BIOEFFECT Body Intensive Serum

Icelandic skincare brand, BIOEFFECT is definitely a luxury splurge, unless you are fortunate enough to be able to afford to buy the age-defying serum on a regular basis (I wish I could re-purchase immediately, however, I do have to save up to treat myself to the face serum as well as the body serum).

I have been using the Body Intensive serum for around six months, only a few drops are needed and I can indeed share with you that my overall skin tone has most certainly improved

RRP £80 for 75ml.

You can buy BIOEFFECT online here or at Selfridges.

Bourjois Little Round Pot Cream Blush

Bourjois is one of my favourite brands and they can do no wrong in my eyes, the healthy mix serum is one of my favourite bases, the intense eyeshadow pots are ridiculously highly pigmented (better than most designer brands) and now these -petite pots of cream to powder blush! They are amazingly similar to the YSL cream blush pots. They blend in effortlessly, perfect for all skin types and can be worn sheer or intense. I can’t stop wearing No.2, a beautiful coral.

RRP £7.99 Available from Selfridges.

Neal’s Yard Rejuvenating Frankincense Facial Oil

I have been using this facial oil for the past 2 weeks and have to say I am in LOVE with this, I am actually going to by mum a bottle because I think this will be perfect for her skin which is dry and she is desperately after a dewy glow. I was using Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery, but I much prefer this one and will be sticking to it as well. It sinks into skin instantly and doesn’t leave a sticky residue on your pillowcase.

RRP £26.75 Available from Neal’s Yard online or in a store near you.

Dr Lewinn’s Instant Beauty Radiance Booster

I am rather annoyed with myself for not discovering the Dr Lewinn’s range sooner. This product is a brilliant make up base, instantly smoothing and brightening skin, with over 70% Aloe Vera, it makes sense why my skin is instantly soothed upon application of this orange cream/gel. It can also be used as a face mask for an intense moisture boost.

RRP £26 Available from Dr Lewinn’s online.

NARS x Pierre Hardy Limited Edition Blushers

Blushers are my staple make up item, so the moment these bad boys went live online, I placed an order for BOTH! How can I gal be forced to choose between a magnificent warm orange (Rotunde) and a stunning pink grapefruit (Boys Don’t Cry)? I got mine a few weeks ago, so not sure if there are any left.

RRP £30 Available from Space.NK and NARS online.

Philips Sonicare Toothbrush

Nothing like good clean teeth, which is why I invested in this toothbrush, it’s on offer at the moment in Boots, half price! I believe prevention is better than cure, especially with the cost of going to a dentist these days! This gadget even comes with a UV light unit to sterilise the heads (perfect for OCD freaks like me).

Was £200, now £100 from Boots.

My baby boy, King

OK, OK, I know King isn’t a product and I love him the same as my other dogs, always and forever. However, last week, I got some bad news about King, he has a heart muscle disease, common in his breed and big dogs in general. He could drop dead at any moment, literally, on a walk he could collapse. He is on meds now and the vet will monitor him, so I’m grateful to have more time with him, which is why I have been giving him even more love lately, because I don’t know how long I will have with him.

So, just some advice to fellow dog lovers/owners, if you feel like the slightest thing is wrong with your dog, check it out. I know my dogs and the moment I saw King limping, I had him checked out, never expecting to hear it was a disease of his heart, the same thing happened when my other boy had cancer, the vet assured my it was an age lump, I made him send it off to be analysed to be sure….and yep, it was cancer. They can’t tell you if they are not feeling too good, they rely on us to keep an eye on them.

Ps, King is in my blog header, have you ever noticed him? He he.

F A R R A H  T E L L S . . .

Created by perfumer Michel Almairac, the new See By Chloe perfume is an addictive floral/fruity scent. I must say, I wasn’t blown away by my first spritz, however, I noticed within 10 minutes, how it started to change from citrusy (bergamot) to fruity (apple blossom) and sweet (vanilla, ylang-ylang). The staying power is also pretty damn good with girlfriends and work buddies commenting on my ‘delicious smell’.

The packaging is pretty too, which one would expect from a Coty Prestige fragrance. The lettering is embossed on the lid, which also has a cute ring on top, very handy for us gals when multi-tasking!

