Sport Rock Patriotic Body Wear

Cheer on Team GB and show your support at The Olympics with Sport Rock - Patriotic Body Wear. Each pack has seven different styles for the face and body so you can mix and match to achieve whatever look you want. All you need is a small amount of water and you can rock the look for up to 16 hours!

Sport Rock patriotic body wear costs £5.99 a pack and is available from Topshop and available in three designs: UK, USA and Brazil. 

GLOSSYBOX July 2012

I arrived home last night to my July GLOSSYBOX and as usual the products came beautifully packaged as normal using a pale pink box with black tissue paper with and pink ribbon. With Festival season upon us, this month's box is full of festival beauty essentials to get you glam in an instant. You can save 15% off by visiting GLOSSYBOX and entering the code AFFJULY15OFF at the checkout (ends 31/7/12).

BEX LONDON Londoner Urban Fragrance (worth £1.62)
This is a brand I was unaware of until now, this is a highly concentrated, modern fragrance, inspired by the unique character and idiosyncrasies of London. I received the SE1 Urban Fragrance which is an unusual and spicy scent and I'd say is more of a unisex fragrance. This reminds me of the unusual perfumes you find in Liberty London but I can't believe the full size price is £81 - little steep if you ask me!

Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Moisture Mist (worth £3.70)
Give thirsty hair and skin the moisture they crave this spray helps you feel refreshed all day long. I have really enjoyed using the Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Treatment so have high hopes for this spray, it's also handy for taking away when travelling as all my hair styling products tend to be on the large size!

MONU Eye Cool Gel (full size worth £16.95)
This refreshing gel instantly revives and tones tired eyes, reduces puffiness and dark circles. I am really excited to try this as I absolutely adored the Monu moisturiser that I tried (you can read my product rave here) so have high hopes this will be just as good. This is a full size product and it is quite a generous size for an eye gel.

Jelly Pong Pong Cosmetics Lip Frosting (full size worth £10)
I have tried this product before - it's a Multi-functional cream gloss - use on lips for a tint of colour or cheeks for a luminous glow. It smells just like Strawberry Calpol and I love using on the apples of my cheeks to create a healthy shiny glow.

NUXE Nuile Prodigieuse (worth £3.50)
I have been wanting to try this dry oil for so long so very happy to receive this! Apply this dry oil to your face, body and hair all year round to nourish, repair and soften. Can't wait to try this out!

*Bonus* Elizabeth Arden's Visible Difference Gentle Hydrating Skincare
3 sample sachets of Elizabeth Arden's Gentle Hydrating Skincare - cleanser, serum and cream; plus if you show the Glossybox Card at any Debenhams Elizabeth Arden counter you will receive a free deluxe sample. It is quite nice they have thrown in a bonus item as I feel that perfume samples shouldn't be classed as one of the 5 items as this is something you can usually pick up for free on a perfume counter.









This month's box contained two full size products plus a bonus item and I have totted up the value of the products and it comes to roughly £35.77 which for £10 (plus £2.95 P&P) is great value! I am most excited about the NUXE Dry oil as it's something that I have been wanting to try for a while and I'm curious to try the Monu eye gel as I loved the moisturiser so much so have high expectations that this will be equally as good! You can find out more and order your own GLOSSYBOX here. You can save 15% off by visiting GLOSSYBOX and entering the code AFFJULY15OFF at the checkout (ends 31/7/12).

What do you think of this month's GLOSSYBOX? Did you receive anything different to mine?

Ciate Velvet Manicure

British nail brand Ciaté has introduced the Ciaté Velvet Manicure. Taking inspiration from the 'crushed velvet' trend seen on the McQueen, Balmain and Gucci runways for AW12, this new manicure adds a matte, textured feel to nails, creating a velvet effect. The Ciaté Velvet Manicure kit will be available in three colourways: Mink Cashmere, Berry Poncho and Blue Suede and the kit includes a paint pot, crushed velvet and a dusting brush accessory.

Ciaté Velvet Manicure will be available next month, priced at £14 from www.ciate.co.uk. What do you think to Velvet nails?

