A couple of Body Shop sale buys- Chocomania!

Hello!

I hope you guys are having a good week.  Last week I popped in to the Body Shop and was so happy to find some things on sale at a good price.  I really needed a new body butter having just run out of my Organic Surge one which I had been loving.  I love to try new products though and as the Chocomania Body Butter was on sale and I'd never used it before I decided to treat myself to it.  The matching Body Oil was also on sale.  I've had mixed results from using these oils in the past, the lemon one I loved but it was discontinued and then I tried the olive one and it stung my skin!  I really liked the scent of this one though and missed my lemon one so I decided to give it a go.

So far I'm really pleased with these products.  My skin is actually in pretty good condition at the moment so I can tolerate products that I sometimes can't when my eczema is flared up.  This makes it impossible for me to know whether or not these products would work when my skin is sensitive.  I sense it might not because they both have quite strong scents.  I'm not going to complain about that though, at the moment I'm loving slathering these on post bathing, smelling as though I'm covering myself in chocolate.  I love sweet scents so these are perfect for me.  I wouldn't wear something this sweet in the summer months (don't want to be chased by insects!) but winter is the perfect time for me to indulge in my love of a sweet smell.

The body oil has a nice consistency but isn't moisturising enough on it's own for my quite dry skin.  I tend to apply the body butter first which I find sinks in deliciously and then sometimes go in with the body oil on top to really seal the moisture in.  Right now this is the perfect duo for me and I'm really enjoying using them, I can't get enough!  Also these body butters seem to last me quite a long time which is always good for my finances.

Till next time :)

Christmas Beauty Gifts

Hello!  Continuing on the theme of Christmas presents from yesterday I was lucky enough to receive quite a few lovely Body Shop products from my family.  I love trying out new products and look forward to trying these in the coming year.  Some of these things I've used before and some of them I've just started trying out.  Here are my impressions so far.

I got an Aloe skin care trio set.  It contained the Calming Facial Cleanser, Calming Toner and Soothing Day Cream.  I've never used any of these before but since I got them I've tested out all of them and they seem to be lovely products.  They haven't irritated my sensitive skin and are lovely to use.  I've been using the calming cleanser to take off my make-up and it does a good job.  I'll look forward to seeing how I get on with them over time.
I also got a Vitamin C Skin Care Duo.  This included the Skin Reviver and the Microdermabrasion.  The Skin Reviver is great for the winter, I have already written about it before, but I had never tried the Microdermabrasion before.  I was really surprised by how abrasive the texture was when I first used it.  I followed the instructions to apply using circular motions and rinse off.  However because of  the texture and having relatively sensitive skin I applied it in circular motions using a very very! light touch.  After rinsing it off my skin really did feel wonderfully soft.  I really liked the results and wanted to use it again as soon as possible but it says to only use it twice a week and considering how rough it is I can see why.  I also noticed it says that it is not for sensitive skin so maybe I will only be using this once a week.  I was really impressed with it though.
The Body Butter in Coconut I have used before and it does have a really lovely scent and thick creamy texture.  The Hemp Hand Protector I have yet to get use but I've heard it's really good and as the temperature here hit -15 celcius this morning I'm sure it's going to come in necessary.

Till next time :)

Twirlybirdie

Moisturising Empties

Hello!
I hope you are enjoying your weekend.  I have had a long relaxing bath so I am feeling well and truly chilled out.  As someone who suffers from bouts of eczema I get through a lot of moisturisers.  Even when your skin is clear of it you are supposed to keep the skin frequently moisturised to prevent an outbreak from occurring again.  This stash is a selection of items I have recently used up over the last 6 months or so.  I thought I would share my thoughts on them all with you.

The Body Shop Body Butter in Coconut
This body butter I bought the mini version of specifically to keep in my handbag.  The texture of it was creamy but slightly waxier than some of their other body butters I have used in the past.  The smell was delicious but this did seem to irritate my eczema when it was flared up which other Body Shop body butters haven't in the past.  It was great to use though on areas of skin that weren't sensitive and even my sensitive skin when the flare ups had calmed down.

Burt's Bees Fragrance Free Shea Butter and Vitamin E Body Lotion
This Body Lotion is perfect for my eczema prone skin.  It is the perfect consistency, not too thin or too thick, just a soothing creamy lotion.  There's no waxyness to it which means it completely absorbs in to the skin and I can even use it during a flare up without irritation.  I have also nearly finished the Aloe and Buttermilk version which absorbs even more easily in to my skin than this one.  Both I've repurchased in the past and I probably will do again.

The Body Shop Vitamin C Daily Moisturiser
Fav, fav, fav day cream for my face!  Smells great, paraben free, SPF 30 and doesn't irritate my sensitive skin.  I feel like my skin looks fresh and glowy when I use this.

The Body Shop Sweet Lemon Beautifying Oil
I feel like I have a lot of Body Shop products on here but that's because they are usually in my price range, especially as I only usually shop if there's a sale on.  I don't think they do this version of their oils any more which is a shame because I loved it.  I took it on holiday with me and could not get enough.  It felt so moisturising and my skin drank it up after long hot days at the beach.  Such a nice fresh lemon-y scent which went down a treat on my sensitive skin.  I tried the Olive scented one and could not get on with it at all.  It seemed far more strongly perfumed and maybe because of that it irritated my skin.  I hope they bring the lemon one back!

