Hands: I have quite dry hands, mainly from the weather, but partly an inherited factor. What I have definitely inherited however, is a slight overcompulsive disorder, where I can't look at dry hands, and therefore my hands must stay moisturized 24/7. I've struggled over the years to find an affordable hand cream (because of the large amount I use), but also one that moisturizes and smells good. My mother and I have been through numerous creams, moisturizers, concentrated formulas (which, by the way, are never as good as proper creams) and every other type of hand cream available commercially. Our search seemed fruitless, until we were walking into Gilly Hicks in London, and we discovered their cosmetics and range of creams. We decided to have a little look, and ended up buying a certain hand cream that had some deal on it. It was worth a try, and boy was it worth it.
The cream is called Calla Bluff and its a yellow,with a slightly strange texture. However, it smella amazing; it smells of pina coladas, pineapples and the like, so it's really exotic and my friends love it! another benefit is the amount you have to use - a pea sized amount is enough for one hand, and therefore I use less throughout the course of a year (which is roughly how long my latest tube has lasted). It also properly moisturizes, and the effects of this last for around 6 hours, which is all pretty good for a £3 hand cream. The only downside is that they've now stopped selling the smaller, compact size, and now the big bottle is only available, so i find myself currently syphoning it out into my smaller bottle!
Face: So I went on a bit too long about that hand cream, so I'll try and limit these next sections. I love the Kiehl's face cleanser, because it really does clean your skin and remove all make up, without making skin too oily or too dry, but making it baby soft at the same time. It's a really quick product that I've been using religiously over the past week or so after getting a small tube from the airline kit.
My favourite facial moisturizer is from Caudalie, which is enhanced with anti-ageing products, and it makes my skin really soft and smooth, and ready to put foundation on over the top. (Remember to let any moisturizer dry thoroughly before applying makeup, and to make it dry most effectively, massage into skin in upward circles).
My favourite oil is Sonya Dakar Organic Omega Booster (for oily, combination skins) because of its amazing ability to make my skin glow, 'red carpet style', and create an even skin tone. It also doesn't make skin any more oily, which surprised me. For best results though, massage it in using the same as the moisturizer, then follow by massaging in moisturizer as well.
Nails: i highly recommend using a Cuticle Oil Pen, to moisturize cuticles, and to make sure that they don't dry out and go hard and painful. They're also easier to remove if they're well moisturized. I love Nails Inc.'s pen, because it's packed full of Vitamin E, it has amazing results, and has a useful, hand bag sized applicator, which means it can be used all the time.
I also recommend using a four way buffing block: one that files the nail edges, one that removes ridges and smooths the surface of the nail, one to buff, and one that contains silk extract to add natural shine. My block is also from Nails Inc.
I absolutely love this range of beauty treatments, but no doubt by next month I'll have new favourites to add to this list!
