Whats In My Bag: Flight Edition

I am off on vacation on Saturday guys and gals.

 Throw your hands in the air one time for sum sum summer. It has been a while since I had a vacay which entailed leaving the country.

 Last year I had two mini breaks, one to Centre Parcs for 4 days and another one over the August Bank  Holiday. However there is just something about laying about on a beach, with a straw hat and a cold drink. On this trip I can look forward to hanging with my chicas, going to the beach, good food and yeah going to the beach. 

Of course traveling out of the country means I have to make some adjustments when it comes to the beauty products I cart along, decisions, decisions. These are the items I have pretty much decided to will take with me to the airport/ on the flight. 

Face

I will taking along my trusty Garnier Cleansing wipes in absence of my Garnier Micellar water (Garnier needs to make this in a 100ml size. Even if it is only sold in airports.) The 3oz rule, +  no aerosols means I wont be able to carry my trusty Avene Thermal water spray, but no worries I have  my Simple Hydrating Face Mist (GREAT DUPE for the MAC Travel Sized  Fix + Spray) to keep my skin hydrated during the flight along with my Korres Pomegranate Cream Gel/Body Shop Serum in Oil. 

Body

Sometimes my hands feel a bit grimey and travelling/being on the go there might not be an available sink with running water and hand soap readily available. My hand bag packet of Wet Ones will keep my hands feeling fresh and not sticky. My trusty Kleenex tissues are on hand to wipe up any spills or drips that might occur (dab the ob bit of foundation/the end of a mascara wand.) Hand sanitizer is my truth my light and my way (plus it will in handy for cleaning my hand before applying my makeup. This little mini tub of Nivea Creme is going to  come in very handy for moisturizing my arms and legs/feet. L'Occitane Hand cream (full tube) self explanatory. 

Fragrance

Davidoff Cool Water edt, Ralph Lauren Romance edp, Marc Jacobs LoLa edp I love a good scent and I love having a choice. The Marc Jacobs Lola is a gorgeous scent, is sold as a 20ml purse spray, the other 2 fragrances are 30ml sizes so they aren't too heavy. 

Breath

I am very suspicious of those mini tubes of tooth pate they give out on flights. There isn't enough toothpaste to get a good scrub on (my dentists recommends brushing for 2 minutes long) and the texture is just weird. This is a mini 19ml tube of Colgate Total. I got it as a free sample from my dentists office. In the event I eat a hot curry or something really garlicky, I have some Extra chewing gum & mints to keep me going until I can brush my teeth. 

Food

I have some Go Ahead cereal bars, and some Oat cakes to keep me going. I usually buy these as my work snacks, but they will keep me going, if I am feeling peckish and a packet of crisps are not to hand (or the stewardess is being stingy with the snacks. 

Miscellaneous

Shilling oil I cannot really explain what this is for, it covered a multitude of sins. Ipod mini this is for listening to music on the way to the airport and in the departure lounge. Revlon Colour Burst lipglosses to keep my lips moisturized with a bit of colour. 

Yayyyyyyyy. I'm going on holiday.

Shimmy shimmy cocoa puff. 

xx

Rollin' in the Creams: L' Occitane, The Body Shop, Carex, Neals Yard

Soooo somehow between magazine freebies, gifts and half price offers I have accumulated a tiny hand cream collection. I know, I know it looks bad but in my defense I like hand creams and these will be used up. I have a little strategy in relation to using them as well, no fear there is a method in the madness. 

Christmas gift 2013

Magazine freebies, yup £58 worth of free handcream

The 30ml L'Occitane Shea Butter  hand creams I keep for carrying around daily/ on nights out. They are the perfect handbag/clutch bag size. I keep one in my Longchamp pouchette 24/7.

 These are good because they are super moisturizing and even the scented ones are not terrible overpowering.

 My sister knows of my "L'Occitane Love" and she bought me the L'Occitane gift box (pictured above) as a part of my Christmas gift. 

The Neal's Yard Hand Cream (Save The Bees guys) I plan to start using this as a hand bag cream when the weather really heats up. I tend to like citrus scents during the warmer months. 

Half priced purchases

The Body Shop Hand creams I picked these up for 2 reasons 1. I had been watching them for a while. From time to time The Body Shop emails would come to my inbox and I would have a gander  to see what products were on offer, these hand creams kept coming up peaking my interest. One day I gave in and purchased them when they were on offer with 50% off discount (these 100ml sizes are usually £10 each, I bought them for £5 each)

2. I toyed with the idea of giving each of my siblings a hand cream and a hand sanitizer as a part of their Christmas presents  (don;t judge one of my sisters gave me socks). Sadly The hand creams did not make it to the Christmas gift boxes but the hand sanitizers did. 

 

I use these during the day if I am at home and in the evenings before bed. I think these are great desk hand creams. 

