Ghosts of Beauty Products Past #2

It feels like I just wrote the original Ghosts of Beauty Products Past post, you'll probably see some repeat offenders that I just can't get enough of, I'll post them but won't go into too much detail so if you want to see what I really thought of them you can refer back to the original post!

Hair Care

It seems I've been finishing off a lot of products that have been on the go for a while now so I'm super stoked to share some of these gems with you guys! Everyone knows my love for Batiste dry shampoo so I won't go into that, BUT I've finally finished some of my favourites that I've been using for about a year now.

Difiaba Hydressence Conditioner:  I've been using this conditioner for over a year now and I adore it! It's super hydrating without leaving your hair feeling heavy, has the most amazing scent and is perfect for any heat junkie, styling addict or just general hair abuser that needs a little help getting those locks looking luscious again, this will definitely be a repurchase. You can find it here!

Difiaba Luminessence Hydrating Serum: This is an amazing treatment I use once a month, a combination of hair care and aromatherapy. I follow up my shampooing with a vial of the hibiscus scented hydrating serum, comb through and leave for five minutes before rinsing. For $36 here you get enough to last you a whole year! I've already placed an order for more.

Skin Care

MAC's Lightful Cleanser and Lightful Softening Lotion are staples in my skin care routine so clearly it's not a surprise to find them in another GofBPP post...

Delarom Revitality Cream: I used this cream for three months and when I first talked about it back in my What's My Age Again? post I thought I could never live without this cream but since finishing it off I'm not so sure I still feel so strongly about it. While I did notice a slight improvement in the fine lines on my forehead whilst using this product, I've found that since I've stopped using it my Keihl's Powerful Strength Line Reducing Treatment does just as good of a job at keeping the lines at bay, if not better and only for a fraction of the price! Needless to say I will not be repurchasing.

Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm: This is a product I have yet to mention on the blog because I've been so on the fence about it and I still can't decide if I like it or not even after finishing the pot and here's why: the thermal mud is packed full of mineral rich goodness and because it's a cleansing balm it makes removing make up and cleansing the skin a piece of cake which is what everyone wants after a long day, is it not? So then you
may ask why aren't I head over heels in love? Well for starters it's £46.00 for a 50ml pot that barely lasts a month, which if it did amazing things for my skin would make it a little easier to justify but the fact is it just doesn't. I wanted to love this product, I've tried so hard to love this product, but in the end, I just can't. It's definitely worth a try (and if you're curious you can find it here) but it's not something I will be repurchasing. 

Body Care

Nuxe Huile de Prodigeuse: This is the third bottle of this glorious oil that I've finished off in the last six months and I've already cracked my fourth. For a full review of this product click here.

The Body Shop's Body Butter in Coconut and Chocomania: As far as I am concerned there is no other body butter in the world, or at least none that can compete with the Body Shops, I've already restocked my cupboards with four more of these bad boys!

Bath and Body Works Aromatherapy Body Lotion in Sleep:  I talked a little bit about this guy in my Night Routine post, and since finishing it I've realized two things about it; 1. It's not the most hydrating lotion and 2. The scent was way more relaxing than I had noticed, since finishing I've found my mind doesn't relax quite as quickly, hopefully my Aromatherapy Associates Relax Body and Massage Oil shows up soon so I can go back to sound sleeping!

Caudalie Divine Oil:  I first mentioned this in my recent post about beauty oils and when I wrote that I mentioned it was heavier than Nuxe's and almost sticky, but since switching it to an evening use only product, I've fallen in love. It hydrates scaly spots on my legs, tames parched hair and smells just heavenly. You can get your hands on a bottle of your own here.

Hand Care

Tokyo Milk's Tainted Love Hand Cream: While it smelled absolutely amazing it wasn't the most hydrating for my seriously dry hands, I think in the future I'll stick to the perfumes from Tokyo Milk because those never disappoint. 

Sanoflore Miel Nourricier Hand Cream:  I mentioned this in my January Favourites post after returning home from a romantic weekend in Paris with the boy. This was definitely a gem that I stumbled upon whilst ravaging the French pharmacies and am glad to have someone back in France to mail me some when it runs out because woah man is this stuff awesome! Smells amazing, super hydrating and calming if your hands are sensitive like mine and just all around amazing! There may be a tube of this sitting in my goodie box waiting for the next giveaway.... just sayin.

Holey Butt'r:  This product is designed for stretched earlobes, which is why I have it but it is good for so much more! It contains a blend of Karanji seed oil, Jojoba seed oil, Soy butter, soy wax, Candelila wax and Neem seed oil which are a potent blend of moisturisers and emollients to hydrate and heal dehydrated and stressed out skin. I like to put this on my elbows, knees, knuckles, heels and anywhere else feeling particularly crocodile like.