50ml RRP £49.00

Available from Selfridges or Escentual.com.

F A R R A H  T E L L S  . . .

As much as I am a huge fan of the Brontes’ work, my primary purpose for visiting this picturesque village was to finally step foot into the magical world of the Rose & Co Apothecary.

Cobbled streets lined with independent shops welcome thousands of tourists from all over the world on a daily basis. We were in Haworth on a Sunday and were surrounded by Chinese, Spanish as well visitors from other UK cities. As soon as I step foot on the Hight St of Haworth (Main St) I made a bee line straight to the Rose & Co Apothecary, clearly everyone else did too because the shop was jam-packed!

Formerly an old Druggist shop (where Branwell Bronte bough his Opium), the apothecary was everything I had imagined plus more, I felt like Tom in ‘Tom’s Midnight Garden’ upon discovering the Victorian era garden when the clock struck the 13! The walls and floors are lined with mahogany with vintage glass cases full of delicious edible and non-edible treats.

Everything about the store was intriguing, exciting and alluring. I was in awe of all the jars and drawers full of quaint and cool brands, both non-edible and edible such as the Patisserie de Bain range, Paul & Joe cosmetics,  locally produced preserves, condiments, fudge and biscuits.

This ‘bin’ was full of DELISH Milk of Roses bath salts.

Pretty bath fancies.

Preserves in all sorts of scrumptious flavours

One of my HERO products, Zam-Buk ointment.

Don’t be fooled, these are SOAPS! YUMMMMM

Panties in the ladies fitters dept

Retro packaging.

After spending a good hour in Rose & Co, we decided to visit the other stores and bought SO many sweets and fudge from the retro sweet shop across the road from Rose & Co and then headed over to Cobbles and Clay for a tasty home cooked lunch.

It started raining.

Farrah’s…of course you’d find my name on sweets!

I highly recommend a tasty lunch at Cobbles and Clay. Kids come here to create pottery and paint it, totally getting involved in that next time.

After our day in Haworth, Caroline Rose, founder of Rose & Co invited my sisters and I over for tea and to meet her charming little pack of chihuahuas. Caroline is such a girls girl, so warm and welcoming with charisma and she has this aura which exudes happiness and elegance. We all chatted for hours about how Caroline and her mum started the business (in their kitchen), how the bath salts are STILL to this day made at her home, exciting plans for the brand and of course dogs!  The chi’s are just toooooo adorable, they all have their own quirky little ways which was so entertaining to watch.

I absolutely adore the Rose & Co brand and I am so glad I finally got to visit the famous Apothecary, if you love all things pretty, vintage and quirky then you MUST visit the shop. It really does feel like you’ve stepped back in time.

My sisters enjoying tea at Caroline’s.

The Rose & Co Chi’s

Queen Bee of the pack

Totally inappropriate attire! My sisters bullied me throughout the whole day!

F A R R A H  T E L L S . . .

I have been meaning to share some of my perfume collection for a while now. This post is to help you decide if a ‘scent’ is a ‘sensible’ purchase. This is only my personal opinion, others may not agree with me, however, I must add that I am regularly consulted for fragrance quality advice by friends and family.  I’ll begin by sharing with you that I never wear EDT (Eau de Toilette), I always wear EDP (Eau de Parfum) as it is more concentrated so lasts longer.

I have been a loyal user of Creed for a very long time now, 13 years to be exact, when it was MUCH cheaper. I mainly wear Acqua Fiorentina (pictured above in the middle), Imperial Millesime and Spring Flower. I find with Creed fragrances, I only need one/two sprays and it lasts all day with people commenting on the scent late in the day. Yes, they are expensive at around £180 for a 75ml bottle but I can confirm, the scent lasts ALL day, this bottle will last you a year, maybe longer! Creed gets my vote as a sensible purchase because you’d probably pay the equivalent in value for around 5 bottles of cheaper perfume.

The other two are recent additions such as, Guerlain La Petite Robe Noir (LPRN) (top right), I LOVE the scent, however it doesn’t last very long and I find the lids are rubbish, this is my second bottle and this lid falls off in my handbag all the time, which is rather annoying. A 50ml bottle will cost you £60, I always pick my LPRN at duty free, so it’s a little cheaper, but overall, it is worth it, so this one gets my vote as a sensible purchase. My 50ml bottles have lasted me 5-6 months.

