Christmas beauty gifts!

Hey guys! Hope you had a great Christmas!


I was lucky enough to get some really nice stuff off Santa :)

I've had some of them before, so I'll tell you briefly what I think of those items in this post, other items I will do reviews on them separately, please feel free to ask me to do a review if you'd like to know what something is like! I suppose you could see this post as a haul... kind of... apart from I didn't buy most of the stuff! The things I did buy myself I will try to include the price for you!

Scroll to the bottom of the post to see the item I'm MOST excited about trying :)

Sanctuary Spa Covent Garden - Luxurious body treats

• Kyphi, shea and almond nourishing body lotion
• Kyphi, honey & lotus nourishing bath creme
• Mande-Lular, sensuous body scrub
• Mande-Lular, sensuous body souffle
• Mande-Lular, honey & coconut sensuous bath creme
• shower loofa 

Soap & Glory - Lock, Stock & Bubble bag

• Flake away (shea butter, sugar and peach seed body polish) I LOVE this stuff!
• The righteous butter (shea butter and aloe vera) 
• Clean on me (shower creme) 
• Off your face (face wipes, acid free exfoliator)
• Girligo (spray on body moisturising mist) this stuff is great if you're in a hurry as it doesn't linger on the skin (if I have more time then I'll use the righteous butter!
• shower loofa

Harajuku Lovers fragrance - Lil' Angel

This comes in the cutest packaging! It's a great perfume to use during the day as it's not too heavy, quite fresh and flirty!

You can take the lid off, and leave it home if you want to take the perfume in your handbag. I don't find that the perfume sprays or leaks in my bag so it's all good!

Recently purchased (about to try) 

T-Gel shampoo for sensitive scalp
I have a really dry irritated scalp, probably caused by this horrendously cold weather! I've gone and left my other T-Gel at my flat, so I'm now trying the sensitive scalp one in attempt to tame my itchy scalp :( this is all in preparation for................................

John Frieda Precision Foam Colour!! 
I really want my scalp to get back to normal before I try this product! I'm worried about getting a reaction if my scalp is acting up.... but within the next week I should have tried the foam colour :) I have it in Light Natural Blonde. Please comment if you've used this product (any colour) and tell me how you got on! :)

Miss Sporty Studio Lash Mascara review!

“Instant Volume – Lash Volumising eye opening mascara. Ultimate lash volumising and sculpting mascara with precise applicator. Brings body to your lashes – from instant volume to a dramatic eye look. Lashes are super thick, yet perfectly separated and ultimately lifted. Zero clumps. Smudge Proof. Opthalmologically Testd”

This mascara is GREAT! I can’t say this enough! If you want lengthening and volumising in one mascara, then you should definitely give this a go! Plus it's CHEAP! Around £3.29

How did I find it?

I’m fortunate enough to have quite long lashes, which people have commented on in the past! I just needed to find a mascara that would volumise and curve to make my eyes stand out (I don’t like using heavy eye shadow you see). In the past, I have bought really cheap mascaras, and ended up going over the top applying it, so it looked really thick & clumpy (what was I thinking?!).

I actually found Miss Sporty’s Lash Curve first of all, when I was low on money one month, and looking for a cheap mascara. This mascara is also great (and only £2.99 at the time!) it shapes the lashes without the need for a lash curler (I really hate these…). I then bought Volume XXL, which didn’t give me as much volume as I’d have liked.

My friend @jesswillx then suggested I try Studio Lash! It’s the best mascara in this price range out there. I can’t believe it’s so good, and only £3.29! You can end up paying £10+ for a decent mascara, and this works just as well in my opinion! This mascara volumises my lashes, making a more dramatic look for nights out, and a wide eyed look for the day time. It also curves the lashes much like the Lash Curve!

Using Studio Lash Mascara

• always apply to clean lashes for the best result
• use one coat for wide eyed daytime looks
• use a few coats for a dramatic night time look
• zig zag motion on additional coats helps to prevent clumping
• remember to take your eye make up off before bed (I use Boots Cucumber eye make up remover, really freshens up the eye area) I do this before my 3-Step :)

You can get Miss Sporty products from Superdrug and Boots in the UK. 

If you are from outside the UK, Fragrance Direct let's you pay in GBP, USD & the Euro so it's worth checking out their Miss Sporty range http://bit.ly/eapfc6 

Favourite winter must-haves!

My winter must-haves

One word springs to mind, DRY! Whether it's your hands, face, legs, feet or even hair! 

What do I use to keep myself feeling great and moisturised during the winter months?

                                                  All over body moisturiser:
                                                                Palmer's Cocoa butter! 
This stuff is amazing for my skin. You can use it all over (apart from the face as it's quite thick) it's good for moisturising very dry areas such as knees, feet and elbows! It smells really good, but if you don't like a strong smelling lotion then you can get a fragrance free version! It doesn't sink in SO quickly that it fails to provide you with the moisture you need, but it also doesn't linger too long on the skin! Just give it a couple of minutes to dry before putting jeans/any tight clothes on :) I put this on after showering to prevent my skin drying out!

                                             Facial moisturisers/routine

Clinique dramatically different moisturising lotion*
This is one of my daily essentials, I use it as part of my 3-step skincare regime. *I use the lotion because I have dry combination skin, if you have oily skin, then it is recommended that you use the Gel. If I don't moisturise, then my skin becomes flaky and red, and blemishes occur. 

 E45 Cream

I use this in place of my Clinique moisturiser if my skin is extremely flaky and dry during the winter months! It's really handy to carry around, you can also use it as a general lotion for your hands, feet, legs etc :) (plus it's really cheap!)

      

Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream

I've just discovered this product, thanks to recommendations from @sharan23 & @becomingfab (twitter) I've only used it a few times, but the results have been amazing already! It really does buff away the dead skin cells, revealing fresh new skin. Plus, as it's a cream, it leaves you feeling moisturised and not tight like some exfoliators!

(full review coming soon)

                                           Hand & nail lotion

Soap & Glory Hand Food

This product is great to carry in your handbag, so you can use it whenever you feel your hands getting chapped! This product has that great Soap & Glory smell, and I just feel great using it! (sometimes use it on my feet too, if I have no Cocoa Butter to hand!)

So there you are, some of my favourite winter skincare products! I will be doing a Lipcare review soon, as I have a few products in that area to talk about :)

Thank you for reading, and please feel free to leave a comment!

Below, a list of places you can buy these products 

& average prices!

• Palmer's Cocoa Butter (around £3.49) Boots, Superdrug, Bodycare
• Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion (RRP £15-£27 various sizes) Boots, Selfridges, Debenhams, House of Fraser
• E45 Cream (round £2) Boots, Superdrug, Bodycare, most Supermarkets
• Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream (£16.50) Boots, Selfridges, Debenhams, House of Fraser
• Soap & Glory Hand Food (£2.30-£4.75 50/125ml) Boots