My Morning Skincare Routine

I thought it was about time I shared my morning skincare routine, this does change quite frequently mostly due to the number of samples I have picked up due to freebies and beauty boxes. This is my current routine and one I am quite happy with.

Superdrug Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser if you have followed my blog for any length of time, you will know I love this. I have raved about this time and time again, my full review is here. I do have some other cleanser that I am trying but I like to use this in the morning as I know my skin reacts well to it and feel like if I tried to many different cleansers my skin would freak out. This is available from superdrug.com for £4.99 but is often on offer.

Naked Skin Up Tone Girl I picked this up at my local Savers as I heard some good things about the brand. I really like this toner as it gentle to my skin and smells gorgeous. The last toner I used left my skin feeling tender and looking a bit red, so I felt like my skin needed something gentle. I am upset that I can't find this anywhere, I am guessing that is why it was in Savers, but if anyone does see this I would recommend picking it up.

Liz Earle Daily Eye Repair after finding myself in the position of not having any eye cream samples I had to take to the shops and buy one. I don't know why I didn't buy the full size of the Benefit B'Right It's Potent Eye cream which I reviewed here but alas I bought this instead. I have loved many Liz Earle products but often find a more budget alternative which I like just as much, case in point the Hot Cloth cleanser which has been replaced by the above Superdrug one. I don't know whether this will be the case with this, in fact I would say I like this just as much as the Benefit one. This does include light reflective particles to brighten the eye area and it can also be used on other fine lines. After reading the back this does say to use in the morning but I use am and pm. I do feel that my circles have gotten a tad better with this. I might alternate this with the Benefit if I ever remember to buy the full size. You can pick this up from johnlewis.com for £14.75.

Decleor Aroma Solutions Engerising Gel this was given to me by my lovely sister, a few months ago I was going through a lot of stress and my skin really took a hammering. My skin was dry all over my body that it started cracking and nothing would get rid of it. I was quite distressed as I would wake up at night in pain as it felt my skin was shrinking. I ended up getting rid of it by slathering tons of Palmer Cocoa Butter available from boots.com on. But everyone had a suggestion and my sister said she had bought a set from Decleor and that this was included. She didn't know what it was but that it could be used on the face or body. When we looked online it was obvious that this was very expensive but bless her she said she wouldn't use. I didn't try this on my dry skin but have used in my morning skincare routine. I can't say exactly what this has done, or how much is down to this or other products. But my skin is looking and feeling a lot better then it has in months. I can't say my fine lines are gone but they haven't gotten an worse and also spots have been very few and far between. I can't say that I will repurchase but this 200ml will last months as I only use a small blob every morning.  A smaller 150ml size is available for £36.52 + p&p from qvcuk.com.

Vichy Idealia Smoothing and Illuminating Cream I got this as part of the most recent beauty box from britishbeautyblogger.com I used to always think that I had dry skin but as I have got older my T zone has been getting oilier. I tried using products for oily skin but they parched my skin and made my forehead worse. I have therefore come to the conclusion that my poor skin is probably combination and dehydrated. I know I should drink more but I can't spend all day on the loo, anyway this is for normal to combination skin and although my forehead still gets rather dewy I can live with that. This is designed to fight, ageing so tackles wrinkles, dullness and uneven skin tone. As with the above it is hard to tell which part of your routine has the biggest impact but I do really like this. It has a light texture which absorbs quickly and leaves my skin soft. It also has a nice scent and I like that it is in a pot as you can get every last bit out. The full size is available from boots.com for £22

So that is my current routine - am I missing anything?

What's In My Bathroom - Rituals Zensation Foaming Shower Gel

I got this many moons ago after going away on holiday, you can see what else I picked up here. I decided to give this ago after being particularly stressed out at the moment.

Rituals make the most amazing scented products, they are never synthetic or over powering and this is no exception. You can smell the cherry blossom which gives a gorgeous hint of sweetness.