I am not one to give into the hype of a product, however, SO many people were raving on about the Tom Ford Private Blends Perfumes so I thought I’d test them out for myself. They smell AMAZING, the packaging is stunning and there are so many fragrances to choose from, so I feel I rushed into buying the wrong one for me – Black Violet, which smells musky, sweet, fresh, (I’m into floral/fruity). Although it’s not my usual type of fragrance, Black Violet is a beautiful scent, so I tried it out and was left very disappointed, nobody could smell this on me after a few hours of wearing it. Maybe it was just the wrong scent for me, but I am reluctant to spend £135 again on a TF fragrance, I’d rather put that towards buying a bottle of Creed.

What is your signature scent?

F A R R A H  T E L L S . . .

I am sooooooo exhausted lately, I have been a busy lil bee on travels, working and freelancing. So, I’m happy to be back home, ready to blog and work hard with no more trips planned for a while.

A long time ago, I used to spend a lot of time in Paris but on a social basis and I have been going for the last few years just to pick up skincare and beauty supplies. However, I want to share some of my hot spots of Paris with you. I think I’ll surprise you with my list of beauty spots because you’ll see Sephora isn’t on there, I just prefer the brands available in the US Sephoras over the Sephora on the Champs Elysees.

Beauty Hot Spots

Monoprix, Champs-Élysées

Monoprix have an amazing beauty section,  I didn’t know I was going to write this post, otherwise I would have taken a picture, they have a nice range of mass and niche cosmetic brands, right at the front of the store. I picked up some Rouge Baiser matte lipsticks.

Biologique Recherche, Champs-Élysées

Not far from the famous Guerlain store, Monoprix and Sephora is the most wonderful skincare brand – Biologique Recherche. My mother swears by this brand and I know some fellow bloggers who also highly rate this brand. You can either book in for a super amazing treatment or just browse the retail area and be prepared to max out your credit card.

Biologique Recherche

Pharmacies

You’ll find a pharmacy on every corner of every street, just look for the big green cross – that’s a pharmacy. I have noticed most carry the same brands but some of the bigger pharmacies offer a wider selection within a range as well as different brands. I used to spend a good hour in a pharmacy the first time I walked into one many many years ago.

Separate blog post on this!

Guerlain

If you’re going to the places mentioned above, then you might as well visit the beautiful Guerlain store, I’m a massive fan of the brand and love to pay a visit just for the feeling I get being in there, I’m sure the Spa is next door too.

You can get most of these brands in the UK now but a lot of them are a little cheaper or have product variation in France, such as Nuxe and some of the other french skincare brands.

Now on to…..FOOD!

I HIGHLY recommend Schwartz’s, a kosher deli which is like an American diner. There are a couple in Paris, the one we went to everyday was the one in Le Marais, the Jewish Quarter, it’s hidden away and popular with the locals.

…and like pharmacies, every other street is home to some glorious artisan chocolatier and if you’re a chocolate addict like me then you’ll ‘test’ out the chocolate (purely for quality inspection of course) at every shop you see (ahem, yes I did this and was planning on keeping the wrappers to write a chocolatier review but I got confused about which chocolate was bought from where because I bought SO much).

Anyway, if you’re unsure about where to spend your hard earned cash on some well deserved chocolate for either yourself or for gifts then you MUST visit this little gem hidden away in Pigalle.

A L’Etoile D’or, owned by the eccentric, cute and THE CHOCOLATE QUEEN – Denise Acabo (yep, she deserves this title more than me, because she knows good quality chocolate).

Choosing my sweet treats with a fancy tray.

Denise and I

These bars are the BEST!!!! Seriously, I was like Hotel Chocolat who?

If you like good quality tea in the most wonderful packaging, then you must visit Mariage Freres, also in Le Marais. However, I have recently found out these teas are available in Selfridges in the UK now, but this wonderful, charming shop is SO worth a visit, not only will it be cheaper but you have the full selection of teas on offer in the ‘midnight in paris’ feeling environment, you feel like you have been transported back in time, we spent a good hour in here choosing tea!

I could go on and on about other hot spots and fill this post up with soooo many pictures, but I’ll leave it at that for now.

