time saving in shower miracles

today I am reviewing two in shower moisturisers - one belonging to a well trusted brand and with one of the best smelling & softening ingredients ever and another own brand product with the skin healing & recovering ingredient i adore.

the first is Nivea In Shower Moisturiser with Cocoa Butter, £3.55

as soon as I saw the advert many months ago for Nivea's in shower moisturiser I was taken. I knew I had to give it a go - I always have to moisturise my skin and I often don't out of laziness. If I shower before a night out I always do my legs and forget about my arms, that do itch a lot. If I shower in the morning before work I just don't have time to do my whole beauty regime so I cut it way down to your basic shampoo and conditioning. Annoyingly, these are my favourite times to shower - so when this product was in a 3 for 2 offer in Boots I jumped at the chance.

not only are the results brilliant - I only have to moisturise my face post shower now! - it contains cocoa butter, which I'm sure has more benefits than just smelling fantastic. Given that my family are fans of Palmers Cocoa Butter I basically swear by the stuff, (looking up technical jargon now...), just as I thought - it is thought to have benefits such as reducing stretch marks and treating sensitive skin kindly. Two things I cannot live without in my moisturiser. 

the only downsides to this product is when I put it on it seems to disappear so quickly I have to dollop a load more on to really get it all over my skin, it also feels rather greasy at first (obviously acting a lot like a conditioner, you are supposed to wash it away) but I'm not 100% keen on that feeling.

the second is Superdrug's Vitamin E In Shower Moisturiser, £2.99

well well well.. who knew? Superdrug's vitamin E range has rave reviews as far as I can see, and if you read my blog on the regular you will know that I adore anything with vitamin E. Like I have said many times it is the best healing ingredient of all healing ingredients. Beating cocoa butter with a barge pole and laughing in it's face kinda good. I only know this fact and swear by it, because my lovely auntie is a masseuse, so when I was having issues with my hips and arse growing to three times the size, and as a result of such, having major stretchmarks, she suggested I get a product with vitamin E in it and massage it into my stretch marks every night. I did and they went from nasty purple to white so quickly (I still do anything to get rid of them as they are still visible and the worst things ever).

this product in particular does split when you start to apply it, but it smells clean and fresh and has many proven to be great benefits from its wonderful ingredients. 

I can't decide which I prefer between the two - I have been switching between them for weeks to decide and I can't for the life of me. All I can say is - buy one (whether the slightly cheaper option or the trusted branded one I dont care). But if you know what's good for you, you will try one. And there are more out there! I've spotted one by Olay somewhere before, I'm sure there are more.

Happy hunting :) & Remember the names of the products will link you to where you can buy them.

scrub up well

I have got some many ideas for posts that I've actually had trouble choosing what to write up today! And this is just for beauty.. i do need inspiration for my nails however (Do not despair i will have a lovely tutorial up for you all tomorrow).

For now I want to show off my facial skin-care routine, including all the stages that I (now) do.. that's cleanse, tone, exfoliate, moisturise. The most important part of skin-care is finding products that suit your skin - condition and sensitivity. 

I have determined that my skin is mixed, I get oily around my t-zone (see below for a cheeky diagram on what this is) but dry and itchy around my jaw line and eyes. If you have mixed skin you can use the same products that I do - these products can apply to other skin types though so I will explain the qualities of each one and what makes them brill for your skin.

cleansing

Simple Kind to Skin Purifying Cleansing Lotion, £2.99

This lotion is really good for sensitive skin, it's not harsh but still gets rid of all your make up. It works really well as an eye make-up remover as well (god knows I need that). Reading the back it seems to have a lot of vitamins and good ingredients for your skin especially good is Vitamin E. If you can get anything with vitamin E in it then it's good, you need as much of that stuff as you can get. It makes the appearance of scars and marks on your skin better and smoothes it out (I know this because my auntie who is a masseuse recommended it when I got some stretch-marks a few years ago). I use this in the evening and morning as well, to get rid of over night dirt - I use it right before I apply my make up as it also moisturises the skin lightly so you don't have to wait until you can apply make up (this you would have to do with normal moisturiser to avoid slippy foundation).

toning

B. by Superdrug B. Pure Micellar Water, £4.99

I never understood what toning is, to me it sounds like a quick fix to great abs in a bottle (I WISH), but it unfortunately isn't. We tone our skin to get rid of any left over make up, dirt and dead skin cells. Sounds harsh right? Well actually it isn't too bad, I don't tone everyday as I find it irritates my skin and I end up moisturising a lot to compensate. But this Micellar Water is really good as it's quite gentle so I use it 3-4 times a week to keep my skin supple and firm. It's actually a 3 in 1 formula, so it is a cleanser, toner and refresher - which is great! I know it's doing it's job and there is no need to rinse it off. I would suggest using this daily if your skin is tougher than mine (or normal) just don't get it in your eyes! 

exfoliating

Freederm Exfoliating Daily Wash, £5.19

I didn't ever bother exfoliating regularly until recently, my skin has been breaking out left right and centre and i had enough, so I went straight to the Freederm section, and I am so glad I did.

