Skincare Routine in Action

As promised my week of skincare posts is ending with my 'Skincare In Action' video that went live yesterday. For those of you that haven't already seen it.. here it is...

Miss BB

Soap & Glory Hot Cloth Cleanser - Skincare Week

Of everything Soap & Glory has to offer on the facial skincare market right now this has to be the one thing that is recommended to me most. As a result it's the product I was most interested to try. You've all heard of the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish, it's a blogger favourite and everyone out there is looking to find a drugstore alternative. So far I've tried two, this and the Superdrug Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser - you can read about that in my Cleansers 101 post here. I do like the Liz Earle but it's not readily available and I don't like to get my skin hooked on something I can't run out and buy when it's all used up. This is a great alternative but I'll run you through some of the differences.

As with it's beloved counterpart it has a certain herbal scent but I personally prefer this, it's a little fresher and well.. just more my kind of fragrance. The formula is very similar, a thick cream designed to remove makeup and cleanse your skin though I would say this is a little thinner in consistency and it's not designed for eye makeup removal - this was disappointing! It works well with the supplied muslin cloth as well as with my Clarisonic where as the Liz Earle is a touch thick so that was a bonus and hey, can we take a minute to look at the pink edges and S&G tag on said cloth? Little details!

Overall I think this is great! If you take your eye makeup off prior to cleansing then my only disappointment with this cleanser is moot. I prefer the thinner formula, the scent and even the packaging and let's not forget you can buy this at boots on your lunch hour.. oh and it's cheaper!

Soap & Glory's Hot Cloth Cleanser can be purchased online here

£10.00 for 100ml

I finally tried it, have you?

Miss BB

Fab Pore Facial Peel - Skincare Week

I don't know about you but I'm always a bit excited by a face mask and this was no exception. First of all I feel I should make clear that the Fab Pore Facial Peel is in fact not a peel off mask.. it's not really a peel in any sense and I don't see an unmissable pun there so I'm not sure quite why it is so named. Regardless I thought I should mention it as it may influence a purchase when in fact it bears no such feature.

This product is targeted at greasy, spot prone skin and while I don't tend to fit in to that category these days I do sometimes still suffer from a shiny t-zone and the odd breakout and in my opinion, enlarged pores! I have tried pore refining masks in the past and while the majority do nothing I have found one I like and that's from Clinique. With this in mind I believe that the 'technology' to do such things is out there and Soap & Glory have so rarely failed me I had no reason to doubt them.

The mask itself is thick and clay-like interspersed with little blue beads that burst when you rub it in to your skin. The directions ask that you massage the mask in circular motions in to your problem areas until all the beads have burst and then leave for 5-15 minutes depending on whether you want a quick freshen up or a real deep clean. Well let me tell you my skin has never felt so clean! With my Clinique mask I felt the need to steam and scrub before hand so I wasn't just closing clogged pores but this really feels like it's giving a deep cleanse. I found the longer I rubbed the product in to my face the more in tingled, you may not like that but I've mentioned before that if I can feel it I believe it's working and placebo or not, I like it!

I use it once or twice a week but only you know how often your skin needs/wants it. You can concentrate it on your 'problem areas' as I did below or give yourself an at-home facial as I tend to and slather it all over before a long soak in the tub. This is one of the best masks I've tried from the drugstore in a long time and from the amount of viewers/readers who recommended I try this is would seem I'm not the only one that feels that way.

If you've tried this yourself let me know, I will address the pore shrinking as so many will ask.. I've not seen any WOW results with regards to diminishing them in size but they look clearer and are less noticeable as a result and as I mentioned earlier, there's no point shrinking them if they're full of gunk, is there? 

You can find Fabe Pore Facial Peel here for just £8.00

Miss BB

Make Yourself YOUTHful - Skincare Week

Recently I replaced several of my skincare steps making my routine exclusively Soap & Glory. I have various reviews on the way of the products I am using now along with my routine in action edited and ready to go so for you skincare nuts that's something to look forward to. Today I want to talk to you about the Make Yourself Youthful serum. This replaced my L'Oreal Youth Code which I really liked and would potentially repurchase but I'm looking to shop around first and this was next in line.

