La Maison Du Chocolat

Inspired by the flamenco dancers of Seville, the Sevillane hosts a sensual explosion for the nose and taste buds through its five mouth-watering flavours and a variety of textures. Sevillane's dark chocolate ganaches come in four amazing flavours; mango, raspberry, exotic fruits and the fourth is fresh mint with wild strawberries . A further fifth flavour is the praline with lemon zest.

What we thought: This box of chocs is the ultimate in chic indulgence - even the packaging is sleek and cool. The chocolates combine a rich, velvety ganache with intense natural fruit flavours (my favourite was the wild strawberries and fresh mint).
They're great for sharing - the chocolates are bite size and very rich so, however much of a chocoholic you are, you can't eat that many so share them with your friends - you'll look generous and they'll all love you for it.

Nouba lipstick
Make & colour: Nouba/326
Texture: Quite drying over time. Matt finish. Thick covering. Glides on easily.
Effect: Dramatic. Think Vita Don Teese.
Smell: No fragrance.
Bleed: Accurate and easy application.
Kissability: Boys were scared, Lady vamp rather than Lady Tramp. After dark or Halloween.
Price: £13.50
Rating:07/10
Buy now: Exclusive to John Lewis
Find out more.... Call John Lewis stockists on 0845 604 9049

The First Organic Treatment Candles

Description: Real Luxury: Pamper Yourself with Lavender, Jasmine & Brazilian Rosewood. Natural Magic brings a touch of glamour to being 'green', with a luxurious but eco friendly range of Organic Treatment Candles. All ingredients are organic and the packaging, though beautiful, is also recyclable.

Unlike almost all conventional candles, Natural Magic candles are made with 100% natural ingredients - the wax is a special blend of vegetable waxes scented with only pure organic essential oils therefore transforming the atmosphere of any room they are in. This means there is no paraffin wax, synthetic scents, nasty chemicals or black smoke emitted into the home or the environment. Burn time: 50 hours (3 wicks).
Packaging: A gorgeous quality box complete with long lighting matches. The candle is quite large and housed in a simple clear glass jar.
Smell: Absolutely heavenly! It doesn't take long for the sensuous aroma to fill the room.
Price: £35.00
Rating:09/10
Buy now: www.naturalmagicuk.com

Bare Escentuals Buxom Lip Gloss
Make & colour: Bare Escentuals Buxom Lip Gloss/Amber
Texture: Sticky.
Effect: Natural, shiny and glossy. Within 5 minutes notice a plumpness. Pouty.
Smell: Moccha coffee, sweet things.
Bleed: Accurate.
Kissability: Low, it's too sticky and tacky.
Price: From £21.
Rating: 8/10
Find out more at... www.bareescentualsuk.com

Hotel Chocolat - Signature Egg

"You might like to take a seat before you crack into these extra thick 72% dark and 40% milk chocolate shells. Nestled inside are some beautifully hand decorated champagne and liqueur truffle eggs filled with soft ganaches of kir royale, marc de champagne, bellini, kirsch, whisky, calvados, rum, amaretto, tiramisu and much more. A truly exceptional egg straight from the top drawer. "

What we thought: I'd love to recieve this as a gift, it's so indulgent and will definetly make the reciever feel very special. The presentation of the egg is excellent and once openend can sit in its plastic holder so as to avoid any of the cholocoates inside coming loose.

Now onto the chocolate. I am already and avid fan and love the quality of the cocoa beans, but the different varieties of flavours and types of chocolate really give a hotel chocolat virgin a good taster (very literally!) All the chocolates contained within the egg are alcoholic, so not for the little ones, however I'm sure they'd love to dig into the milk chocolate half of the egg. Me, I prefer dark, and luckily the other half satisfied my needs. All-in-all I love this range and I can only hope you get sent or given one this Easter.

English Classics Cane Sugar Body Exfoliator
This brand new body scrub from the English Classics luxury bath and body collection has been carefully crafted to reflect their timeless legacy and the modern day desire for paraben and sodium laureth sulphate free products.
Description: The Cane Sugar Body Exfoliator contains pure honey, ethically sourced shea butter and cocoa butter, all of which are renowned for their deep moisturising properties. Combined with the cane sugar granules, this natural blend will gently exfoliate and brighten the skin leaving it feeling silky soft and beautifully smooth. We tried the heavenly Orange Flower and Amber and the Bergamot and Green Ginger scrubs.
Packaging: A gorgous box with a heavy glass pot of delicously, indulgent scrub.
Smell: A strong aromatic fragrance which lasts on you skin for hours. No need to wear perfume as your body is lighly fragranced with the honey and oils. In general the scent was soothing.
Texture: The texture was somewhere in between spreading a grainy and smooth honey all over your body without the stickiness.
Effect: Dreamy luxurious scents cleared away all thoughts. Skin felt like it had a protective layer over it and after the shower you still felt like you were absorbing oils.
Price: £25.00
Rating: 9/10
Find out more at... www.potterandmoore.com . Also available at Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, Heals, Pearsons and Fenwicks.