Cussons Carex Antibacterial Hand Creams first let me say this was a great way for Cussons to diversify their product range. They make so many hand washes, it was just the sensible move for them to start making hand creams. Cussons -----------> WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG? I bought these last August when they first launched in Superdrug and were half priced (£1.20). I originally had two of them the Vitamin E (pictured above, now resides on my desk) and the Aloe Vera ( which has been used and now rests with the hand cream gods). These I use at the office. 

There you are my lovelies.

 I told you there was a method to the madness. 

xx

The Additions - Eco Tools/ Body Shop

A lunchtime TK MAXX raid yielded these two Eco Tools brushes, which I snatched up. There were a few brush sets available, but I limited myself to these two brushes. I might decide to go back and purchase one of the Eco Tools brush sets at a later date though. I will be sure to keep you posted about this. 

The Body Shop had these two lovely 100ml hand creams on  50% off sale. I have been spying  them out from afar for a long time, so I decided  to take the plunge. My sister got me a L'cOcitane Trio for Christmas and it is now absolutely official I need to go on a hand cream ban or something. lol 

Hope that you are having a great day my lovelies.

xx

Luxury Christmas Wishlist - Space NK Edit

This is my luxury Christmas wishlist of all the things I lust over. 

These are the things I would buy, if I had £247 of spare cash lying around after all my bills and day to day needs were met. quite a few of them are gift sets and mini collections, which I love. For some reason with the mini gift sets I get more value for money by being able to try different liners, glosses, products, all in all I to sample without the commitment that comes with purchasing a full priced item. Plus minis are GREAT for travelling and tucking into a clutch bag or jacket pocket.  

NUXE - Cocooning Must Haves

Laura Mercier - Line & Define Mini Longwear Creme Eyeliner Collection 

Stila - Colour Me Glossy Lip Glaze Set

Laura Mercier - Bold Brights Mini Lip Glace Collection

Caudalie - Hancream Trio Set 

Laura Mercier - Shimmer Effects Mini Caviar Stick Eye Colour collection

Laura Mercier - Bare Nudes Mini Lip Glace Collection

What is Christmas if not for wishing. 

Boots Star Gift - Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Winter Essentials Kit

This weeks star gift comprises an industry classic, the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant loved by many a beauty blogger and skincare enthusiast. I succumbed a few years ago and purchased a tub of this stuff, and I must say it definitely comes in handy. 

"Eight Hour Cream was created more than seventy years ago, in 1930, by Miss Arden herself and was the first ever cosmetic product to bear the Elizabeth Arden name. The product name, 'Eight Hour Cream', takes its inspiration from a loyal customer who claimed that the cream helped to heal her son's scraped knee in just eight hours. Since its debut, Eight Hour Cream has escalated to near cult status. Testimonials from customers attest to the product's miraculous healing capabilities. Its wonderful versatility also makes this product a favourite of models and makeup artists alike.

This skincare classic restores, calms and helps relieve chapped, cracked skin. It works efficiently to sooth roughness, redness and minor skin irritations." 

Set includes

• Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Intensive Moisturizing Hand Treatment 30ml
• Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant 30ml
• Elizabeth Arden Eight hour Cream Lip Protectant stick
• Moisturizing Eight Hour gloves and socks, perfect for an overnight intensive treatment
•  the gift also includes voucher for 500 Advantage Card points redeemable instore with the purchase of any Eight Hour Skin Protectant original or fragrance free 50ml

There you have it my lovelies, 

this weeks star gift  from Boots. 

As always happy shopping 

and happy saving. 

xxx

Magazine freebies - Marie Claire UK November 2013

Rose Tenderness, Gentle Violet, and Passionate Jasmine

Among L'occitane's latest offerings, are these  new limited edition shea butter hand creams. Small enough to fit in your clutch, hand bag or carry on, plus they are available with the current issue of Marie Claire magazine as a free gift. The L'Occitane Shea Butter handcream is rich in formular but when applied absorbs into the skin very easily. I absolutely love it and I am not ashamed that I bought 3 Marie Claire magazines, in order for me to obtain all three of these limited edition scents. I saved 53% off the RRP, there is no shame in the L'Occitane game.

**remember these lil hand creams make great presents, there is no shame is grabbing a few to use as stocking fillers** 

Read my review of the L'Occitane Shea Butter handcream here

Read my winter hand cream guide containing the L'Occitane hand cream here

peace and light my lovelies 

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Review - Garnier Intensive 7 Days Hand Cream SOS Repair

If you read my winter skincare series you would already be familiar with this product, but in case you did not I will include the link below. 

      I know washing hands, moisturizing hands, hand creams at times it all seems so trivial. However your hands are one of the first places to show signs of ageing, and one way you can help this is to moisturize. Battling this never ending winter, along with the hand soap battle can leave hands extremely dry. 