M&S Your Beauty launch the 'Virtual Manicure'

M&S have just launched the ‘Virtual Manicure’ at Marks and Spencer so you can now virtually try on M&S’ entire collection of nail polish to see how they appear on your own hands! Upload an image of your hand or select a hand with a similar skin tone to match your own, get adventurous with colour selection and then apply with a simple click. Your favourites can then be purchased for home or store delivery, and you can also share all your creations with friends on Facebook, Twitter or Google+. 

If your a polish lover you should go and check out the new Marks and Spencer virtual manicure! Have you tried any own brand M&S Nail Polish before?

Chanel Spring Harmony for S/S 2012

Since summer is finally here I thought I would share Chanel's spring 2012 Spring Harmony beauty collection inspired by the first light of dawn, streaked with pink clouds in hazy contours, the collection is an arresting array of pinks, red, corals and golds. Their new spring/summer 2012 Les Vernis nail colours named April, May and June. April is a rich fuchsia, June a summery tangerine and May is a pretty shell pink and a Pearly White Polish called 'Attraction'. 

The collection is available now from Boots, Debenhams, House of Fraser, Selfridges & John Lewis priced at £18 each. Are you a fan of Chanel polishes?  

Win a Simply Beach £50 Gift Card!

Have you got your Summer holiday booked? Applied your Tan? The only thing that’s left is to blag yourself some designer swimwear. Well today is your lucky day! I am offering my readers the chance to win a £50 gift card to spend at SimplyBeach.Com on swimwear OR designer lingerie of your choice by simply following the steps in the Rafflecopter below. 

The giveaway is open to Perfectly Polished readers (through GFC) from UK only and will close on 12th August 2012 midnight UK time and you can enter below following the steps in the Rafflecopter (you have to click on 'read more' for the Rafflecopter box to appear...)

Good Luck! X

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Concoction: Mix your own Bespoke Tailor Made Shampoo!

I have been recently testing out a new shampoo by Concoction which is a new brand that are shaking things up in the hair care world! Their unique Mixology Techonology, they have created a new ground breaking hair care system offering luxury made-to-measure blends and let's you call the shots....literally!

It means that you can create your own 'bespoke' and 'made to measure' products that are completely tailored to your hair type. A lot of products try and label you as 'dry', 'greasy' or 'blonde' - but your hair can be many different things at the same time. Concoction let's you choose your own fragrance, and you get to 'boost' your shampoo with shots of their special super-concentrated nutritional super-serums. Freshly prepared by mixologists, every concoction's Nourish + Protect blend contains natural extracts, Pro-Vitamin B5 and Vitamin E, a natural antioxidants and their shampoos are paraben and silicone free.

I selected the following combination to create my own bespoke shampoo:

Base - blend of Rosemary Mint Fragrance - which is cool, refreshing like pure mountain air. I then added two Super Serum Shots: Thermo Straight which protects hair from heat damage and Gimmie More Moisture to quench the thirst of my dry ends. The shampoo arrived nicely packaged and the scent was refreshing and was nice to use. I did notice my hair felt more nourished but I still used a heat protective spray when using heat tools on my hair! I think this is a great concept to create your own shampoo tailor made to your hair needs. The only niggle I had is I prefer to use the same shampoo and conditioner from the same brand - maybe I'm weird but it just doesn't feel right mixing them! The company will be soon launching conditioners, intensive hair masques and nourishing hair oil to compliment the shampoo and in the future they plan to have 'Hair Cocktail Bars' which sounds exciting!

Concoction Shampoo costs £12.50 including free delivery from http://www.concoction.me/ What do you think to this concept? Have you ever thought about creating your own shampoo tailor made to your hair needs?

Review: This Works Clean Skin 5-in-1 Water

This is the first product I have tried from the 'This Works' range but it is absolutely amazing in fact I would say I like it more than Bioderma! I have been recently testing out a few cleansing waters to try and find a good alternative to my olde faithful Bioderma (which is a pain to get hold of in the UK unless you want to pay ridiculous shipping costs!) you may have seen my Etat Pur review last week? 


Clean Skin 5 in 1 water is a multi-tasking rosewater cleanser that removes makeup, de-congests and brightens the skin. Firstly I just love the packaging - its a sleek white clean looking tall bottle with a pump action top.It does a good job at removing makeup in one swipe, yet it leaves the skin feeling smooth, refreshed and well hydrated. It has a lovely relaxing spa-like scent to it, which if your spending money on 'water' you want to at least feel like you are getting something for your money rather than just unscented water! The water is packed with fruit botanicals that helps shed skin cells and boost elasticity. 