Joik Moisturising Body Oil with Lemon and Bergamot Essential Oils
Initially I compared this unfavourably with the Body Shop Beautifying Oil, because I preferred the stronger lemon scent and the thicker, silkier texture of the Body Shop Oil.  Coming back to this Joik oil later on though I appreciated the slightly thinner texture  more because it seemed to be quickly absorbed by my skin, which is good when you're pressed for time.  The scent is light but not artificial and the product is 100% natural, bonus!

NSpa Shea Butter Body Butter
This has a very thick and slightly waxy texture.  The scent is strong and very sweet but not unpleasant if you like sweet scents.  My skin found this irritating during a flare up but when my skin was calm this was nice to use.  The cream is very moisturising and long lasting because of the thick texture.  It feels like it forms a protective layer over the skin.  Really good for dry skin that needs protecting from the elements but maybe not suitable for very sensitive skin.

Quite a collection.  There are actually a couple more but I think I'll save them for another time to prevent this post from getting any longer!  I hope you have a lovely evening

Twirlybirdie :)

Winter Facial Skin Care Routine for Dry Skin

Hello!

This is a follow up to my previous post about how I look after the skin on my body during winter time.  I also change up my facial skin care routine a little.  Last winter I bought The Body Shop's Vitamin C Skin Reviver.  I was looking primarily for a serum and came across this on my search.  It has the consistency more similar to a primer in my opinion but with a very silky feel to it.  It is also quite shimmery looking but once it's spread out over the skin you can't really see the shimmer.  I was originally using this for the the glow effect it claims to have but I started to realise that when I was putting this on and then going out in the cold my skin felt much more protected than usual and less dried out by the cold weather.

Where I live temperatures can get down to -30 degrees celcius in the winter so when I say cold weather I really mean cold!  I have to take extra special care of the skin on my face because it can get dry very easily and the dry patches can turn in to eczema.  The Skin Reviver serum had the most noticeable protective effect when the temperatures were below zero.  This was actually what gave me the idea of using two different moisturisers on my skin elsewhere in the winter weather.  One to sink in to the skin and a heavier one on top to seal in the moisture.
Now that the weather is getting colder again I'm re-introducing this product back in to my make-up routine.  Every morning I use The Body Shop's Vitamin C Daily Moisturiser which is my favourite, particularly because it has SPF 30.  Then putting the Skin Reviver serum on top locks in the moisturiser and prevents the cold winds from reaching my sensitive skin underneath.  It's my perfect winter duo.
When I use the Skin Reviver I do feel the need to step up my face washing routine as well as the extra product on my skin can clog a few pores if I'm not careful.  I will use a face wash with salicylic acid in it and make sure my skin is properly clean and has a chance to breathe over night.
Do you step up your skin care in winter?

Till next time

Twirlybirdie :)

Body Shop Skincare haul - Tea Tree Blemish Fade Night Lotion, Pore Minimiser and Vitamin C Skin Reviver

Hello!

I hope you are having a nice day.  I'm sat listening to the racket of the flat next door being refurbished.  Drilling and hammering a plenty is my music today and I'm doing my best to stay calm and not get irritated even though it literally sounds as though they're hammering in to the wall of our living room.
There is a Body Shop where I live but it's much more expensive than shopping at the one in the UK so when I went home for Christmas I decided to pick up a few products I've been wanting to try out.

I've been having some trouble with the skin on my forehead just before Christmas.  The pores seemed blocked and came up in quite a few little bumps which was really irritating.  I had this happen once before a few years ago when I was really stressed but I didn't think my stress levels were much higher than normal this time round so I couldn't figure out what it was.  I really wanted some sort of lotion that I could put on my skin and just let it sit and feel like it was doing something so that I wouldn't be attempted to mess around with it.  The Body Shop Tee Tree Blemish Fade Night Lotion sounded like what I was looking for and as it was 3 for 2 on skincare I picked up the Tee Tree Pore Minimiser and the Vitamin C Skin Reviver.

I haven't been using these products for more than about 3 weeks so I don't know how they will fare long term but I've been enjoying using them so far.

I use the Tea Tree Night Lotion after I've washed my face and used a blackhead clearing cleanser.  It says to put it on after moisturiser but I've only been using it on my forehead which I don't normally put moisturiser on as that tends to make my forehead break out more.  It has a slightly tea tree like smell and is quite light.  I use just a small amount where I feel I need it.

The pore minimiser I have also been using on my forehead during the day either on it's own or under make-up.  I find it has a mattifying effect more than anything which I like and this is also not too thick that I feel like it will break me out.  It also has a subtle tee tree smell.

The Vitamin C skin reviver I picked up on a whim as I thought it might be like a serum and I've been wanting to try a serum for ages.  In reality this is more of a primer than a serum in texture.  It is a clear gel like formula with a slight iridescence to it and a pleasant scent.  It's very silky and when you spread it on your skin and feels like it sits on top of it like a silky layer.  At first when I put it on I can't really notice a difference but then after a couple of minutes I look in the mirror and my skin looks matte with a slight glow.  I don't know how much of a difference it really makes but I like putting this on my skin.  I used it under my foundation for a show and it worked well for this but made my eye lids too slippery for my eye-shadow to adhere to.  Other than that I've been wearing this more or less everyday for work mostly because I like how it feels and if it's giving me for of a glow than I wont complain!

I think I need to give these products a more long term test to really gauge results but I hope this gave a little insight in to how they might work.

Till next time

Twirlybirdie :)