July Favourites

Lush D'Fluff Strawberry Shaving Soap
I went to Lush a few weeks ago to buy thank you presents for Chloe's preschool teachers & felt like treating myself at the same time. One of the things I picked up is their new D'Fluff Strawberry Shaving Soap. This is such a fantastic shaving product! First of all it has the most incredible strawberry scent, I could quite happily sniff the pot all day long. It has a light mousse texture as it features whipped egg whites. It doesn't really lather up like normal soap, it melts into the skin instead. This is due to the cocoa butter which adds a lot of moisture to the skin & allows you to get a very close shave with even the cheapest of razors. The soap also contains organic rosehip oil & coconut oil which help to reduce irritation & redness. It doubles up as a regular body wash if you fancy smelling like a delicious fresh strawberry. It's such a delight to use & leaves my whole body feeling silky soft for days.

Arran Aromatics Feel Good Formulas Aloe Vera Energising Body Gel*
This cooling body gel from Arran Aromatics has barely left my side this Summer. After a few hours outside in the hot sun I'm always ready for a cool drink in the shade. To refresh my skin after piling on the sun protection all day I've been rubbing this gel all over my arms, back & legs. It immediately cools my body down & absorbs well without leaving me feeling sticky. The gel contains aloe vera extract to soothe & nourish and witch hazel to cool & tone the skin. It has a lovely fresh floral scent too. This gel is the perfect solution for when you're feeling a bit hot & bothered. It works even better if you keep it in the fridge!

Soap & Glory Orangeasm Body Wash
After I had a bad reaction to Soap & Glory's Breakfast Scrub I've been quite wary of buying their body products. I'm such a sucker for citrus scented shower gels though so I couldn't resist trying this one out. Orangeasm has such a strong masculine scent which is quite different to the sweeter citrus scents I'm used to. It features fresh green mandarin, Sicilian lemon & sweet orange peel oils. It's very refreshing first thing in the morning & does a good job of hydrating my skin. What I like most about this product is that it seems to have a welcome side effect of getting rid of my keratosis pilaris (bumpy upper arms). I think it must be from all the natural citrus oils & acids it contains. This body wash makes my skin feel so smooth & as long as it keeps my arms bump free then I'll keep on repurchasing it.

Avene Cleanance K
Y'all know I love me some hardcore chemical exfoliants so when I heard that Avene's Cleanance K contains glycolic, lactic and salicylic acid I had to give it a go. It's basically a spot treatment as it helps to minimise blemishes & pores. This is a hydrating creamy gel formula which makes it suitable for daily use without drying out the skin. You can use it to target individual spots or you can apply it all over your face. I've been using this in place of a serum in my evening skincare routine & I'm really impressed with the results. As the acid percentages are quite high you do have to expect quite a lot of skin purging when you start using this product. My chin & forehead have been purging like crazy for the past couple of weeks! I always get closed comedones on my forehead & this has really helped to smooth out all those horrible bumps under the skin. If you have blemish-prone skin that can tolerate high acid percentages then I would definitely recommend buying this spot treatment.

Hydraluron Moisture Jelly
Hydraluron used to be a must-have product for me. The original formula is the perfect serum to combat dehydration. After repurchasing it several times I came to realise that I prefer using a moisturiser that already contains hyaluronic acid. This allows me to skip out a step in my skincare routine & save money at the same time. The idea of a Hydraluron moisturiser had me very excited & I bought it as soon as it launched. This cooling gel has fast become one of my favourite ever moisturisers. It works best as part of a daytime routine & is especially nice to use in hot weather. Like the original Hydraluron, the Moisture Jelly is instantly hydrating & feels amazing on the skin. It's a moisturiser that is truly suitable for all skin types. The product absorbs quickly without any stickiness. It's a great base for makeup & doesn't pill under primers, sunscreen or foundation. I find that because it's not your traditional creamy moisturiser, my makeup lasts longer without any primer underneath anyway. Also the packaging is totally awesome! You simply press down on the top disc & a small blob of the product appears. It's so hygienic & delivers exactly the right amount for my face. Can this become the standard packaging for all products housed in pots please?

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October Favourites

Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray
I'd wanted to try one of Urban Decay's setting sprays for ages and I finally decided to pick this up last month. You simply apply your makeup as usual and then spray this all over your face about four times. It really does help to keep your makeup in place for longer and leaves your face looking fresher. It also stops your skin from looking powdery. Its a godsend on nights out! It was manufactured by Skindinavia who make setting sprays that many professional makeup artists use on photo shoots and wedding days. The formula is pretty much the same as their original sprays so this is definitely something to check out if your makeup doesn't last quite as long as you'd like or you need to look perfect all day long.

Origins Clear Improvement Mask
One of my favourite things in life is trying out new face masks. Nothing makes me feel more pampered and relaxed at home. This is a bit more than your average clay mask. It contains active charcoal which really draws out the impurities from deep inside your skin. Origins recommend using this after exfoliating and steaming your face. It looks quite scary when it dries, like a matte black foundation. I feel like it really makes a difference to the amount of blackheads on my nose and dramatically reduces any painful spots. I used it again last night when I had a couple of painful red spots under the skin between my eyebrows and on my chin. They've completely stopped hurting and cleared up. It wasn't as effective on the non-painful spots but this is a good one for eliminating all the gunk thats trapped under your skin.

Caudalie Divine Oil
This multi-purpose beauty oil is nothing short of a miracle worker. You can use this literally anywhere. Personally I like to put one spray in my hair every morning to give it a quick shine boost. Its also helped to get rid of the eczema I sometimes get on my leg. Its perfect to rub on your body after a shower as its a dry oil so you don't end up feeling greasy at all. The spray top makes it easy to apply it to all those hard to reach areas. Its fab on dry areas like elbows & knees. Plus it smells... divine!

Hydraluron
As a devotee of the Caroline Hirons school of skincare I had to pick up this serum. I really like how it makes my skin feel. Hydraluron is essentially pure Hyaluronic Acid. This ingredient is capable of absorbing up to 1000 times its weight in water. This means that when you apply moisturiser on top of it, the acid keeps the moisture there resulting in soft supple skin. You have to use it alongside your normal moisturiser because its meant for below-surface hydration. If you use it alone it just makes your face feel really tight. Its pretty pricey and despite the big box, you only get this tiny tube. Although you only need a tiny blob for your whole face I feel like the tube is rapidly emptying already. I definitely feel like this is doing more for my skin than some of the other serums I've tried though so this could become an expensive new habit!

Origins Make A Difference Plus+ Rejuvenating Treatment
I'd heard so many good things about the original Make A Difference Rejuvenating Treatment but by the time I managed to pick up a jar Origins had changed the formula. I was bit wary of trying it out incase it wasn't as good as I'd heard the previous version was but its a really lovely product. It adds a great deal of moisture to my skin which is definitely getting dried out by a combo of central heating and icy winds. The one thing I don't like about it is that I always have to wash my hands after applying it because I hate how sticky it makes them feel. However my face feels nicely hydrated and very smooth. It sits really nicely under my makeup and feels almost like a primer. I prefer to use it at night though because it does lack SPF. This product preceded by a blob of Hydraluron is a brilliant combo for keeping dry and dehydrated Winter skin at bay.