It is formulated with pH balancing rose water, olive and almond oils to cleanse and wild water mint to cool and tone. It does have a slightly oily-er feel to it than other cleansing waters I have tried but it doesn't feel greasy but my skin looks radiant and healthy-looking after use.

The only downside is the side of the bottle if you are travelling and it is a little on the pricey side. I would say if your on a budget then the Etat Pur is great but if you have a bit more money to splash then its worth splurging on 'This Works' as it is definitely the best I have tried so far and on par with Bioderma! It really does Work! 

This Works Clean Skin 5 in 1 Water costs £21 for 200ml and is available from Boots , Look Fantastic, Feel Unique, Beauty Bay.  Are you a fan of cleansing waters?

Label.m Therapy Age Defining Range

With the weather this summer being so changeable your hair will need nourishment to help battle the elements which is where label.m’s first luxury prescriptive sub-range 'Therapy Age Defining' will come in handy with its moisturising White Caviar properties.


Comprising four essential, restorative products - label.m Therapy Age-Defying is formulated using expert knowledge to deliver youth-enhancing results. An intensively tested combination of ingredients that are infused with renowned White Caviar, technologically advanced, this Sulphate-free range works to rehabilitate age-challenged hair - by helping to deliver a look of youthful restoration, replenish loss of hydration, as well as working to rejuvenate hair which has become seriously brittle and lack luster.


The mention of 'anti ageing' properties doesn't mean this range hasn't been designed specifically for mature ladies, it means the longer your hair the older it shall be, especially on the ends and this range helps counter the five signs of Hair Ageing. The affects of hair ageing lies not only with inevitable chronology and maturity, since as we get older - the follicles produce hair which is finer and less voluminous, but there are three key factors which sum up the acceleration of follicle decline: Environmental, Thermal and Chemically-assisted. Therefore it’s possible that a 20 year old can actually have the chronological ‘hair’ age of someone who is 60!


The Five signs of Hair Ageing:



1.  Coarseness : It boosts collagen to smooth and reduce coarseness.
2.  Thinness :  It strengthens thin hair with volume-building proteins.
3.  Dryness : It has moisture retention properties to combat dryness.
4.  Weakness : It reinforces fragile hair and minimises breakage.
5.  Dullness : It gives dull or greying hair increased luminosity and revitalised shine



I love the chic luxurious silver matt versus purple gloss packaging, which looks more like a skincare range than a haircare range, and the pump action bottles are really handy to disperse the products in the shower. The products have a pleasant fruity scent that does linger in the hair once dry and the products contain White Caviar, European Sweet Chestnut, African Baobab Tree, Iron Rose Crystal. The shampoo and conditioner are on the pricey side but a little goes a long way as the products are so concentrated. My hair is quite weak and damaged on the ends from using heat and of course dying and using bleach! I have been using this range for the past week, and after the first wash I noticed my hair felt much stronger, healthier and super shiny, especially on the ends. I left my hair to dry naturally and normally it would turn frizzy, but after using these products my hair was smooth and much less coarse.


Therapy Age-Defying Shampoo (200ml) costs £13.75; Therapy Age-Defying Conditioner (150ml) costs £16.50; Therapy Age-Defying Protein Cream (50ml) costs £17.50; Therapy Age-Defying Recovery Mask (120ml) costs £17.50 all available from  Look Fantastic, labelm.com and specially selected salons nationwide. Are you a label.m fan?

Review: Etat Pur Micellar Cleansing Water

Etat Pur are a French 'Biomimetic' skincare brand which recently launched in the UK and is gentle enough for the most sensitive skins. Etat Pur aim to bring customers the best in skincare for a reasonable price and they are totally honest about their pricing and where your money goes which is quite refreshing for a beauty brand. 

The cleansing water promises to cleanse and removes make-up from the face and eyes in one wipe, respects the skin's natural balance and does not contain soap.

I have long been looking for a good alternative to my beloved Bioderma which is hard to get hold of in the UK, unless you want to pay ridiculous postage costs to ship from France! The packaging is very simple which I like and the bottle is a good size for travel, unlike my bulky Bioderma which I have to decant when travelling. 