     I bought this hand cream through the positive endorsement of my friend Paula. She loved it and it costs £2.99 (£1.50 I bought it in the sale in October at ASDA) a lot less than £8 which is the price of a standard 30ml L'occitane Shea Butter hand cream. This cream contains an ingredient called L-Bifidus which forms a barrier over the skin to prevent all the moisture from escaping.  This is the same ingredient used in the Garnier Intensive 7 Day Nourishing Lotion. The Garnier 7 Day Hand Cream keeps my hands moisturized without a greasy feel and when I wash my hands they do not feel stripped and dry. Though the cream comes out slightly thick, a little goes a long way. If you do decide to purchase this product, only apply a little at a time. I keep this on my desk at work, since it is the largest of my hand creams at 75ml. 

Would I repurchase? - Yes
Would I buy full priced? -  Yes
Would I recommend? - Yes


Winter Skincare Series Hand Creams

L'occitane Shea butter Hand Cream

Garnier Intensive 7 Day Nourishing Lotion

BlogMas Day 7 - Hands

Keep Your Hands Silky Smooth

Five of the best tips for great hands

1. Hands are especially vulnerable to ageing. Applying a good anti- ageing hand cream that's full of nourishing goodness as part of your daily beauty routine. To stimulate circulations, rub your palms over the back of the hand and repeat with the other hand.

2. Using a specialist cuticle oil should become part of your bedtime ritual. Packed with essential oils, the soften the skin and allow you to push your cuticles back. 

3. Frequent washing can dry out your hands. New Cuticura Anti Bacterial hand serum powerfully targets bacterial but keeps skin feeling moisturised too. 

4. Exfoliating does wanders for hands as well as your face and body. Using a hand scrub once a week will leave the skin super soft. 

5. Whether inside or out, it's important to keep hand protected. Always have a pair of leather gloves for your handbag and a rubber pair by the sink for washing up.

Marie Claire Magazine November 2012



Check out my post on hand creams here

Winter Skincare Series- Hand cream

     Hand cream is not only a Winter must have, but a year round must have, a handbag must have and a desk top must have. Your hands are one part of your body which is always exposed, we see and use them quite often. Our hands are very delicate and often start showing signs of ageing quickly, hence the need to moisturise. 

Handbag Handcreams

     The L'occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream this cream is quite thick but it absorbs quickly without any greasy after feeling. This come in a varying amount of sizes 10ml, 30ml (the size shown above) and  150ml. The 30ml is priced at £8, and the 150ml is £17.50. 

Desktop Creams

      These are the creams which are great not just in size but value, yes the L'occitane cream is great but there are great choices also available from the lower priced brands. I do not like using my handbag cream at work, because at times I tend to forget it. For me it is better to have different creams with their individual uses and assigned purposes.  These are the hand creams which I use at work because of the larger sized tubes. They are convenient for me to use at work, aka I can use as much hand cream as I like without fearing they will finish at any moment. 

 These hand creams are great follow ups to the L'occitane Shea Butter hand cream. they are moisturising but not greasy.  The Garnier hand cream is 100ml and is priced at £2.50 - £3.50 depending on where you purchase. The Jergens hand creams are £3 - £3.50. 

Double Duty 
This is a mini body butter this is a great body cream which can also double as a hand cream. The small 50ml size makes it a great size to be used for a weekend away or for sharing with friend. 

Check out my post on body butters here

Check out my post on shower creams here

Check out my review on the L'occitane hand cream here

My 11 most reached for Beauty products.........

    This is a tag that has been around in the online beauty community for a while with beauty bloggers and vloggers. I find that with beauty being such a huge area we are constantly trying to find ways to set ourselves apart, however there is nothing wrong with conforming at times. Beauty tags in my opinion are a great way to find out what products, persons with similar interest are using. Other bloggers may be using a product you are using but in multiple ways, where as you may be only using it one way. These tags are a quick and easy way to share information. 

My 11 most reached for Beauty products

Victoria Jackson face palette (£20 with 3 other products) - 16 eye shadows, 6 lipsticks, a translucent powder, a bronzer and a blush.  -------> do not buy

L'oreal Made for Me Naturals, Brow and Eye Duo, Dark Skin Tones (£7) - 2 eye shadows and a brow powder.

Mascara - at the moment I am using the Soap and Glory Thick and Fast mascara (£10)

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural  Deep Dark  (£18.50)one of my girl friends aka the pageant junkie put me onto this a few years ago and I have loved it ever since. It gives me life!!!!! 

Estee Lauder  Bronzing brush  (£23) - a kabuki brush (but you know everybody is trying to be fancy)  when I bought this brush I though damn this is expensive, but its been 3 years and it works just as amazing now as it did the first day I bought it. 

