Liberty Ultimate Beauty Gift 2013 - What I bought and what's in the bag

I’ve indulged in a couple of beauty sprees at Liberty and Space NK this month, tempted by the beauty GWPs both stores had (and in the case of Liberty – still has) on offer with a  minimum spend of £150.

They’re both pretty impressive, but the Liberty GWP pips Space NK to the post in terms of the selection and size of products – in my opinion at least.

Here’s what’s in the bag (I didn’t get the colour bag I wanted, but I can live with that - and it's a fantastic size washbag).

I'm not going to list all of the items individually, but highlights for me include:

• Mini Diptyque candle in a scent I love - Baies
• A mini pot of Eve Lom cleanser - not only is this my favourite cleanser in the world but the pot is a perfect size for travelling, and I'll easily be able to decant cleanser from one of the larger pots into it when it runs out
• Laura Mercier Foundation Primer - never tried this but very keen to and this is a very generous sample size
• Nars Orgasm illuminator - ditto
• Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist - have wanted to try this for ages and again it's a very generous size
• ESPA body oil
• Plus goodies from Kiehl's, Dermalogica, Ren, Trish McEvoy, Aesop, Aromatherapy Associates, Phillip Kingsley, Cowshed, Hourglass, Chantecaille and more. 

I'm really impressed with the range of samples and their sizes. It's a definite improvement on last year's Beauty Gift, and while the minimum spend has increased from £125 to £150, I think the contents more than justify this.

So what did I buy? I had a few things in mind, but all that changed when I dropped by the Trish McEvoy counter and received a mini-makeover using the two products pictured below - Instant Solutions Beauty Balm and the Instant Eye Lift.

I've never tried any Trish McEvoy products before, but the natural colours of the blushes and eyeshadows have always caught my eye when passing by the counters (I'm a sucker for delicate pinks, peaches, and soft taupes and browns). I needed a new base and concealer, so I asked the sales staff what they'd recommend, and ended up having a lovely mini makeover.

First of all the exfoliating Beta Hydroxy Pads were used on my face, which I really liked, before an eye serum and face serum, then the BB cream, eye lift and a beautiful gel blush with a powder on top. I was impressed with the results of all products, and purchased the BB cream and the eye lift, with the others all added to my wishlist for a later date. They are costly products - up there with Sisley, By Terry and Chantecaille - but I'm hoping they'll prove to be worthwhile investments - fuller review to follow soon.

I also booked a facial with Eve Lom, which brought me to (and beyond) the required £150 spend. In my opinion, money very well spent. The Beauty Gift provides a great opportunity for you to treat yourself to products you've had your eye on, replenish stocks of tried and tested favourites, and also to buy some early Christmas presents in for beauty-loving friends (the products in the GWP make great stocking fillers too). Judging by the popularity of the Liberty and Space NK beauty GWPs (and I think Harvey Nic's do one too) it surely won't be long before some of the other big departments stores start doing similar... here's hoping anyway!

The Liberty GWP is sold out online but still available in store - though I'm not sure for how long, so hurry on down there if you're interested! I'll post about the Space NK GWP and what I purchased soon.

By Terry - Touche Veloutee concealer

I must have tried just about every highlighting pen going - I'm a fan of Guerlain Issima Precious Light Smoothing Illuminator, which manages to highlight as well as provide a bit of coverage, and I also thought Dior's Skinflash was pretty impressive. YSL's Touche Eclat I just don't get along with at all - I really don't understand the hype.

But my latest discovery, Touche Veloutee by By Terry (by By??) blows all of the above out of the water - ironic, as By Terry is founded by Terry de Gunzburg, creator of... YSL's Touche Eclat!

I tried this on last time I was in Space NK in Newcastle, turned to look into the mirror and WOW! One half of my face was literally transformed - no undereye circles, just a lovely, bright-looking under eye area which seemed to make my whole face look fresher and younger.

I purchased it on the spot and I like it even more now I've had time to experiment with it for a bit. It's brilliant at concealing the broken capillaries and faded acne scars on my cheeks.

As the consistency is a bit thicker than say Touche Eclat, coverage is better, and I find I can actually dot this on my cheeks and any areas that need a bit of perfecting, blend it out a bit and I don't even need to use foundation. But it provides the same highlighting properties as Touche Eclat, eg I use it to paint a crescent from my eyebrow to cheek, and also dot it on the cheekbones, where it just enhances the facial contours and bone structure. It's a real multi-use product and I think this is going to be a staple in my make up bag for some time to come.

I hope the photos illustrate its effectiveness. Although the effect is noticeably brightening, you don't get that awful white halo effect you often see on those who've OD'd on Touche Eclat, which is particularly noticeable on photos with flash (okay the second one is veering towards that, but I had to apply a lot to get it to show on the photos as the light is fading!)

I'm hoping you can tell which side I've used it on!?!

The only thing I would say is avoid a heavy hand with this product - too much, and it does become noticeable, and if using it under the eyes I'd use an eye cream first. This is a perfect highlighter / concealer for those who have less than perfect skin - it will cover up all your imperfections but also just make your skin look, well, better.

This retails at £25.45 at Space NK - which at first glance seems a bit pricey, however the large silver pen contains a whopping 6.5ml of product - compare this to Touche Eclat which contains only 2.5ml and retails at full price at £24 (though can often be picked up cheaper at Superdrug etc) and Skinflash and Precious Light which contain a measly 1.5ml and also cost around the £25 mark.... suddenly Touche Veloutee seems the bargain of the century!!!

According to some blurb off the web, Touche Veloutee contains "a cocktail of antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents and Hyaluronic-acid spheres, along with soft-focus microprisms that conceal and reflect light without being heavy." So this is marketed as a kind of skincare treatment / concealer (incidentally so is Guerlain's Precious Light). I'm less concerned about the skincare credentials as I prefer to use a targeted eye cream, but I'm certainly not complaining. Ultimately though, this is a product that really works for me.

Give it a try if you haven't yet found your HG highlighter / concealer. There are three shades - porcelain, cream (my colour) and beige.

Disclaimer - Please excuse my overall sickly pallor in these photos, just at the end of three days of illness due to unidentified bug which may or may not have been swine flu!