I dispense a small amount of the water onto a cotton wool pad, but be careful, too much tends to spurt out! It is just like water really, no scent, not oily at all, but doesn't strip the skin of moisture but does the job of removing make up. I love using this to remove eye makeup and if I'm feeling lazy I'll just use this instead of a rinse-off cleanser. This water is suitable for sensitive skin and it hasn't irritated my skin at all, I think this product is really good value.    

Although I prefer Bioderma, this is a great alternative that is easily accessible in the UK. I would say if you are in the UK and looking to purchase a micellar water then go for Etat Pur over Bioderma to save on the shipping costs, but if your lucky enough to be in France then stock up on Bioderma... and bring me back one please ;)

Etat Pur Micellar Cleansing Water is priced at £6.40 for 190ml and is available from  www.etatpur.co.uk. Have you tried any Etat Pur products before? Let me know if there are any other star products I should try!

Louise Redknapp & Kim Jacob Launch Cosmetics Collection

Wild about Beauty is a new natural cosmetics collection from WAG Louise Redknapp and make-up artist Kim Jacob. The range has taken three years to development, and includes a range of multi-purpose natural cosmetics: lightweight crème blush and glow stick, blushers in matte and crème consistencies, a concealer and bronzer, as well as a selection of eye cosmetics including crème and powder eye shadows, eye pencils, liquid eye liner pen and mascara. Lip glosses, balms and SPF15 lipsticks are also available as well as nail varnishes and a Make Up Bag and Brush Set. There are a number of face products including Rose Water Illuminating Serum, Sheer Glow Moisture Tint SPF 20, Mattifying Balm and Botanical Skin Prep Serum. 

The Wild about Beauty collection prices range from £9 to £40 and will be launching September 2012 at Debenhams & House of Fraser. 

House of Holland Beauty Collection

Quirky fashion designer Henry Holland has created House of Holland beauty collection in collaboration with Boots.com. The beauty collection will include body souffles, moisturizers and nail polishes as well as make up bags and accessories. The pieces will feature slogans the designer became famous for in 2006.


The House of Holland Beauty Collection will launch in September 2012 exclusively at Boots.com and will be priced between £10-25. Are you a Henry Holland fan?

French Sole London 2012 Flag Shoe

Jane Winkworth, founder and designer of women's ballet flat company French Sole, has designed a Limited Edition Union Jack print shoe with '2012' and 'London Sole' stamped on the insole in honour of the London 2012 Olympics. The ballet pumps are made from soft real leather and are available to purchase from all four central London French Sole stores and www.frenchsole.com  priced at £130. What do you think to the patriotic Olympic-inspired fashion?

Lana Del Ray is the New Face of H&M

Swedish High Street Fashion Chain H&M has released their A/W 12 campaign shoot featuring the new face of the brand, singer Lana Del Ray. Lana, real name Elizabeth Grant, is seen wearing a blush pink Angora mohair jumper and matching pastel skinny jeans plus a pair of drop pearl earrings and kept her signature 60's inspired makeup, trademark backcombed hair and pastel pout.

H&M say "We were looking for a style icon and singer to model our fall collection and so Lana Del Rey was the perfect choice.  We think she shows our fall fashion in a very inspiring way. Lana will star in press ads and a commercial. The theme of the campaign is a modern and feminine woman with a soft attitude to show off a woman's curves and silhouette with a focus on knitwear and tweed, pastel tones and accessories in contrasting wine red. "

The A/W12 collection will launch September 2012 and Lana has also recorded a cover of Blue Velvet for a short film commerical that will be released on September 19 via hm.com. Are you a fan of Lana Del Ray's?

50% off She Said Beauty

If you have been looking to try  She Said Beauty Beauty Box Subcription then now is the time to do it as they are offering 50% off a 6 month subscription! If your interested in seeing what was inside July's box then click here. 


To take advantage of this fab offer to save yourself 50% off a 6 month subscription for just £27 then simply visit  She Said Beauty and enter the code HELLO50SSB at the checkout but hurry as this offer ends on 24th July 2012!


Have you been thinking of subscribing to She Said Beauty?

