January Favourites

There is only one item of makeup in my favourites this month, which for me has to be some sort of record! 

As I mentioned in my last post, I am in the process of trying to use up and finish a lot of my makeup, so I'm currently using a lot of my not so favourite products. 

I do still have some noteworthy items worth sharing though and its made me take notice of all the other beauty products I have been loving which I don't usually acknowledge, because I'm so focused on makeup, makeup, makeup! 

Lush Dark Angels Cleanser

This was a recommendation from my friend Chloe. I'm not a massive fan of Lush, probably because I don't have a bath in my house, but when it comes to beauty recommendations I trust her!

This is an exfoliating cleanser which contains powdered charcoal, rhassoul mud (no clue!) avocado and rosewood oil. This is quite an abrasive exfoliator, so its definitely not one you would want to use on a daily basis but I love using it in the shower after cleansing. It looks like mud both in the pot and when you apply it to your face but don't let that put you off! I love that it leaves my skin feeling really clean without that horrible stripped feeling. Its good for those days where you have worn a lot of makeup or are just feeling particularly grubby!

Available from Lush £6.75

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in 'Boy'

Can you believe that out of my 106 lipsticks, I only own one Chanel lipstick? Don't worry though, I wont be giving myself a pat on the back for that 'achievement' anytime soon! As I try and whittle down my lipsticks, I have been going through my collection, picking out my most used ones and trying to finish them first. Chanel Boy was one of my favourites back in the day but I had forgotten about it along the way and its sat in my makeup drawer unloved for too long. 

The Rouge Coco Shine lipsticks are very sheer and just give a hint of colour. They feel really moisturising and have a glossy finish but this does mean that they don't last very long and you do have to reapply several times throughout the day. 

I am so happy I dug this out of my makeup drawer!

Available from Debenhams £25.00

Living Proof Prime Style Extender Spray

I am a big, big fan of the Living Proof haircare range. I originally discovered it a couple of years ago in America and was most definitely lured in by the advertisements with Jennifer Aniston. When it comes to hair care I am extremely low maintenance, I don't even own a hairdryer and I love anything that makes life easier. 

I loved Living Proof's original Prime Style Extender so was intrigued to see if the spray bottle made any difference. This is designed to help your hair hold its style and stay cleaner for longer. 

I actually think I prefer the original tube packaging to the spray. I felt I noticed more of a difference with my 'style' lasting longer and I felt like I had more control over where I applied it. I still enjoyed this but out of the two I do prefer the original.

Available from Space NK £18.00

Topshop Nail Polish in 'En Pointe'

I noticed this colour on my friend Sop's nails, made a mental note to buy it and its pretty much all I've worn on my nails all month long. I have just been removing this when it chips and repainting, which is unheard of for me!

En Pointe is a very nude colour, I call it my skin colour but I love it because its opaque. As I get older I find myself gravitating more towards nude colours but they have be opaque, sheer nail polish makes me shudder! 

Available from Topshop £5.00

Sigma Blending E25 Eyeshadow brush in Copper

The day I discovered the MAC 217 eyeshadow brush is the day my eyeshadow application changed for the better! I love that brush, it applies and blends your eyeshadow at the same time, whats not to love?!

This is Sigma's version of that brush and I already had a couple but because I use them everyday I  thought I would get a couple more. Also the fact that I found these rose gold ones on Amazon, may have slightly influenced my purchasing decision! 

I really recommend Sigma's eye brushes, cheaper than MAC but practically identical. However I do not recommend their face brushes. I've have a couple and had to throw them all away because they shed hairs so badly. 

Available from Amazon £14.95

Diptyque Noisetier Candle

I love Diptyque candles, they fill the room with scent like nothing else and I have an obsession with collecting the empty jars. They are definitely pricey but feel like such a special treat when you burn them. I like to ask for one at Christmas or on my birthday and my Sister picked me the Noisetier scent for Christmas. I'm terrible at not really branching out when it comes to candle scents but I'm so happy she picked this because it smells amazing, very warming and woody with a hint of spice. 

Available from Space NK £40.00

Natural Beauty

We are all encouraged to read our food labels to see what we are really eating but do you ever read the ingredients on your beauty items? Once you do it can all get a bit worrying.

Liquid Paraffin, Petrolatum, Parabens, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, none of these are good for us but if you go and read the labels of your beauty products you will find these are the most common ingredients in all of them. Liquid Paraffin and Petrolatum are mineral oils. In a nutshell mineral oils are a by product of petrol (nice) its a really cheap ingredient, hence why its in everything! Mineral Oils create a barrier on your skin, so when you apply a product that's full of mineral oil like Vaseline it will feel really moisturising on your skin but in reality its completely useless as the barrier stops it penetrating your skin, so  only the surface of your skin that will feel like its moisturised. Over time you will find you need to apply more and more and none of it will do anything to improve the dryness of your skin. Its all a temporary measure, as my friend Chloe is always telling those Vaseline users out there. 