Make Up

L'Oreal Mega Volume Miss Manga Mascara:  I mentioned this in my February Favourites post as it was something I picked up from Boots on a whim whilst in Brighton back in January and I'm so sad I didn't pick up another because now that this one is done I can't seem to find it here back in Canada or anywhere online, we all know I'm queen of online shopping, and I'm struggling to replace it. There is a mascara shaped void in my life now...

MAC's Studio Fix Powder in NC15:  This has been a staple in my make up bag since I was about 13 but since my skin shifted more to the drier side I had been avoiding using it, now that I've got my skin back under control, a light dusting of Fix powder with a fluffy MAC 187 Duo Fibre Face Brush over top of my Jouer Matte Moisture Tint creates the perfect finish.

Bath and Shower

LUSH's Snow Fairy Shower Gel: I've ranted and raved about this stuff multiple times so if you want to see more about why I love it you can check that out here and here.

Soap and Glory's Sugar Crush Body Scrub: This stuff is amazeballs. Like seriously. I went into raptures here about my nostalgic love for this product and why I was so happy to see it back in Canada. If you're looking for a good scrub look no further!

Tokyo Milk's Tainted Love Shower Gel: This faired much better than it's hand cream partner I mentioned earlier in the post; it has that amazing combination of dark vanilla bean, orchid and sandalwood that lingers after the shower is over.

Pure Potent Wow Muscle Soak Bath Salts: If you lift heavy weights you're going to feel it the next day, and since I'm constantly lifting weights or running my muscles are always aching and sore and this stuff definitely helps me keep moving. I'm always trying out new bath salts so the chances of repurchasing this aren't very likely but if you're someone that enjoys a good bath on the regular these are a must try!

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What's Oil the Fuss About?

Oh man that was a punny title! I hope we can still be friends after that, but seriously, I LOVE beauty oils. Whenever friends or family ask me what the biggest change I've made to my skin care routine is it has to be oils and serums, but so many people don't know about the majesty of oils or if they do they're terrified about putting an oil on their skin for fear of breaking out, so I'm here to dispel that fear for you!

Cleansing Oils

Let's start with the oils that most people would be a little more open to since you're going to rinse them off and not sleep with it on your face overnight. I love cleansing oils because I'm lazy and hate spending forever taking my make up off at the end of the day, with a little bit of cleansing oil the job takes seconds, even waterproof eye makeup comes off without a fuss, simply pump a little bit oil into your hands, massage it onto your dry face and then wipe away or rinse clean.

Past: MAC's Cleanse Off Oil/ Tranquil was the very first cleansing oil I used, a nice basic cleansing oil with some added botanical oils to soothe sensitive and redness prone skin. I found it did a great job of removing my makeup without being astringent but it didn't really do anything else for me.

Present: Shu Uemura Anti/Oxi Skin Refining Cleansing Oil this is my new favourite as it does everything that the MAC cleansing oil did but with the added bonus of brightening my dull complexion by removing and protecting against environmental pollution that can dull the skin.

To Try: The Body Shop's Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil a couple of my favourite beauty bloggers have been singing the praises of this particular cleansing oil lately and with a price point of only $16 it definitely makes it the most budget friendly of the bunch, so it's high on my list of products to try once my current cleansing oil is through.

Body Oils

Still on the side of least scary oils we have the body oils, a great way to hydrate your skin before and after a shower (a little oil massaged into your skin 30 minutes before a shower will do wonders for dry skin!)

Past: Nuxe's Huil de Prodigieuse I first picked this up back in January and am already on my third bottle I love this stuff so much, it's a dry oil meaning it leaves your skin soft but not sticky which is a total plus! I use this stuff after my shower every morning.

Present: Caudalie Divine Oil I picked up the little $10 bottle of this at Sephora the other day because I can't resist anything miniature, I like that this seems to be slightly more hydrating than the Nuxe oil but I'm not a fan of the slightly greasy residue that it leaves on my skin, this would be best used before a shower or before bed, a little too sticky for every day use for me.

To Try: Aromatherapy Associates Relax Body and Massage Oil I am a bath junkie, there's nothing a like more than slipping into a hot bath full of LUSH products at the end of a hectic day to unwind, now if I had a body oil designed to soothe the mind what could be better? I've heard great reviews about the relaxing properties of this oil and the simple act of massaging oil into your skin is quite soothing; this gem is in my current Cult Beauty order that's somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean right now... (sidenote: if you're hesitant about ordering from Cult Beauty let me just tell you now that they are probably the best online store I've ordered from in a LONG time, free shipping that doesn't take months to get here and their returns department is probably the nicest, most accommodating and punctual return department I've ever encountered! So good in fact I sent them a card saying just that...)

