The secret to beating dry winter skin?

Boots Botanics was a brand I often over looked, up until they had their revamp.... then they suddenly were on my radar and I was intrigued, mainly by their organic line. 

The first thing that caught my eye was this Boots Botanics facial oil 100% Organic,made from mainly almond oil, rosehip and argan oil. 

The claim

'This aromatic oil melts into lacklustre skin to lock in moisture for 8 hours while softening, conditioning and helping to restore its natural glow. Use regularly to boost the performance of your daily skincare regime.'

Now it states to use it morning and night, but I found that it didn't really sink in fully, so applying foundation on top of it would be a nightmare. But as a night facial oil it was great. I applied it a few hours before bed to give it time to be absorbed, a few small drops are sufficient enough for the whole face (which means it will last forever!), I does leave a slight residue, but by morning that's gone. I was apprehensive about using this at first, I was worried it may cause breakouts, but to my surprise it did nothing of the sort. I awoke to beautiful soft and glowing skin, it looked and felt more plump and hydrated. This is perfect for the cold months, when skin (especially mine) can become dry. It really improved the overall look and feel of my skin, I'm so pleased.

 Could this be the secret to beating your winter skin?

Liz earle cleanse and polish hot cloth cleanser

So by now, everyone and their mother has heard of/tried Liz earle cleanse and polish hot cloth cleanser, but here is my two sense anyway.

Liz earle is a cruelty free plant based brand that are famous for this cleanser, they only make one cleanser as they claim that its formulation is suitable for all skin types. I was dubious about this, I have spot prone skin and I was worried that this formulation may cause my skin to become even more oily. But in fact I did not cause that, It didn't cause any break outs, and actually made my skin really clear. This cleanser is so gentle and simple to use, I can see why its perfect for all skin types.

• 'Our plant-based cleanser has a two-phase action, phase one is the cleansing. Free from mineral oil, it has a rich and creamy texture and swiftly removes all traces of face and eye make-up, even stubborn mascara.
• Phase two is the polishing. Polish off the cream using the pure muslin cloth to gently dislodge dead skin cells and help reveal clean, soft and radiant skin.'  

 (Liz earle website)

This herbal scented cleanser feels really luxurious to use, it wipes away any make up you have on without stinging your eyes one bit, leaving your skin feeling soft and fresh. It contains chamomile, which is great for calming the skin and reducing redness as well as beeswax that relives sore, chapped skin. It really is a pleasure to use. This cleanser is raved about and I felt I needed to see if the hype was true for myself...... I was not disappointed!

Liz earle is great brand that seem to put a lot of time and effort into every single stage of their business, from creating the products to shipping them to your house. They beautifully wrapped my cleanser, and just as I thought it couldn't get any better, they gave me a free sample of their perfume and foundation along with my purchase. Smashing! 


You should try this cleanser.....right now!

My birthday spa weekend.

This isn't my normal kind of blog post, this is going to be about my birthday trip to a spa. warning: picture heavy post.

On the 6th of January it was my 21st birthday, so for a birthday present my mum took me to the Celtic Manor spa hotel. It was fantastic! The Celtic Manor is a pretty famous hotel in Wales where the welsh rugby team stay on a regular basis. It has a hotel and Elemis spa, that has a steam room, sauna, jacuzzi and spa area.  As well as a whole host of restaurants, gym, golf course and much more. 

When I first arrived I dumped my bags in my room and headed to the pool area, this is the jucuzzi, steam and sauna area in the female quarters. I have never been in a steam room before, but my god was it good. 

    The best pool I have ever seen! 

After that we dried off and headed back to our room in our robes that they supplied us with, it was such a lovely room, the beds were like sleeping on a cloud. They had given us loads of free tea, coffee, hot chocolate and cookies, so while we showered and got ready for the night we could sip on delicious tea.  

In our bathroom we had samples of shampoo, shower oil, body lotion and soap from Elemis. I almost had a fit of excitement when I saw this!  The bathroom was amazing, the shower could hold about 4 of me inside it, that's how big it was.

After we got ready we headed for the restaurant, which like everything else, blew me away. The food was so nice and the service was unbelievable.  

The resturant

Birthday drinks

Dessert

This was my birthday dress from H&M and glitter shoes from Newlook.

There was also a cute shopping area which the best shops Iv ever seen in a hotel.