I hope this post will be useful for you if you are planning a trip to Paris.

Have you been to any of my favourite hot spots? or do you have any hot spots in Paris you’d like to tell me about?

F A R R A H  T E L L S . . . 

This conversation has came up a few times, and it usually goes like this:

A friend: Mmmmm, you smell good, what are you wearing?

Me: Creed (could be Spring Flower/Aqua Fiorentina/Imperial Millesime).

A friend: Never heard of it but I am SOOOO getting it, where from? How much?

Me: Harvey Nics/Harrods for like £140.

A friend: Whaaaaaaat? Why is it so expensive?

Me: Because it contains an ingredient worth it’s weight in gold.

A friend: Which is….?

Me: Ambergris

A friend: What the HELL is that?

Me: Whale poo

Ok, so sorry for the acting out of a convo but this is what ALWAYS happens and I find that nobody else (in my social circle) knows about this perfume ingredient.

I admit, it is the most unlikeliest of ingredients for a perfume, however, Ambergris has been used by perfumers for centuries, it amplifies a fragrance and fixes the fragrance to the skin. The scent varies in Ambergris from salty, earthy to sweet, like Vanilla.

I don’t know too much about Ambergris, but I do know that it starts to form in the gut of sperm whales and is then ‘ejected’ (well, excreted) into the ocean. Initially, it will smell like dung but when exposed to seawater and air, grows musky.

Where does one find Ambergris you ask, well it’s collected along shorelines, so if you spot it, grab it! I remember reading a story a while ago about a little boy in Dorset who found some and his find was worth £45k! Look out for the wax-like rocks. They vary in colour and size from grey to white. I hear that the whiter Ambergris is sweet, so look out for it and you can send some of your dosh my way for informing you about it.

If there any experts out there who know more, please feel free to comment or email me with more information on Ambergris.

Thanks for reading.

Did you know about Ambergris before? If not, would this affect you buying perfume which uses it as an ingredient?

F A R R A H  T E L L S  . . . 

I picked this lil beauty up from Selfridges’ fancy schmancy beauty workshop area over a month ago – I think (could be longer, can’t remember). BITE Beauty is a Canadian brand, specialising in all-natural lip care…and apparently healthy enough to…EAT!

I was ecstatic to see the BITE display in Selfridges, I saw it in Sephora in LA and kicked myself for not buying anything from the range. I selected a couple of lipsticks and lip conditioners but they were out of stock, so the only item I got to buy was this highly pigmented matte lip pencil in Zinfandel.

I would own every one of these pencils if I could, I am so impressed with how moisturising and long lasting this pencil is, you also have the added benefit of using it to line your lips as well.

A big bugbear for me when it comes to lipsticks in this form is the need for a bl@@dy sharpener, well, the clever folks  at BITE thought about this and made sure you wouldn’t need a sharpener, you just wind the pencil up when it starts to blunt.

Made with a double-dose of premium micronised pigments and super antioxidant resveratrol, (which fights free radicals). Apparently, each lip pencil contains the amount of resveratrol found in five glasses of wine (does this mean you’ll feel tipsy if you eat the whole pencil?).

The colour is a ‘typical me’ colour of a warm orange/red, similar to my old fave, NARS Red Square (but the need to sharpen that pencil wore me out after 6 years of wearing it).

I hope the lip tints and the lipstick colour I wanted are in stock next time I am in Selfridges. This brand has a lot to offer!

RRP £24 from Selfridges (London) or Selfridges online.

Oh, also, I popped into my local Space.NK today to check out the latest NARS satin velvet lip pencils, which are luuuuuuuurvely..but……THEY DON’T COME WITH A SHARPENER!!!

F A R R A H  T E L L S . . .

I am rarely without my eyeliner, the few times I did go without, I was asked if I was sick or feeling unwell (niiiice!). So, from those comments, you can understand why I wear it everyday, unless I’m having a duvet day.

I have tried all forms of eyeliner and most brands, I have always and still to this day, prefer liquid eyeliner over gel, cake and pencil for top lid feline flicks.

When I was a Pro Make Up Artist, a lot of my clients told me they were frightened to use liquid liner in case they made a mistake, in my opinion, liquid liner is easy to use than gel and cake liner and if I had the patience (and b*lls) to make YT videos, I would show you how easy it is to use.

