Danielle's Beauty Blog

After getting home from holidays a few weeks ago the only thing I wanted to do was soak in the bath for half an hour and pamper myself. Unfortunately, due to a broken boiler my plans were scuppered and I was treated to a cold shower instead! With everything back in working order now I thought I take you through my usual pamper routine!

Starting with the bath, the ultimate treat is a great big Lush bath bomb to fill the bathroom with a gorgeous scent and the bath full of bubbles! I savour every Lush bath I take because I don’t take them that often as their products are so expensive. They are the most gorgeous smelling, bubbly, relaxing baths though! I think this is the So White bath bomb that I have had since Christmas, whoopsie! I used it last week and as well as smelling amazing. it made my skin feel so soft and supple! Cheaper alternatives include the magic wand I mentioned in last week’s empties post or the Soap and Glory Calm One Calm All Bubble bath.

  

While I’m waiting for the bath to fill I’ll usually dampen my hair and pop a leave in treatment on to work its magic. At the minute I’ve been using the Garnier Ultimate Blends  Strength Restorer Balm* which smells of honey and leaves my hair feeling super soft and manageable after I wash it out!

As a serial fake tan wearer, a good scrub is a necessity in my pamper routine and Soap and Glory Pulp Friction along with a pair of exfoliating gloves is the best I’ve ever tried! It has the Fruitigo fragrance and the little exfoliating beads are great at removing tan (without hurting) and it gives a good lather so I don’t feel like I am wasting product! Once I get out of the bath I will follow with a good moisturiser like Soap and Glory Righteous Butter which is a thick cream that is easily absorbed and smells amazing while keeping my skin feeling soft and supple!

To make sure I’ve got the days makeup off I’ll use a balm cleanser like the MOA Green Balm which is 100% natural and feels amazing to massage into my skin! As it’s multipurpose it can also be used to soothe bites, eczema, bruises, grazes and is suitable for sensitive skin and it’s so effective as a makeup remover.

I will then put on a facemask depending on what way my skin is looking/feeling like. The Origins Clear Improvement mask is still one of my favourites and one I use regularly when my skin just needs a refresh ready for the week ahead. I also talked about it in this post about my Skincare Saviours! I’ll also apply Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask about once a week to give my skin a real boost of hydration and I always wake up with plumper, softer skin after using this! It smells amazing!

My feet were so dry after coming back from holiday, I couldn’t wait to get my Burt’s Bees Coconut foot cream slathered all over them and I also put bed socks on for a few hours to make it more of a treatment for them! This cream smells amazing and is so thick it almost feels waxy and it makes my feet super soft within hours!

I’m also loving the Grown Alchemist Vanilla and Orange Peel hand cream at the minute, it absorbs so quickly (a must have for hand cream), makes my hands feel so smooth and soft and if you get a chance you need to smell this – it’s so uplifting and fresh! Oh and it has one of those metal tubes for packaging meaning I get to use my wringer when it starts running out J

  

Having a fresh mani/pedi also makes me feel pampered so although maybe not straight after I’ve covered my hands and feet in cream I will file my nails and, pop the toe separators in and pick a nail colour. I’m loving Essie Virgin Snow at the minute and it’s perfect for summer so that’s what’s been gracing my nails recently along with OPI Nail Envy (best nail polish ever) and Seche Vite over the top to make it last longer!

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me. All opinions are my own.

What are your pamper essentials? Have you tried anything I’ve mentioned?

Danielle xx

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Haircare

Loreal Elvive Nutrition Gloss Light Shine Shampoo 400ml

I have been buying this shampoo for years and its one I can’t do without! This is my ultimate shiny hair shampoo and I love it! Constant repurchase!

Dove Advanced Hair Series Oxygen Moisture for Fine Flat Hair Shampoo 250ml

I really liked this shampoo, it has a great fresh scent and cleaned my hair really well without dragging it down. I can't say I saw much of a difference in volume but nothing works in my hair anyway! Would definitely repurchase!

Avon Advanced Techniques 360 Nourishment Moroccan Argan Oil Conditioner 250ml

Another hair product I’ve had for ages, I finished the shampoo version of this quickly but conditioners are a whole different story for me! I love the smell of this, I think it’s an apple scent and it made my hair really soft and a lot less frizzy after drying! Would repurchase!

Vo5 Refresh Me Quick Dry Shampoo

I love the scent of this dry shampoo and the fact that unlike Batiste the spray comes out clear so leaves no white cast! I usually buy this in Savers but haven’t been able to find it the last few times I've been in :( hoping they haven’t stopped selling it or even worse, making it! Will definitely repurchase if I can find it again!

