Sanctuary Spa – Polishing Hot Cloth Cleanser

This is the second in my three-part high-street cleanser review – see my review of the Superfaciliast by Una Brennan  Vitamin C+ Skin Renew Cleansing Oil here – this one is focusing on the Sanctuary Spa Polishing Hot Cloth Cleanser (£10.50).

I have used a few Sanctuary Spa products before (see here and here) and really liked them so was interested to give this cleanser a try.

This is a rich cream cleanser (see picture below)  with beeswax, chamomile and gold of pleasure oil (?!). Well gold of pleasure oil if you didn’t know (I certainly didn’t) is from the Camelina or false flax plant and is nature’s richest source of Omega 3 and Omega 6 oils – there you go! This cleanser smells like something out of a proper facial spa. Its quite strong mainly due to the chamomile which I really like (others may not). It really reminds me of the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish (see here) – which is a good thing.

The instructions for how to use this are to start by “opening your pores” by using a hot flannel laid over your face, then massage the cleanser into your face and neck, then wipe off the cleanser using the hot flannel again, finally use a cold flannel to close pores. I do use this method (not the cold flannel bit though!) and it works a treat. My makeup comes off very easily including stubborn mascara and my face feels clean but not tight or stripped.

Although I do like this cleanser a lot I would probably choose the Liz Earle version over this one given how similar they smell and feel to me. The prices are pretty similar too. I guess Liz Earle may not be that easy to get hold of so this would be a great alternative. Either way it is a very good cleanser and I have really liked using it.

Primark – Winter Essentials

I couldn’t help it, I needed to get into Primark and get some winter essentials and I was not disappointed!

First are three really soft and lovely draping tops in grey, blue and black – such a simple staple and so easy to wear (£5 each).

Next are two knitted dresses in pink and grey (£10 each).

Finally three cardigans in dark grey, pink and black (£10 each) which again are so versatile and great to layer over the knitted dresses.

So I would say a very successful essential winter shop in Primark.

L’Occitane Lavander Foaming Bath

My lovely friend gave me this and after one bath I was hooked! This is the Lavender Foaming Bath by L’Occitane (£20). For me winter is all about the long baths with lovely smelling products in my bath that relax me and get me ready for a good nights sleep.

To begin with the lavender smell is amazing due to the Lavender essential oils. This has definitely helped me drift off to sleep more easily.  I also really like that this doesn’t foam too much and therefore doesn’t dry your skin out. It is lovely and moisturising and generally a bathing pleasure!

I also really like that I can get the 500ml refill for only £13.50. I will most definitely be doing that!

 

Superfacialist by Una Brennan – Vitamin C+ Skin Renew Cleansing Oil

A few weeks ago I went into Boots with the aim of testing out a few high-street cleansers that would get me through the winter months. Over the next few weeks I will be reviewing the three cleansers that I decided to test out. This post is about the first of those – the Superfacialist by Una Brennan Vitamin C+ Skin Renew Cleansing Oil (£10.99).

First off I really love how this product looks, it has an expensive feel to it which I think makes a difference to your bathroom aesthetic! Anyway moving on to the product itself. This cleansing oil is a mix of Olive, Grapeseed and Rosehip infused with Vitamin C, Rosemary oil, Cucumber oil and Vitamin E. Quite a mix of lovely ingredients!

The oil is light and smells very citrusy and basically dissolves all makeup and grime from your face. It is worth noting that I find the smell of this is very very refreshing and zingy so it isn’t something I enjoy using at night. I have been using it almost every morning (after working out) and some evenings when I need to take my makeup off long before bedtime. I find this incredibly softening and definitely very good at cleansing my skin without stripping or drying. I use it by applying it to my dry face and really massaging it in. I then use a hot flannel to remove the oil. You can just add water as the oil is soluble and turns milky when you do this. I prefer the ritual of a hot cloth cleanse!

I have really enjoyed using this as my morning cleanser even though that isn’t what I intended to use it for. I find it refreshing yet moisturising during the winter months when my skin is drier and needs more care. It is definitely one that I would repurchase and recommend.

 

Magazine Inspiration Board – November

Of course this month is all about dressing for the festive season for all those Christmas and New Year’s Eve parties. So with that in mind here are my pick of dresses first.

Who doesn’t love a lot of sequins!

This dress is the perfect Christmas shade and a very flattering cut.

I absolutely adore the idea of long skirts with a simple top – if I could pull it off this would be my signature look!

I had to throw in these absolutely fabulous trousers – if I could afford them they would pair perfectly with a simple black tee for the coolest outfit!

Next we have shoes – first of all I LOVE stars so these starry heels had to feature!

But I love this retro vibe even more Sophia Webster (£395!)!

Finally some sensible flats?

Accessories are a must and this Miss Kurt Geiger (£45) clutch is so pretty.