Barefoot Botanicals Lip Balm
Make: Barefoot botanicals Solace Lipbalm/Tea Tree and Peppermint
Texture: Smooth, silky and clear yet non greasy.
Application Comes in a little pot which is large enough to fit your finger in.
Effect: Gorgeous. Colourless and natural. My lips felt instantly moisturised.
Smell: Nice fresh mint and tea trea. The tea tree smell is stronger. Perfect for lips unike some sickly smelling balms.
Kissability: My lips are smooth, soft and ready for kissing.
Price: £6.95
Rating: 8/10

Absolutely Aura
Texture: Compressed powder, solid colour.
Winterwarmth factor: Perfect for paled skinned beauties who require a daytime glow. We tried peach fizz which is perfect for red-heads.
Application/blend: A little goes a long way.
Packaging: Neat, cute and compact.
Price: £13.00
Buy now: www.auracosmetics.co.uk

Skincare Cafe Sexy Body Scrub
Description: This body scrub uses Dead Sea salt to exfoliate with a gorgeous blend of aphrodisiac oils, including ylang ylang, petit grain, patchouli, mandarin and chamomile and sunflower oil, sprinkled with organic rose petals. It's great for softening and moisturising the skin and it smells divine. Use it before a special date and we guarantee someone will notice the difference! A fantastic treat, beautifully packaged in a glass Kilner jar. Makes a great present too!
Packaging: A lovely glass jar which will look great in the bathroom or on your luxury beauty dressing table.
Smell: Lovely! Quite strong, but very natural. Left a refreshing perfume on my skin.
Texture: Quite abrasive and thorough. But then that's the whole point! Using it on my back was like a massage in itself. The grains of salt are quite large and you don't need much of the product to do the job.
Effect: It wasn't just my skin that felt soft, smooth and revived. Mentally I did too... It's not just a bit of pampering in the bathroom when you use the scrub, but a revitalising experience also!
Price: £14.99
Rating: 9/10
Find out more at... www.purely-natural.net.

Spiezi lip balm
Make: Spiezi 100% organice lip balm
Texture: Exactly like Vaseline.
Effect: moothing and prevents chapping/ dryness.
Smell: Pleasant lemony.
Kissability: Soft kissable lips - a winner.
Price: £8.75
Rating: 8/10
Find out more at... www.spieziaorganics.com

Van Dal - KAMALI
Van Dal believes that feet are a neglected part of the body because, despite spending around a third of our lives on them and taking an average 5000 steps per day, most women will compromise on comfort to wear fashionable shoes. Van Dal offers a large range of stylish footwear which also feel good on your feet!

Van Dal offers both a twist on the latest shoes styles of each season and a style for every occasion. The spring/summer collection 2007 is the most stylish yet, featuring sophisticated shoes and sandals that will complement key looks this season.

What we thought: I wore the black patent leather Kamali shoes by Van Dal and absolutely love them! Not one to follow seasonal trends of the moment, these shoes appear timeless and classic; a vintage throwback to early 20th century Parisian chic with their peep toe and dainty white bow, these shoes hold themselves stylistically well, even today. They are feminine, sophisticated and elegant rendering you to feel the same way when worn. And they are multi-wearable too-- you can wear them with a nice pair of trousers in the office or a pretty dress afterwards on a night out. In terms of comfort, I must admit I have the most difficult feet to please given their width and sensitivity. Those challenges were met in the form of padded cushioning soles which felt lovely on my feet; however, I wish there was a bit of flexibility to the width as they appear a bit snug.. not tight, mind you, but hopefully this will resolve itself the more I wear these shoes which, in my book, I would give a very high rating for.

Ignes Bags
"Handbags for everyday life in beautiful soft leathers and exotic skins."

What we liked: The bag we tested (Ormala) is made from good quality cowhide leather and feels tough enough to withstand everyday wear and tear. The inner magnetic clasp is great for easy yet secure access and there are enough compartments for stowing away items like wallets, iPods and keys. The side straps make it possible to adjust the body size of the bag, especially useful to make the bag sit more comfortably. One of the best things about this bag is the the handbag table holder, a nifty item which comes with every Ignes bag. As someone who has had their handbag stolen on more than one occasion, anything that can make my handbag more secure whist I'm sitting down having a cup of coffee is a valuable addition. The Ormala style would possibly appeal to the more mature lady lady, however Ignes bags in general should appeal to a cross section of women, with the range consisting of an unusual yet everyday range of colours, leathers and styles (including evening cluthes, smaller day bags and larger holders).

What we disliked: The leather on the Ormala bag, whilst tough and glossy, was not the softest. To soften the leather and mould it to the owner, I imagine it would need wearing in. Also, as a rather large bag one has to assume that it will fill up and could become quite heavy and so I would therefore have liked the shoulder straps to be slightly more comfortable - the flatter and softer they are, the more comfortable they tend to be.

Overall, an exciting, fashionable and good quality range of bags sure to turn heads.

Reviewed January 2007.

Issie B - Honey
"Art deco style oversize clutch with square chain. Available in Conker and Tan priced at v105. The Issie B range is available in John Lewis, Fenwicks, Topshop and many more independent retailers. For further information please call the Issie B stockist information line on 0208 538 9042. "

What we liked: Funky and cool '80's design to it. Nice long shoulder strap. You can really smell the leather. Like the two internal zip pockets. It would be good for an ocassional use fashion handbag.
What we weren't so keen on: Not too practical. The magnetic clasp doesn't seem too strong and easily falls open when too much is put in the handbag. You can therefore only fit the bare minimum in such as small purse and mobile phone. The soft leather easily marks so you have to watch your nails on it.
Reviewed November 2006

Anotomicals beauty range
What we liked: I love this range of products - quirky, affordable and effective. I particularly love their hand cream ('help the paw') and eye gel ('no old bags allowed') - they last for ages and smell great too. I've also used other products in their range and love to treat myself to them now and again. Fabulously named and deliciously smelly, the range is perfect for teens and people in the 20s/30s but probably won't appeal as much to other age groups. You just have to read the description of each product which is proudly displayed on the packaging of each item, to get a feel for the quirky and fun nature that Anatomicals bring to staple body grooming products. Ones to try; 'bender mender' and 'snoozers are losers'.
What we disliked: What's there not to like?! As these products are colourfully fragranced, we'd recommend those with sensitive skin to sample the products first.

Reviewed by Rachel - December 2006.