Blogtober Day 9: My Beauty Must Haves

Yet again I am being pushed out of my comfort zone, which is great because I know I’m growing as a blogger. Beauty really isn’t my niche either in a blogging sense or in a general life sense. Luckily though I did very recently place a massive order with the Body Shop and get loads of great products to look after my skin and pamper myself more. At the age of 28 I finally have a skincare routine!

It hasn’t even been a week yet since I got these products, so I can’t yet comment on how they work long-term, but I am already noticing a difference in both my face and body. I feel so pretty! I also find that beauty products are a really good way to relax and to generally feel like you have your life together. 

So for my beauty must haves, I’m going to talk through my Body Shop haul!

Vitamin E Range

Why these products are must have

I already had the vitamin E night cream before buying some of the other products in the range. This is the one for me because it’s great for normal or combination skin. I’ve never really had a problem with my skin, in fact it’s probably the only thing about my appearance I’ve never struggled with. Probably why it’s taken me till the age of 28 before I’ve thought about taking care of it properly.

As I’m not made of money I couldn’t afford the whole range, so I prioritised what I think I need most. The most basic skincare products, aside from make  up wipes, are probably cleanser and toner. Surprisingly I have never owned either, despite living in one of the dirtiest cities in the UK. I suppose as I don’t often wear a lot of make-up I assumed makeup wipes would do. 

Nope. I was wrong. Now I have the cleanser and toner I can see exactly why I need these products. 

How I use them

I’m getting in the habit now of cleansing my face each evening by squeezing a small amount of the cleanser onto some cotton wool and smoothing it all over my face. It’s lovely and cool on my skin, which is a feeling I love. Instead of rubbing it I try to kind of sweep it over the surface so it removes all the gross stuff from my face. 

When I’m done cleansing and it feels like all the cream has been removed, I wet another piece of cotton wool with the toner, and swipe from the middle of my face outwards to remove any remaining cleanser. I actually get a lot more dirt off with the toner. Sometimes the cotton wool is grey when I’m done even if I haven’t worn make-up. That’s the pollution. 

Vitamin E products can be a bit oily if you use them too much, so I use my moisturiser every other day in the morning. I went for the gel one because that makes it even less oily, and you only need a tiny bit for  your whole face because it spreads so far. 

With my night cream I use this a couple of times a week, any more and it does make my skin a bit oily. I apply it just before I go to bed so I wake up with tip top skin!

Chamomile Make-up Remover

I got the extra strong chamomile make-up remover for when I’ve been out and I’ve got loads of eye make up and lipstick to remove. I’ve used it already and it really works. On Saturday night I went out with very black eyeshadow on, which came right off when I got home (very proud of myself for taking my makeup off when drunk). 

This make-up removed is great because it’s really gentle whilst also being really powerful. I use it to complement the toner and cleanser, getting the bulk of the makeup off with the chamomile and then cleansing and toning after to remove the general skin dirt and impurities. My face feels ever so clean afterwards. 

Drops of Youth eye cream

I’m cynical about anti-ageing products, so when I chose this it was a bit of a gamble. My main concern isn’t so much age though, it’s more that I look so tired sometimes, and I was hoping this would help give my eyes the lift they need to look more awake and alive. 

When my Body Shop delights arrived at my house this was the first thing I tried. It’s in a little tube with a pump and roller ball at the end. The ball is metal so it’s nice and cold on your eye area, which I think is also part of how it works its magic. You pump it once then roll it around your eye, before patting it with your fingertips to work it in. 

This stuff works so well that when I tried it on one eye a while later my housemate looked at me and asked “what’s wrong with  your face?!”. The eye I’d tried the Drops of Youth on was so much more firm and lifted than the other that my face looked wonky! Definitely use it on both sides haha. 

All in all very impressed with this product, and a tiny bit less cynical about anti-ageing products. 

Sumptuous Spa Treats

These are my total “treat me” products. Usually I turn to Lush for my pampering, but the spa range at the Body Shop is also excellent. I really went all out, buying two face masks, a sea salt body scrub and a sea salt candle. The candle isn’t necessarily a beauty product but it’s revitalising and I burn it when I shower, so I say it counts!

It was a bit of a revelation to me actually that showers can also be luxurious. Like, I knew it was a thing but never thought to try it myself. I’ve always been a luxury bath kind of person, but baths are a lot of commitment. You gotta take the time to run it, then soak for ages to make it really worth it. With a luxury shower you can just hop in whenever you need a pick-me-up and voila, a spa experience!

Using an exfoliating body scrub has changed my life. I’ve used it once so far and my skin is so much smoother and even looking. In the future I’m going to make sure I exfoliate once a week to get the blood flowing to my skin, and remove all the gross dead cells. 

I’ve only tried one of the face masks so far – the charcoal one. Face masks are best applied with a brush – another revelation. My whole life I’ve been using my fingers, getting all messy and wasting loads all over my hands. Well now I have a brush, and it’s so much easier and neater. The mask itself goes on all wet and lumpy, then dries and makes you look like a statue.

You leave it on for five to ten minutes, then wash it off. To be honest the washing off was a bit messy – I had to wash my flannel afterwards before I could use it again. My skin though! My skin! So soft! Ever so soft!!! 

 

I also got a lot of Christmas treats, bit I shall save those for Blogmas!!!!

 

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