First Aid Beauty: Gentle Body Wash

This morning's Saturday morning shower is accompanied by a cute body wash by First Aid Beauty. I received this reduced size from Glossybox a couple of months ago and thought I would give it a try today.

The design of this bottle screams gentle, sensitive, good for you, fragrance free, safe, etc etc. To be honest I rarely get excited about a shower experience that promises nothing in the lines of intoxicating herbal vapors, I don't think something like this would compel me to make a purchase, in fact the only interesting thing about this body wash is the retro design and of course the words "antioxidant booster."

This is however, a very capable and hydrating cleanser and for those with sensitive skin it is most definitely a product that is worthy of a place on your bathroom shelf. The consistency this much like a facial cleanser, a pale cream that doesn't lather up but glides onto the skin effortlessly. There was absolutely no irritation to the skin on my legs while shaving either, plus it hydrated my skin enough to skip lotion after.

I will be using the rest of my bottle for post-gym showers as I think my skin will appreciate this most when it has been overworked and stressed with perspiration.

Orange and Carrot Juice

This morning I'm kicking off the weekend (and banishing my hangover) with some super juice from M&S.

If consumed regularly, carrot juice will enrich your system with glorious Vitamin A and it's great for your skin.

Personally I think the best places to get hold of carrot juice are those that can make it fresh, on-site like Pret or Crussh but this little bottle of Orange and Carrot will do me just fine- AND this will give me 2 of my highly coveted 5 a day. Being healthy is easy peasy.

Rituals: Foaming Shower Gel

It's with a heavy heart I retire this can of shower gel by Rituals to the recycle bin today after squeezing the last bit of life out of it this morning*sniff, sniff.* 

Just imagine for a minute your bathroom steaming up nicely in the warmth of your hot shower, well adding a small amount to the palm of your shower gloves before rubbing your hands together to lather up creates the most invigorating sensation. 

The gel puffs up instantly like shave foam and the heady scent of rosemary and eucalyptus transported me back to the heavenly steam rooms at the Thermae Bath Spa, even after you're done the scent lingers on in your bathroom for hours.

Other than the unique, spa-like smell I find it an all round good shower gel; the foam retains itself very well and you only really need an amount the size of a 10p piece to cleanse your whole body, so this 200ml can goes a long way, also a good companion for shaving.  

My Current Skincare Favourites

Bank holiday spring clean of the bathroom; if a product makes it to my bathroom shelf you know you have made it! 

Accessorize Blusher: Sensation

Just a very quick post to throw a little appreciation in the way of Accessorize for their excellent range in blusher. I absolutely love a good pink blush; on pale skin like mine I find a flash of rose across the apples of my cheeks livens up my whole face.

The one I have pictured is called Sensation, it's a very soft, water colour shade with a faint lacing of gold shimmer which provides a great highlighting effect (perhaps steer clear if you're a matte girl).

This was an impulse buy to start with, to be honest I didn't really hold very much faith that a company specializing in bags and accessories would produce good quality cosmetics but this blusher really packs a punch, the simplicity of this product has made it my current every day favourite. 

Hangover Battles

Oh, that terrible feeling when you finally open your eyes with vague memories of getting home and a realization that you have the hangover the size of Kent and it needs dealing with immediately. That was (or perhaps, still is) me today.

So, it was a friend's housewarming party in Bethnal Green, I drank prosecco before leaving the house (makes getting ready sooo much more fun) and then progressed onto pear cider- until 5:30am when my boyfriend and I finally called time and left for home.

Raging hangovers can often be a great opportunity to take the time throughout the day to really relax, detox and recharge making you ready and energised for the week ahead.

First things first; for you to battle your hangover effectively it is very important that you anticipate it's actually going to happen; before you leave for a party or night out with friends plan ahead; have a large bottle of water, ibuprofen, cleanser and tiger balm by your bed so that the minute you wake up you can re-hydrate, remove all traces of makeup and blast that headache before the moaning and wailing begins. Rub some tiger balm on your temples and inhale the relaxing vapors for a super soothing, natural remedy.

Then it's all about flushing out the toxins and putting some moisture back into your system so I try to avoid caffeine and go for antioxidant rich redbush tea instead and aim for about 2-3 liters of water.

Next up is beetroot, raw, peeled and chopped. Beetroot is actually a highly effective hangover aid as its jam packed with beta cyanin- this is important because it speeds up the detoxification process in your liver, so its basically like giving your toxins from the night before an express ticket out of your system in super fast time. You only need to munch on something the size of a small apple too so it's quick and easy.

Make sure you keep hold of the redbush tea bags after use; soak them in some icy cold water (as pictured) and rest them over your eyes (like you would do with cucumber slices) for about 5 minutes and get an instant brightening effect. I've been doing this for years and I am yet to find an eye gel that does a better job.

Today I have done all the above and while I am still cursing pear cider and making no sudden movements, I am feeling much more relaxed and fresher than if I was to just reach for the leftover pizza and after a good nights sleep I know I'll be full of life and productivity tomorrow morning.

Simple Skincare by Simple

A work colleague of mine were having a natter the other day while having a cheeky cigarette (sshhh, please don't tell anyone!) and talk progressed (as usual) to beauty regimes.

Her mother had a bit of a nip and tuck a few months ago and when she consulted the advice of her top Harley Street skin specialist he replied with a simple recommendation; Simple!

That alone to me was valuable information; what a scoop! I thought to myself. You may already know from comments in previous posts that while I've never had problem skin I do find at times I suffer from season changing break outs and tend to opt for industrial strength cleansers to keep spots at bay so I've dismissed Simple as I thought their products wouldn't be strong enough to take me on.

Well, my work friend's mother has been waxing lyrical about these £3 bottles of cleansers and moisturisers and so naturally I caved and hot footed it down to my local chemist to stock up. I've plumped for a regenerating cleanser and a night cream; applied last night I found the cleanser removed all of my makeup (including heavy mascara) and city grime without any fuss, so no need for muslin cloths or eye makeup remover gel. The night cream felt comforting and soothing which was a lovely feeling just before bedtime, woke up with smooth, plump skin. Not sure if this is a fluke so I've decided to exclusively use Simple products for a whole month to really se if it can punch their weight with the big boys.

Needless to say any beauty trial I undertake makes me giddy with glee!

Will of course give a full review when I'm done.