Winter Skin Favourites

This is something that was requested AGES ago so apologies that we are already into Winter by the time I'm actually posting. There are lots of things I switch up when the colder weather approaches but moisturising products are the number one, I tend to choose thicker, richer formulas to protect me from the elements and treat dryness. Here are some of my favourites...

Garnier 7 Day Cocoa Butter Body Lotion £2.99 (not pictured)

This is a fantastic everyday body lotion. It sinks in super fast so it can be used in a morning before you get dressed without having to wait around for it to dry and it really does leave me feeling moisturised for longer than an average lotion. There are loads of formulas to choose from ranging from sensitive to normal to extra dry, all with different scents.. I love them all but the cocoa butter is my favourite. 

Body Shop Shea Body Butter £12.50

I've never been a big lover of these cult body butters. I know everyone revs about them but I just don't think they're great value for money. I bought this one on a deal recently so only paid £1 and I've been really pleasantly surprised. The Shea Butter version is much thicker, it's almost balm-like in consistency, smells divine and goes a really long way. I would absolutely repurchase! 

Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula £3.25

This is a must have for everyones body care arsenal. I am never without a tub on the go, it's the solid formula I'm talking about not the lotion. It can be melted to an oil to use on the skin or as a deep conditioner and what I love most is that you can rub it in indefinitely without getting those rolly bits you do with a lotion. Perfect for a much needed foot massage after a day of Christmas shopping.

Hand Therapy Concentrated Hand Balm (unable to source online)

I couldn't find this online so I'm not sure whether you can still purchase it but I'm sure there are equivalents out there. This is a Superdrug's own brand hand balm. It's super thick and leaves a protective layer which is great for combatting the cold and even better for those of you that can stand to wear gloves for the occasional overnight hand pampering. This never leaves my handbag.

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream £25.00

I doubt I really need to say much about this best seller. I'd tried samples many times over the years but only recently purchased a full sized tube. I use it on my lips, I use it as a moisturising face mask once a week, I use it on my elbows or any dry areas and even on the ends of my hair. It is one of my more expensive products and so I don't go crazy with it but it really does the job when nothing else will.

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector - Light £9.99

Okay so this isn't exactly skincare but I just love it and It's transitioned in to winter when I really didn't expect it to. I thought I'd return to full coverage foundation but this stuff leaves my dull winter skin glowy and fresh. If you feel you need a fuller coverage I'd still recommend this as a base as it does boast some skincare properties as well and every little helps.

MAC Tinted Lip Conditioner - Petting Pink £11.00

I've looked high and low for the best lip treats and this is one of my all time favourites. It has that delicious MAC lipstick smell and taste (yes, taste!) stays on my lips that little bit longer than your average balm and offers a subtle tint of colour. I always carry this with me and although it might not be the most moisturising lip balm it's a joy to wear and I never mind applying more... yum!

So I hope that helps any of you out there that are looking for some winter skin treats. These are some of the best I've tried but I'm always on the look out for bigger and better so please feel free to share your own favourites in the comments. 

Miss BB

#1 Lip balm? I think not

It was a couple of weeks ago I lost my kiehls virginity with a product you may have heard of, their best selling #1 Lip Balm. Kiehls is a company that's always intrigued me, I love their merchandising and their products really appeal to me. I'm a big skincare lover but I don't love spending £30+ on a body butter that if used as directed wouldn't last me a month. I desperately wanted to try something from the brand so when I was on the hunt for an ultimate lip balm that would heal my forever dry lips they were my first port of call. I asked the every helpful assistant for advice and she recommended the #1 Lip Balm.. How could I resist? at £9.50 it was very much more than I would usually shell out for a balm but I rationalised that you get what you pay for and nothing else had worked. I would like to mention at this stage that baring in mind I purchased what must be the cheapest thing Kiehls carry I got samples for me, 3 samples for the boyfriend (who was with me) and a sample of baby lotion along with some "when are you due?" chit chat. It was presented to me in a nice glossy bag complete with hot pink tissue papers and a brand seal... I was very impressed. Customer service wise it's the best I've experience in a long time

And regardless of my thoughts on the product I bought I will definitely go back to try something else at some point.

Now on to the balm.. I don't have a tremendous amount to say because it's not a tremendous product... Definitely not something I'd label #1. I've come to the conclusion the reason it's their best seller is the price... For those of us dying for piece of the kiehls pie it's the smallest chunk of change we can part with to own a little bit of the brand. In essence all this balm is is petroleum jelly in a tube. I bought the Mango scented one and I can't speak highly enough of the fragrance, really delightful but the balm itself is really no better than Vaseline. Rest assured I wasn't expecting immediate results. I have worn this constantly since I bought it which was 3/4 weeks ago... In fact I'm wearing it now and it's ok if you compare it to drugstore brands but it's really not ok for the price I paid. It will live in my handbag until it's dead because of it's handy packaging but my Vaseline has replaced it by my bed as my night time, after lip scrub treat. Needless to say I will not be repurchasing this "wonder balm", lots of people rave about it and I'm not sure if it's just me and my uber dry lips or if all those ravers are just being crazily loyal to the brand but I am not all about this AT ALL.