I don't find this the most hydrating formulae, not that this is drying just that my skin could do with some extra help at this time of year. This obviously foams well but I do find that I use a lot of this mostly because it smells so good but also  because you can't really use with a shower puff.

I don't imagine that this will be hanging around my bathroom long, but is a lovely edition none the less. I am not sure whether I purchase this one again as I do have the Yogi Flower version which smells even better.

This isn't the most purse friendly shower gel especially with how quickly I am going through it, but if they are on offer I will be very tempted to pick up more.

This is available from feelunique.com for £8.50 for 200ml

What's In My Bathroom - L'Occitane Ultra Rich Shower Cream

I got this when I went to Bicester Village absolutely ages ago. Before I lost weight I would go shopping and end up buying mostly body products and nail polish. I didn't want to buy clothes until I lost weight. This went on for quite sometime until I bite the bullet and joined Slimming World. Long story short, I have a lot of shower gels, bubble baths, scrubs and nail polish.

I had always wanted to try L'Occitance as had spent many happy hour coveting the products on QVC. I never bought any as lets face it you can buy shower gel and moisturiser cheaper elsewhere. After walking around Bicester for a few hours and finding very little for under £100 which is still tasteful and in your size, L'Occitane and Molton Brown seem like bargains.

Enough about how this ended up in my possession, what is the actual product like?

This has the same scent as the Ultra Rich Body Lotion, which I have written a full post on here. I am not overly enamored with the scent, to me it just smells like soap. That said it isn't offensive and would be great for the whole family as both men and children could use. I just feel that a shower product in this price range should have a more luxurious smell.  

The scent isn't the only other thing about this which lets its down, this really doesn't lather well. I am not sure whether it is because it is detergent free, but to get a good lather out of it you need to use a lot with a shower puff.

Although this doesn't lather all that well it does feel lovely on the skin. It doesn't dry the skin out or irritate it. Again I imagine this would be good for children, although do children shower? I always had a bath as a kid.

Overall this is an none offensive product, I don't think many could take a real dislike to it. I just feel that I would rather save my money and put it towards a real luxury. 

I got the 500ml size which I can't find anywhere but you can buy 250ml for £13 from feelunique.com

What's In My Bathroom - Radox Bath Smoothies Tropical Tranquility

I got this just before my last exam as I was so stressed I thought a few nice baths would help. I l love baths but don't tend to have as many in the summer as it's just too hot. I picked this as this definitely has a summer scent.

The scent is what makes this product, it is gorgeous. It is a blend of almond,coconut and myrrh and it smells good enough to drink. It does even have 'don't drink me' written on. I always wonder if anyone does try to drink these. 

Being Radox this does foam up nicely and although it might not be the most luxurious bubble bath it doesn't dry out your skin. 

I think this is a brilliant bargain for only £3.15 for 250ml. It smells equally as good as Lush's Yuzu and Cocoa Bubbleroon which I reviewed here. It is also 10p cheaper and you get a lot more then two baths out of it.

I will definitely be getting a few more. I did buy this in Boots but I can't find it but it is available from superdrug.com.

Mini Monday - L'Occitane Ultra Rich Body Lotion

I bought this as part of a gift set absolutely ages ago. I had high hopes for this after watching too much QVC. Does anyone have to ban themselves from watching their beauty shows?  And don't get me started on what I have to do to avoid their Nail Inc shows.

Anyway back to the product the scent surprised me I don't know what I expected, but to me this just smells like soap. I think I was expecting something a bit more luxurious to go along with the price tag, as this is not cheap.  That said the scent is very unisex and non offensive. 

Talking of unisex my boyfriend really likes this. No he doesn't moisturize his body but one evening he had a really sore back so I used this to give him a back rub. I am not sure how much I helped but he did comment on how nice this was.

I was also expecting this to be a lot thicker and difficult to work into the skin. In fact this is easy to smooth over the skin as a little goes a long way. It doesn't sink in very quickly and does leave a somewhat greasy residue on the skin. I don't find the residue unpleasant I just wouldn't recommend putting skinny jeans on after using this.