It would be pretty impossible to avoid these ingredients completely and in most beauty products the actual amount is very minimal and wont cause you any actual harm but still its not a nice thought. Which is why I have been trying to use more natural products. Natural products are becoming more and more easily available. They do tend to be more expensive but I do believe you get what you pay for.

So I thought I would share with you all a few of my favourite natural products and brands.

By far my favourite natural brand is Yes to, I am a teeny tiny bit obsessed.

Yes to has four different ranges;

Yes to Carrots  - All the products in the Carrots range are designed for dryer skin/hair that needs more hydration and nourishment.

Yes to Cucumbers - Designed for sensitive skin/hair that needs a bit more of a soothing, calming touch.

Yes to Blueberries - Blueberries focuses on ageing, so more suitable for mature skin.

Yes to Tomatoes - Tackles problem blemish prone skin, ideal for younger skin.

My favourite products are the shower gels (Carrots is my favourite), face moisturisers (I have tried every single one except Blueberries and still cant pick a favourite) and the Yes to Cucumbers Soothing Eye Gel which feels so nice and cooling on my puffy morning eyes.

There are a few other natural skin care brands and products I like. Korres is a Greek brand who use natural ingredients in their products. I have been using their Wild Rose 24 Hour Moisturising Brightening Cream and have been impressed at how hydrating it is.

Kiehls is an American brand that has been going since 1851, pretty impressive! Kiehls only use ingredients that are beneficial to the skin. I love their Midnight Recovery Concentrate which is an oil you apply to your face at night. I swear when I use this I wake up in the morning and my skin looks brighter. Its also made from 99.8% naturally derived ingredients.

Liz Earle is another great skincare brand who use naturally active ingredients. I love using Cleanse and Polish to remove my make up, and the Instant Boost Skin Tonic is a lovely hydrating toner. Only thing I would say, if you have particularly sensitive skin you may have to be careful as natural ingredients can irritate, so try and get a sample to test out first. Liz Earle are also a cruelty-free certified company.

For hair I really recommend checking out Tara Smith's haircare line which you can buy from good old Marks and Spencer's. Tara's products are natural and 100% vegan, plus to please your shallow side the packaging is amazing. I did a more in depth review of her Shine on Shampoo and Conditioner here

Now I am not a Lush fan, in fact I am a bit of a Lush hater but their Big Shampoo is amazing I will give them that. Its full of sea salt which makes your hair feel so clean and bouncy and ohmygod this stuff smells so bloody good. Now there is sodium lauryl sulfate in this which I understand Lush are phasing out, but all in all Lush are a good brand to support. Clearly defined ethics on animal testing and using vegetarian ingredients, maybe I shouldn't be so harsh on them. If only their shops didn't smell so awful I might be more tempted to spend more time in there!

Back to Korres now, but this time I am talking about their Lip Butters. Trade in your Vaseline for one of these and you will not regret it. There are no hidden nasties in the ingredients list and instead hydrate your lips with natural oils, shea butter and rice wax. Even better these are tinted, a tinted lip balm is possibly my favourite thing in the whole entire world!

From left to right we have Jasmine, Pomegranate and Wild Rose.

My last natural category is hands and nails, Ive even included feet!

Its hard to beat L'Occitane's hand and foot creams. I am a hand cream hater and I have come to the conclusion its impossible to find a "non greasy" one but I like the L'Occitane ones and I don't find myself rubbing my hands on my leggings afterwards!

 Another great hand cream is the Balance Me Rose Otto Hand Cream which contains ingredients that are 98.8% natural origin. I also like how they make it clear on their packaging what their products don't contain, makes life a lot easier. If you haven't seen Balance Me products before you can find them in larger Waitrose stores (I do love Waitrose).

Burts Bee's are one of the more famous natural brands but this is the only product I have actually tried by them. I love the smell of their Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream, I like to warm a bit up in my hands first then massage onto my nails and cuticles to nourish them.

 And finally to prove that natural products are increasing in popularity I have managed to find a nail polish. Kure Bazaar's nail polishes contain up to 85% natural ingredients (wood pulp, wheat, cotton, potatoes and corn). Their colour range is impressive, I have the colour Or Rose which is a beautiful Rose Gold colour. Kure Bazaar is available online and in Selfridges.

So there is my round up of some of my favourite natural beauty products. I definitely want to incorporate more natural products into my beauty routine so if you have any suggestions I would love to hear them!