An awesome facial wash!

With all the exciting beauty products out there I feel like it can be easy to neglect the bare essentials. Which is why I've decided to share a new facial wash that I've been using lately. Well I say new...it's new to me! I was browsing around super drug and trying to avoid the make-up area...once I start putting make-up into my basket I cant stop! I ended up walking past the super drug skincare section and picking up one of their facial washes. I've used their tea tree wash in the past so this time I decided to try the tea tree and lemon facial wash.

I like to use a facial wash aimed at spot prevention because although my skin isnt to problematic, I do get breakouts around my forehead. I find that just regularly using a good anti-blemish facial wash and a few dabs of tea tree oil every now and then is usually enough to keep it under control.

This face wash is perfect for me. Tea tree oil is great as it has antibacterial properties to prevent and treat spots. The Lemon oil is to cleanse the skin of dirt, oil and other impurities for super clean skin. The lemon also smells lovely and feels so refreshing. I don't know if this is just me, but I always associate the smell of lemon, and just citrus scents in general, with cleanliness. However some lemony scents can smell a bit bleachy, which made me think twice about purchasing this, but as this is mixed with tea tree it doesn't smell to strong.

On to the most important part...how it makes my skin feel. Firstly I wanted to say that this works better for me than the Superdrug tea tree facial wash. Although the tea tree wash is great at clearing spots away, this one makes my skin feel softer and more refreshed. This also thoroughly cleanses my skin while still being gentle. I also find that this manages to remove most of my make-up, even pesky mascara, so I don't get out of the shower looking quite as much like a giant panda. Definitely will be repurchasing! 

xxx

Body moisturiser for lazy people

Recently I started using Nivea in shower body moisturiser. I am am aware that this is not a new concept or prouduct and I heard about it a while ago but I never really tried it because frankly I thought it wasn't for me. But I was wrong. I don't actually use it for its intended purpose but I've found a much better use. 

let me start by saying I have very dry and sensitive skin, literally anything will set it off, I cant even sit on grass in the summer without ending up a big rashy mess...not my best look! It's not so bad that its a massive problem, I just have to be a bit more careful about the products I use. The one time it really does become an issue is when it comes to shaving. Shaving can irritate any type of skin, so when you have skin that comes out in a rash at the sight of a razor, you've got a problem!

I use shaving creams and they definitely help during the shaving process but afterwards I'm still left with super dry and bumpy legs. Far far away from the smooth legged goddess look I was going for! 

I found a forgotten Nivea gift set still unopened from Christmas (whoops) and inside was the Nivea in shower body moisturiser. I also happened to have no shaving cream, I usually use conditioner as a substitute as I always run out and ALWAYS forget to buy more. Shaving cream, while essential, is one of the less exciting products on my shopping list and often gets forgotten about!

Anyway...I decided to use the moisturiser instead. Good decision! 

As all shaving creams do, it helps the razor glide along your skin, to avoid any nasty razor burn (AKA my worst enemy). But, and this is the best part, as it washes/is scraped off, it leaves a layer of moisture. This is great because rather than getting out of the shower and applying moisturiser onto dry skin, your skin is kept hydrated throughout. Much better!

The only down side I would say is that you have to use quite a lot to cover everywhere as it doesn't foam up as shaving cream would. I'm also not a huge fan of the scent, same goes for all Nivea skin care really but honestly its not like it lingers around for ages and if you use moisturiser when you get out of the shower anyway ( I recommend you do) then that will more than likely mask any scent anyway. Of course that's just my preference and you might love the smell, so bonus if you do! 

As this product is made to be used as a last step at the end of your shower, its a good idea to leave the shaving to last thing. This is just to avoid washing off all of the prouduct before you get out of the shower. If you want to, this would also be good to use directly after shaving, if you'd prefer to use a shaving cream while actually shaving. And if you're lucky enough to have gorgeous skin then you might not even need to use a moisturiser when you get out the shower, meaning less time and mess. I'll definitely be using this from now on!

xxx

Lush 'Love and Light' Hand Cream

I'm still ploughing through all the Lush gifts I got for Christmas. My bath bomb and bubble bar supply is slowly shrinking though, maybe time for another trip to lush soon! One item I received in a gift box was the Love and Light hand cream. I've never tried a hand cream from lush before so it was great to get something I probably wouldn't have picked up. Although lets be honest, I'm sure I would have tried it out myself at some point! 