There are many differences between this and the Youth Code, the packaging and application for one. This is a plastic pump action bottle whereas the L'Oreal is housed in a glass bottle and supplied with a pipette. These are the first things you will notice but the main difference is the formula, the Youth Code was soaked in to the skin immediately and you could layer your night cream on top straight away, the S&G version is gel-like and never really dries. Dependent on skin type one of these features will appeal to you more and I'm still not sure which I prefer but as my skin errs on the side of dry I think the Make Yourself Youthful will work better for me.

One pump gives me enough serum for my face and decolletage which is nice but I do worry about waste with this moulded bottle. As the Youth Code was translucent glass I could see that I had product left even when the pipette couldn't reach it and I could tip it out of the bottle but between the lightweight gel consistency and the opaque container I can see a lot of potential for wasted product here. Don't get me wrong I love the packaging and overall design of all Soap & Glory products but the skin care is not the cheapest you'll find at the drugstore and I for one want to get every last drop!

Overall this leaves my skin feeling soothed and refreshed, I do have to wait before applying my moisturiser, yes but that's not a huge compromise. I liked my Youth Code but that just felt like a step in my routine whereas this feels like a treat for my skin. My favourite feature is that it smells identical to the Wish Upon A Jar collagen treatment I use every night - just like chocolate orange! They complement each other and if you do have drier skin I think you'll love the combination just as much as me.

You can purchase Make Yourself Youthful now as Boots.com for £14.00 here

Miss BB

New To Me From S&G

You may remember I had a little issue with my Soap & Glory hair turban a few weeks ago and I blogged about their remarkable customer service, you can read that post here. They contacted me having watched my Best & Worst Soap & Glory video and asked if I'd like to try anything else from the range. I will embed that video and the bottom of this post because you can see for yourself not all of my opinions were positive. I am approached by a lot of different companies and the ones that stand out to me are the ones that want you to review something even when you've spoken negatively about them in the past. Of course I can't be sure they aren't attempting to buy my favour but if they knew me or my blog at all they'd know that's impossible. I'm a big fan of S&G but as with all brands they have some products that just don't work for me and I'm not going to tell you I like them just 'cause they sent me it for free.

Anyway.. When they offered to send me something I knew exactly what I wanted, Whenever I've mentioned cleansers in the past the first to be recommended is always the Soap & Glory Fab Pore Hot Cloth but it is always out of stock.. ALWAYS! So I asked if they had that for me to try and they did along with two other things they suggested I'd like.. Fab Pore Facial Peel and Make Yourself Youthful Rejuvenating Serum. 

I've recently started a "use everything up" kick so I'm only just about to start using the cleanser and serum but rest assured the pictures have been taken and the review posts are all ready waiting in my drafts to be written up once I've given them a good test run. As of today my facial skincare will be 100% Soap & Glory as I've finished my L'Oreal Youth Code Serum and I'm using Super Eyes Super Eyes eye cream and Wish Upon A Jar night cream so give me a few weeks and hopefully I'll look like the beautiful pin ups that grace their packaging.

It's available at Boots, prices range from £4.50-£15.00 - link to site

Ooh and I just checked and the hot cloth cleanser is shockingly in stock!

Have you tried Soap & Glory's skincare?

Miss BB

Good CSD at S&G

I don't think I'm alone in thinking that customer service makes or breaks a company so rather than the post I was going to write about the products I recently hauled in a video from Soap & Glory I thought I would give them a little kudos for their recent communication with me following a complaint about one of these products. It's very rare that I will complain about anything, most of the time I cut my losses and have a little rant about how rubbish something was but I don't often write in and complain. Well I bought the S&G Hair Turban last week and it wasn't until I was editing the haul video that I realised how much I'd paid for so little. This is a thin piece of S&G branded towling with a little elastic loop that hooks on to a button to secure it to your head. I will say that I loved it, it's light and didn't feel like it was pulling on my hair like a regular towel would so I made my peace with the £7.50 price because I knew I'd get a lot of use out of it. Unfortunately less than a week in the button pinged off as I was fastening it and on this occasion I couldn't get to my laptop fast enough. I had only that day uploaded my haul video and had had enough comments telling me I'd overpaid and that it was pointless to be pretty darn annoyed when they turned out to be right. This was Sunday night and there I was sitting in my towel, broken turban on head firing away on my macbook.. annoyed. 