A little bee encrusted collar to liven up simple LBD by Marc Cain (£39)?

And of course more stars..these are so cute and at that price I will be getting a few and layering them together!

One statement earring is a great idea – of course the safety pin is my favourite but you can’t beat Claire’s Accessories for price!!

Then a bit of festive makeup starting with Chanel’s Camelia Des Plumes Highlighting Powder (£47) and followed by a beautiful Givenchy Palette.

And finally the perfect post-festive hangover cure

 

 

 

A little bit more COS

A while ago I did  a COS wish list (see here). Well after that I proceeded to get a couple of things from that list!

First is this beautiful dusty rose knit top (£45). I love this top, its so easy to wear and very flattering.

And with the top I am wearing my other purchase – this amazing fabric bead necklace (£25). Its such a statement piece but so versatile and chic!

I do love a bit of COS…!

Radox – For a Perfect Winter Bath

I have developed a slight obsession for Radox bath soaks and salts, especially in the winter. I love these three bath soaks in particular – the Muscle Therapy, Muscle Soak and Sleep Easy. I also really like the Vapour Therapy bath salts. These products are super cheap (between £1-3) and can be easily found in Boots, Superdrug and most supermarkets.

I don’t really like bubble baths so the way I use the bath soaks is to add them almost at the end of running my bath, that way I get a few bubble but mostly I get a lovely fragrant bath. The smell of the bath soaks are really strong and are great to relax and put you to sleep. The bath salts are also really good and I find that these are especially great when I have a cold.

So for a budget alternative I definitely recommend Radox!

Forever 21 – Big Haul!

I had a bit of a major shop in Forever 21 both online and instore and this is a haul of all the things I bought which were mainly skirts and jumpers! I don’t think some of the skirts are available on-line anymore but they always have a good range of skirts so I am sure there are others there to tempt you.

The prices of clothes at Forever 21 are really good, and I find the quality is great too. I love these pieces and will be wearing them all winter (and summer too for the skirts!).

So first is this chunky cowl neck jumper in navy (£13.50) with a floral skater skirt (£14). I love the neck of this jumper.

Same jumper another floral skirt (£14).

And same jumper again (!) with a geometric print skater skirt (£8)

This is the same jumper but in grey (£13.50) paired with a pleated mini skirt (£11.50).

Again love the cowl neck!

This time an olive cable knit jumper (£17.50) with the same skirt – although I think this jumper would look better with jeans!

And last but definitely not least a gorgeous midi skirt (£15) with the navy cowl neck jumper.

 

Zoella Beauty

I of course like a huge number of beauty lovers am a fan of Zoella, so of course when I heard she was launching her own beauty line I was interested to try it out.

The products are sold in Superdrug and Feel Unique and includes:

Creamy Madly Dreamy Body Lotion – £5
Soak Opera Bath Soak and Shower Cream – £5
Blissful Mistful Fragranced Body Mist – £8
Let’s Glow Fragranced Candle – £5
Guinea Pig & Eyes Makeup Bag/ Pencil Case – £8

The one thing I don’t have (yet) is the Fizz Bar Fragranced Bath Fizzer – £5

So I have to say that I really like some of these products more than others. Firstly the Body Mist is absolutely gorgeous. Although everything in this range has a sweet scent, it’s not sickly at all. This fragrance also has Vitamin E which when sprayed directly on your skin feels moisturising. This is by far my favourite product of the range (not including the Makeup/Pencil bag which I adore!). Speaking of the makeup bag I got the guinea pig version and I keep it at work for my pens etc and I just love it!

The shower gel and body lotion are nice but for the price I am not sure I would re-purchase these. I think they just don’t leave my skin that scented and the lotion doesn’t absorb that easily. The candle is very cute but doesn’t really give out much scent. I left mine burning in my bedroom for a good hour and couldn’t really smell it and given its size it wouldn’t last very long if I kept doing that!

So although it sounds like I don’t like these products, I do, I just don’t love all of them – the bath fizzer sounds cool and I may have to give that a try but I would definitely recommend the body mist and makeup bags!

My Little Box

I think I was watching a beauty blogger youtube video when I first heard of My Little Box. I was curious as although I am not a huge fan of miniatures this box seemed to be different. So after a quick browse of their website I decided to sign up for a monthly subscription (£14.95 including delivery) and see whether I liked it enough to keep subscribing.  Well I really lucked out for October as it was the Diane von Furstenberg collaboration! As you can see even the box looked amazing.

Inside there were various goodies including a Eau Micellaire from their own brand My Little Beauty.

A miniature L’Occitane hand cream.

A gorgeous pin from DVF

And the best of all a DVF scarf complete with cute instructions on ways to tie the scarf!

So I have to say that so far I am super pleased with my subscription and am very excited to see what I get next month!!