Lee Stafford Treatment For Hair That Never Grows Past A Certain Length 200ml

I have had this product for ages too and this is about the second or third pot I have gone through. While I’m not sure it made my hair grow any longer as I already have quite long hair, it definitely made my hair a lot softer and more manageable! It’s on offer in Boots quite often and it’s worth noting that it’s scented like one of the Thierry Mugler perfumes, either Angel or Alien, I can’t remember which! Would repurchase!

Body Care

Soap and Glory Foam Call Body Wash 500ml

This isn’t my favourite Soap and Glory scent but it’s still nice. The product itself lathers really well but it annoys me how it doesn’t have a pump like some of the other body washes! I wouldn’t actually repurchase this particular body wash as I prefer Clean on Me or  Clean Girls but I always get some Soap and Glory sets for my birthday and Christmas so I will probably happily use another one of these in the future!

Johnsons Baby Lotion 200ml

No babies here but I love the smell of this and it's always on offer! It’s not the richest moisturiser but I love putting it on before bed as the scent is quite powdery and relaxing and I think it helps me fall asleep! Would repurchase!

Soap and Glory The Righteous Butter Body Moisturiser 50ml

This was a mini I had that I took with me on a night away to Dublin then just continued using when I got home! I think I have mentioned it in previous empties posts before, it is a favourite of mine and one I will always repurchase :)

Skin Care

Nivea q10 Plus Anti-Wrinkle Pore Refining Day Cream SPF 15 50ml

This is maybe my third of forth pot of this moisturiser, I love the scent, it’s quite fresh and not too overpowering. I really like how this feels on my face too, it dries in quickly and smooth’s over my face giving me a good base before I put on makeup! Would repurchase!

Alpha H Liquid Gold 100ml

This is my second bottle of this and I love it! I use it a few times a week and find my skin to be a lot smoother and it just looks in better condition, I can’t quite put my finger on it!  I’m currently using the Fist Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads but also have a new bottle of the Liquid Gold in the house that my mum has conveniently swiped so I will share it with her :)

Misc

Cutex Ultra Cleansing Nail Polish Remover 200ml

This is probably the third or fourth bottle of this I have gone through! I like the fact its ultra-cleansing and I find it removes my nail polish with ease! Already repurchased!

Burt’s Bees Hand Salve 8.5g

I got this in a set ages ago and found that a little goes a long way with this product! It has quite a strong scent and includes almond oil, rosemary and lavandin to moisturise, stimulate circulation and prevent scarring! I found this to be quite greasy to use all over my hands but it worked really well on my elbows, heels and cuticles! Would repurchase!

See my previous empties here and here!

Again, apologies for the length of this post, congrats if you made it to the end! I absolutely love doing theses posts and feel like I’ve got through so much stuff I've had sitting “nearly finished” for ages! I’m also getting through sample sizes and alternatives to products I love instead of rushing out to buy a replacement straight away so I’m feeling really productive! Let me know if you’ve tried any of the products above and what you thought of them :)

Giving myself a manicure is a weekly must for me, I like my nails to look neat and clean and most of all – shiny!! I’m not a massive wearer of coloured nail polish on my fingernails (toe nails are a different story – I have to have them painted!) but I always have a clear coat of nail polish on. Here are the steps I take when I’m giving myself a manicure at home!

I usually do this after a shower or bath because your nails are softest after being in the water! I’ll take a few cotton tail cotton pads to remove my nail polish along with Cutex Ultra Cleansing Nail polish remover which I have went through countless bottles of because it my favourite! I then take my Leighton Denny Glass Nail File and file my nails, making sure to only file in one direction so as not to cause breakages! I love glass nails files so much, they make the edge of the nail so smooth and file so quickly! They are a bit dearer than standard files or emery boards but so worth it!

I then use Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover and put a small amount around each cuticle, leave for 15 seconds then push the cuticles back with my new Leighton Denny Hoof Stick, I was using wooden orange sticks before this but I far prefer the Leighton Denny one! After rinsing this off, I then take my favourite clear coat which is OPI Nail Envy. This stuff makes my nails so shiny and doesn’t flake or peel off like other clear polishes I’ve tried in the past. I couldn’t be without this stuff now, I usually buy mine from Ebay as its much cheaper, just make sure you get a genuine one from a top rated seller!

If I’m in a rush I sometimes use either Avon Nail Experts Liquid Freeze or Bourjois Instant Dry Nail Enamel Dryer to quickly dry my nails or if I’m in an even bigger rush I run them under the cold water tap as this sets the nail polish and stops them from smudging! Last but not least, to keep my hands feeling as good as my nails look I use a hand cream. I’m currently using the Soap and Glory Super Cream Hand Cream. This smells amazing, moisturises really well and dries in quickly so you can get back to what you were doing :)

What are your manicure essentials?