I've always rated Soap & Glory as a company for their products and their customer service so I was surprised to receive a response within 24hrs but bearing in mind I sent the email at the weekend I was still very impressed. They offered to send me a replacement and didn't even suggest that it may have been a user error which I had been prepared to hear. All in all I know £7.50 is a lot for what it is but if you break it down to cost per wear it's probably the most inexpensive purchase I've ever made. It's so comfortable and assuming that I did indeed get a faulty one I should be able to use it for a long time. I do intend to purchase a cheaper version to compare of course (it's what I do) but having seen the primark/poundland specials.. I'm not sure they're going to look as cute as this...

You have to hand it to Soap & Glory, they can make anyone feel like a pin up!

You can see my haul video below (I bought other stuff too of course)

Miss BB

*FYI*

I realise not everyone will use/understand the acronym CSD so for those who have no idea what I'm talking about - Customer Service Department - I just can't resist a good rhyme!

Cleansers 101

Looking for your perfect cleanser? First you need to understand a little about your skin type, this will go a long way to identifying it's needs and how to treat any issues you have. Secondly don't assume that because something has worked for you in the past it will always work.. I for one know that skin types can change as I've recently gotten much drier where I used to be Combination/Oily.

So, I'll run down my recommendations for each skin type, this is just a guide for those unsure of or starting out in the world of cleansers. There are so many on the market it's tricky to understand what you're looking for so hopefully this will be of help to someone.
 

Dry Skin

There are different degrees of dry skin so be aware that a product that says it's formulated for 'dry skin' may not be the one for you. It's can be the toughest skin type to work with but the following cleansers are a good place to start if you're looking for something new.

Superdrug Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser £5.99
I bought this looking for a cheap alternative to the Liz Earle favourite, if you'd like a full comparison let me know. This was much thicker and left a residue, much better for drier days/winter months than summer when it could be a bit much. It's safe to use on eye makeup though which is a huge time saving plus for me.. it does however smell like sun cream.


Botanics Organic Cleansing Balm £6.63
Also a product I bought hoping to find a Liz Earle dupe.. this was completely the wrong choice. It's a balm as opposed to a cream or a liquid so totally different to anything else I've used. It's supposedly a dupe for the Eve Lom cleanser (I may have been confused) and although at first I hated it I came to realise it has it's place. It's all natural and soothing so for those with skin prone to react with products it's probably going to be perfect. Not unlike the Vitamin E cleanser it also leaves an oily film so I decided it was more suited to dry skin types.

Oily Skin

A common misconception for those with oily skin is that you should avoid moisture at all costs when in fact the opposite applies. All skin types need moisture but often products targeted at oily/blemish prone skin are high in alcohol which strips your skin of the oils it needs causing it to over compensate and produce even more oil leading to breakouts.

Neutrogena Visibly Clear 2in1 Face Wash/Mask £3.99
I used this on and off for years during my blemish prone periods and it's a great product to have in as it doubles as a face mask. It's really effective at keeping excess oil and breakouts at bay.

Neutrogena Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Gel Wash £4.89
First of all this smells amazing. There are 3 options which I believe are targeted at different levels of oil control. The scrub was a little too drying for me, this was much gentler yet did the job and I think if you're on the oily/combination fence you may be more at home with the cream wash.

Combination Skin

Combination skin is trickiest when you're trying to clear your skin of blemishes. Just as above the last thing you feel like you need is something thick or oily but the drier patches crave it. You're looking for something that will meet two needs and restore a balance and these are those I've tried myself and found effective.

Soap & Glory Peaches & Clean £7.00
This gives a deep clean while smoothing with fruit acids to gently exfoliate. It's creamy and refreshing and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that this smells divine! Most importantly it's not drying and it goes some way to evening out combination skin.

Clinique Facial Soap £13-£14.00
As you probably know you can purchase this is liquid or bar form. For combination skin I would suggest the milder formula and if you err more on the side of dry than oily I would go for the liquid over the bar however the bar lasts a lot longer. Most importantly you don't have to use this in conjunction with Cliniques 3 step programme.. it doesn't suit everyone but the cleanser is still really effective and something I would recommend everyone try at some point.

Sensitive Skin 

I have never suffered from sensitive skin myself so can only empathise with your problem and suggest the following cleansers which seem to work for others of the same skin type. I would recommend going organic and trying the all natural approach if you can as this seems to be the best answer for those that react to everything they try.

Cetaphil £8.99
 Now I have actually tried this and have to say.. I wasn't impressed but I'm led to believe that for those with very sensitive/problem skin it's a life saver.