The next day, me and my mum went down to the spa where I had a full body massage (that was defiantly the icing on the cake). The Elemis spa was such a tranquil place, I would recommend anyone to go there. The staff were so lovely and really helpful. I really, really want to go back! It was the best birthday I have ever had. I cannot fault this hotel and highly recommend this, I would really love to go back again. 

Sanctuary - Pampering handcare hamper.

This was a Christmas gift set, but Sanctury products can be bought all year round from Boots. I thought this was such a great idea, a hand pampering kit. Most people forget about their hands when thinking about pampering their self, but hands are one of the tell tail signs of ageing. This kit came with a hand wash, scrub, cuticle oil and hand cream. The hand cream has SPF 15 which is fantastic, it helps to soften the skin and prevent ageing. Its not to heavy so can be used throughout the day, and leaves my hands feeling hydrated. 

Hand scrub is something Iv never used before and from the first time I tried this one, I loved it. It a really gritty scrub that works magic on your hands. It leaves them smooth and ready for a coat of moisturiser. I would use this once a week for a real treat. (rhyming ha). Its a great way to remove any dry skin and keep your hands looking fresh and youthful   

Cuticle oil is something I seem to neglect, but something so simple and easy that works a treat. It helps to keep your nail beds looking healthy and your hands soft. Its a great product for anyone trying to grow their nails, or someone who likes to keep their hands looking neat and tidy. 

The last product is a hand wash, now there isn't much to say about hand wash other than it cleans your hands, but as a student I am grateful that its one less thing I have to buy with my own money for my house.

All of these products are made with white tea extract, so they smell great. I'm not sure how much this set was as it was given to me as a gift, but I would highly recommend each product, however my favourite has to be the scrub. I will defiantly be dabbling in my Sanctury products. 

Brillient beauty tools

Beauty tools are often over looked, but they are something that can make a task much easier and faster to do. Here are some of my regularly used and favourites. 

Butterfly clips - These are so useful when styling your hair, they are good at holding hair in sections, allowing easier access to different parts of the hair when straightening, curling, drying est. These clips are often used by hairdressers when they are cutting or blow drying your hair, but can be bought in lots of different places for little cost. They usually come in packs, so they would be great if you needed to section lots of pieces of hair for things such as hair dying. 

Barrel brush - These are excellent for someone who likes to have smooth, sleek and voluminous hair. You used them when blow drying your hair to create a big, bouncy look. It also means that you wont have to straighten and style your hair after drying, as this brush does all the work for you. Thus saving time and energy. I love to use this brush to create a messy, Binky from Made in Chelsea inspired hair style, because a round barrel brush means you can create flicks and loose curls in the hair as well as straight and sleek locks. You can buy these really cheap, I bought mine for £1 from Primark, barging! 

Back comb brush - This is better than a normal comb as it has lots of dense bristles, allowing for more hair to be back combed at the same time. While a normal comb will do the job, a back comb brush just makes life easier. It allows for a tighter back comb, meaning it will stay in place longer. We all know back combing isn't great for the hair, but sometimes we just want big hair, and this brush does that nicely. Again, these combs are cheap, I picked mine up from Primark for £1. 

Nail brush - Now this is something that's considered to be quite out dated, you don't here about many people using these any more, but I find them so useful if I have any stubborn fake tan marks around my nails, both hand and feet. These brushes are great for scrubbing away any hair dye stains on hands as well, or just generally smoothing out the hands and feet. They are so cheap and easy to get hold of and come in handy (see what I did there) for lots of things.  

Back loofah - The back is somewhere that most people find hard to reach, you wash and exfoliate the rest of your body, but what about your back? These things are great, it makes cleaning your back so easy and simple. Perfect if you need to lightly exfoliate before a spray tan, or just on a day to day basis to clean the back spots you cant reach. Such a simple idea that most people forget about. 

There are plenty of beauty tools out there to try, different gadgets for different things, they really do save time and energy. Perfect for someone who wants to be pampered, but doesn't have lots of time to do it. Or someone like me who is just really lazy. 

