March Buys...

Well, April is here already! Where is this year going?!

I thought I'd share with you some of the stuff I bought last month, as I bought quite a lot (whoops) and I love it all. I've put it into two categories - beauty and home.

So I definitely had a splurge on home interior things this month, but it's about time really! As you can see a few things are travel related too, I can't help but love everything with a map. I've always wanted a vintage globe, and I found this one on sale in Laura Ashley. However I was rather disappointed with the size, as I ordered it online and picked it up in store expecting it to be a lot bigger! Oh well, what was I expecting for twenty quid  from Laura Ashley really?!

I'd spotted a print on Etsy a few months back which I really liked, and finally got round to buying it. It says 'Home is wherever I'm with you' and I thought it would look nice in our bedroom, which at the moment has very bare walls indeed.

Then the cushions were a spontaneous buy from one trip to the Trafford Centre. We'd already bought new cushions for the sofa that day when I spotted them as we were walking through Marks and Spencers at 9.30pm heading back to the car. (Yes, I wasn't even browsing but saw them from the escalator!) I knew they would look really cute if we could find a J and a R, but after searching the stock it looked like we were out of luck. Until I looked underneath a cushion and there my initial was! So I decided it was fate and had to buy them there and then. £10 each from M&S, but apparently Next are also selling something similar.

So this month I've had hair troubles. It was so long and knotty all the time, just getting completely unmanageable. Even with conditioning and deep intense conditioning treatments, I couldn't get a brush through it after washing. So I decided to buy this Aussie conditioning spray for 'Luscious Long' hair to detangle. It made it a bit easier, but didn't exactly detangle my thick mane of hair at first. However, now I have had my hair cut - mainly layered - and it is much better now and I can notice the effects of this leave-in conditioner more.

At the same time I invested in a blow drying spray, which has a number of benefits but the one which I was most bothered about was it cutting the drying time. As noted above, I have stupidly thick long hair and it takes me FOREVER to blow dry. Seriously, I can wash it in the morning and it will still be damp when I go to sleep at night. Again, I have noticed the effectiveness of this spray more after my recent hair cut, and I think it really does dry faster now.

On the left there is my new moisturiser which is part of my Aesop skincare regime. I've already written about this once so click here for my Aesop review. I love how the jar looks rather old fashioned, like something my Nana would have in her medicine cabinet. This is the Mandarin Facial Hydrating Cream, and it smells absolutely divine - really fresh and perfect for the morning. It's specially designed as a lightweight moisturiser so it's good for people like me with an oily complexion or combination skin.

I also picked up these little beauties from a shopping trip while I was in Lisbon. How adorably cute are these toiletry bags? They came together as a set with the words 'Your summer, your dreams, your holidays' printed at the top. So simple, but so effective, they are a holiday essential and I knew I needed them as soon as I saw them. They are also really thin and light, made from a cotton material or something similar so are perfect for travelling light. I picked them up from Zara in Portugal, but I'm sure they'll have them in the UK too.

So those are my favourite purchases from this month. Now I can't wait to get shopping for clothes next month as my wardrobe didn't get much attention in March! What are you planning on buying this month?

J x

Aēsop – Skincare Brand Branches out to Selfridges Manchester

I hadn’t heard of the skincare brand Aēsop until recently when it popped up in the beauty department of Selfridges. The small concession caught my eye immediately, with natural open shelving offering rustic charm and beautiful simplicity. The utilitarian brown bottles are also easy on the eye, stripping down to basics and removing the unnecessary frills of most modern skincare packaging.

When I delved a little deeper into the brand, I found out that Aēsop was established in Melbourne and I was instantly hooked! Since 1987, the apothecary-style products with anti-oxidant properties have been sold in Australia and it wasn't long before the brand took off worldwide. However, you’ll only find them in the coolest cities…Paris, Tokyo, New York, London – it made sense to move onto Manchester.

I've tried quite a few of the skincare products now and I've loved every single one. My Mum is a skincare junkie and literally spends hundreds of pounds on the stuff every year. So I’ve always had a chance to try out the best in that field, from Elemis to Gatineau, and I have to say Aēsop reminds me of the botanical smell of Liz Earle. As soon as you use a product the natural smells of mandarin, parsley seed, rose petal or aloe vera have the power to freshen up the skin (and your mind).

One of the best smells I find is the parsley seed, and lucky for me there is a whole Parsley Seed collection. Brimming with anti-oxidants and other extracts of goodness, the range is suitable for all skin types which makes it an easy choice. Afterwards it’s impossible for the skin not to feel refreshed and moisturised, and ready for whatever the day throws at it. In fact, it’s recommended for ‘city dwellers’ who crave a quick fix of exfoliation and hydration.

But there are also a range of products designed especially for certain skin types. Personally I struggle with an oily T zone and am partial to the odd dry patch too, so I fall under ‘combination.’ That’s why I chose the Amazing Face Cleanser (I’d buy it just for the name) the B & Tea Balancing Toner and the Mandarin Facial Hydrating Cream. I love the moisturiser because it is lightweight and never leaves any shine or residue like many other moisturisers I have tried.

But as much as I do love the skincare (they also have a hair and body collection which is in my list to try next), Aēsop is so much more than its products. The brand is big on quirky design, and each store or concession is bold and completely unique. It has a flagship store in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda (where I used to live) which is basically a ramp leading to an old underground car park – this was the start of its architectural ambitions.

And rather than selling out to the big guys like other beauty companies, Aēsop prefers to stay independent and small – they don’t have any garish global marketing campaigns or tricks up their sleeve. Most people know about it through recommendations and word of mouth – it’s almost like being in the cool, cult skincare club if you know about Aēsop.

Aēsop’s Founder Dennis Paphitis also seems like a cool guy. In an interview he said, “I was horrified at the thought of Aesop evolving into a soulless chain. I've always imagined what we do as the equivalent of a weighty, gold charm bracelet on the tanned wrist of a glamorous, well-read European woman who has travelled and collected interesting experiences.”

So yes I love the products themselves but I think it’s everything else that’s integral to the brand that makes me love Aēsop more. For instance on the website it states: We advocate the use of our formulations as part of a balanced life that includes a healthy diet, sensible exercise, a moderate intake of red wine and a regular dose of stimulating literature.

It's like they had me at hello.

**I would just like to point out that unlike other bloggers, I HAVE NOT been paid or compensated in any way for this review. I've done it simply because I feel the need to write about how awesome Aēsop is.