Avene Rich hydrating creme spf 20 (£10.50) - this is what I am currently using as sunblock/spf protection. (trying to be as well preserved as possible for as long as possible, lol. 

L'Occitane Shea Butter hand cream (£7.50) - This hand cream is rich, but absorbs into skin very very easy. There is none of that greasy feeling after application. I absolutely love it. I am going to admit I have 3 of these as backups, no I am not shamed. They are always giving these away in magazines and I cop the freebies. Ain't NO shame in this L'Occitane game. 

Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil 004 Black Brown (£2.99) - if you do not have one of these -----> you need to get your life. 

Black eyeliner - at the moment I am using Maybelline Khol express water proof eyeliner glam black (4£4.99) - a blatant copy of the Urban decay 24/7 eyeliner, it does the job.

Coloured Eyeliner - I do not discriminate, in ratation i have from Urban decay -> Lucky, Lust, Electric, and Covet, H & M eyepens -> Bronze, Dark Grey, Maybelline Khol Express waterproof Eyeliner pencils -> Metallic Blue, Metallic Green, Rimmel Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definers -> Pink impact, Aqua sparkle, MAC Powerpoint Eye Pencil -> Navy Stain, Barry M Khol pencil -> 19, Rimmel Special Eyes Precision Eye liner pencil -> Azure Shimmer. 

Lip Balm - At the moment I am using Blistex lip massage, Nivea Pure and Natural milk and honey, Blistex Daily lip conditioner.

miss mai

xx

Comment below and let me know what products you reach for most often (even if its your grandmas face cream, wink wink)

Review / Hand bag essentials L'Occitanes Shea Butter hand cream

I love this stuff, hence why I own 3. This thick and creamy hand lotion is uber moisturizing, but absorbs easily with no greasy residue or silicone feel to it. A definite heavy hitter in the hand cream arena with multiple awards and accolades to testify to this fact. Plus the chic and stylish packaging makes it an attractive addition to your other handbag essentials. Pick one up if you have the chance. 

L'Occitane Shea Butter hand cream 30ml £7.50 ( as pictured above, also available in large sizes)

My Winter Beauty Essentials

     Hello there I thought with the weather turning you guys would be interested to see what items I think are vital to me at the moment. It is a mixture of products some skincare, others are bodycare and some makeup. 

Nivea Essential Care lip balm  (the one with the dark blue cover) - the first item on the list is a lip product, with the weather so dry at the moment, lips are so easy to get chapped. I have been purchasing this for over 10 years. It is an oldie but a goodie, plus it's recession proof (aka very affordable). It is such a good product for me to quickly put on my lips to keep them moisturized and it is small so I can easily put in it in my handbag or my cosmetics case/makeup bag.

Palmers Shea Body Butter - this is another product which is very winter proof and recession proof, with the central heating and the cold air outside, I have been using this to keep my skin supple and away from  *the ash*.

Purell Hygienic Hand Rub - winter is the feeding ground for colds and flu, I have been using this hand sanitiser to keep myself germ free.what I love about the Purell sanitiser compared to others on the market, is the fact that it does not dry out your hands. 

Lotus Olbas oil Vapour Release Tissues - *whatyouknowaboutthat* yes its winter so runny noses come with the territory. I have been using these tissues to keep my nose dry, but also to keep my sinus passage clear. These tissues have been sprayed with tiny capsules of Olbas oil, so when I am going to use them I just crush the tissues up to release the oil vapour. Then I breathe in the vapours as I blow my nose.

 Boots Anti -Viral Tissues -  they claim to kill 99% of the cold and flu virus, cannot hurt I use them interchangeably with the Olbas oil tissues. Essential for the random runny nose.

Wet ones Be zingy Antibacterial Wipes - these are great, the original wet wipes, I use them on my hands, face or body as needed, and the citrus scent is great for the winter when everything is so blah. 

Shower Creams -  now I know that there is a great debate going on regarding shower gel and if it gets your body as clean as soap does. However I love shower gels/body washes.  For the winter I have been loving shower creams, shower creams are like shower gels/body washes but they have in more moisturizers and less sulphates ( the ingredient that causes the bubbles/lather). Products which contain less or no sulphates are less drying on the skin. The ones that I have been using are Original source Shea Butter and Honey shower cream (I have gone through 2 bottles already), Original source Vanilla and Raspberry shower cream ( this smells good enough to eat, reminds me of cupcake toppings), The Body Shop Shea shower cream, and The Body Shop Coconut shower cream.

Soap and Glory Some like it hot body softening Thermal Scrub - its an exfoliator, with all these layers upon layers, I make sure to keep my skin smooth by exfoliating twice a week. 

 Cowshed Cowslip soothing hand cream - Got to keep away the ash, I use this hand cream to keep my hands moisturized. As you know the hands are the first to show signs of aging , I am keeping them looking as young as possible for as long as possible. lol

xx

Miss Mai