Dr Organic Rose Otto Cleansing Milk £8.19
The Dr Organic range has a lot of fans and if you're in to that kind of thing you might want to pop over to Holland and Barrett to check it out. This is a cleansing milk as opposed to a wash which often people with more sensitive skin prefer as it's a little more soothing.

All Skin Types

I wanted to avoid using the term 'normal skin' as I don't think there's such a thing. Throughout our lives we'll all probably have our oily/dry/sensitive moments but some less than others. These are the cleansers that claim to suit 'all skin types', you should find less irritating ingredients in an 'all skin types' product but if you are sensitive always check the label!

Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser £14.25
No matter what phase my skin is in this cleanser always works for me. It's gentle but be warned your skin can become reliant and break out when you stop using it.

Simple Refreshing Facial Wash £1.32
If you have no skin woes.. why spend a fortune when you don't have to? All you want is to feel fresh and clean and this will do the job for a bargain basement price. Some of us spend a fortune looking for 'the one' so why not take advantage of your enviable position?

The most important thing I learnt about cleansers recently is not to be fooled by texture. I used to hate creamy cleansers 'cause I never felt like they were doing anything until I discovered exfoliating acids. Whether they be glycolic or citric they can smooth the skin just as well as any face scrub so like I said.. always check the label! My favourite cleanser of the moment has to be the Soap & Glory Peaches & Clean which contains said acids and leaves me feeling squeaky clean so unless you've already found your holy grail skincare regime why not throw out any preconceptions and try something different?

...and if you have found your HG cleanser let us all in on your secret!!!

Miss BB

Battle of the Body Scrubs

It's like a civil war up in here today. Soap & Glory vs Soap & Glory. A battle to the body scrub death if you will. The two products pitted against each other are Some Like It Hot Thermal Scrub (SLIH) and Pulp Friction Foamy Fruity Scrub (PF). 

First the facts...

Pulp Friction

£8.00

250ml

Some Like It Hot

£8.00

200ml

Ok so first and foremost SLIH is more expensive ml to £ and I can only assume that's because of it's extra 'thermal properties'. Well.. that's the reason I bought it and that's the reason i was willing to pay what I consider to be a good chunk of money for a body scrub. I bought it when I was pregnant and suffering from unusually dry, flaky patches of skin so I felt I could justify the cost at the time. I generally enjoy anything that claims to be thermal and this was no different but unfortunately the thermal effect lasted less than 20 seconds so it was effectively then just a regular body scrub. It's made up of very fine grains of exfoliant and it does the job but I was disappointed by the lack of heat. 

The PF on the other hand didn't claim anything special and so I guess I was more open to the fact it was just a scrub. It foams, yes but how much do you really want a scrub to foam? this had larger grains and as a result i perhaps didn't feel as smooth as with the SLIH but you do get more for your money here and it's still effective as a body scrub.

Ultimately neither of these products really rocked my kasbah and for £8.00 I expected more. I wouldn't be in a rush to try another scrub from Soap & Glory though I've heard great things about their breakfast one. I prefer it in a tube as I generally scrub in the shower and a tub can get messy and there's the chance of dropping it. These aren't bad don't get me wrong.. I just.. expected more from S&G.

Thoughts?

Miss BB

Battle of the Body Butters

Pitted against each other today are two of my favourite body products. The Body Shops Shea Body Butter (SB) and Soap & Glorys The Righteous Butter (RB). Let's start with the facts..

Shea Body Butter

£12.50

200ml

Righteous Butter

£10.50

300ml

Ok, so you might think right out of the gate that RB would be the winner on value right? Especially given the constant 3 for 2 offer in Boots on S&G products.. not necessarily! I was among the group that believed the Body Shop was expensive and overpriced until last Christmas when I discovered you can't pay full RRP online if you try!! There's always some deal code to be had and it's often emblazoned across their homepage. Twice in as many months they had £25 off when you spend £50 which is a damn good deal. You get offers when you join you get offers off your next order... when you buy online The Body Shop transforms in to some kind of bargainous clearance bin of lotions and potions. I was converted! I took these photos intending to compare last month but never got around to it. Having just run out of these two butters and repurchased only one I thought now would be a good time.

