The beauty market is ever evolving and you only have to take your eye away for a few weeks before something new (and very exciting) crops up. Luckily, I’ve had my eye on the ball this month – and have picked up a number of innovative, quirky and really really useful products – each of which I’ve been trying and testing myself!
Mind Over Matter Balm, £5 | link
I love the phrase ‘mind over matter’ which was probably my initial draw to this product. For me, it signifies a strength of character, pursuing something even though doubt might plague your mind – and keeping a positive outlook even when things look bleak. Often with my anxiety and panic attacks, I repeat ‘mind over matter’ to myself, in turn reassuring that I’m okay – I’m just having a slight blip. This balm is an embodiment of all of these factors, with a number of soothing essential oils to relax you, motivate you and serve as a reminder of the powerful message. With a blend of peppermint oils, bergamot and rosemary – you are supposed to apply this to all your pulse points – wrist, temples and neck – however if you’re in a hurry, usually just the temples and wrist can work wonders. I’ve used this a couple of times now and as a result, tend to carry it round in my handbag to ensure if I need a little pick-me-up, it’s only a reach away!
Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula, £4.15 | link
Palmer’s is a firm favourite of mine and has been for several years, with a gorgeous silky texture (which melts in straight away) and of course – it’s famous chocolately scent, which leaves you sniffing your arms all day long, as bizarre as that sounds! For some strange reason, I didn’t take my bottle with me to University and have been using up Christmas gift body lotions for about a year. This recently ventured back onto my radar, as they do miniature sizes which have been super handy for all the travelling I’ve been doing recently. If you love smelling divine – all day long – then this is definitely the one to try!
Spa Find Mineralizing Body Lotion, £23 | link
Although I love my everyday body butter, there is something infinitely special about having ‘pamper products’ which you save for special occasions. For me, this is the one that does just that! With a luxuriously creamy texture and a scent reminiscent of a 5 star spa, it’s enough to leave you feeling chilled and rested after a bath! Spa Find as a brand do offer very generous size bottles, which I love – hosted in a very handy pump style package! If you’re lucky enough to be venturing off to find some Winter sun (in which case, I’m very envious) this doubles up as an after sun, so it’s a really versatile and lovely product!
MyChelle Fruit Enzyme Cleanser, £6 | link
If I’m honest, this product wasn’t an immediate favourite but has grown on me as the month has gone by. It describes itself as a fruit cleanser but the scent is more reminiscent of aloe vera, which I actually prefer – however once applied to your skin, it does uphold more citrusy undertones. The one huge benefit of replacing this with my original cleanser was how silky soft it leaves your skin. I know that can tend to be a bit of a cliche, but this honestly leaves it baby smooth!
Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment, £8.49 | link
If you read this post then you’ll probably already know that speedy hair growth is at the top of my agenda beauty wise! Although I’ve tried every product under the sun that has ‘hair growth’ in the name, very few have been known to actually work and luckily – this is one of the successful ones. Applied to the ends, lengths and roots of your hair, it is easy to power through a whole tub of this but considering I only use it once a week, it is actually really affordable in terms of the other products out there. It smells amazing, leaves hair silky soft and I’ve definitely noticed an increase in hair growth due to the roots, which have grown out far quicker than they usually do. If you’re on a never-ending hair growing mission, this is a great one to try!
Time Bomb Complexion Cocktail, £24 | link
Made for ‘stressed skin’, I fit the bill perfectly for this quirky product – which initially resembles a detox juice (I almost drank it). Cocktail by name and cocktail by nature, it features some of the most soothing ingredients for a real skin boost, repairing it from damaging environmental factors and pollutants – which can often be an ‘invisible’ cause of break-outs. I apply tiny dabs of this after cleansing (but before moisturising) for an added couple of hours of hydration and a sleeker foundation finish. Somehow this makes my skin glow like nothing else – so it’s fab if you want a make-up free day but don’t fancy the endless stream of ‘you look tired’ comments!
I used to swear by water based sprays, especially if you needed an extra hydration boost when travelling in a hot country or on a plane but I couldn’t justify the vast price tags and the huge great bottles. Therefore, I found the mini H20 spray a pleasant change, with a very affordable price tag, a perfectly sized bottle and one (not so secret) ingredient.
LDN: Skins Self Tan Mousse, £22 | link
It’s the time of year when we all start to think about summer again. It’s not quite so distantly in the future and with holiday booking season in full swing, we all start to think about our impending getaways. Running side by side with this is the realisation that winter is no longer a heavy stretch ahead of us and that self tanning might actually fit rather well on the agenda again. My favourites haven’t really changed over the years but having recently been re-introduced to LDN: Skins – with their new non-streak mousse, I may have a new go-to product! Super easy to apply and with a professional mitt included, it leaves your skin with a healthy olive glow rather than anything too yellow toned – and doesn’t have that terrible biscuit smell that is a factor siding with me not tanning all year round!
Dead Sea Spa Magik Bath Salts, £3.90 | link
I’d heard that bathing in salts had a number of beneficial properties – but having gotten the wrong end of the stick once, pouring gallons (slight exaggeration but you know what I mean) of salt into my bath, attempting to relax and then giving up due to the weird tingling and stinging, I decided to give it a miss in general. On my next attempt, I used proper bath salts as opposed to table salt, with mud, salt and mineral extracts from the famous Dead Sea – which is said to do wonders not only for your skin but your aches and pains too! These are fantastic and oddly – I prefer them to a bath bomb or bubble bath, they allow you to relax so much more knowing it’s doing your skin tonnes of good!
Fresh Sugar Lemon Body Lotion, £15 | link
My lovely friend Claudia bought me this for my birthday last month and it’s been a favourite of mine ever since. I’d actually never heard of Fresh as a brand before, but I absolutely love the chic white packaging and focus on ‘fresh’ ingredients. The Sugar Lemon range smells incredible (sort of like a sherbet lemon but more wearable) and has the added bonus of containing mango seed oil, which makes the application really easy and the result super soft!
Kelly Brook Audition, £12.99 | link
I very rarely opt for new perfumes because I tend to stick with the same favourites, however on the lookout for something for everyday wear, rather than for special occasions, I decided to give Kelly Brook’s new perfume a run for its money. Celebrity perfumes can often get it very wrong but this one ticks all the boxes – it’s not too sweet, yet not too overpoweringly musky, it’s wearable and feminine. It reminds me a little of the Vera Wang perfumes, but not as powerful – with mostly floral notes! It’s actually really affordable and comes in a cute little bottle, so if you are on the lookout for something new – make sure you give this a sniff!
Venus Snap with Embrace, £9.99 | link
If you regularly (like me) get somewhere and realised you haven’t shaved your legs before panicking, then this little handy snap pod is definitely up your street. More often than not I travel to places and realise we’re going out for dinner – before having to write off every single dress in my suitcase due to annoying prickly hairs (oh the joys of being a woman), so the invention of a tiny, mini razor which is even small enough to fit into a clutch – yet doesn’t have the ability to scratch and cut like the cheap disposable ones, is a welcome addition to the beauty world! The Venus Snap is exactly like it’s larger counterparts (which is lucky as they’re definitely my favourite razor brand) however it comes housed in a compact pod and snaps out whenever you need it, with an easy-to-hold mini handle. I guess you’ll have to try it out yourself to gage it’s success but it certainly works for me and has made my life on the go – a lot easier!
What are your favourite beauty bits this month? I’m always on the lookout for new products to try, so please do let me know!