This product is meant for spot prone skin so you know it's going to do you some good, it combats blackheads and works quickly. I started using it daily and my spots started to clear up and blackheads appeared .. well.. less black! within a week. I use this in the evening after I've cleaned all my make-up off. There is a sensitive one available which I didn't realise, but I would say if you have mixed skin this one will work just fine as it's not irritating unless you over scrub. I did over-exfoliate (something I didn't think was possible) and mustn't have moisturised properly so I ended up with really dry skin around my nostrils, make up really irritated it so be careful!

moisturising

Nivea Express Hydration Body Lotion for Normal Skin, £3.59

I swear by Nivea for moisturising, I also have the in shower moisturiser which is lush!, I normally would get Nivea Soft but have recently been using this and it does the job just fine... until I go grab my next batch of Nivea Soft. I love this one because it absorbs really fast so I don't have sticky skin when I go to bed, which is when I do most of my routine. I tend to cleanse as soon as I get in from work and then leave everything else till I am getting ready for bed. I've always moisturised and everyone should, it's so important especially if you have dry patches of skin. You can also get good mattifying moisturisers that are made for oilier skin (so if you do have oily skin there is no excuse!)

extra caring

Detoxifying Face Mask with Dead Sea Mud from Superdrug, £2.59

I love a good face mask every now and then, when I have a couple of hours to really pamper myself. And what better way to do than with a little dead sea mud? This mask is really nice and my skin feels so soft after I use it, I even think my blackheads look better. I would recommend this if you do get bad blackheads. If you aren't a mask kinda person, you don't need to go whole hog, just put it on your worse areas (or t-zone) while you are in the shower and wash off within 5 minutes - easy peasy.

N.B. Drink as much water as possible, it's so good for your skin I can't explain! I try and drink a large bottle  (don't ask me how many litres it is) a day through the week and I treat myself on the weekend and evenings to juice and iced tea hehe!

Have fun cleansing ladies!

xxxxxx

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going balm'y

I was quite impressed with my pun today - It took a sleepy warm tube ride (one of the ones where you fall asleep and fall off the curb - you know the one!), that combined with a rummage through my bag looking for my new favourite lip balm to realise I have too many lips balms/glosses/ointments/scrubs/sticks in my Mandy (Mandy is from Mango, she is my handbag, and I love her). Seeing as I've shown you all my lipsticks here in my red lippy post I thought I would stick to all the other lip products Mandy has been hoarding for me.

So these aren't in any real kind of order but the Pocket Balm by Bakewell & Vaseline with Cocoa Butter I alternate because I love them both so much. I would recommend all of them -that's why they all made the cut into Mandy's infinite depths. 

Prepping - Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub

When I need it a love a good exfoliation, I never thought of doing this to my lips until my best friend turned up to my hole in Uni and showed me this product. It is basically sugar in a pot to be honest and I do eat it (even though I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to) but it's so nice! - It's actual purpose is to exfoliate the lips and prep them to be balmed and lipsticked. And it really does work, even if it is just a jar of sugar goodness.

 It's The Bakewell Soap Company Multi-Purpose Pocket Balm in May Chang Citrus

This balm isn't just for lips, I've used it on my cuticles to soften and keep them in shape and my elbows when they got oddly dry the other week. It smells lush though I suspect there is hemp in the ingredients (they aren't stated on the tin!). It's very strong in smell and in action, it works absolute wonders. I swear by my Vaseline normally but I started with this product last month when it came in my Love Me Beauty box - I will be sure to invest in it in the future as I recommend you do too!

The obvious runner up is my Vaseline Lip Therapy with Cocoa Butter

Need I go into detail with this product? It speaks for itself in reputation, the cocoa butter smell is my favourite. I have all sorts of cocoa butter products (inspiration for a post) because it's really good for dry skin and soothes my itchy arms and legs (post shaving!) so I knew I would love this version of the magical Vaseline tin of miracle balm. All I need say is, try it - it lives up to reputation.

The hydrator or also known as Nivea Hydro Care Lip Balm

This one is normally found under my pillow, especially when I have a cold as that's when my lips get driest. It does what it says on the tin - hydrates your lips to the maximum, definitley a must if you tend to get dry lips/bite your lips (I have a really bad habit of this, hence the amount of lip balms I own)

Love this one for the taste... DuWop Iced Tea Treatment in Strawberry Kiwi

This is one of the products I have had for 5 years, I remember how much I love the fragrance (and taste), use it for a week and then lose it again until I move house/flat! I have no idea where I got it from but it always finds its way back into my life, and I am glad because it is lush - the smell keeps me coming back for more. All I remember about getting this lip treatment is having really bad lips and being sat rubbing it on my chops for a good hour before realising it wasn't really helping.. This means I wouldn't call a treatment, I use it as a gloss because it gives a lovely sheen.