Let's talk about texture. The RB is a typical Body Butter, thick and luxurious, all you would expect. It spreads nicely and soaks in well. The SB is a completely different animal. It is some kind of hybrid between what I consider to be a body butter and the original cocoa butter formula from Palmers. It' waxier, thicker and it's almost like as it warms on your skin it melts. Because of this a little goes a really long way. It's not like applying a regular lotion its more like massaging actual butter in to your skin. It's not unpleasant in any way just.. very different. The downside to this formula is it does take a long time to soak in and if you rub it too long you get those wretched 'rolly' bits and I end up having to wipe it all off which is a total waste of time! 

The smell. It's so tough to compare the two as they are two totally different scents yet I love them both. (side bar, got a little excited Vegas chill there, totally unrelated but 12 days to go!!!) The RB smells like everything from the Original Pink range from S&G which is generally beloved in the blogging community and proved so popular they even launched a fragrance baring the signature scent. I love that after using this I wake up the next morning and my room smells like Original Pink and I go to bed the following night and my bed smells like Original Pink. Bliss! The SB smells .. well like She Butter. If you know the smell and love it you'll love this, simple as! It's quite relaxing and a nice fragrance to have around you at night and as you go to sleep so that's a plus.

I would say these last around the same amount of time. I dont use them every day but if I did I might just get a month out of them. Although the SB contains less product it goes further so they're even on value for money where that's concerned. I would reach for the SB if I was super dry or to put on my feet before bed (ideal) but I would reach for the RB everyday for everywhere. It's hydrating but it does eventually sink in where the SB doesn't for me unless I'm very dry. I love both of these butters but I repurchased the S&G Righteous Butter for 2 reasons.

1. It's more suited to my skin and 2. I buy it in the 3 for 2 and there's just more from Soap & Glory that I use than there is from the Body Shop! 

Everytime I near the end of a tub I tell myself I'm not spending £10 on another and I always do. In the last 3 for two I bought the butter obviously along with a replacement Wish Upon a Jar (needs it's own review - ah-mazing!) and I'm trying the lotion version of the RB. It's 50p cheaper and 200ml larger so look out for my comparison of the two coming very soon. 

Have any of you tried these two? Which would you have chosen?

Miss BB

All Used Up...

I was inspired when Fee at MakeupSavvy did an all used up post some months ago and vowed to start collecting my empties and do the same. It's taken a little while and unsurprisingly there are more skincare items than cosmetics (I don't like to use anything up) but here's e everything I've recently used up..

The question is.. would I buy it again?

Soap & Glory 'Some Like It Hot' Thermal body scrub

I love thermal products! It seems a little bit magical, doesn't it? Well it does to me and the instant warm sensation of this scrub had me hooked.. at first. Unfortunately the heat barely lasts 10 seconds and after that it's just your average body scrub and I wouldn't pay £8 for an average body scrub. I did discover toward the end of the tube a lot of grey liquid which got extremely hot on contact with my skin so I believe that it was all stuck in the top on the tube, unfortunate because if it had all been like that I would have really liked this product!

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish

This s a firm blogger favourite but it took me a long time to pick it up and even longer to actually use it. I tried it a couple of times and it was ok but nothing revolutionary so back in the cupboard it went and n to the next cleanser I was. I revisited Liz Earle in November and began using it on a daily basis, the key to this stuff is regular use! My skin had never been smoother/clearer and I have since repurchased this! I do begrudge paying £23 for 200ml but I will continue to until i find a replacement.

Mama Mio Boob Tube

I loved this, I really did! I used it when i was pregnant and I'm not sure if it made a different to the firmness of my bust as I lost my baby weight but the condition of my skin improved after only a couple of days. Unfortunately this is one pricey lotion at £29.50 for 100ml and that is just out of my budget for essentially a body lotion! If ever I have the spare cash or it is gifted to me I will be very happy to be reunited but for now.. It's just not worth it.

Clean & Clear Dual Action Moisturiser

Regular readers will know my feelings on this wonder-stuff and needn't continue reading this section but would I repurchase? Yes, Yes A thousand times YES! I use it as a moisturiser, I use it as a treatment for blemishes and for £2.99 you can't afford not to try it! You won't be disappointed.

Garnier Cleansing Wipes

Just rubbish. There's not a lot to say about cleansing wipes, they either work or they don't and these my friends.. do not! They are too dry to wipe ANYTHING and I would absolutely not recommend them! They are only £2.99 but it was £2.99 I wish I hadn't spent.