Hair Oils

Hair oils are still fairly new to myself as usually I just slap some coconut oil on my hair before bed and call it a night but I got these samples and decided to give it a go; these are merely first impressions as I haven't been able to make the samples last longer than one application.

Agave Healing Oil Treatment I got this sample in my Birchbox a little while ago and finally decided to give it a try; it's designed to be used on dry or damp hair pre-styling, as my hair tends to get greasy I figured I'd use it pre-bed that way if it made my hair gross I cold wash my hair in the morning. The smell of this stuff was AMAZING, it didn't make my hair greasy or heavy but I also didn't notice it do anything all too special for my hair either. First impression: Didn't hate it but didn't love it.

Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil this was another hair oil that was just ok for me, maybe I'm just not a hair oil person? It tamed fly aways and made my hair shiny as claimed but I found my Difiaba Luminessence Shine Mist did the exact same thing but was lighter on my hair. First impression: meh.

Face Oils

Now this here is my jam, I freaking love face oils so let me get into this!

I'm always a little skeptical when a cosmetics company branches out into skincare but Tarte hit the nail on the head with their Maracuja Oil; it's lightweight and absorbs so quickly that I can use it in the morning under my make up and it won't affect my foundation application and it delivers that little bit of something extra to leave my skin looking soft, hydrated and supple. Also, how adorable is that packaging?!

In the evening is where I go a little bit buck wild with my Full of Grace, Midnight Recovery Concentrate and Seaberry Moisturizing Face Oil concoction; I've already talked about this trio in a fair amount of detail so if you're keen you can read more about them here and here.

To Try: 

If you're oily: you can help limit sebum production in oily skin by using a face oil regularly; here are some to try! Bosica Tsubaki Beauty Oil, Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil or Kate Somerville Dilo Oil.

For first signs of aging: Midnight Recovery Concentrate, Nude ProGenius Treatment Oil or Aesop Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Serum.

Do you guys have any favourite oils? Let me know in the comments section below!

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In Flight Pamper Session

Being in a long distance relationship means you are usually subjected to long haul flights more often than most and anyone that flies knows how much of a toll the recirculated cabin air can take on your skin and hair if you're stuck in your seat for hours on end. Since there's not much else you can do on a plane aside from back to back movie marathons you might as well make that time work for you and get some good quality pampering in!

I always like to have a good quality face wipe on hand to refresh myself when I'm feeling tired and grimy from 8+ hours of traveling. I've tried several brands and the First Aid Beauty Gentle Cleansing Wipes get my vote! They're gentle enough you can use them to remove eye make up but they're still strong enough to get off that mascara and liner; I also keep a pack in my gym bag for a quick refresh after a good work out!

I am all about serums and facial oils especially when things are getting dry but liquids can be a tricky thing to take in cabin so LUSH's Full of Grace is the perfect product for the job; a solid moisturizing bar that melts when warmed between your palms and can then be massaged into you skin to add a quick punch of easily absorbed moisture to your parched face. I also take a little chunk of Fresh Farmacy Cleanser that way near the end of the flight I can just nip to the toilet and give my face a proper wash; just lather the warm, massage your face and then use a muslin cloth to remove so that you don't have to worry about trying to wash your face in a teeny airplane loo.

If it's a long haul flight I like to do as much pampering as possible to make the time fly by I usually have some of my My Beauty Diary Dark Circles Eye Masks in my bag that I can pop on for a couple minutes because let's face it, no one looks well rested after 8+ hours of flying. I usually have my sleep mask handy that I can slide down over the masks so I don't look like a major weirdo and I'll usually listen to music and just relax for 15 minutes or so while these bad boys do their job.

After I remove the eye masks I massage any extra serum left on my skin into my ocular bone and add a little bit of the Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado to keep the delicate eye skin hydrated for the long haul; when using this I found the best way to apply is to pick up a TINY bit with your ring finger and massage it between your two rings fingers for a couple seconds first to warm it up and then tap it into the ocular bone as opposed to rubbing it, works like a dream!

I mix up my own leave-in hair treatment for the flight using 1 vial of Difiaba Luminessence Hydrating Serum mixed with equal parts of water in a travel sized spray bottle and just mist it through my ends to keep my hair from drying out. I love the Difiaba serum as it smells wonderful and leaves my hair shiny and hydrated.

The last step before I struggle for the rest of the flight trying to sleep (before eventually giving up and reading for the next several hours) is to add an overnight hydrating mask; I love Glam Glow's Thirsty Mud for this purpose because it smells amazing and when I rinse my face in the morning my skin looks like I never stepped foot on an airplane! I usually decant a little bit of this into a sample cup so that I don't have to faff about with the big pot of it in my carry on.

Clearly I use my flights as an excuse to get in some much needed pampering, I find it makes the flights go by faster and I feel relaxed and refreshed when I step off the plane, even if I didn't get a wink of sleep!

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