Now that the first month of the year has been and gone, I've been able to give some of my Christmas goodies a run for their money. Since I have been using these, as well as the firm favourites I have carried over from last year, I figured I was more than ready to post about my current favourites. I can say without a doubt that these products will be used up and bought again so I had to give them their moment!
It has been years since I've written in a diary (even though I've owned a fair few) but I've always been a notebook hoarder and when I stumbled across this diary in Sainsburys, it's suedette finish alone drew me in. I left without purchasing it but I soon realised that I had made a huge stationary mistake so went back to get it the next week and found that it was on sale for a mere £3! I popped it in my basket feeling rather smug and have carried it around with me ever since. I don't use this diary as a journal but as an everyday planner. I am a huge advocate of list-making, creating them on a daily basis, so having them all in one, extremely organised place suits me just fine. I'm heading to Amsterdam at the beginning of March so have been researching the best places to go, food to eat, things to see e.t.c and have enjoyed both writing them in the diary and cramming the pages with additional (food-research) documents!
Next up is a bronzer by High Definition, a brand I have never delved into but have wanted to try ever since hearing about the very highly rated HD brows kit. I got this bronzer behind one of the doors of my Look Beauty advent calendar and was very excited to give it a whirl. The first thing I noticed was the natural (non-muddy) tone it had as I have a fairly pale complexion and bronzers with any orange undertones looks very out of place on my face. I have been using this for a month now and it looks pretty much untouched! It is a highly pigmented product and is silky smooth, meaning a little goes a long way and it always looks very natural on the face. I would say I'm definitely interested in re-purchasing this product but as it shows no signs of hitting pan for a very long time, I don't know that I'll ever need to!
January was the coldest month of winter so far and my skin was craving anything that could give it an extra boost of hydration. I use the Rodial Stemcell super-food glam balm multi and the Nuxe Masque Creme Fraiche as a pair to combat my dry skin. I apply the mask to my freshly cleansed face and leave it to sink in for at least ten minutes. Nuxe claim that this mask gives the same results as a botanical wrap, something that I can't comment on having never had one but it really does leave your skin looking and feeling extremely fresh. I have sensitive skin so always worry about irritation when trying out new skincare products but this leaves my skin feeling soothed and I can even use it around my eyes - the most sensitive area of my face.
Rodial's Stemcell really fills my face with moisture. It has tiny exfoliating beads in it so I like to sit and really work it into the skin as I like to feel it doing it's job. I use this at night and my skin looks much more awake and healthier in the morning. Rodial say that this can be used as a plumping mask and I would definitely say that this plumps up the skin as it gives it the essential nutrients your skin craves, especially during the colder months!
This trio has been my shower sidekick for the past few months. After visiting Rush in Piccadilly Circus back in July, I have been battling the dreaded warm undertones and the Fudge Violet Toning Shampoo has been doing a great job at keeping any of these at bay whilst I grow my hair out and try to get back to my natural colour. It is generally recommended to use a purple shampoo twice a week but seeing as I only wash my hair three times a week, I tend to use it for most washes.
Soap and Glory's Smoothie Star Breakfast Scrub has been a long time favourite of mine but I hadn't used it in a while as I'd been trying out a couple of others that I didn't like as much but wanted to finish off! So I put this the Breakfast Scrub on my Christmas list and have been enjoying using it ever since. The smell alone is reason enough to love it but it does do a brilliant job at exfoliating your entire body and leaving it feeling silky smooth, which is down to the lovely shea butter, sweet almond extract and honey! I also use the Smoothie Star body lotion to go alongside this and once I've used up my current shower gels, I am definitely adding the shower gel to my collection!
The Burts Bees Coconut Foot Cream is now a part of my pamper routine, something I try to treat myself to once a week. I like to use this after a relaxing soak in a Lush-filled bubble bath as I find this is the best way to ensure that the product is really soaked up. Coconut is one of my favourite scents (along with vanilla) and I am a fully fledged fan of Burts Bees so the combination was always going to be a winner for me.
I hope you all had a wonderful January! Please let me know if you have any favourites that you think I would love too :)
H x