Life's Little Saviours... Beauty Edition

I was thinking about what little essential products really just make life easier while at the same time being incredibly useful. So I went through my bathroom cabinet and make up drawer to see what I could come up with. Surprisingly there is only one "make up" product.

1. La Roche Posay Cicaplast Mains - I love a good hand cream and this is what I am currently using. I got this just before Christmas when I spotted it in my local chemist. I have read so many La Roche Posay reviews, so I couldn't resist. It is kind of a gel-like formula which acts as a barrier too. Great if you suffer from seriously dry hands. Mine aren't too bad but this hand cream is really brilliant.

2. Mane n' Tail Detangler - This is a fairly new product in my collection, but in those couple of weeks it has made life so much easier for me, you know, hair wise! My hair is so incredibly tatty. If I brush it through smooth, I will have knots in it after about 30 seconds flat! I spray this Detangler in my hair after I wash it, and it is incredible how I can brush my hair with ease. You can use the Detangler in dry hair too, but I find just using it in my wet hair is enough, and I can still brush my hair easily right up until I next wash my hair. Fantastic product.

3. Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan - I never used to wear fake tan apart from the odd special occasion...now I wear it all the time. Ever since I discovered the fabulous Cocoa Brown a little over a year ago, I use it religiously at least once per week. It is the most lovliest tan, easy to apply, not a streak in sight and it gives me the most perfect colour. It looks so natural. I don't even remember what I look like un-tanned! Honestly, this is one product I could never be without.

4. Batiste Dry Shampoo - Another hair product! My hair gets greasy pretty quickly and if it wasn't for this dry shampoo, I would have to wash my hair every day and that is just not happening! Now I can wash my hair and get a good three days out of it. I have used other brands of dry shampoo but Batiste is by far the best. They have a huge range of scents but the original is my favourite, it smells quite citrusy and I actually think it is the most effective on my hair. It's also great for adding texture to your hair for styling.

5. Burts Bees Lip Balm - A good lip balm is essential every day and Burts bees is my favourite. They are so moisturising and last a long time on your lips before having to re-apply. The scents are just amazing too. The original honey is my favourite, but the chocolate and blueberry is gorgeous too! I have one of these in my handbag, on my dressing table and one at work as well. They are really good quality for the price. When you compare them to something like Baby Lips, you can really tell that the Baby Lips are a little waxy in comparison. Burts Bees are just so nourishing and beneficial.

6. YSL Touche Eclait - I got this for Christmas and I swear I have never looked back since. I am extremely conscious about my under eye area. I have spent years searching for concealers to cover my under eye bags, but nothing worked. I realised that I actually don't have bags or dark circles, just the natural contours of my eye. What I needed was a brightening product, and one which has a thin/light consistency. Enter Touche Eclait. This is every thing I had been searching for. A quick stroke of this and my eyes are transformed. It is a wonder product and one which I now could not be without.

Recent Purchases - featuring Kerastase, Chanel, Burts Bees and more!

In the run up to Christmas and over the holidays, I really wanted to restrict the amount of cosmetics I purchased. In fact, it's part of my new years resolution. I don't *need* that really. But here are a few things which I did treat myself to. I work full time and I do enjoy buying myself little things here and there. These are some items which I got over the last 4 or 5 weeks.

Burts Bees Lip Balm Blueberry and Chocolate - While browsing one evening for shampoos on Feelunique.com, this little lipbalm ended up in my shopping cart. I do love lipbalms, and I think Burts Bees are actually the best lipbalm out there. But the Blueberry and Chocolate version is something that I had never heard of before and I really wanted to try. The balm itself is so lovely and moisturising like all Burts Bees lipbalms, but the scent is absolutely incredible. Admittedly it is more blueberry than chocolate, but it is amazing nonetheless. I adore it!

Kerastase Bain Divalent Shampoo - I had been using Kerastase Bain Exfoliant Purifiant for dry scalp for the last year or two, and lately I noticed that it has been doing nothing for me. So I decided to go with a different shampoo this time. This one is for oily roots and sensitised lengths, which describes my hair perfectly. It lathers up really nice and has a nice scent. I have noticed that I have been getting an extra day out of my hair, and it seems to be a lot kinder to my coloured hair too. Brilliant!

Deborah Lipmann Wicked Nail Polish Trio - I did not actually buy these but my sister's friend in America sent them over for me, because I love nail polishes and I love Wicked! This nail polish set is limited edition and exclusive to Sephora. The shades are (left to right) Defying Gravity, Popular and One Short Day. I love them all but Popular is my favourite! And I will be wearing them when I go to see Wicked again in the Bord Gais Energy Theatre on it's last day of the Ireland shows.

Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel - I have wanted this product for so long and on my recent trip to Dublin I popped into Arnotts and just decided to buy it. I don't usually wear bronzer, but since I got this I have been wearing it nonstop! It is an even better product than I thought it was going to be! Some days I just wear this all over my face on it's own when I don't have time to put on make up. It is absolutely amazing and I can imagine I will use it plenty in the summer months!