Overall I like the product and do think that it leaves my skin soft and smooth but I wouldn't purchase the full size. If I was going to spend £20 on a body lotion I would get the Molton Brown Coco De Mer Body Lotion which is £2 cheaper for 50ml more and smells amazing.

This is available from feelunique.com for £20 for 250ml

What's In My Bathroom - No7 Completely Quenched Moisturising Body Lotion

I slowly seem to be getting round to using all the products that have sat stashed away in various locations in my house. After really not loving the other products in this line from No7 I decided to just bite the bullet and start this.

This is another product from No7 with that baby wash smell which although is not offensive I do think that for the price is an odd choice. The scent doesn't really linger which is a plus but I would prefer it if it wasn't there.

This is incredibly greasy and I would not recommend using on your legs if you are planning to wear skinny jeans for a good few hours as it does leave your skin tacky. After checking the ingredients the reason for this I think that is the inclusion of mineral oil in the product, it is the second ingredient so full of the stuff. I am no skincare expert but after reading several blog posts it appears that mineral oil is simply a cheap oil that has no skincare benefits and doesn't absorb into the skin. If that is incorrect please let me know.

Before I started blogging and taking more of an interest in my skin I would have thought that this was fantastic as your skin does feel silky, now all I think is yuk I have a layer of oil coating my skin. 

I think that this is another product from No7 which is seriously overpriced, this retails at £10.50 for 200ml and considering the main ingredients are water and mineral oil think it is a complete rip off. The inclusion of mineral oil wouldn't upset me if this had been a couple of quid but paying over a tenner I would expect better quality ingredients.  

This has been repackaged but I can't check whether it has been reformulated as Boots don't list ingredients, but is available from boots.com for £10.50.

What's In My Bathroom - Sanctuary Body Wash

Today I have another gem from Sanctuary, they really are one of my favourite brands. The products all smell amazing, feel indulgent yet don't break the bank. 

The body wash has their signature scent which I adore, it also has little moisturising 'bits' in it. These don't exfoliate the skin but burst and leave your skin feeling silky soft. Unfortunately my camera couldn't pick up these up, must try harder

The wash itself is infused with essential oils so if you suffer from dry skin I would definitely recommend this product, as it doesn't dry out your skin at all. I also think that this is a perfect body wash for all year round as soothes skin that may have been over exposed in the sun, and would hydrate dry skin in the winter.

The product isn't as thick as some shower gels/body washes which I find means you end up using more. I also don't find that this foams much even with a puff. That said it is so hydrating that I can forgive it these two little niggles.

This is available from boots.com for £5.50 for 250ml.

What's In My Bathroom - No7 Cleansing Body Polish

After using up my Treacle Moon Warm Cinnamon Nights I wanted something to help get my skin ready for the warmer weather. I decided on the No7 Cleansing Body Polish. I got this ages ago as part of a gift set that was on sale after one Christmas.

This has the same scent as the No7 Sumptuous Bath Soak which I have reviewed here. In this incarnation I don't mind the scent, it just reminds me of baby wash.

I tried to get my camera to pick up the tiny exfoliating particles in this but it just couldn't. This is really my kind of product I love giving my skin a good old scrub and do it more frequently then I should, I often end up looking a bit pink. The great thing about this is that it gentle enough to use daily but still feels like it is getting rid of all the dead skin.

This is really great for using before shaving as well as I didn't find it irritated my skin as some rougher products can.

This has definitely got my skin ready for the warmer weather, just waiting for it to stop raining so I can start showing a bit more flesh. The only con I think is the price. I think that there are a load of similar products out there which are a lot cheaper. I would buy this again if this was on offer but definitely not willing to pay £9.50.

This appears to have been repackaged and is available from boots.com for £9.50 for 200ml.

Has anyone got any good cheaper alternatives?

