Balance Me Super Toning Body Polish

I am  huge fan of Balance Me products, you will see them scattered about my blog full of praise, because they work so well with my skin and are just brilliant.

The Super Toning Body Polish is a new product that I have been using for the last few weeks and it is amazing, described as being:

"An invigorating, tone-enhancing, anti-oxident rich daily body polish with walnut shells designed to firm, plump and smooth as it cleanses and exfoliates. It offers your skina mini work-out each time you massage it all over your body"

Not only is it said to do all of that above but to also encourage good circulation thanks to the unique blend of Juniper, Geranium, Lavender and Bergamot essential oils. Add to that the use of Meadow Foam, Rice Bran and Sweet Almond Oil, all of which are rich in essential fatty acids, vitamins and anti-oxidents to leave your skin look super smooth, energised and smelling simply amazing.

When you use this body polish, the advice is to massage it onto wet skin, focussing primarily on problematic areas such as upper arms, bottom, hips and thighs.  You can also massage it onto the skin and then leave it for a few minutes before rinsing it off so that your skin gets an extra treat as the body polish makes for a really nice deep hydrating mask treatment too.  I find during the current changes in weather and temperature that my skin needs a little extra TLC,specially because I am in a heated environment, then out in the cold, wind and rain before going back into a heated place - my skin becomes quite dull looking, dry and in need of hydration.

For me this body works brilliantly as a body polish, it isn't too abrasive on the skin so it doesn't scratch the skin, it is gentle enough to remove dead and dry skin cells whilst leaving behind an amazing energising scent that really gives you a wake up.  Not only that but as you pat your skin dry, it feels so soft and supple there is almost no need to add any additional moisturiser, though I do.

Yet another brilliant release from Balance Me which you can find HERE.

Have you tried any Balance Me products? Do you have a favourite?

How to make your own hand and body scrub

Like most people I use my hands a lot, whether it is cleaning, washing-up, polishing, ironing or typing to name just a few of my every day things, it takes it toll on my skin, not to mention the ever change in weather which can leave my hands feeling really dry and horrible.  

A few weeks ago I shared a post on my blog about how I love to use Coconut Oil and listed some of the ways I like to use it best, which you can see HERE. In that post I mentioned a quick recipe that you can use at home to make your own scrub.  Today's post is a similar scrub which I have been using, made at home in my kitchen and given it takes less than ten minutes to make, I thought I would share it with you.

All you will need to make this scrub is:

• 1 Kilner Jar because it has a secure lid
• A tablespoon, 
• A knife to cut the orange
• 3/4 cup of granulated sugar which will act as your exfoliant to remove dead, dry and flaking skin
• 1/4 cup of Pure Coconut oil, this will soften and moisturise your skin 
• 1-2 tablespoon's of freshly squeezed orange juice which smells wonderful and is both invigorating and uplifting

I have the little ramekin as an extra for when I squeeze the orange juice onto a spoon for measuring so it can catch any excess juice.

Once you have gathered all of the things you need for this scrub, all you need to do is follows:

Put the coconut oil directly into the Kilner jar which is where it is going to stay and then add the sugar.  Once both of these ingredients are in the jar, give them a stir, using your tablespoon, to ensure they are mixed together, then do a little test to see how if you are happy with the coarseness of the mixture by taking a small amount out of the jar and place it on your skin and then rub gently, if you are happy that it will give your skin a good scrub leave it as it is, if not add a little more sugar and test it again.  

Once you are happy with your scrub, cut your orange in half and then squeeze the juice onto the tablespoon, add it to your scrub and mix it in before repeating.  Again, give your scrub a really good mix and again text it on your skin.  If you are happy with it, clean the edges around the top of the jar, securely close the lid.  

A little tip - You need to ensure your scrub is stored in a cool, dry place and I would recommend leaving it for 24 hours or overnight before using it to give the coconut oil time to solidify again before using.

Now I have used this scrub on my lips, legs, arms and hands to date and it is really lovely, effective and best of all cheap, not to mention really effective on dry skin.  It also makes a nice little gift for someone too.

Have you ever made your own products at home?

Coconut Oil - my favourite ways to use it!

Coconut Oil is one ingredient we all probably have in our kitchen and are never really sure what to do with it. As a natural oil coconut oil is a perfect moisturisers, lightweight, absorbs really easily not to mention smells divine. I am a huge fan of coconut scent products whether it is a cream, hair mask, face-mask or sun tan lotion.

Just mentioning all of the above means that it is an item you can incorporate into your beauty routine, especially if you are on a spending ban, wanting to save money, are having a bit of a DIY moment or are simply wanting to try something new.  All you need to do is Google Coconut Oil uses and within seconds before your eyes you will have over 4.3million pages to look at and go through.

The lovely people at Viridian sent me a lovely jar of organic raw virgin coconut oil** and it smells amazing, I absolutely love it.

So rather than read all of those pages, I thought it would be a good idea and a good post if I picked my favourite 5 ways to use Coconut Oil and share them with you below.

1.) Eye Makeup remover: This is a tip I was given by a friend when she was training to be a beautician.  Coconut oil will gently remove your makeup, all you need to do is place some on a damp cotton pad and rub gently in circles around your eye area to get rid of makeup.  Once you have finished be sure to wash your face thoroughly.