Review: Montagne Jeunesse Dead Sea Mud Spa Fabric Mask

I'm giving you a peek of the new first-of-it's-kind Montagne Jeunesse Clay Spa's Masks which are a nice at home spa treat for those on a budget! I was sent the Glacial Clay Spa and the Dead Sea Mud Spa masks which both come soaked in mud infused fabric bamboo sheet mask. They promise an extraordinary deep cleansing experience and like all their products they are vegetarian-approved, environmentally friendly, made from natural ingredients and paraben-free.

The fabric masks come in a little sachet that you tear across the top and pull out the fabric mask then carefully unwrap and stretch it over your face and smooth into place. This step can be very messy as the fabric is saturated in real mud, dead sea and sea kelp so you might want to do this over your sink to avoid getting the clay everywhere! I found the mask difficult to place over my face properly as it's too large but I covered my neck with the overlapping fabric. 

I left the mask on for 10 minutes and I must point out the scent is quite overpowering and it made my eyes sting a little. The fabric stays wet and it felt cooling on the skin, after removing the fabric you will need to clean the remaining clay from your skin with a face cloth. I noticed immediately my skin looked refreshed, cleaner and brighter and super soft to touch. 

Clay Spa's by Montagne Jeunesse costs £1.49 and is available from Boots or Montagne Jeunesse from Mid August. Are you a Montagne Jeunesse fan?

Victoria's Secret Opens First London Store!

I have been waiting for so long for Victoria's Secret to open in London after discovering the store in New York many years ago and today it has been revealed that their first store will be opening in London Westfield Stratford just in time for Olympics on 24th July. The flagship store on New Bond Street store will open shortly afterwards but no exact date has been confirmed yet. 


Are you excited to get your hands on a little pink Victoria's Secret bag? 

Rihanna designs fashion collection for River Island

@ Rihanna Instagram

Pop star Rihanna has confirmed that she is designing an exclusive capsule collection for high street fashion store River Island. The singer will be designing her first clothing collection for River Island, which will launch in Spring 2013. 


Rumours began when Riri was spotted at River Island's London HQ at the end of February, and she then tweeted a photo of herself wearing a Rolling Stones T-shirt she had chosen from the shop and today River Island confirmed those rumours are true! 


‘I’ve been wanting to design my own collection for some time. River Island is the perfect partner for me to collaborate with and working with a British, family run business also really appealed to me. I find London really inspiring and River Island loves to have fun with clothes. I’m looking forward to working with them and creating something really special.’ says Rihanna.


Are you a fan of Rihanna's style? Are you looking forward to her exclusive fashion collection?

Travel Inspired Nail Art

Today I have a guest post from Charlotte at Travelsupermarket.com who wanted to share her holiday inspired nail art which I think looks amazing! Her love for nail art is not a new thing, for months she has trawled the internet reading blogs and looking on social network sites for the latest trends and styles in nail art.

Luckily her nail technician also feels the same way and agreed to experiment with some travel related nail art for her upcoming holiday to Majorca. The nails were painted using a mixture of standard Shellac polish and Mica Shellac that was painstaking applied over 3 hours!

If you need the holiday to accompany your travel nail art visit travelSupermarket.com where you can get great deals on cheap flights and all

inclusive holidays. The finished effect I hope you’d agree is fab! Now all’s I have to do is decide on my favourite nail! What do you think?

Sneak Peek: Sigma The Beauty Expert - Brow Design Kit

Today Sigma is launching a makeup kit unlike any other on the market. The Beauty Expert - Brow Design Kit contains 15 pieces and is EVERYTHING you need to groom, shape and fill in your brows. The kit will be available to purchase from  Sigma Beauty on July 23rd 2012.

Sigma Beauty are offering 10% discount during July so to save yourself 10% off your entire order until 31/7/12 visit Sigma here and enter the code AP2012 at the checkout plus if you spend over $30 (£18) you receive a free gift! Do you enjoy defining your eyebrows?

New Clinique High Impact Extreme Volume Mascara

Clinique have launched a new mascara 'high impact extreme volume mascara' for lashes that are 'blown out' in all directions for the most dramatic, voluminous, glam-look in an instant. They promise that you will say goodbye to midday droop; lashes stay fuller and lusher for longer. 


It has the same formula as the previous one but with a new over sized, multi-dimensional moulded brush which has a greater surface area making it easier to build lashes quickly and effortlessly. Thanks to the dual polymeric wetting agents, mascara is deposited at the root of the lash and easily combed through with each brush stroke leaving lashes separated, stretched and lifted. The dome tip aids in feathering so that even the tiniest of corner lashes are reached.


