The excluisve NEW Limited Edition Kissable Lip Set RRP £25.00, launches today and is available online and in House of Fraser stores nationwide (exc Ireland). With every purchase of this special set 50% of the RRP going to the appeal. *

A £2.00 donation will also apply to all Clinique lipstick or lipgloss sold at House of Fraser stores nationwide, throughout February 2012. (£1.00 will be donated by Clinique and £1.00 will be donated by House of Fraser).

For further information on the KISS IT BETTER appeal and how to pick up your Kiss it Better pin badge,  Great Ormand Street Hospital Kiss it Better appeal.

* (£6.50 from Clinique and £6 from House of Fraser)

By CiCi x

We’ve all been there… your bestfriend has a broken heart and you want to be there for her but you also want to give her something a little bit more original than a card. You may not be able to repair her broken heart but you will most certainly put a smile back on her face with this girly gift.

Helpful Hankies by Moi Self illustrate five cute messages which will guarantee to brighten your friend’s mood. The messages include: Fix your mascara, you’re amazing’, Thinking of you sweetie’, He’s not that hot anyway’, ‘Go and buy some shoes’ and ‘It’s not goodbye, just au revoir’.

Each hankie is made from 100% cotton and screen-printed (by hand) with a stylish illustration to match the phrase. RRP £10.00, available from My Wardrobe.

Dry those tears. Life is too short!

By CiCi x

There are a handful of beauty products with this wonderful ingredient present however Hope’s Relief is 100% pure and specially selected to contain the UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) that independent studies recognise as being the most potent; in comparison to other Manuka honey based products that do not have the Active/ UMF form.

I have been testing out Hope’s Relief Therapeutic Cream (£16.20) and love the way it just magically seems to regenerate my parched skin. This little beauty is perfect for windy and winter climates thanks to its 5 active ingredients, UMF 10+ Active Manuka Honey, Calendula, Aloe Vera, Gota Kola and Liquorice all giving relief to even the driest of skins.

Other Hope’s Relief products include a soap-free Cleansing Bar (£8.70), Shampoo (£16.20) and Conditioner (£16.20).

Suitable for delicate baby skin too!

By SiSi Chic

A decadent, sensuous and indulgent range guaranteed to plunge you, your skin and your senses straight into chocolate heaven, sin free, pleasure rich and oozing with luxurious texture and fragrance.

The line-up is as follows…

	Body Scrub(£12.50 / 200ml) If this wasn’t package correctly I would easily mistake it for delicious chocolate brownie mix, it smells absolutely divine.
	Shower Cream (£4.00 / 250ml) This pearlescent formula is such a beautiful colour plus a mouthwatering scent.
	Soap (£2.00) & Mini Soaps Set (£3.50) These are just the cutest little heart-shape soaps ever  and perfect to use in the shower or even at the sink.
	Body Lotion (£8.00 / 250ml) A great one if you’re not into heavy textures and prefer something that is absorbed quickly yet hydrates at the same time.
	Lip Butter (£4.00) Keep temptation at arm’s length by keeping this buttery delight in your handbag for that quick chocolately fix… it’s almost good enough to eat!

However, the star product in the range has got to be the Body Butter (£12.50 / 200ml) containing the highest percentage of Community Fair Trade ingredients in the history of The Body Shop. Inside every pot is an exclusive formula of 12 CFT Ingredients from around the world – that’s 45% of the total contents!

Now all this chocolate talk has made me hungry!!

By Sisi Chic

Apart from being know as the first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, Joséphine de Beauharnais, also went down in history for her passionate interest in roses and her beautiful rose garden in the Chateau de Malmasion. It was reported that she collected roses from all around the world and her love for the flower translated into the world’s first written history of roses.

We love the inspiration behind Josephine’s Rose Candle and believe that this must-have scent is a personification of the Empress herself; passionate, which immediately hits you from the combination of roses, slightly naughty due to the subtle spicy notes and completely and well and truly addictive. You won’t want to blow out the flame, trust us!

Jonathan Ward tells us, “We have created layers of exquisitely decadent deep and haunting rose notes, complimented with spicy tuberose and a shadow of poetic Iris. Touches of animal like musks are delicately layered into the base of this aroma and subtle spices and pepper make it unabashedly robust.”

We always mention how the power of scent can transport you to a different place, well this fragrance proves exactly that. Light the candle, close your eyes and relax for just a few moments and feel yourself being taken to Josephine’s rose garden. You won’t want to leave.

 Potent and completely addictive!

Empress Josephine in the Gardens of Malmaison, Pierre-Paul Prud’hon (1805).

Currently located in the Musée du Louvre, in Paris, France.

By CiCi x

This year Trilogy is launching Helping Hand Wash a 10^th Anniversary limited edition product which will be sold throughout 2012. 100% of profits from the sale of Helping Hand Wash will go to the Child’s i Foundation, a wonderful charity helping to end the tragedy of baby abandonment in Uganda.

The founder of Child’s i, Lucy Buck, worked as a TV producer on shows including Big Brother, until finding an abandoned baby in a car park changed her life. This spurred Lucy on to give up her career in TV and set up her own charity as well as an orphanage in Kampala, Uganda.

Lucy’s story

“For several years my life was divided. I worked as a producer on high-profile TV shows and volunteered at an orphanage in Uganda. In 2008, I buried a little baby boy called Abraham. He had been abandoned in a taxi park and died of meningitis in an orphanage aged just 16 weeks. In his short life, no one had truly loved him. I decided then to quit my TV career to establish the Child’s i Foundation, with the aim of helping ensure Abraham’s tragic story wasn’t repeated over and over again. Our belief is that every child deserves to grow up in a family rather than in an institution.  Every purchase of this product helps make this dream possible.”

