Botanics Ultra Calming Night Cream

£6.99 from Boots

Personally, I think a good night cream is an essential part of any beauty routine. It keeps the skin hydrated overnight, leaves you fresh faced in the morning and- purely thinking of the future!- it helps to prevent wrinkles. Now I realise that, in general, there are two camps when it comes to moisturisers. The group that will slap on anything, and the picky group. I am in the latter. If I use a cream that is too rich I suffer from breakouts and oily patches, not rich enough and I get dry patches on my cheeks and my nose- annoying! For this reason I am very cautious when trialling new products, often asking for samples before I splash out. I now own three night creams that I use in rotation, so my skin doesn't get too 'used' to one product. 

At the moment this is my number one choice as I have found with hayfever comes irritated and sensitive skin. This product is described as 'Ultra Calm', something which immediately drew me to it. Something that promises to soothe dry, itchy, red skin whilst also offering hydration- yes please! Applied at night after cleansing the skin immediatly feels very soothed and smoothed, but doesn't feel oily or like it is clogging my skin. The morning after my skin still looks hydrated and fresh.

My only gripe with this product is the high level of silicones- dimethicone is one of the top ingredients. This the the ingredient that probably provides that immediate smoothing effect, it feels lovely but it does nothing for the skin. However, I do still like using this product and will definitely keep using. However, I probably wont repurchase it as I feel a good night cream should be packed with skin-friendly nutrients, it should really help the skin as opposed to mask problems which I feel silicones do. 

Tanatomicals Natural Look Tanning Cream

Available at Superdrug for £6.99

Who doesn't love a nice tan approaching the summer months? I for one, get my legs out at the first sniff of sunshine, so a good tanning product is a must in my beauty routine. I have a little stash of various tanning products which I tend to use for different occasions. There's the instant tan for spontaneous nights out or good weather, the super dark mousse for big nights and then there's the gradual tanners, perfect for maintaining a summer glow. This product is somewhere in between the gradual tanner and the 'develops-overnight'. It's not quite as dark as the usual overnight tans, but neither is it as subtle as the gradual tan.

The product itself is a fairly thick cream that applies very easily over the body, just be sure to rub it in thoroughly and prep dry areas beforehand. There is no guide colour so just make sure the product is applied carefully. Surprisingly, especially for a cheaper tan, the smell is absolutely beautiful. There is none of the usual 'biscuit' smell with this, just a summery pina colada scent that makes using this a joy. Several hours later you may catch a faint whiff of the dreaded biscuit smell, but it is really very faint. Give it overnight to develop and you will be left with a lovely golden glow. Personally, I like to reapply in the morning for a deeper colour (mainly on my legs) but this is only really necessary if you like a darker colour.

I have never experienced any streaking or unevenness with this, but I do spend a good amount of time rubbing this into the skin. This is my favourite tanning product at the moment, as it leaves the skin looking as if (as the packaging refers to) I've spent a fortnight in Ibiza.

Body Shop Almond Body Butter

From The Body Shop, no longer available

I am someone who frequently suffers from dry skin, especially when it concerns my knees, elbows and feet. I have tried many different moisturisers but nothing seems to compare to the rich nourishment I get from Body Butter. A few places now do their own versions of body butters, but for me, the original will always be the best. The Body Shop has several different 'flavours' of the butters ranging from your fruity- strawberry, peach, lemon- to your floral- moringa- and your more 'nutty' scents like coconut and the one I have here, Almond.

I love anything almondy, the flavour, the smell- I love everything about it. So when this beauty came into the January sale I had to have it. Unfortunately this was one of their discontinued ranges that they were selling off in the sale- and boy did it sell out quickly! I was lucky enough to pick up one of the last pots and I couldn't have been more delighted. The smell is wonderfully rich and sweet- some may say overpowering, but I just can't get enough. once applied to the skin it can feel a little sticky, so this is definitely one to apply before bed giving it time to sink in. The fragrance does become more subtle on the skin but is definitely still noticeable. My skin always feels wonderful after using this and it provides great moisturisation in preparation for tanning. Overall I would highly recommend any of the Body Shop butters for the gorgeous fragrances and how lovely they leave your skin feeling.

Have you ever tried the Body Butters?

Dr Jart Bubble Foam

Currently £13 at Boots

My Favourite Cleanser

Oh wow, has this stuff left me impressed! It was one of those ordinary days, food shopping, into WHsmiths for a couple of magazines, fetching art supplies and then onto my favourite haunt, Boots. I wandered around aimlessly for around half an hour, swatching lipsticks, testing primers and foundations before moving onto my one true love- skincare. I noticed my Boots had several new brands popping up and the one that caught my eye was Dr Jart+, a brand I had heard a lot about recently. After deciding I needed (yet another) cleanser I chose the 'Pore Refine Bubble Foam', a decision prompted by the fact it was on offer for £9. But how good is it?

I have been trailing this for a few weeks now and I can safely say it is one of the best cleansers I have ever used. I normally steer clear of foaming cleansers as they often irritate my combination skin, giving my dry patches and that horrible itchy, tight feeling. This, though, was something different. The creamy-gel formula turns into a lovely thick foam when you lather it up which feels really luxurious and expensive. I massage a pea sized amount into a lather in the palm of my hand and then apply to the face, gently rubbing it in with my fingertips. I generally spend a minute of so really working this into my face before rinsing thoroughly with cool water. After use my skin feels really fresh and thoroughly cleansed without feeling dry or tight. It leaves behind a lovely matte finish that is perfect for then applying moisturiser and make up. I have found areas where I sometimes suffer from breakouts or blemishes have been left clear and my skin looks really healthy.

An A+ from me!

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