What's In My Bathroom - Sanctuary Foaming Bath Soak

Now don't get me wrong I still love my Treacle Moon Warm Cinnamon Nights Bubble Bath but some days you just need a more indulgent bath time treat and recently I have been reaching for this.  I seem to have acquired quite a few of these travel sizes and also have a 250 ml bottle as well so no danger of running out any time soon, which is a good thing in my book.

This is what I thought No7 Sumptuous Bath Soak should have been, it smells more relaxing and luxurious with the signature Sanctuary scent. It is also feels creamy and nourishing so perfect for the winter or if your skin needs some tlc.

It creates plenty of bubbles so don't have to use loads which is another big bug bear with some bubble baths. A minor quibble with this is that I do find that the boyfriend nicks as is quite a unisex smell, then again he also nicks my Warm Cinnamon Nights which is incredibly sweet so maybe nothing is safe.

Overall think that this a great staple to have in your bathroom and a perfect gift for those difficult to buy for people.

You can pick 250ml for £5.50 from boots.com. It is also included in several of their gift sets which might be the perfect present for your mum this mothers day.

What's In My Bathroom - Treacle Moon Warm Cinnamon Nights

I got this just after Christmas after reading a post on missbudgetbeauty.co.uk and to be honest wasn't expecting to like it as much as I do. I means its 500ml of bath and shower gel for £2.99 but I actually really love this.  I like the packaging its smells amazing (to me it smells like a freshly opened pack of sweets) and is a decent shower gel and bubble bath.

Now its is unfair to expect it to be as nourishing as Molton Brown or other high end bathroom products but for the price is great I use with a shower puff and it lathers up well and doesn't dry out my skin. I also find that the scent doesn't linger on the skin too long which is great when you want to use other fragrances. In the bath I do use quite a bit but you don't really mind when you pay such a small price for half a littre.

I have used over a third but then have been using generously daily in the shower as well as in the bath and know that my boyfriend has also tried. I don't mind but I do mind him using my Phillip Kingsley shampoo which is over £40 but that is another matter.

I am seriously impressed with this brand, this isn't part of the their normal line but is still available on tesco.com and have seen at my local store (had to remember the number of shower gels I have stashed away at home or I might have bought a few)

I will definately trying out more from this brand and have my eye on Lemonade Days (maybe in the spring)

What's In My Bathroom - Laura Ashley Waterlily Mini Reed Diffuser

I picked this up when I went to York along with 4 other mini reed diffusers, and although they are minis they are lot bigger then the Yankee Candle ones so hopefully they will last a bit longer.  

The smell is lovely a really beautiful  fresh scent, which is just the right strength too. The bottle is a bit plain but would fit in with any décor.

Overall I am very impressed with this, the smell isn't synthetic and the fresh scent is perfect for the bathroom, just hoping it lasts well too.

You can pick up the 5 Mini Diffuser Gift Set lauraashley.com for £20.16 usually £32.00.

Or the full size Waterlily diffuser for £12.60 usually £20

What's In My Bathroom - No7 Luxurious Foaming Shower Oil

Firstly sorry for the photo but this was a bugger to photograph and this was the best (yes you read that right best) of a very bad bunch, did try different settings and lighting.  Anyway I bought this after last Christmas as it was part of a No7 gift set that was on sale. I have never tried any shower oils before but was tempted by the word luxurious and the description 'an indulgent in-shower treat, containing  nourishing Argan and Grapeseed Oils for soft, supple skin.'

As I said I was tempted by the word luxurious and was expecting some heady gorgeous scent well this just smells like oil really, no real scent which I guess could be a blessing in disguise, it doesn't compete with your perfume and is very unisex.  Now onto the other gripe I have with the name - foaming yes it does foam if you use a lot (and I mean a lot) on a body puff but otherwise there isn't much of a lather. I personally I think this should be renamed No7 Shower Oil.

Moan over about the name this has done wonders for my skin especially on my arms, as on the top of my arms I have lots of small hard dry pimples which no amount of scrubbing gets rid of.  Since using this I have noticed that they have got much better and my skin isn't as dry.  I have still been using my Body Shop Lychee Blossom Body Butter on my arms but after using this my skin doesn't feel like it needs moisturising anywhere else.