Have you tried it? What are your thoughts on high end versus drugstore when it comes to lip treatments?

September Glossy Box

This month GlossyBox have really excelled themselves in my opinion.

From what I've seen of other peoples boxes they are starting to tailor them to the individual from the questionnaires we filled out upon joining. Everything I got this month I liked and will be used, even the perfume is not terrible... okay I might not use that but otherwise... all good stuff.

SO... here's what I got..

I'll start with the highlight of the month which has to be this palette from HD Brows.

For one it's awesome for me 'cause I'm just about out of my Gosh palette so it's perfectly timed to replace it. For another the colours are a great match for me. You get a nude which I am assuming is to highlight a light brown, mid brown and a deep brown. From what I can ascertain online there are 3 palettes to choose from and this is in the middle, it's dubbed "Foxy" for those wondering.  I also really like that these are multi-purpose and can be used as eyeshadow as well as brow powder, hence the 2 applicators provided. Some of you may know of my constant search for good quality matte eyeshadows... If this hits that spot chances are I will be raving about this very soon.

It's available to buy here for £19.95

The next most exciting product I received this month was this Neal and Wolf Intensive Care Treatment.

I am obsessed with hair treatments and so anything like this would interest me but a full sized luxury conditioner promising to instantly repair and transform my hair? Colour me happy!

I will definitely to reviewing this!

You can buy Neal and Wolf Hair Care here

The Intensive Care Treatment is £12.95

Next, Plum Perfume by Mary Greenwell sample

Of all the perfume samples I've got from GlossyBox so far I like this best. It might not be the best for everyone, I've already heard lots of negative comments from other receivers this month but it has lots of notes I like such as Sandalwood and Amber so it might be a nice change of fragrance for Autumn.

You can buy 100ml of this perfume for £90 from House of Fraser

 

The Green Balm.... ever heard of it? me either but a multi-purpose balm intrigues me.

I'm always looking for the ultimate lipcare so this could fit the bill there but according to my google "research" it can be used for many different purposes from dry elbows to insect bites. Sounds like something handy to have around the house but I don't know whether I'd buy the full sized version.

You can buy 50ml jar from feelunique.com for £8.50

Lastly I got 2 sachets of Dead Sea Spa Magik Salt Scrub. I cannot wait to try this in my next shower. I've been trialling a few scrubs this month so this will make it into my combined review and I'm expecting great things.. it even contains my new favourite ingredient - coconut oil! They say it has a "hypnotic citrus aroma" and You Magazine voted it Best Exfoliator. Another one guaranteed to be reviewed.

You can buy 500g of this for £13.30 here

From what I've seen online already the variety from box to box is widest this month so you may have received totally different products to me but I think you'll agree even if you don't like everything it was a great month for value for money. I more than got back my £12.95 subscription

What did you get in your GlossyBox this month?

Have you tried anything I got?

LUSH-ious Lips

A few days ago I posted about my craving for softer than soft lips. I'd already purchased the Everyday Naturals Deep Kissing, Buff & Shine from Cocktail Cosmetics but I really wasn't happy with it so after many of you telling me I must I went out and bought the Bubblegum lip scrub from Lush

You may think a lip scrub is a lip scrub but you would be wrong. The difference between these two products is huge.

The Everyday Natural's scrub for one smells AWFUL and the grains are in some kind of paste. That does make sense to me because it keeps the scrub together but it's almost oily which leaves an unpleasant residue post scrubbing which is especially unfortunate due to the product's odour.

The Lush Scrub is obviously bubblegum scented and even flavoured which although I'm not a big bubblegum fan is definitely preferable to the other one. You can buy 3 different scents but as everyone recommended this one I thought I'd go with the majority. The grains in this scrub are almost loose but they are seriously jam-packed in the jar so although you may lose a few you can definitely afford to.

On my hand you can see the difference.. the Everyday Natural's on the left clearly has more substance and is greasier in texture. The Lush scrub does have a little moisture to it but it's mainly scrub which I think is just a better deal.. you could even mix it together with a balm and really get you money's worth.

So the Lush Bubblegum Scrub gets my vote everytime. While I've been trying to improve the condition of my lips after so long without any real care I've been scrubbing them once or even twice a day (which I know is excessive but I can't get enough) You can see on my lips below how grainy it really is. I only need the tiniest amount. 

I also bought a Kiehls Lip Balm to treat my lips after scrubbing.. I'm liking it so far but I don't really think it's doing much more than vaseline.. it just smells better. For £9.50 I was expecting something a little more... special. I will keep up this combo  for a few weeks, see how my lips improve and report back.

They are looking healthier, less dry and a lot less flakey since I started scrubbing but I would love to hear from you your favourite balms and treatments. I've been on the hunt for an amazing lip conditioner for the longest time and I just don't think this Kiehls one is it.

How do you keep your lips soft?