Monthly Roundup #1

So here I am chilling on a Sunday evening with a glass of Pinot Noir and it suddenly dawned on me that not only is it the 1st April today (where has this year gone) but more importantly I had not done my monthly favourites. Before I start though I have decided to re-name these post Monthly roundups...more for the fact that I have so many favourites per month that some might end up coming up time and time again and that could become rather boring so these posts will focus on the stand out products of the month and any new products I have tried and tested. So, without further a do monthly roundup #1. 

#1 The Sanctuary Body Butter

I tend to buy body butters with the good intention of using and then they sit in a drawer somewhere never to be touched again, not this time though I have made it my mission (and succeeded) in almost finishing this giant tub and my skin has thanked me for it, it has never been so soft.

#2 Collection 2000 Cream Puff in Cotton Candy 

I have spoken about these in a previous post, and they have been left a little neglected yet at the moment I am into the mattified lip with a hint of colour and these give that 'bitten' lip effect. 

#3 The Sanctuary Face Oil 

What can I say I am loving The Sanctuary at the moment and again I have already written about this. There was a time where I would not allow oil products within a 10 mile radius of my oily/combo skin but now I am embracing the oils and can't get enough of this stuff. I mix it with my moisturiser on mornings when I need a little extra oomph. 

#3 Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair

If you don't own this, then you should. It is pricey at £41 for 30ml but this will last forever. I douse this on after cleansing at night prior to my moisturiser and in the morning my skin feels better for it. 

#4 Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic 

I got a small travel size of this with my hot cloth cleanser but it was a spray and I kind of neglected it until I ran out of my normal toner and had to use it and then thought why the hell have I not used this before? Its bloody lovely so after I used all of the sample sized I hot footed it to John Lewis to pick up the 200ml. This leaves my skin cleansed, refreshed and hydrated all at the same time.

#5 Estee Lauder Invisible Fluid

After trying a sample of this from Glamour it was love at first testing and had to get the full size! This leaves my skin feeling like I am not wearing anything but covers all imperfections perfectly. You can read my full review here. 

#6 YSL Touche Eclat 

I had this years ago and used it all up and just never re-purchased however whilst in Harrods the other weekend I was browsing the cosmetics hall and found it again and have been loving it ever since. When you have early mornings like me then anything that brightens and conceals is a must have. 

Well thats all I have for this month, I thought I would of had more but hey ho. Let me know if you have tried any of these products and what you think?

Vaseline 2-in-1 Hand Cream + Anti Bac

When it comes to keeping my hands clean throughout the day I always like to ensure that I have a handy bottle of sanitizer within easy reach. The industry I work in means that some days I can visit several sites at a time meeting and greeting customers via handshakes. The thought of all those germs passing around is enough to make my skin crawl but in most cases washing my hands frequently isn't an option when on the go which is why hand sanitizer is my saviour! But using it often throughout the day tends to leave my hands a tad on the dry side which is why I like to moisturise immediately after to avoid that nasty dry feeling. So imagine my delight at discovering that Vaseline had brought out a 2 in one (hand cream + anti-bac*) product that not only keeps my hands soft and smooth but actually removes almost 99.9% germs in just 15 secs. Priced at an affordable £3.29 for a pretty generous 75ml means no more lugging around sanitizer and hand lotion I can just pop this in my bag and away I go! And not only is it affordable and practical it also leaves my hands smelling pretty nice too!

Vaseline 2-in-1 is available from all leading Supermarkets and chemists including Boots and Superdrug!

* PR Sample 

Purity One-step Facial Cleanser by Philosophy

Purity one-step cleanser by Philosophy is an all in one cleanser claiming to replace your makeup remover, cleanser and toner by deeply cleaning the pores whilst melting away makeup and hydrating the skin.  Whilst my love for Liz Earle cleanse and polish has not faltered I had been looking for something more substantial to use in the evening for a deeper cleanse alongside my Clarisonic and this seemed perfect. It has a lightweight formulation with subtle almost soap like aromas. Used alongside the Clarisonic, a small pea size amount creates a frothy formula and leaves my skin feeling completely cleansed.

I tend not to use this alone to remove makeup as I do not believe that I have come across any cleanser that can remove all traces of makeup in one sweep without the need to double cleanse, hence why I remove my makeup first with my Bioderma H2O Sensibio and a couple of cotton pads. After using this I find my oily/combo skin does tend to feel a tad dry and tight in comparison to when I use the Liz Earle but once toned and moisturised I am good to go. I have only been using this in the evenings for a deeper cleanse whilst favouring the Liz Earle in the morning. If your skin is a little on the dryer side you might want to avoid this, despite it being recommended for all types it could leave you a little dryer. The only negative drawback I can find is the price which is a hefty £17.50 for a 240ml bottle and for this alone I am not sure whether I would purchase it again. As for results I have noticed that my skin has not broken out in a while but I am not convinced that it is directly a result of this product alone and more of a combination of new products and routines which I have been trying but I have  and will continue enjoying using this...

Boots 17 Blemish Balm

When it comes to foundations I guess you could call me a teeny bit of 'snob' favouring higher end brands such as Estee Lauder over drugstore brands. This is not saying that I think drugstore brands lack quality, I just tend to find that they have a less extensive colour range compared to the former and for that reason I opt for the more expensive. However with that in mind and with summer approaching I like to give my skin a little breather as hot weather plus thick foundation is not a good combo nor a good look which is why summer sees me favouring towards tinted moisturisers and the like. Now, BB creams, blemish balms, beauty balms or whatever you want to call them have been in the beauty market for some time now and it seems that everywhere you look almost every brand has their own version ranging from affordable drugstore to higher end merchants.

Whilst in Boots though I spotted their 17 range had released one, and at a very affordable £6.99 I was intrigued so picked up a box. The plain black packaging does not scream high end, plain and simple but not bad. For £6.99 you get 30ml of product which is pretty good although there is rather a lot of air in the tube but then this often is the case with these type tubes.

Promoted to cover, enhance and protect the skin with an SPF 15 it promises to give the ultimate flawless finish. There are 2 colours available either light or medium which is a little disappointing for darker skinned ladies. I picked the medium, although whilst it was a fairly precise match for my skin at the moment, it was very light. I can only imagine what the light version was like. Considering this was bought for summer it is not going to be any use once my skin is tanned. 

The formulation however was good, neither too thick nor runny and blended/absorbed into my skin well. It gave a medium coverage, more of a coverage than I was expecting which was quite pleasing. Although if you are an EL 'double wear' type of girl then you perhaps aren't going to like this for the fact it does not have the power to cover blemishes completely without the need for concealer. As for durability, this wore off in only a couple of hours which was a bit of a pain, although it wore off in a natural way rather than a patchy 'look i'm wearing makeup' kind of way. I personally think this product is good for girls on a budget that want minimal light coverage without breaking the bank. If you are fortunate to be able to get a good colour match from the limited range then this would be perfect to slap on during the summer when you aren't brave enough to go completely bare faced but want some coverage.

Boots 17 BB cream is available online by clicking here or in-store for £6.99 and it is currently in the 3 for 2 offer on cosmetics.

I just want to say Thank You for your patience over the weekend during Sport Relief whereby I took part in the Blog blackout from Friday as part of Best British Bloggers on line mile. If you are not aware of what sport relief is then please visit my post by clicking here.