2.) Hair Mask: Use coconut oil as a DIY hair mask to soften your hair and add moisture. Just scoop some out into the palms of your hands to warm it through and then apply to your hair, focusing on the ends (if like me you have greasy hair, then definitely avoid the root area altogether). Once applied, leave it on for around 30 minutes and then rinse it out in the shower before shampooing and conditioning your hair.  You can also use this method as an overnight treatment, just put a towel on your pillow to make sure it doesn't stain and then wash out in the morning.  I do this when my hair is feeling really dry, particularly at the ends when my hair is due to be cut and my hair feels so soft and smooth after using.

3.) Body Scrub:  You can make your own body scrub really easily and there are a lot of tutorials which show you how to do just that.   Below is one of my favourite home made body scrubs which the people at Eco Market sent to me to try a few months back.

Combine coconut oil with: 

• 1 small organic lemon

• 1 small organic lime

• 1 cup organic pure cane sugar
• 
1/2 cup organic coconut oil
• 
1 teaspoon organic peppermint essential oil/extract
. 

You can, if you like also add some mint leaves and lemon & lime peels. Mix the coconut oil, the peppermint oil and the juice from both the lemon and lime. Then pour in the sugar and mix it up well. If you want to add the mint leaves and citrus peels then stir them in at the end. Transfer the mixture to a clean, dry container like an old jam jar and you're ready to scrub.

This is such an effective exfoliator and definitely one to try if you fancy trying a DIY version because it is so easy to do and it smells so good.  You can also use this scrub on your feet, hands and lips!

4.) Shaving Cream:  If you run out of shaving cream/foam or whatever you might use, instead of reaching for your misters (oops yes I do) or using shower gel, grab some coconut oil and warm it between the palms of your hands, massage onto the skin and then you'll see how easily your razor glides over the skin leaving you with hair free soft smooth skin.

5.) Cuticle oil: If your nail beds look really dry, cracked and are a bit sore, get a cotton bud and your jar of coconut oil and dab some onto each fingers around and on your cuticle and massage it on.  If your cuticles need a little bit more TLC then don't massage it in, put some gloves on overnight whilst sleeping, in the morning you will notice quite a difference.

Those are just some of the ways I use coconut oil and naturally there are lots of other ways because it is just such a good moisturiser and so kind to the skin.

Have you ever used coconut oil in your beauty routine? How? 

1. Tell me in the comments!

Primark Body Essentials Argan Scrub

I am a bit of an impulse shopper, a bit of a magpie when I see things that sound good, are a bargain price and make a few promises, I buy them.  Sometimes those products are amazing, sometimes they are disappointing - this product was the latter.

For £2.50 in Primark, I came across Body Essentials Argan range within which was a body scrub with Argan oil and a promise that it would remove dead skin cells leaving skin smoothed and polished. Hmmm £2.50 this could have been the product of all products had if worked, but for me it didn't.

It says "Treat your body with intensely conditioning argan oil. This body scrub removed dead skin cells whilst smoothing the skin leaving it feeling refreshed, polished and smelling delicious".

Well it does smell nice, but not what I would call delicious, when I think of a body scrub that is delicious I am drawn to the Soap and Glory a Breakfast scrub which smells amazing, this scrub smells like a weak coconut smoothie, though it doesn't contain coconut.

Then when it comes to using on your body, it does say that for a deeper exfoliation you can use it in dry skin before showering or when in the shower on damp skin massage it on using circular motions.  The cream is a fairly thick consistency and there are small exfoliating particles in it, but I personally think the cream is too thick for those particles to work as they should, so it doesn't do a very good job at exfoliating, it's main purpose.  When you do manage to get to the exfoliating particles they don't exfoliate that well and you can barely feel them on the skin, even if you apply a lot of pressure.  I found it particularly hard to use and ended up reaching for the Soap and a Glory Breakfast scrub to finish the job I had started.

I have used this quite a few times over the past few months, I say that because I feel it would be unfair to use it once and then state I am not too impressed with it.  I have tried using it before I shower, when I am in the shower and even when I am in the bath and I get the same result, well no result actually.  The only thing it does is make my skin feel really dry after using it, so I am instantly reaching for one of my moisturises as soon as I have patted my skin dry.

For £2.50 I am really saddened this hasn't worked for me because I had high hopes, maybe it works better for other people, but for me it is a product that I wouldn't repurchase and one that is heading for the bin because I won't be finishing the tube.

Dirty Works V Soap and Glory - is it a dupe?

You know when you use a few different products and suddenly one reminds you of another? Well that happened to me whilst I was on holiday.  As mentioned in a previous post, see HERE, I took with me lots of travel sized lotions and potions and whilst using my Soap and Glory products I realised they smelt similar to another product that I had received for my birthday from a friend.

Here are those products:

Dirty Works are a brand of bath and body products that you find for sale in Sainsburys and quite a lot of the Blogs I follow have reviewed them.  I got the package above as a birthday present from a friend who knew I liked Soap and Glory but promised me this brand would be just as good if not better.

However, I don't know if anyone else has noticed this and please note I did say 'similar' and not the same, but it was with Scrub of your life that I first noticed that there was a similar scent to Buff your Stuff and when I got home I used both of the products one after another to look further into it:

Dirty works on the left and Soap and Glory on the right

Neither product look similar and truth me told the Soap and Glory Scrub is much thicker in texture than Dirty Works though the scrub particles are similar.  The similarity comes with the scent and that is all it is, similar.  The fruity smell I have come to know and love with Soap and Glory products is very similar with this particular Dirty Works product and could it be a very good dupe?

The Scrub of your life currently costs £7 for 200ml whereas Buff Your Stuff from Dirty Works costs £3.99 for 200ml which is quite a big saving.

Have you noticed this? Have you tried a Dirty Works product?