Helping Hand Wash combines the natural antibacterial properties of Elderberry and Burdock with natural vegetable oils in an effective, low foaming liquid soap. With Trilogy’s signature fragrance of frankincense, rose geranium and lavender, the luxurious creamy texture leaves hands feeling deliciously soft and clean.

Trilogy Helping Hand Wash RRP £13.50 (300ml)

Helping a poor family is a simple as washing your hands!

By CiCi x

I don’t normally use organic/natural hair products as I am a bit skeptical of the outcome and efficacy, however I must say that I was pleasantly surprised about DGJ Organics Hair Juice Shampoo and Conditioner (£4.19 each).

The honeydew melon shampoo, and conditioner are brilliant and gentle enough for everyday use, even though I frown upon washing the locks too often. The organic aloe vera, coconut and melon leave hair smelling gorgeous and feeling lovely and soft.

DGJ Organics is the source for naturally beautiful hair; the range is salon tested and of professional quality, by British hair and beauty innovators, Medichem.

Green Hair at its best!

By SiSi Chic

To celebrate, 21^st century teahouse and dim sum emporium, Ping Pong is setting London ablaze with 15 days of smoking hot festivities from 23 January – 5 February. This year’s celebrations mark the Year of the Dragon, so get fired up for fabulous free cocktails (for everyone born in the year of the dragon), dim sum masterclasses, mixology classes plus face-painting for the little ones and lots more.

Complimentary Cocktails for Dragons

Dragons are said to be ambitious and successful – prove you are one and there’s a free drink on offer. Enjoy the Dragon Kumquat – a blend of Pampero Especial rum, fresh kumquats, amaretto, apricot puree and basil seeds or the Dragontini – Smirnoff Black vodka muddled with prickly pear, fresh limes, lychee liqueur and basil seeds.

Mixology Classes

Take part in complimentary daily mixology classes and learn to recreate the dragon cocktails so you can continue the celebrations at home.  An expert barman will take centre stage to teach you the secrets behind the fiery cocktails so you can impress your friends by mixing and muddling alike a pro.

Dim Sum Classes

What better way to celebrate the New Year than by learning to make China’s favourite bite?  Making dim sum may seem like a daunting task, but Ping Pong’s highly skilled chefs will ensure you’ll be creating little parcels of deliciousness in no time.  The completely free hands on class will teach you all the professional tricks of the trade, from the preparation to creating the delicate wrappers and delicious fillings.

Dragon Eye Flowering Tea demonstrations

Renowned for it’s spectacular flowering teas, Ping Pong is offering you the chance to try one of the most stunning blooms, the Dragon Eye tea. Watch the mesmerising display as tealeaves unfurl into a stunning bloom from which a beautiful flower emerges and sample the light, fragrant tea.  Experts will then demonstrate how these enchanting teas are handmade with a bundle of flowers and tea leaves.

Special Chinese New Year dishes

A range of delectable New Year specials are on offer to help fuel the 15 day celebrations, including Wu Xiang Lamb Spring Rolls – five herb marinated lamb with a hint of Sichuan pepper served with a wu xiang sauce; Seafood Wrap – cabbage wrapped seafood parcels with a hint of chilli and topped with lime purée pearls; Braised Beef Rice Pot – slow cooked beef with seasonal vegetables in a rich sauce served with coconut rice and Sweet Basil Seafood Soup – prawns, mussels and water chestnuts in a tom yam style soup.  Prices start at just £3.95 per dish.  For those who what to try a little of everything, a selection of set menus are available from just £9.95 per person.

Face-painting for kids – 28/29 January & 4/5 February – Westboune Grove & Marylebone

Kids are also catered for with weekend face-painting sessions during the weekends of Chinese New Year at the Westbourne Grove and Marylebone branches of Ping Pong. Parents can relax whilst their little angels are transformed into fire-breathing dragons from 12.30pm to 4.30pm.

Kung Hei Fat Choy!

By CiCi x

The TV advert for Lynx Attract For Him and For Her, which breaks in the UK on 1st February, sees guys and girls who are wearing the fragrance causing chaos and accidents in a series of situations because they’re so intensely attracted to each other.

Kieran Danaher, Lynx Brand Manager at Unilever UK, said: “This is a historic moment for Lynx as a brand.  For the first time in our 27 year history we are launching a male and female fragrance at the same time.  Lynx Attract will unleash the full power of the ‘Lynx Effect’ for both sexes and make the mating game doubly exciting.”

Following the phenomenal success of recent fragrances launched, including Lynx Excite and Lynx 2012 The Final Edition, Danaher believes Lynx Attract can really take things to the next level.

“As a brand we’re aiming to push boundaries with creative marketing campaigns this year, and the launch of Lynx Attract is set to do just that and more.  With both these scents being so seductive we’re warning guys and girls about the potential chaos in everyday life.”

Visit www.facebook.com/lynxeffectuk for more information.

Click below to watch the TV advert:

The mating game has just evolved… Unleash the Chaos!

By CiCi x

So, high up on our Spring/Summer 2012 wish list are these Rainbow pumps by Pretty Ballerinas. Each pair are patent with grosgrain bow and come in 12 colours: red, orange, navy, yellow, blue, pink, navy, green, black, white, silver, violet.

The Bally Ballerinas are £102 and are available in sizes 3-8.

If you’re after something with a little more punch (or kick…sorry!) then check out the rest of the season’s collection… Here’s a little preview.

Put your best foot forward this Spring.

By CiCi x