I was concerned that using an oil in the shower would cause me to slip and break my neck and there is a caution about surfaces becoming slippery on the back but I've not noticed it being any more dangerous then normal which is always good.

Since I bought this the packaging has changed but I assume the product is still the same and can be bought from boots.com for £9.95

I think that this is the perfect shower product for Autumn/Winter when your skin needs more moisture, I think it is a bit pricey and won't rush out to buy as I do have a lot of shower products to use up but will definitely look out for this if its on offer.

Has anyone else tried any other shower oils?

What's In My Bathroom - The Bodyshop Lychee Blossom Body Butter

This was gifted to me along with the body lotion and shower gel and has been in my stash for awhile (unfortunately this line is no longer available)

With the weather rapidly changing and my holiday coming up (yes another mention of my holiday) I really want to get my skin looking and feeling great.  The scent is very summery and this seems to linger on the skin for longer then the body lotion.

As this is a body butter it is thicker then a lotion and does take a bit more rubbing in, with body butters I do find less is more.  

My one big bug bear with the body butters is the packaging I know the product is thick but couldn't it come in a bottle instead of a pot.  I hate having to stick my fingers in the pot as you end up with all under your nails.

Does the packaging annoy anyone else?

Body butters are available from thebodyshop.co.uk

What's In My Bathroom - Yankee Candle Lemon Lavender Reed Diffuser

This was gifted to me along with the Garden Sweet Pea these don't last ages as they are very mini but were a lovely gift to receive.

This scent seems to be a lot stronger then the Garden Sweet Pea although it might be because I am not as keen on the smell and I had got used to the other smell. I am not a massive fan of lavender, it always makes me think of old ladies and with the lemon I think this smells a bit foodie so maybe the bathroom wasn't the best place to put this.

The bottle is again gorgeous and for someone that likes lavender I am sure that this would be perfect.

You can buy the full size from amazon.co.uk for £10.10

What's In My Bathroom - Yankee Candle Garden Sweet Pea Reed Diffuser

I always have a reed diffuser in my bathroom and was gifted a set of three minis by Yankee Candle for my birthday.

I do love Yankee Candle their scents are long lasting and don't smell synthetic or cheap.  I love that the glass bottle is decorated makes it so much prettier then a plain glass bottle.

The mini's are very mini (15ml) so not expecting it to last very long.  The smell is lovely and sweet and fresh however its not the strongest scent probably due to the size.

You can purchase the full size at play.com for £12.49

What's In My Bathroom - The Body Shop Lychee Blossom Body Lotion

After running out of body butter  I decided to use The Body Shop Lychee Blossom Body Lotion to go with the shower gel I started using last month.  They were gifted to me together with a body butter.

Its really nice to use the same shower gel and body lotion to layer the scent onto your skin, I do love the smell it is very sweet and fruity. Why I picked the body lotion instead of the body butter is mainly to do with the texture as its a lot lighter (and my skin isn't as dry in the summer) and also because of the pump.   I love body butter but don't love how it always get behind my nails.

I do find that a little goes a long way and if you use too much it can take an age to sink in but if you use sparingly will leave your skin lovely and soft.

It's such a shame that this range is no longer sold, but just makes me more determined to start going through my stash.

What's in my bathroom - The Body Shop Lychee Blossom Shower Gel

I have decided that with the number of products I have I need to start working my way through my stash.  So when I ran out of shower gel I decided to hunt through my products and see what I had, and what I fancied using.   I decided on The Body Shop Lychee Blossom Shower Gel which was gifted to me awhile ago.

I have had a look on The Body Shop website and it seems that this isn't available anymore which is a real shame as the scent is so summery and fresh.  Think it would be a lovely shower gel to take away on holiday.  Also it lathers up really well so think you could even shave with it.

Really disappointed that this isn't available anymore, but may have to make a trip into The Body Shop and see what they have in at the moment