Herbal Essences Smooth & Soft Mask

I tried this and the tousle me softly at the same time and both really impressed me! As drugstore haircare goes Herbal Essences really know their stuff! I would buy this again if I wasn't so in love with my Aussie and Macadamia stuff but never say never and I would recommend them to any of you considering a drugstore mask. My only advice would be to shop around.. you can usually find these on offer somewhere, currently that place is Superdrug where they're half price at £1.95

Garnier BB Miracle Skin Perfector

This was £9.99 when it launched but I haven't seen it anywhere for more than £7.50 for months. I would repurchase it full price though again and again. It's supposed to be a 'BB' cream but not knowing exactly what to expect from a BB cream i would describe it as the best tinted moisturiser I ever tried! It diffuses imperfections and evens out skin tone while giving the illusion of a makeup free face.

Benefit Boi-ing Concealer 

This stuff is really good. It's dubbed as an industrial Strength Concealer and I've always had one in my makeup bag since I discovered Benefit about 8 years ago. It hasn't always been my go-to but it's been nice to know it's there if I need it. I would have said I would repurchase had it not been for a very recent acquisition. Soap & Glory's Kick-Ass concealer knocks this out of the park at it's just £10 as opposed to £16.50. Sorry Benefit, you've been beat!

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder

This was my pressed powder for 2 years! I have lost count of how many I've bought over that time but given that it's only £3.99 I didn't mind repurchasing. It didn't do anything life changing but it was a good value pressed powder that held my makeup and kept me relatively matte for a good portion of the day. As I said I have repurchased in the past and wouldn't rule it out for the future but I just replaced it with 17s Shine Control version for the same price and am preferring that right now.

Maybelline One By One Mascara

This was my favourite mascara for most of last year. It was the first mascara that seemed to really work with my stubby lashes and do something a bit special with them. It really opened my eyes (literally) and I would definitely repurchase. My last mascara buy was the Volume Million lashes from Loreal which I also really like but I will purchase the one by one next to see which is really my favourite.

What are the products you repurchase time and time again?

Miss BB

Soap & Glory - Kick Ass Concealer

I have been so slow (in beauty blogger terms) to pick up my first Soap and Glory cosmetic item. What inspired me to finally take the plunge was the voucher in my big splendour gift set at Christmas offering 200 bonus points when you spent £10 on the S&G makeup range (well done Boots, your marketing worked!). I bought the concealer because it reminded me of the Bobbi Brown corrective concealer duo's and the quality was very reminiscent of my old favourite Benefit Boi-ing.

Usually when I shop for a concealer I look for a skin tone match as I would with a foundation so this was a totally different direction for me as it has 2 shades, neither of which are my 'match'. The left side is a peach toned under eye corrector and the right is a yellow toned redness corrector for blemishes and such. As well as the concealer you also get a setting powder and a little pad with which to apply it. It's a really substantial, expensive feeling product from the drugstore!

The image above shows the under eye concealer on the left and the anti-redness concealer on the right. Below you can see the left half of my (rather miserable looking) face is concealed and the right is not, I have indicated where each shade has been applied...

This being the first thing I've tried from Soap & Glory (makeup wise) I will definitely be trying some more. It really impressed me and I've not used another concealer since I bought it a month ago.

You can buy your own here for £10 from Boots online

The shade I have is light (if that wasn't obvious)

Miss BB

Peaches & Clean

This wonder stuff is my new cleanser. I was looking for something with a creamier consistency than my regular Liz Earle to use with my Clarisonic and this is absolutely it. It feels like a buttery soft lotion but I would never have used the word 'milk' to describe the consistency (as they do on the bottle). I consider a cleansing milk to be one designed to be used with a cotton wool pad whereas this is very much a soap and water kinda deal! Here's a look at what's inside the bottle...

I started using this and Loreal's Youth Code serum at the same time so I can't be sure which is doing something awesome but one of them is! My skin has never been so smooth. Contrary to what the name might suggest it has a fresh mint (not a chewing gum mint but a mojito mint) scent.. nothing remotely peachy. Very refreshing after a long day!

Peaches & Clean is available from Boots here for £7

Miss BB

EDIT - I've since been advised by Lee that is does indeed smell like peaches (as well as fresh mint) my mistake!

My January Favourites

It's that time again! Last year I wasn't great at putting my monthly favourites on my blog as well as my YT channel but it's a new year.. new start, those of you that don't watch my videos might appreciate my new commitment to the monthly posts. 

