Sephora for the UK

SEPHORA!

Sephora announced today that they will ship to the UK! It costs £10 for orders over £75, and for orders under that amount, they will calculate the actual shipping costs (which means it will vary).  Sadly they cant ship nail polishes, nail polish remover or aerosols due to shipping restrictions.  Word on the street is that there are also potential restrictions on Hourglass and Nars, but that might just be due to certain ingredients in specific products.  If in doubt, just try and order and see what they say.

Sephora- the mother ship!

Now, when I have ordered things from the US previously I have had to pay a shipping charge- fair enough- but when the items arrived here I have been charged a customs fee (normally via a lovely letter taped to my parcel, or an invoice sent in a separate letter).  Thankfully I have always had my parcels turn up pre customs charges, although I have heard of some handling companies holding on to parcels, sending invoices and not releasing the goods until the invoice is settled.  It's like a weird ransom.

Anyway Sephora contacted me personally to say that their shipping charges include all customs charges, and UK recipients will not be charges any additional fees via customs upon receipt.  I hope that this is true....

Sephora is one of those places I go into when in Europe and gaze at everything with big eyes.  It all seems so special though I am pretty sure part of that allure is due to the fact we dont have one int he UK.  They have a mixture of branded items, exclusives and own brand items.  Some are not great (I think I'll give the Upside Down mascara a miss (link) but I can recommend the OPI Sephora polishes if they do another holiday collection (I think they will).  You can view pictures of one of the prettiest polishes I own in an old post here.

One of my most treasured polishes.

I'm not sure what I will be purchasing at this stage, but I know the Anastasia brow items are stocked at Cult beauty however I think Sephora have a bigger range of products.  Sephora  also stock Kate Somerville skincare, which is supposed to be good (but hard to get in the UK) and Kat Von D palettes.  I really really wanted 2 of the Kat Von D palettes when they launched, but never really got round to asking a friend to pick them up.  Then I think I ordered my clarisonic instead and sort of forgot about the palettes... maybe now is the time to order via Sephora?

Oh and if you order by 17:00 GMT Sephora will deal with your order the same day due to the time difference!

Are you going to order anything from Sephora? Maybe some of my US / regular Sephora shoppers can recommend some products?

Asos beauty sale! Additional 15% off. (Plus giveaway)

ASOS currently have a sale on, AND you can get an additional 15% off with a code at the bottom of this post.  This means there are some serious bargains online.  I thought the sale would be rubbish but there are some great pieces including great brands in the ASOS beauty sale.  Well worth a look is you fancy OPI polishes with £5 or Bliss body care for £25 (this stuff is great and the scrub and body butter in the set pictured below is worth the price alone).  Brands include Benefit, Tigi, Rodial, Illamasqua, Models Own, Cowshed, Ciate, Pixi, Paul and Joe, POP, Ted Baker, Bourjois, Too Faced, Bliss, OPI and so much more.  Worth a look! 

Their clothing sale has a few nice items in it too, but I am still browsing as I type this post.  I have ordered off ASOS several times.  The service has been great, although you have to be careful with their own brand items as some of the sizes can be a bit odd.  More about that on my other blog :) .  Just use the code FINAL15 at the checkout!

If you are watching the pennies then feel free to enter my makeup giveaway here (scroll down).  Or just look at the pretty watch I *might* have ordered because I was feeling sorry for myself after the UK weather 'washed away' my route to get to London Fashion Week.  Since then I have been eating chocolate, (inwardly) sobbing into a hot drink and torturing myself by watching online coverage for the shows I should have been sitting at.....  Nothing like a bit of retail thereapy to try and beat the weather induced blues!

Hope you are all staying warm, safe and well in the weird weather.

Hope you are all having a fab week

Cellnique Advanced Bio Renewal Masque. Pass and Fail.

Cellnique Advanced Bio Renewal Masque

(Part of Fruity February) Cellnique Advanced Bio Renewal Masque is a skin treatment that contains fruit enzymes and acids.  I love these sorts of products as they really make a difference to my skin.  Its not a brand I have used much but I know some of you will know it.  I had to mention this masque on the blog purely for the smell.  Some people love it, some people hate it.  When I mentioned it on twitter (@computergirl200) the responses were 'the pineapple mask?'.  This is not down to the appearance, but the smell.  It was pretty potent first sniff, then I sort of got used to it.  I now have a love hate relationship with this product.  It works well.  The clay mask is thick and a little goes a long way.  It munches up dead skin cells, clears pores, reduces skin damage and leaves my skin soft BUT the smell can be a bit over powering sometimes.  On some days I don't notice it, other times I find I cant wait to remove it.  I don't fully know why I can't seem to make up my mind!  If you like pineapple then you will probably like it.