I tried the extreme black version and I liked there was no need for layering, one coat is enough for full volume lashes and the brush is brilliant for coating every lash even the tiny ones in the inner corner of the eye! My lashes felt well conditioned due to the added wheat protein and the mascara is ophthalmologist tested and suitable for contact lens wearers and those with sensitive eyes. The mascara was also extremely easy to remove at the end of the day using a cotton wool pad and Micellar Cleansing Water from Etat Pur, there is nothing worse than trying to shift stubborn mascara!

The new Clinique high impact extreme volume mascara will be available from Clinique Counters from August 1st 2012 in the shades Black or  Extreme Black at  Selfridges, John Lewis,  Boots,  Debenhams & House of Fraser priced at £17. Are you a Clinique mascara fan?

Summer Hair Trends from Lisa Shepherd London

Last month I attended a Bloggers Summer Hair Trend Event at Lisa Shepherd London Salon. This Summer the hottest trend from the high street to the beach is all about the vintage headscarf. Whether nautical, rocky or classically cool Hermes, this is definitely the look of the season. We caught up with Jason Cocking, celebrity hairdresser for a gossip over a cosmo cocktail, cakes and donuts and he shared his four favourite ways to rock the retro headscarf and showed us how to re-create the looks at home.

Pretty Plait using a vintage head scarf

Holiday Honey using a Vintage headscarf

Festival Femme Fatale:

“Great for day old hair, spray the roots of your hair with the fantastic Batiste dry shampoo to give it staying power. They have some fantastic fragrances on offer now – perfect for that in-between wash - Cherry is a particular favourite with my staff. Work the hair into a high top pony, knotting the scarf at the base, then backcomb the hair. Next, wrap the hair and scarf around the band, like a donut, or if hair is fine just wrap. Secure with a couple of grips if necessary.”

Celebrity Inspiration: Kim Kardashian with a festival twist

Holiday Honey:

“This style is perfect for beach hair – whether you’re in Brighton or Barbados. After a day at the beach with the seawater spray, or cheating with a spritz of Bumble & Bumble’s surf spray, you’re hair will be perfect to style. With a fine mist of Batiste’s dry shampoo at the root, for volume, fold the scarf to create a triangle, scoop the hair with your thumb and fingers, popping it into a pony. Then, rather than adding a band, knot the scarf to secure, letting the hair fall down.”

Celebrity Inspiration: Katy Perry 

Contemporary Vintage:

“For that that sexy vintage look, start by backcombing your hair. A sprinkle of Clynol Powder Punch at the roots will add volume and give the hair staying power. Then, pull the hair into a low ponytail at the nape of the neck and push up, this gives you the height you need for this ‘Swinging Sixties’ style. Use the scarf as a headband, loosely tying it to just cover your forehead, and leaving you the option to puck the pony underneath. Vintage? Voila!” 

Celebrity Inspiration: Nicole Richie

Prettier Plaits:

“Use the scarf as a headband and pull the hair underneath to the side. Split the hair into three

sections and plait normally. Knot the ends, leaving a little length, to backcomb in disheveled boho style.”

Celebrity Inspiration: Blake Lively

What do you think to the summer head scarf trend? Will you be re-creating any of these looks at home?

Lisa Shepherd 
24 Mortimer Street, London, W1T 3JP
0207 4679560 

TOWIE Gemma Collins launches Plus Size Fashion Collection

ITV's The Only Way is Essex (TOWIE) Reality star Gemma Collins has launched her debut self-titled plus-size clothing collection in sizes 16 to 22 today. Drawing on her own experiences of struggling to find flattering and fashionable clothing in larger sizes, the Gemma Collins Collection offers a variety of pieces including maxi-dresses, tops, blazer jackets, waterfall cardigans and wrap dresses. Prices start from £30 and the collection is now available to purchase online. 

Gemma says: “I am so happy to be able to offer bigger girls a clothing range that they can show their curves off in – why should plus-size girls be stuck wearing black and try to cover up? Just because you’re bigger it doesn’t mean you can’t dress well and be glam– girls should be proud of their figure no matter what size you are – I am!!”


What do you think to Gemma's new Plus-Size clothing range?