A lot of what I've used throughout January has been in my regular routine for a while, I haven't made many changes since it's all kinda working for me right now. I'm totally in love with my skin and hair care routines for the first time maybe ever so it's really just cosmetics that I switch out from time to time and even then.. the Garnier BB cream has had me hooked for 6 months.

Skincare

Liz Earle Cleanser 100ml £13.75 here

Clarisonic Mia £120 here

Soap & Glory Pulp Friction £8 here

Body Shop Shea Body Butter £12.50 here

I am absolutely obsessed with my Clarisonic.. I'm not convinced the Liz Earle does anything special for me but the fact I can remove my makeup in the tub is awesome!! I will be trying some drugstore variations this month. S&G Pulp Friction is fab.. keeps me as smooth as can be the only down side is that it's such a pain to clean out of the bath afterwards.. if it wasn't I'd probably use it twice a day. Lastly the Shea Body Butter... ahh the smell, it just melts in to your skin and is fantastic value for money as a little goes a really long way! Totally changed my mind about The Body Shop Body Butters, I used to think they were a total rip off but this one is great!

Haircare

Aussie Miracle Moist Shampoo & Conditioner £3.99 each here

Macadamia Natural Oil 125ml £23.95 here

The combination of these three products have totally rejuvenated my hair. I never thought I'd find a shampoo and conditioner I genuinely valued, intensive masques and treatments, yes but not run of the mill shampoo and conditioner. I tried very cheap, I tried very expensive nothing did anything special until I tried Aussie. Luckily they are very affordable as well as being super effective.

You may recall me mentioning "Project Hair" which I started at the beginning of the year, well I've had a lot of questions lately about how I've improved the condition of my dry, damaged barnet and you can look forward to a comprehensive hair post very soon!

Base

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector (BB Cream) £7.49 here

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer £4.19 here

My Garnier still reigns supreme as my favourite daytime "foundation" but this month made way for a brand new concealer. I've lost count of the amount of recommendations I've had to buy this so I finally caved. It's a similar consistency to YSL touche eclat and great for the money but I do think while I'm surviving on little sleep I need a touch more coverage under my eyes.

Cheeks

Miners Bronzer/Blush Blend in Sunblushed £4.99 here

Only one product this month but this has been a long time love of mine! Not many people are familiar with the brand (or at least not since they were around in the 90s) but there are some great, affordable products to be found there. This gives just enough glowy colour to do the job of a bronzer and blush in one.. I wore it at my wedding, that's how much I love it!

Eyes

Loreal Volume Million Lashes Luminizer £11.29 here

Rimmel Exhaggerate Liquid Liner £5.29 here

Rimmel Brow Pencil in Dark Brown £2.99 here

The mascara has served me well over the last three months, used almost every day it does exactly what it says on the tin. I plan to repurchase the Maybelline one bu one this month to really test which is my all time favourite. The liquid liner is back. It's been my go to look since Christmas, it's a quick way to open up my eyes and look more awake in the mornings and this particular liner has been a firm favourite for more than 5 years! The Rimmel brow pencil is the same.. I never strayed from this from the ages of maybe 15/16 to 23 when I discovered brow powders. I've recently returned to my old faithful because quite frankly.. it's easier!

Lips

Miners Matte Factor in Peach £3.99 here

Another one from Miners, my friend StyleSoCoy recently did a review of this range you can check out here. I love that these are easy to apply, long wearing and non-drying and still so inexpensive. My favourite everyday shade is peach (more pink in my opinion) but I love them all.

So that's it for January.. well this is actually February (oops)

I love these posts because in a years time I could be using something else that's not doing it for me and I can look back at my own recommendations.. plus it's always interesting to see what consistently makes the favourite lists. Sometimes you just use things for months without really thinking about how great they are or why you're repurchasing.. next month I'm bringing in shower gels and such.. an under-appreciated product in the beauty blogging world in my opinion but I love mine!

Miss BB

Soap & Glory Winner

I meant to have this winners post up before the New Year but y'know.. life got in the way!

I've sent a message to the winner but I thought you'd like to know who won...

If that's YOU... Congratulations! get in touch with me via missbugetbeauty@hotmail.co.uk

If that's not you... better luck next time.. next giveaway planned is more cosmetic.. that's all I'll say!

Thanks for playing

Miss BB