May 2017 Beauty Favourites

One: The Body Shop Spa Of The World Egyptian Milk & Honey Bath

I pretty much only bought this because the outer packaging looked so damn luxurious. This powder to "milk" formula is scooped into a running bath and turns the water beautifully milky. Y'know, like Cleopatra did. Now, I say "milk" because this product does not actually contain any milk whatsoever. The Body Shop website states "the classic milk has been replaced by plant-based ‘milk’ developed to care for the skin leaving it super soft to the touch". Scandalous. The powder does contain a whole bunch of soothing and moisturising ingredients, which leave my skin feeling super soft and nourished once I've stepped out of the bath, which was the whole point in me buying it. The instructions say to use 5 scoops.. I'd honestly like to add a few more to make it a little more viscous, but I get roughly 5 baths from 5-6 scoops per session, and I don't feel as though I could justify the price for any less. It's probably more of a novelty, to be honest, but I really enjoy getting to feel a little bit fancy on occasion and this is the perfect way to do that.

Two: LUSH Lava Lamp Bath Bomb
Aptly named, Lava Lamp instantly releases waves of bright orange colour into the bath after coming in to contact with the water and eventually, the purple discs start to dissolve release and streams of oil, which separates and pools to look exactly like a lava lamp would. Of course, all of that extra virgin olive oil makes the bath water incredibly moisturising and softening. I feel like this is one of LUSH's longer lasting bath bombs and I thoroughly enjoy the gorgeously cheerful, sweet citrus scent that remains on my skin (and in the bathroom) hours after towelling off. Some of you may have experienced the Lava Lamp bath bomb in the past. LUSH has since reformulated and re-released the bomb to fix some (eek) tub and body staining issues. I've only tried the reformulated version, so I cannot comment first-hand on the improvement, but my body definitely did not stain, and the purple oils that ended up sticking to my tub's walls were easily wiped away.

Three: Australis Make-up Finishing Spritz
I prefer to use this as more of a "fixer" rather than an actual setting spray. I mean, I do use it as a setting spray during the week on my work day face, but don't feel as though it prolongs the wear of my make-up by all that much. I mostly like to use it during my (non work day) make-up routine, after baking and applying a setting powder to fix any powdery looking areas without comprising the matte finish. If it's a special occasion, or I just need my make-up to last, I'll apply Urban Decay's setting spray over the very top of all that to actually set my make-up. This does work very well to meld and settle my powder in to my foundation for a smoother, less cakey finish (this is particularly helpful if I've gone overboard with the powders). It sprays a lovely, light mist without leaving my face wet and leaves my skin feeling quite refreshed and hydrated due to the Aloe Vera and Rose Water it contains. At the very least, it smells lovely and is a cheap alternative to using Fix+ on your brush to make your highlight pop.

Four: Burt's Bees Intense Hydration Nourishing Facial Water

My skin has been so very temperamental lately and my usual alcohol-based toner has not been doing good things to my dry face, so I've been using this as a toner for the past 2 months. It's soothing and hydrating - my skin has been drinking it right up. It's full of nutrients, balances pH and improves texture, and for something so gentle, I was surprised to see how much it cleansed the skin too - my cotton pad comes away grimy from the remaining dirt and make-up left on my skin, even after cleansing (ew). An added bonus is that glycerine is listed as the second ingredient, so it not only helps to prep my skin for the rest of my skincare, it also acts as a primer for my make-up, which is great in itself.

Five: V05 Plump It Up Dry Shampoo

It's pretty hard to say anything exciting about a dry shampoo, but this offering is incredibly inexpensive and does exactly what it should. I actually 100% prefer it over Batiste's offerings. I (obviously) use this when my hair is looking a little flat/oily and it fixes both of those issues right up, adding body and removing that oily sheen, which is particularly good for second, and even third, day hair. Once brushed out, my hair feels refreshed for the rest of the day and I haven't found that there is any white, powdery build-up. The scent is a pleasant one, too.



What products have you been loving lately?

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