*Tip: Practice makes perfect (yes, it’s an old saying but so true), practice, practice, practice and take small steps, don’t attempt to draw the full flick in one go, try drawing some dots and then join them up. If you DO find you’ve made a mistake, dip a cotton bud into some micellar water/make up remover and gently remove and rectify.

Eyeko is a brand devoted to eyes only, it’s rare to find a brand specialising on one feature in the beauty world and this is what makes this brand special for me, they specialise in what they know best.

Eyeko’s Skinny Liquid Eyeliner is (most importantly for me) long lasting, due to a key ingredient called Sodium Hyaluronate, making it smudge-proof with intense colour payoff. Have you ever had a black eyeliner that looked black when it was wet but looked grey as soon as it dries? This is why when I test eyeliners in stores, I will walk around and wait for that line to dry, check the colour, then put it through some smudge-proof testing…THEN, I go back and buy..if it has passed my tests.

The point on this eyeliner is very precise and you can control how thick/thin you want your line. It’s great for mature skin (around the eye area) because you don’t need to drag the pen and the formula isn’t drying, it’s actually pretty moisturising.

*Tip: For a feline flick in a single stroke, press the pen gently on its side and swoosh on your line, if you want a Sophia Loren style flick, gently lift the corner of your eye to get a higher flick.

For only £10, this pen is still going strong for me and I have had it for 3 months! It’s also available in 5 colours, I would love to try olive, blue and purple for Spring/Summer.

Available from www.eyeko.com and in the & Other Stories store on Regent St.

Thanks for reading.

F A R R A H  T E L L S . . .

Lip balms are not just for teenagers anymore, if you belong to my age group, your first lip balm was probably one of the delicious fruity flavours from the Body Shop, in the glass jar with the black lid. Well, we’ve grown up now and we still use lip balm, however our needs (well, some of us) have evolved from wanting a sweet scent lingering on our lips.

The last time I did some research on the UK lip care market, it was worth almost £200m and is continuing to grow and with so much competition out there, how do you find the best lip balm (or in my case, lip balms) for you?

Well, firstly, if you’re like me, you want to experiment and try everything until the best stand out, which is what I have done here. If you would have asked me 10 years ago which my favourite lip balms were, I would have said;

1. CARMEX (classic, as that was the only flavour we had then).

2. EVE LOM Kiss Mix

So, 10 years on, my favourite lip balms are; (in order of the picture above)

1. Rose & Co. Rose Petal Salve

This little pot of Rose scented goodness is an all-round salve, for cuticles, stray eyebrows (me) and of course lips! I also use this on my cheekbones mixed with a bit of highlighter for when I want a dewy complexion. The tin is so adorable that I plan on keeping it when/if I ever finish the pot, which seems to last forever – my ‘magic porridge pot’ of lip balm.

RRP £5 available from www.rose-apothecary.co.uk and House of Fraser.

2. NUXE Reve de Miel

I have recommended this to quite a few guys since my husband is a massive fan and that’s because it has a matte finish, all of my straight male friends moan about the ‘glossiness’ of some lip balms. The key ingredient in this pot is honey which is in the name, ‘Reve de Miel’ translates to ‘Honey Dream’. I remember a long long time ago when my dad told me stories about how soldiers inured in war in India would dip their wounds in honey to prevent infection and to heal the wound. Honey has magical powers (save our honey bees – separate post to come on this subject). Whenever I am in Paris, I ALWAYS leave with around 10 pots of this stuff, good news is you can get it here too.

RRP £10 (depending where you buy it). I have seen it on Feel Unique for £9.50. Space.NK used to sell it, not sure if they still do and I have seen it in some London pharmacies too.

3. KORRES Lip Butter in Pomegranate

KORRES, a reliable, socially responsible and beautiful brand with natural products that actually work! I have been using the lip butters for years now, I always find myself re-purchasing Pomegranate, it is a lovely coral pink and I never go on holiday without it.

RRP £6 available from ASOS, feel unique, Liberty and House of Fraser.

