and Dior's Nude BB Cream in shade 001. Look out for a review of each other these over the coming month! 

This purchase was very much made in the spur of the moment. With FeelUnique offering me a 10% off code I just couldn't help myself, Antipodes Divine Face Oil has been luring me in with its promise of plumper (and less oil prone) skin for the last few months. Along with my order came a lovely little perfume freebie.

I also made the most of Boots' 3 for 2 offer on skincare, one item has escaped this post (a Garnier moisturiser) but truth be told I don't really like it so it is not great loss, although I will still be reviewing it later this month. I was excited to finally get my hands on some Hydraluron (you can see I've stocked up!) and I'm currently trialling this with the hope of reviewing it next month. I haven't started using the Peptabright but I love the sound of it, I have a few marks left by blemishes which I'm hoping it can set straight. The other two products, both Soap and Glory, are wonderful and I've been using them daily since I bought them. I'll definitely be reviewing them both soon!

Lastly, I placed a small order with Naturismo so that I could pick up Jason's Vitamin E Oil 32000IU which is scar/stretch mark treatment. It isn't what I expected at all (but in this case that is a good thing) and I expect promising results for this. I'm testing it out on both scarring and stretch marks to see if it makes any difference. I don't expect I'll be reviewing this for a while as I'll want to use it for a month or two to see if it really works. In the meantime, I also picked up some Elemental Herbology sample sizes (Naturismo is brilliant for samples) and I'll be giving them a go and probably reviewing them all together. 

Sometimes you have to treat yo'self, and that I certainly did. Spending is going to be curbed in the meantime (although I do have a small Fragrance Direct order still to arrive, naughty me). I have a hell of a lot of products to test out and a whole backlog of reviews which I'm going to be catching up with. It's going to be a busy month, but a really fun one!

Have you been shopping recently? Found any absolute wonder products that you'd recommend?

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