Katy Perry Killer Queen 50ml Eau de Parfum - I had tested this perfume before and thought it was nice, but I had to get this gift set when I saw it reduced to £15.00 in my local chemist! It is such a lovely  Wintery fragrance I think, and the bottle looks absolutely extraordinary. I will do a more in-depth review soon, because I really do think this perfume is very special!



It's ok to treat yourself now and then, isn't it?!

Battle of the Lip Balms!

Lately I have become shall we say obsessed with lip balms? I carry several around with me daily and apply them liberally (and unnecessarily). I love the feeling when you first apply the balm to your lips and you can feel it there, so I probably apply my lipbalms a lot more often than normal! Burt's Bees has been a favourite of mine for a few months, but after acquiring an EOS lipbalm (which I have wanted forever!) and finally getting my hands on Baby Lips, I thought I would put them all to the test to see which one came out on top!

Burt's Bees Honey Lip Balm - £3.49 - (4.25g)

I love this lipbalm and keep one on my desk at work. It is not tinted. It smells so very natural, it is definitely a true honey scent. I can imagine that some people would not like the scent of it. The balm itself is unremarkable, I suppose it is a little bit on the waxy side. The little tube is very slim and petite.

I applied this one liberally, and I found that after about 40 minutes the feeling of the balm had disappeared. 

EOS Lip Balm "Strawberry Sorbet"  - £5.99 (7g)

I have wanted one of these lipbalms for so long! They are so unique in their packaging, it is like an egg shape with a screw off top. The balm itself is a large dome. The scent of this one is lovely. It smells like strawberry bubble gum. But is the packaging just a gimmick? I could not believe how soft this balm is when I first tried it. It feels so good to wear and it applies well. I got 50 minutes before the "balm" feeling had worn off. It is also worth noting how much product you get in this one compared to the others.

Maybelline Baby Lips "Cherry Me" - £2.99 (4g)

Ah the much coveted Baby Lips! Finally they have made their way over here. I chose the shade Cherry Me because I kind of like tinted lip balms a lot more and I thought this shade would be best on me. The packaging on this one is very sturdy and chunky. The balm itself is very soft and not dissimilar to the texture of the EOS. The scent of this one is just amazing! It smells like cherry sweets. I applied this and I absolutely adored the colour on my lips, the texture and that sweet smell! However - after only 20 minutes I was reaching for the lipbalm because it just didn't last that long on me!



So now I have to decide which one I like best! My winner is..... EOS! I just feel that for the price, the amount of product you get, the lovely scent and of course the balm itself which is super soft and hydrating. Plus the packaging is cute and unique!

I must admit I was a little disappointed that Baby Lips did not have any staying power, however I absolutely do adore it, especially for the cherry scent and lovely tint on your lips. I have been wearing this one all day today and it really is lovely, very good price too.

So I think Burt's Bees is going to take a back seat for a while! It just does not feel as soft and nourishing as the other two balms.

So there you have it! Have you tried any of these lip balms? Let me know what you think!

Essential Burt's Bees Kit

Recently I bought the original Burt's Bees lip balm and I have been kind of addicted to the scent. I can't even describe it, but I just love it because it is just so natural. I saw a lot of Burt's Bees stuff reduced in Debenhams, and I really wanted to try some more of their products. I thought this essential kit would be a good start!

This Beeswax Lipbalm is quite nice, however it is a peppermint one which I am not keen on. I don't really like balms that leave your lips feeling tingly. It is really good but I much prefer the honey lip balm.

This deep cleansing cream is absolutely fantastic! It smells so fresh and clean, and it leaves your face feeling so deeply cleansed. You know, it leaves that "tingling" feeling which I really appreciate as it makes me feel like this product has definitely done it's job! I wouldn't use it every night though, just maybe once or twice a week.

The milk and honey body lotion is absolutely lovely. This has the most "natural" scent of them all. I have been using this one quite a bit, so I think I will have to get the full size! My skin absolutely feels so nourished and moisturised. The lotion itself is quite thick and creamy. When applied it doesn't really feel sticky, which is what I usually hate about body lotions! So I absolutely adore this!

This foot cream is absolutely phenomenal. I wouldn't really call it a cream though, it is more like a gel/paste kind of texture. It is quite sticky, and the instructions suggest that you apply this at night and wear cotton socks all night. I actually did this and the results were incredible. I am so happy with this!

This hand salve I thought was quite unusual. I was expecting a hand cream, but when I opened the tin I realised that it is more of a Vaseline texture. However, it isn't even quite as soft as Vaseline - it's so difficult to describe! The scent is quite medicinal and I absolutely love it. I would take a little bit of this product and massage across my knuckles which would tend to be the driest. It really is so nice to use and effective too.

I hope you enjoyed this post. This little kit was a nice taster for me and I definitely am left with a good impression of Burt's Bees. I would really like to try out more of their products!