Dry hands, luckily, isn't something I really have a problem with so I do tend to neglect them sometimes. I really shouldn't, especially not during the winter months, so I've been keeping this at the side of my bed to remind me before I go to sleep and when I wake up to use it. This tactic is working pretty well so far! 

The actual product is really good, I wasn't sure what to expect, as I haven't tried any of the lush hand cream before but I wasn't disappointed. From what I've read in other reviews this hand cream is quite light compared to others, I cant comment on that but I can say that it is light and not sticky at all. It absorbs well into the skin and this makes it perfect to apply throughout the day or in the morning. There's nothing worse than having greasy, sticky hands, euckk! Although it is light it is still so great for moisturising hands! I have a patch of dry skin, kind of like eczema on my hand and I've tried lots of different creams in an attempt to clear this up. It's not cleared up completely but it has been massively better since using this cream and it's no longer flaky and dry. For this reason alone I love this product and will definitely be getting it again! 

Then there's the scent. I have to admit I didn't love the smell at first. But after using it for a little while I've started to really like it. It smells of oranges, as this product contains orange oil and its actually really calming. It's not to strong of a scent though, if it was super strong I don't think I would like it half as much, but its just right! Definitely worth grabbing this next time you're in Lush! 

xxx

This weeks make-up buys

I went into town earlier this week and inevitably ended up in Superdrug. I was there mostly just to stock up and replace products I'd run out of but I still thought it would be nice to share my buys. 

Maybelline Falsies Mascara - I have been using this mascara almost everyday for quite a while now and I really like it. It curls as well as lengthens my lashes. Its also only £8. It does need replacing every few weeks, like most mascaras, as it does get clumpy. 

Rimmel Lasting Finish Primer - This is a new purchase. I needed a primer because I don't actually use one and my foundation usually wears off pretty easily over the course of the day and by mid day my skin looks pretty much how it did pre-make-up. So I decided to give this a try, I actually got a sample of it in a Feel Unique order and I liked how it felt on my skin. Saying that I haven't really had it long enough or tested it out enough to tell you how I feel about this one. The real test will be seeing if it can make my foundation last all day while I'm at work. 

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer - I've used this concealer in the past a lot and I really like it so that's why I've gone with this one again! It doesn't give the best coverage ever but it does help to make your skin appear a bit brighter, which is exactly what I need first thing in the morning, especially under my eyes. I also use the Wake Me Up Foundation and I quite like my concealer and foundation to match, is anyone else like that?! Maybe I'm just a weirdo!

Lottie Tweezers - Not much to report here! I just needed some new tweezers because I had 'misplaced' mine. I'd been searching for them for a couple of days and of course as soon as I bought these new ones they turned up!

Burt's Bees lip balms - I actually got these from Holland and Barrett. I don't usually go in here but my boyfriend wanted to go to look at protein (so boring). I had no idea they sold Burt's Bees lip balms, i picked up a cherry one and an ultra conditioning one. My lips are a big problem in that they're always chapped and dry. The ultra conditioning lip balm is working really well so far though so maybe I can finally sort them out!

That's all I got this time! There's a few more products I'd like to try out soon, maybe I'll post a wishlist!  

xxx

Dealing with greasy hair!

My hair used to be alright but over the years it seems to have gotten greasier, oh the joys of growing up! I've tried my best to keep my hair as grease free as possible as we all know how much hassle washing and drying your hair can be, theres plenty of other things I would rather be doing! 

Dry shampoo is your best friend! There are days when my hair is literally 90% dry shampoo. If it wasn't for this god send I would be washing my hair literally twice a day (maybe not twice a day but you can see what I mean). I always have a can of batiste ready to go, I usually try and buy the bigger cans as I go through the stuff pretty quickly. I'm using the floral and flirty one at the minute, it smells gorgeous and I love that the scent lasts through the day.

Don't condition your roots! I've always had and issue with the volume in my hair, or lack of volume. I stopped co do rooming the roots of my hair because I heard this can weigh hair down, I have been doing this for a couple of years and I can notice a difference, in that my hair is no longer stuck to my head. It also means my hair lasts a little bit longer between washes. 

