Thursday 20 May 2010

# 128 Four Fancies

Several things deserve a shout out before the week's end:

Numero uno - the Clarisonic, which has made my skin look clearer & brighter than ever before. My family are convinced that it's those 'blooming' pregnancy hormones. Well, I know better (ha ha ha).

A deux - Darphin Aromatic Cleansing Balm with Rosewood. Regular readers will know that I have a serious obsession with cleansing 'balms' and 'oils'. Creams, wipes, foams, scrubs - pah! Non, merci. Well, this is a really sticky little treat. It has a deeply luxurious texture - a bit like honey and melted candle wax, and a strong floral/herbal scent. It emulsifies easily & quickly and rinses away cleanly. I've been pairing it with my Clarisonic and am most happy with the results so far [one week in]. The pot too, est enorme, which is a great thing if, like me, you go for a nightly double-cleanse.

Trois me - Aromatherapy Associates Enrich Hair Oil. Despite having relied upon this trichological treat several times over the years, I don't think I've ever blogged about it. Fool me. Now, before I start getting all lyrical, I'm sure that many cheaper and simpler oils (olive/almond/sesame/coconut, par example) would have a very similar nourishing effect on the hair and scalp too, so I certainly don't blame you if you're not willing to fork out £22.50 for this one. In it's favour, however, there is much I can say. It contains murumuru butter, ylang ylang, coconut oil, geranium and rosemary; a little goes a very long way [I've had my bottle for 6 months & it's still more than half full]; it's darn deliciously scented. But, the winning ticket: it's a failsafe treatment that makes a real & very visible difference to the lustre and smoothness of my hair. I've never left it on overnight (I'm funny about pillowcase stains), but I do massage it through dry hair & into scalp at least 4/5 hours before I shampoo. While the oil-slick look ain't hugely sexy, the scent itself is divine, so you can wander around the house in a comforting aromatherapy cloud. Best of all, the scent has longevity, and even after shampooing & conditioning, locks are still laced with it. Hair blow-dries really nicely after use too - I've often had comments on the 'health' of my hair the following day (even though I'm a serial iron & dryer abuser).

Quatre me if you can: Finally, my current lipstick obsession (also blogged about on my other site, We Make Up As We Go Along) shows no sign of waning. It's by Topshop, it's called Brighton Rock, and if it's ever discontinued I might just cry myself to sleep. It's just so beautifully, perfectly PINK & 2010 & POP & young & cute & LOUD & Marina & the Diamonds. And now I must stop raving about it lest it sells out. Topshop - you'll promise to restock Le Rock - oui?


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

yum i love cleansing balms too! do you like the darphin more than ESPA or omorovicza? Love both of those. I don't get on that well with the darphin purifying balm so don't know whether to try the cleanser, but the size is so much bigger, im très tempted. Lucy x

Lucy said...

I'd second Lucy's question, am stuck between the espa and the darphin balms. I have oily skin so wasn't sure if the darphin balm would be too rich for me.
Thanks as always for your trusted advice!
Lucy

Miss Malcontent said...

Hello - I'm endeavouring to answer your Qs in my latest post which explores the pros & cons of the balms I've used over the years... plus you can get a discount on the Omorovicza one if you fancy! MM x