The Blossom Shed

A Mother's Day Giveaway with New London Pharmacy

Giveaway closed .....

Congratulations Trish P!

Mother's Day is approaching, so let's just say it like it is - we'd be nothing without our moms. Besides the whole giving life, raising us, unconditional love part, there's those subtle little things they've given us that make us who we are. I think of my love of animals as something that defines me, but guess what? It comes from my mom. Ditto a penchant for English murder mysteries and pretty clothes, and one hell of a sweet tooth. Whenever we act kind, or silly, or hardworking or brave, it's because someone taught us well, and that someone is usually a mom.

So in celebration of all of mothers and mother figures, I'm thrilled to be able to team up with the fabulous New London Pharmacy to offer one lucky winner a ridiculously lovely beauty bundle, valued at over $400, and full of pampering goodies for the perfect girl's night in. Think a mom you know deserves a treat? Here's your chance to win a luxurious collection of pretty products just for her (of if you're a mom yourself, just for you!).

The Mommy Makeover Kit from New London Pharmacy includes....

Apple & Bee Train Case, Kevyn Aucoin Making Faces Collection Volume I Kit, Rahua Shampoo and Conditioner, The "Wet" Brush, Molton Brown Blissful Templetree Bath & Shower Gel, Forever Natural Bamboo & Jute Back Strap,The Thymes Lotus Santal Body Lotion, Supersmile Whitening Toothpaste, Elgydium Whitening Toothbrush, Fa Pink Passion Deo Roll-on, Jane Iredale Cherish Lip Fixation, Tweezerman Mani Brow Rescue Kit, Basicare Manicure Tool Kit, Gehwol Footcream, Butter London Primrose Hill Picnic Nail Color, and V Beaute' Lip Spread Anti-Age Tinting Lip Gloss.

To enter, simply use the Rafflecopter widget below to....

Follow The Blossom Shed on Bloglovin, Facebook or Twitter (or all three!).
Sign up for New London Pharmacy's Newsletter on their website.
Leave a comment below telling us what makes your mom (or a mom you know, or being a mom yourself) so special!

Open to US adresses only, and hurry, giveway closes at midnight, Saturday May 11th. Good luck!

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Photo via Pinterest

Sonnet to Liberty

Oh how I love a bit of Liberty. That whisper soft long-staple cotton, the intricately fine floral patterns, the wonderful timelessness of those bolts of cheery fabric in every shade imaginable. Designers have always loved incorporating the iconic blooms in their offerings, and this year there’s quite the bounty of fabulous floral finds. I particularly love Levi’s denim shorts with the tiny peek of printed pockets under the hem, and am eyeing the cheerily painted wooden tray as the perfect home for perfumes and makeup. Not to mention that dream of a suitcase, which looks as if it could make even the most mundane of trips feel a little more glamorous…

What catches your eye in this garden of gorgeousness? Have a particularly favorite Liberty print? Tell me about it below!

J. Crew Short Pajamas / Liberty Suitcase / Liberty Washbags / Sessun Dress / Levi's x Liberty Shorts / Liberty Wooden Tray / Retrosuperfuture Sunglasses / Liberty Frill Knickers / Karla Spetic Triangle Bra.

Spring Clean Your Skin....

It's spring cleaning time, and I love throwing open the windows and filling the house with the scent of fresh linen, clean floors and polished wood. After you've tackled those dust bunnies under the bed and dusted down cobwebs from the corners, spare a thought for your skin. After a long winter of cold wind and dry, forced-air heating, things are bound to be a bit of a mess. Once a week, I like to do the skincare equivalent of a quick hoover 'round with a quick and super-effective exfoliating mask - working like a gentle peel, they leave skin soft, smooth and bright. Sweep dead skin, splotchy pigment, blocked pores and general dullness out the door, leaving skin deep-cleaned, glowing, and rejuvenated.

I love the Dr Sebagh Deep Exfoliating Mask for it's heavy duty, deep-cleaning prowess - a 10 minute spa treatment in a jar, it brightens, smooths and reduces hyperpigmentation with azelaic and lactic acids. A cult classic (I've already gushed over it here) with a price tag to match, it's available in two strengths,and is worth every penny.

The REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask is the perfect mid-range workhorse - effective enough to show instant results but gentle enough to be used regularly, it harnesses glycolic and lactic acids from fruit sources for cleaner, smaller-looking pores and smoother skintone. Extra points for the tidy and hygenic bottle.

Juice Beauty's Green Apple Peel exfoliates with alpha hydroxy acids from its organic apple, grape and lemon extracts for a fresh smelling, quick acting clean - available in sensitive and full strengths, it's gentle, effective and utterly natural.

If you're planning to use a gentle peel this spring, remember the basics - apply to cleansed skin, and always start slow - three minutes is a good gauge of how your skin will react. Acids tingle and sting slightly as they work, but shouldn't feel unpleasant or burning. Remove with a warm washcloth, and follow up with a nourishing moisturizer - skin should look glowing or slightly flushed. Obviously, be careful you have incredibly sensitive, reactive skin - though for the record I have quite sensitive skin and have used all three of these with good results. Most importantly, remember to be vigilant about the sun after any sort of acid exfoliant - all that baby-soft, delicate new skin needs to be protected!

How do you spring clean your skin? Have a favorite product? I'd love to hear from you below...

Spring Staple: Pink Cheeks

It seems like everyone this week, myself included, is in the hacking throes of a spring flu. I look like death, warmed slightly. So it seemed a perfect time to pull out that most reviving and brightening of of spring looks - the candy-floss flush.

My favorite incarnation of this bright cheeked look was on last year's runways, when Michael Kors sent out models with delicately pinned, flyaway hair, translucent skin and a cool, natural flush. They looked like English roses caught in a chilly spring breeze, with a disheveled, 1930's, Love in a Cold Climate-vibe that was makeup perfection.

Let's be honest - these sorts of colors look absolutely terrifying in the pan, so cool-toned and bright, and I'm the first to veer away from them on the makeup counter. But be brave and play around with them - you'll be surprised how natural, sheer and soft they look, a much sweeter, clearer flush than the usual warmer tones impart. Hands down favorites here at the Blossom Shed are Dior's Rosy Glow Awakening Blush, for its impossibly fine and miraculously adjusting powder finish, and YSL's Creme de Blush in Babydoll, for its sheer, featherweight texture and gorgeous glow. Both blend beautifully with skin, seeming to impart a flush from within, and are perfection paired with long, glossy lashes and artfully disheveled hair.

How do you feel about a pale, candy-floss flush? Does it make you feel like the heroine in a fairytale too? How are you shaking up your makeup bag this spring? Share below...

Lazy Links

This was a rough week - frantic, tiring, and full of black clouds of gnats. Quite literally. So let's take a leisurely stroll 'round some lovely little things, and unwind for a quiet weekend. Don't forget to stop in at the comments and say hello! Tell us which literary hotel is your favorite. Do you take a good picture? Are you liberal or stingy with the SPF? More importantly, do you think if I bring a little appreciation card and a princess cake around to Florence Welch's house, she'll let me live there? Let's discuss below...

An extremely useful and frighteningly detailed guide on how to apply mascara correctly.Unfortunately, it doesn't cover the old poke-yourself-in-eye-with-wand step which I can't seem to skip.

Have a look around Florence Welch's gorgeous house. She is just the coolest, and so are her bookshelves.

The lovely Garance Dore shares seven ways you can look better in photos. None of them work for me, but maybe you'll have more luck.

Look at this fabulous list of literary hotels! I think I'll plan a little weekend at Thornfield Hall one of these days. Obviously doing a quick attic check first.

Diptyque has come out with a jonquille candle, and I must have it. I go crazy for jonquil. Jonquil are kind of like narcissus, right? Narcissi? Oh never mind.

This Swedish princess cake looks divine. I want it, and I want it now.

This poor woman's body lotion set off airport security. If that's not an incentive to start buying greener, I don't know what is.

The ever fabulous Beautymouth takes us through some idiot-proof SPF rules - timely, because the only time I ever burn is in the springtime. Thin air + strong sunlight = lobster shoulders and freckle moustaches.

Aren't these random notes of appreciation adorable? Let's all stock up, and hand them out with gusto.