Go easy on the products you use, my hair doesn't seem to take to well to anything I use in it. The extra prouduct usually just weighs my hair down even more and the grease seems to build up even quicker. I'll run an bit of mouse through my hair (emphasis on 'a bit') to give it a bit of extra bounce, but other than that I try and keep it as prouduct free as possible. Apart from the mass amounts of dry shampoo of course! 

Try not to touch your hair to much, I'm not one to talk on this one really because I  am always running my fingers through my hair. Hands can be oily and pick up all kinds of icky stuff that you don't want in your hair. I usually do my makeup before doing anything with my hair in the morning and have started getting into the habit of going to wash my hands before starting to tackle my hair. This just gets rid of any leftover prouduct I have on my hands. 

It's also a good idea to clean out your hairbrush for the same reason, it might just be me but I find cleaning my hairbrush so satisfying! 

I hope this will help and if anyone has any more tips please let me know! 

(This post was written on my phone as my laptops broken so if the layout looks a bit weird, that's why!)

Burts Bees!

 

Just the other week I did a little (only a little) shop on Feel Unique. I haven't really bought regularly from this site before but I actually really love it. I have usually shopped at Superdrug but I find feel unique have more of a selection, while Superdrug do only stock the drug store brands. Its also just so easy to just have everything in one place...good news for me but not so much for my bank balance!

 

One thing I did get was the Burt's Bees lip balm. We all know that winter can be harsh and my lips are usually pretty prone to drying out at the best of times, so I have really started to notice it in the last few weeks. I had heard a bit about this brand but I had never given them a go so I thought I'd try it out. I had a little browse around and found a little set for just £5.99. There are 3 products in the set and me being me I didn't actually look at the description and assumed they were all lip balms. They weren't and I am now the owner of Burts Bees cuticle cream and hand salve. I'm not going to complain though as I imagine both of these will come in handy, the hand salve is already proving to be a winner!

 

The set did come with the vitamin E and Peppermint lip balm stick. Let me tell you they aren't lying when they say its peppermint, its pretty strong. It kind of gives your lips what I can only describe as a minty sensation (you know what I mean right?!) it doesn't last long and after all the 'minty sensation' is over you can walk around enjoying the lovely peppermint scent.

 

I have only been using this now for about 3 days and it has made a huge improvement already. I tend to have dry skin on my lips which is not that pretty. It also kind of prevents me from wearing anything on my lips because it just doesn't sit right! but this seems to be sorting the problem out. They also have a Tinted Lip Balm in a variety of shades and I am looking forward to giving these a try!

Did I also mention the cute little tin this set came in? I love products that come in packaging that can be reused, I'd happily keep this to store other lip balms. Maybe then I'd be able to keep one longer than a week without losing it! It also makes it a nice little gift or stocking filler :) I'm very glad to have tried this, now I'll just have to remember to use it!

Colab dry shampoo review

Recently I went crazy and bought a different brand of dry shampoo, I'm a hooligan what can I say!? I read about colab dry shampoo in another blog post talking about products bloggers have brought out into stores. This is by Ruth crilly, I haven't actually read her blog before but I am subscribed to her YouTube channel, although I haven't watched anything from her in a whole. I really like this product for my hair, however I'm not a fan of the smell. Well I actually do really love the smell but to me it smells really masculine. I should mention that there isn't just one fragrance to choose from! So it's not a deal breaker, I can always get another one next time. Mine is called Paris and the fragrance is supposed to be floral, maybe it's just my nose but I don't get that! 

It is actually really good though, i usually use batise cherry dry shampoo so I have kind of compared the two. I notice with colab that it isn't as white as batise, so it's less likely that you end up walking around with white powder in your hair! Although as a blonde, it's never been to much of an issue but I can imagine if you have dark hair it would show a lot more. So it's great for that! It also works really well, I've been changing between this one and batise and I find that the colab dry shampoo is a bit less heavy. Dry shampoo normally takes the shine out of my hair after a couple of days (I use dry shampoo for as long as humanly possible, I don't like washing my hair!) but it doesn't seem to as much with this one! The smell isn't really that much of an issue, you get little whifs of it thorought the day but you can't really smell it all the time and it's definitely not an overpowering smell, pretty subtle. Overall I really like this, I will defineltly purchase this brand again but I'll probably try a different fragrance! Does anyone else use this brand, what do you think? 

Xxx