You can find this mask on Cellnique's website (link) and it retails for around $51 or £30 for 50g although it might be worth picking up a sample pot on ebay first (link) if you have not tried a product with BHA or AHAs in before.  Always do a patch test first.

Clay masque in a jar by Cellnique

My question today is do you like fruit smelling masques (or specifically this masque if you have tried it)?  Do you find you can like a scent one day and hate it the next?
(Disclaimer: Press sample for consideration only.  Honest thoughts as always)

Sunday Service: Blog Closure, Giveaway, Hauls, Fashion

Just a summary of things from the past week, inlcuding a possible blog closure, giveaway, hauls and fashion.  We're in February.  This makes me happy (although we had rough weather last February, so I'm not holding my breath for a snow free February.  I am watching the sunrise times get earlier and earlier, which is fantastic because I hate getting up in the dark.

1) I posted a massive haul this week, and pretty soon after I found 3 more things that I have purchased this January and forgot to include in the post.  A Japonesque lip lacquer, Topshop rose gold tinsel nail polish and an eyeko black felt tip eyeliner.  I did instagram a photo though.

Eyeko Skinny Mini Liquid Eyeliner, Japonesque Lip Lacquer and Topshop Nail Polish

The lip lacquer is crazy.  More on that later....

2) I have been thinking about closing Computergirl's Musings and changing my blog name to something else.  It's been nearly 5 years of Computergirl, and Im just not sure the URL / name works anymore.  Computergirl's Musings (and the blogspot URL) just seem really clunky and I'm not sure about it anymore.  I'd really value your opinion on this.  Does Computergirl work- do you associate a blog with it's name?  What do you expect to read about here?  You guys are as much a part of this as me so I would really value your feedback.  5 years is a long time!  I don't want any readers to find it hard to find me :)

5 Foot 10, my fashion and lifestyle diary.

3) Speaking of blogs, I have opening a blog giveaway on my Fashion and Lifestyle blog 5 foot 10.  I mention it because it's some Missguided lipsplash lip glosses.  The title says the 'Tall Girl's Guide' but its just a fashion and lifestyle diary.  So if you aren't subbed and that sort of thing interests you, then feel free to subscribe.  I posted a fashion haul, and one of my vintage antique broaches recently and there is a blogger height wall so you can find fashion inspiration from bloggers who are the same height as you.

How has your week been?  Any thoughts on the blog name?

(Disclaimer: All items purchased by me).

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush

In my mega haul post yesterday, I included a Real Techniques Expert Face Brush.  I thought it was worthy of a little review post.  I mix up my foundation brushes according to what product I am applying (cream, liquid, powder...) and what finish I want, however my go to/handbag brush is normally the Elf Studio Powder Brush (£3.75).  My only gripe is that it eats foundation.  I wanted a smaller but similar brush and my eye on this one by Pixiwoo since the release.  At £9.99 from Boots (link), it is a little more expensive than the Elf one, but I'm a firm believer in investing in good products.

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush

 Having used it a number of times, I can say that it performs really well and that I am happy with my investment.  It sits nicely between my Japonesque angled foundation brush (which is perfect for getting foundation round the crooks of the nose link) and the Elf one mentioned above.  As with my other Real Technique brushes, it is really soft and washes well.  It provides good application of foundation, with the compact head useful for 'stippling' the foundation into uneven areas of skin (i.e. spot scars!).

My Real Techniques Brush Collection.  Other reviews on the blog.

So far I have tested it with my much used Chanel Perfection Lumiere foundation (review) and Maybelline Dream Mousse foundation (I keep calling it Dream Mouse foundation).  I like the fact Pixiwoo colour their brushes according to the purpose.  The shallow part of me loves that I have three colourful brushes in my collection.

It is also nice to see Nic Chapman joining Sam on the Real techniques packaging, as Nic joined the company last year after returning to work from maternity leave.  Well done girls- another great product to be proud of.

Have you used any Real Techniques brushes?  How do you apply your foundation?


(Disclaimer: All purchased by me except the Japonesque brush which was sent for consideration).