Editors' Essentials

Sometimes it's hard to look immaculate all the time, even when you love beauty products/ cosmetics as much as I do. These are the hero products which keep me looking fabulous and fresh all day long. 

 

7am - Zara White edt 30ml I spritz  this on in the morning and as a lil pick me up throughout the day. At one point I would only purchase 100ml sized fragrances, but now I hardly ever. 30ml is the perfect sized fragrance for me. Small enough to carry around in my hand bag/travel with and enough product for me to figure out if it warrants repurchase. 



10am - Jergens Ultra Healing Hand cream keeps the skin on my hands moisturized and supple. I love hand creams, larger ones like these (5oml and up) I keep on my desk at work/in my hand bag. In the evenings when I go out for a meal or drinks, I will slip one of my L'Occitane Shea Butter (30ml) hand creams into my clutch. 

12pm - MAC Lip Gelee reapplied to  my lips after the 2 cups of tea I have had. I love lip products, this one in particular because it moisturizes  gives a hint of colour and I also get a bang for my buck product wise.  

2pm- MAC Blot powder after the glow sets in, this blot powder helps to soak up the excess sebum which sets in on my oily skin after a while. This product is great after hours as well, it keeps me looking together if I have any errands to run after work. 

5pm - Avene Thermal water misted all over my face & neck, cools me down for the walk home after work. 


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what are your essentials lovelies?

comment below and let me know.  

Current Favourites

     Since it is too late for January favourites I have made an alternative list. These are the things which have been getting me through the month of January.

My godson  (yippie, yahoo, yay yay)

Longchamp le Pliage Tote 

MAC Studio Fix + powder in NW45

Leggings (the are not pants but they do keep me warm)

Merlot

Sanctuary Brightening facial hot cloth cleanser 

Sleek blush in Flushed

Mascara

Brita Fill and Go water bottle/personal filter

Joules Wellington boots (great for combating the snow)

Vaseline Cocoa Radiant Body Butter

Jergens Oatmeal Body Cream 

Dove Go Fresh Grapefruit and Lemongrass deodorant

Ralph Lauren Romance perfume (Birthday gift)

Emporio Armani Sunglasses (Birthday gift)

Chanel CoCo Mademoiselle perfume (Birthday gift)

Chai Tea 

Amaretto cake 

Nivea essential care lip balm (dark blue cover) been using this since 2001 and still going strong. been going through this like nobody's business, due to the horrible weather we are having in Nottingham. 

Rizzoli and Islies (these two women are a hot mess incorporated, but the show is great, lol)

Scandal (you just need to watch, too much to explain)

 Flashpoint (cute men who do police work, good show I got drawn in by the eyecandy *shrug*)

Blue Bloods  It's about a family of Irish Americans who have made Police work the family business family, fun, love and old fashioned family values. (I remember when this first came out I though ANOTHER show about New York City REALLAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYY. I have been getting into it and I just love the family lunches on Sunday.) 

xx
Miss Mai

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

Winter Skincare Series - Body Butters

       It is here the frostier months of which I spoke last week have arrived full force. customers are now including de-icer in their week grocery purchases. The first snow fell can you believe that!!!!!! Christmas decorations, gifts, foods, and various other paraphernalia are on sale stacked high in every possible space. During winter I prefer to use a thicker moisturiser on my body, the other lotions and body creams just do't seem to cut it when battling lower level of hydration, central heating, layered clothing and the overall winter climate. Below are some of the body butters which are currently in my winter skincare arsenal

      My body butters of choice used to be from the Body Shop however regular everyday brands such as Vaseline, Palmers and Jergens have all stepped up and included the heavier moisturiser as a part of their product ranges. These everyday brands of course are accompanied with pocket friendly price tags. However do not be fooled The Jergens body butter is truly one to be reckoned with followed by the Vaseline Cocoa Butter body butter, the Palmers body butters come up third but they are still in the running. The thicker formulas of body butters keep my skin well moisturised and feeling supple all day during the winter months.  

Texture is an important factor for some when choosing a body butter. The Body Shop Body butters are   the thickest out of all of these, followed closely by the Vaseline body butter, next in line is the Jergens, then the L'Occitane and last the Palmers body butters. 

       The Palmers body butters come in three varieties Shea, Cocoa and Olive butters, The body Shop body butters are available in over 12 different scents, including, Strawberry, Orange, Blueberry, Moringa, Lemon. Scent is another factor to consider when choosing a body butter. I quite like to use the fruity scents on the weekends and the neutral scents such as Shea, Cocoa Butter, Jergens oatmeal during the week. Some persons are sensitive to strong scents and the body shop body butters are definite strongly scented. Other maybe like my friend Darren, who banned me from wearing fruity scented Body Butters to lectures because they made him hungry. lol (uni memories)

Price 
Palmers Body Butters - £4.99 per 200ml
Vaseline Body Butter - £5.06 per 200ml
Jergens Body Butters - £4.99 per 200ml
Body Shop Body Butter - £13 per 200ml (Shea and Satsuma both gifts)
L'occitane Ultra rich body Cream - £16 per 100ml (Apricot & Vineyard rose purchased in the summer sale for £4.80 each)

Both the Vaseline and the Jergens body butters are currently on offer at Superdrug.

Miss Mai
xx

Part 1 of my Winter skincare series - Shower Creams post Click 

Products I have used up

The title says it all products I have used up over the last few weeks/months. 

• Jergens Naturals cocoa butter lotion x 2 - reviewed already
• Sanex Zero % sensitive skin shower gel - absolutely hated
• Dove silk glow body wash 
• Hairveda almond glaze - reviewed already
• holland and Barrett Flaxseed oil tablets 
• Darcy's botanicals Pumpkin seed conditioner - reviewed already
• Elasta QP Mango and Olive butter x 2 (my saviour for the under precessed hair) 
• Sanex deodorant 
• Avene cleanance mattifying toner  - Review coming soon (product decanted into spray bottle)
• Sure anti white marks deodorant
• Qhemet biologics Amla and Olive oil heavy cream - reviewed already
• Oil of Olay face wipes - reviewed already
• Garnier Simply essentials face wipes - reviewed already
• Body Shop White musk sheer mist - reviewed already 

These are the products that were already in the rubbish bin but I could not be bothered to dig through the rubbish and pick them out. 

• ORS Olive oil moisturising hair lotion - absolutely love/ holy grail/reviewed already
• Sanex excel anti perspirant deodorant
• Aphogee keratin and green tea spray - reviewed already
• Elasta QP Intense Fortifying treatment 
• Ojon damage reverse Shampoo - entire range reviewed already
• Aquafresh toothpaste 
• Garnier face wipes with Rose extract and Vitamin E - reviewed already

Miss Mai

xx