4. CARMEX (classic)

The almighty CARMEX, literally cooked up by a guy called Alfred Woelbing over 75 years ago..in his kitchen. The formula remains the same to this day (apart from the UK’s version which differs slightly to the US formula due to EU regulations). When I was first buying CARMEX, there was only one flavour, now you have a choice of mint, strawberry, pomegranate, lime, vanilla…I just LOVE the smell of classic carmex, it evokes some happy memories for me and it’s totally unique! The packaging is unisex too, so guys can feel cool and confident whipping out their lil yellow pot..or tube.

RRP £2.65 available from Boots, Superdrug, BeautyMart at Harvey Nichols or Primark.

5. Omorovicza Perfecting Lip Balm

This is EXACTLY what this lip balm is – ‘perfecting’. I’m sure this plumps my lips up a little bit too, my lips instantly look and feel so smooth. This is a premium lip balm, so I am careful with how much I use it, using it before applying my lipstick, which seems to last all day and when my lips feel super dry. Just don’t lose it!

RRP £32 available from Liberty or www.omorovicza.com.

Due to the delicate, thin layer of skin, our lips are often the first to show signs of dryness, so it is important we keep them moisturised for healthy looking lips and my top 5 lip balms are certain to take care of your precious pout.

Thanks for reading.

F A R R A H  T E L L S . . . 

I was determined to find (a) a brilliant laser machine and (b) a reliable salon/clinic to carry out my treatments. After months of research, reading about all types of laser and laser machines (I won’t lie, a lot of it went way over my head), I finally found a machine I wanted my treatment with, elos technology by ‘Candela’. Elos technology is the next generation of safe and effective hair removal, it uses combined energies to effectively and gently remove hair of many colours (and wait for it) for ALL skin tones!

The next step was to find a salon (in Birmingham) offering this service with this particular laser machine. So, I contacted Syneron-Candela lasers direct. I was ECSTATIC to hear that the Outline Clinic in Solihull have this particular laser hair removal technology.

I have purposely waited until I was almost finished with my course of treatments to write this review, I only recommend products and treatments I truly believe in, which have given me visible and satisfying results. Also, I think the reason I could never get an appointment at the first laser place I went to was because so many of the readers of my old blog started going, which meant – no appointments for me.

Since September last year (I think) I have had 5 (full bikini and underarms) sessions of laser hair removal and WOW – I have had superb results, especially for my hair type. My wonderful, thorough and super professional therapist, Jo advised me I could need up to 8 sessions to permanently reduce hair growth. For you lucky gals with ‘normal’ hair, you should only need 6 sessions.

This particular machine penetrates the hair follicle with light energy , destroying it at its root while preserving the surrounding skin. It’s high frequency/low energy technology make this treatment very bearable (underarms, completely with some intimate areas less bearable). When contact is made with the skin, cooling begins with the blast of cool air, the laser pre-heats the target spot and then both energies work to attack both inside and outside the target spot.

I actually can’t remember when I had my last treatment, I think it was around 8 weeks ago and I am actually due in for my sixth session tomorrow even though I have no re-growth, but I am going to ask Jo what to do, she usually advises me to wait until some re-growth occurs because the laser needs something to ‘hit’ in order to be effective. This is another reason I highly recommend the Outline Clinic, Jo is so honest and sweet, she is always asking if I’m OK or need to have a break during my sessions. She is also SO thorough, she politely gets in all the nooks and crannies, I am so comfortable with her, I’m like ‘pull and stretch whatever you like, just pleeeeeease get every last grosse hair’.

I HIGHLY recommend this particular laser and Jo at Outline, it only costs £64 per session for full bikini (including the a$$ crack) and underarms (in Birmingham, I assume London prices will be double). I am so pleased with the results that I am now going to start on my face! Woohoo! Bye bye threading!

I am going to continue to have one off treatments, to keep the hair away for good, I just won’t need to go as often, maybe once a year. Laser hair removal (like laser eye surgery, which I have also had) is LIFE CHANGING. Imagine not having to worry about waxing/shaving the vag/underarms before a holiday/hot date? (*cough cough *wink wink at Faye) Why waste all that money and time on waxing every month? I only wish I could have my full body done! (*dreams and sighs)

What are your thoughts about laser hair removal? Would you have it?

Thanks for reading and email me if you have any questions about my treatments.

F A R R A H  T E L L S . . .