Soap and Glory - Sugarcrush Body scrub

This was bought on a whim, I did need a new body scrub, but I didn't plan on buying this one. Body scrubs are something I hate to buy, but love to use. I find that they are expensive for what they are (usually just fancied up sugar), but non the less, I like to have one. This Soap and Glory sugarcrush body scrub retails for £8 and you get 300ml of product, its essentially a sugar scrub with lime, almond oil and macadamia grains, with the famous scent that I can only describe as the smell of coke. Soap and Glory are a mid range price bracket brand. (tongue twister right there) and their packaging is what draws me in every time.

This scrub doesn't leave an oily residue behind after using, so is ideal for using pre fake tanning. It really helps to get the dead layers of skin of, without being to harsh and causing your skin to hurt. Its also great for getting old fake tan off, or using before shaving to help any ingrowing hairs come out.

This is a scrub loved by many people and I can see why, its a no fuss body scrub that can be used both morning or night. It doesn't leave a scent on the skin so wont disrupt any perfume you wear during the day, the non oily formula means you can dry off and get changed straight after your shower, there is no sitting around waiting for the oil to sink in, and the fact the beads aren't extremely scratchy means you can use it a few times in one week. ( the packaging clams up to 4 times.)

This product has made me want to go out and try a lot more Soap and Glory products.

Happy New year!

So iv recently not been updating this blog all that much, what with Christmas, New years and my 21st Birthday coming up in 5 days, I have been really busy. When my life goes back to 'normal', I'm planning on blogging far more often. I'm hopefully going to post every Wednesday, Friday and possibly Sunday, so keep your eyes peeled for that. Im really going to get stuck in with this blog and put more effort in. So until then, you can follow me on Twitter @BethanyKeenan92 or Tumbler . I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New year. I have a feeling its going to be a good year. 

Blistex lip moisturisers.

I have seriously chapped/dry lips all year round, but winter my lips can become sore and really dry. So I need lip products that really moisturises my lips and help prevent them chapping. I find that Blistex is a fantastic brand that really does help. They are currently having a 3 for 2 offer in Boots, so I decided to pick up three. After trying all of these out, its safe to say my favourite is the Moisture max, its very hydrating (as all of them are) but this one is just simple and easy. I find that the Intensive moisture Blistex causes a white cast on the lips and also tastes very strange, so I reserve this one for night time. While the Lip Brilliance in blushing is really nice, you cant wear it under lipstick as it effects the colour. All in all these are effective lip moisturisers, with SPF that protects the lips, and essential ingredients to nourish the lips. I highly recommend this brand of lip balm. 

November empties

I feel like I need to start of this blog post with the typical 'I cant believe its been a month already', but I can believe it and I'm so happy its Christmas time! anyway, on with the empties.....

Surprise surprise, Iv used up yet another Ultrabland facial cleanser by Lush, I really do love this product, iv used it over and over again, I go through about 1 a month and enjoy every second of it... but when this one ran out I thought Id try something new, just because I wanted to spice up my life a little (I'm cool, I know). So this month iv opted to try the Liz Earle cleanse and polish, I know I'm late on that bandwagon but never mind, keep your eyes peeled for a review on that.

Sticking on the lines of Lush, I also used up the Ro's argan body conditioner, its a rose scented moisturising body mask. I adore this, but its around the £15 mark and I'm a poor student so Its an expensive product to keep re buying. However this body conditioner leaves my skin smelling and feeling great, perfect for the winter months and ideal for anyone who loves the smell of rose.

The next thing I have used up, even scrapped the sides to get the last drop out is the Nutrganics drop of youth by The Body shop. I really liked using this, I felt like it helped my skin to look more glowing and fresh. I'm not sure it made enough difference for me to re-purchase it though. 

Good things five minute facial mask is something I bought a while ago, I'm not a huge fan of it because I feel like its a bit drying, but at least I can now free up a bit of space for a new face mask.

Dove hair therapy was a free sample I had in a magazine, this is another averagely okay product, I wont be buying the full size.

Blistex relief cream is my all time favourite moisturising lip product, I find its the only one that actually relives my sore chapped lips. 

L'occitane is a brand and this hand cream is no different. I'm I defiantly going to buy the full size.  I have a review of this product here

Help me, retonol cream by Philosophy,  cost £38 and for the price I do not think its worth it. For a very long time I used Avene Triacneal which is a whole £14 cheaper and found that it gave me better results than Help me did. I am pretty disappointed by this as I had high hoped. I think ill just stick to Triacneal from now on.