The last two products are what I use for a bit of colour when I'm not quite in the mood for the bright red look I love to go for!

When I'm all pretty in pink and girly it's got to be Lanolips Lip Ointment with Colour in Rose 

This product is from a long line of lip ointments and lanolin products. Lanolin is a miracle working thing that makes you all soft and healed (at least thats my version of it). This ointment has a lovely pinky colour that I love to use when I'm not going for my usual lipstick choices. And it has SPF 15 which is always a plus to this pale skinned red head.

Another one that I couldn't pinpoint it's entry into my collection - Pretty:Smile Pearl Shine Lip Gloss

Pretty sure this one came from my mum when she decided the roller didn't work for her - but it works for me fine, and I love a roller (I haven't the foggiest why). But this product, more importantly, glosses a lovely lovely sheen onto your lips, it's really light (makes it perfect for summer) and has Q10 in it (which is apparently good for cell growth - so another goodie for those biters out there).

BIG post for you all today, but I hope you enjoyed it because I do own this many lip glosses and have been this way for as long as I can remember - and I KNOW I'm not the only one ;)

Try as many of these as you can because they are all favourites of mine, determined after years of research and lip application! - And believe it or not this is not ALL of the lip products I own, it's just the ones in my handbag!

PS - don't forget to click the names as they are links to see/buy the products!

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tough choices

I know I know I know.. where have I been? Well since 'The slump is over' I went to Manchester to see my family and the lovely lady Danielle for her 21st birthday.. one wild night, big hug with my baby niece and a hop skip and a 3 hour journey later I was back in the big smoke. 

2 Days of tiring work and an early night have fueled my fire and I am back with inspiration and many plans for fun posts for my lovely followers (however few they are).

So today what I've got for you is a tried and tested post. Since I started my new job, I've had to get back into the swing of breaking down boxes (my absolute favourite job of all time... ) on a daily basis. Meaning cuts, scratches, scissor danger mainly, and general rough stuff. Okay so granted its only cardboard boxes and the dangers aren't that bad but when you are a nail nerd like me loverly hands are kind of essential.

I tested: Nivea Express Hydration For Normal to Dry Hands (I'm sure it was free), Nip & Fab Yoga Blend Body Lotion (With Lavender and Rose and Coconut and other Special Stuff that smells amazing), GHOST SWEETHEART Body Lotion (A Christmas Present) and E45 Cream (from when I have a foot rash, yes, a foot rash).

So without further adieu I give you a little moisturizer tried and tested post for those of you who would like to know what moisturizer I use - because yes, I think that people need to know this kind of thing about my v.i.p life and hand care.

Smells grrrrrrrreat!

Ghost Sweetheart Body Lotion

As part of a Christmas Present (That I asked for ) from the wonderful Santa Claus aka My lovely mother, I thought of it as nothing but an extra bit of crap to go on the old dressing table in my East London bedroom. However, given I LOVE the Ghost Sweetheart smell I started using it and it is now nearly empty! The only downside is it's not very well moisturizery for me. I can get quite dry skin and this doesn't really solve that problem it just smells absolutely amazing! And.. Saves wasting precious perfume! :)

The posh one :)

Nip & Fab Yoga Blend Body Lotion With Lavender, Coconut & Rose

This one is another one that smells fantastic - and I know, like Ghost, it is a body lotion so it probably shouldn't be able to stick it's nozzle into my hand cream tried and tested post, but I love using it on my hands these days. It is one of those moisturizers where you get a little bit out because it smells so lovely and you see the size of the bottle and decide to put more on.. then more.. then more until you smell like a rose bush. It's also really silky and smooooth, and light which I have found to be good qualities in a moisturizer.

Does the job

E45 Cream

Now this cream was a desperate buy when I started my internship working for B&Q's press agency, I was so run off my feet they felt like they were going to burst into flames every night and I longed to get home and scratch them until I started coating them in E45. It's something you know will do the job - when my cheeks got dry over Christmas it was a go to and so now it just seems entirely appropriate for when my hands are feeling extra dry and in need of some really medical attention.

Current Favourite

Nivea Express Hydration Hand Lotion

Currently, this is the lotion I can't keep my hands off, or keep off my hands for that matter. It absorbs super quickly which is extra convenient when you are trying to open a nail polish, and it smellss really quite nice to say it isn't fragranced, it also actually does the job by making your hands super soft, so much so you feel like your hands will slip right off the rails on the tube! (That totally didn't happen and even if it did I am so not blaming it on the hand cream...) All facts aside it is currently the best I have, perhaps as it is the only actual HAND lotion I have but that doesn't stop me from using it on my face... :)

Even though one of the key ingredients to a lovely pampering manicure is a good lotion, this post isn't really much about nails - I am considering doing some beauty posts after looking at the hoard of products I own, it could be fun.

Ciao bella

PS Click the names of the lotions to see them on their available websites :)

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