JANUARY FAVOURITES

Here are some of the products I’ve been loving this month – although looking at this list, this blog post would probably be better off being named ‘Adventures in Poundland’…

Emma Hardie Amazing Face Super Rich Body Butter – £14.99 at TK Maxx (£29 RRP)
Ordinarily this body lotion would be out of my price range, but a well-timed visit to TK Maxx proved fortuitous and I totally took advantage.
The love for Emma Hardie’s skincare range (especially the Cleansing Balm) is well documented – you will find bloggers galore cataloguing the many ways they love Emma’s holistic approach to skincare.
I was quite surprised when I found the Body Butter on sale: I hadn’t known about the Emma Hardie body care range, and was (to put it mildly) – most intrigued. This Body Butter has quite a pedigree of impressive ingredients including shea butter and Inca Inchi oils from Peru, plus Omegas 3, 6 and 9.
I gave this Body Butter a try, and was utterly seduced. The delicate scent (a blend of Orange, Neroli and Mandarin essential oils) left my skin smelling frankly yummy. Having found other reviews, I do know that some have found the aroma too much – but me? I bloody loved it.
But fragrant skin aside, it turns out the body care range deserves just as much attention as the skincare: this Body Butter is not only luxurious but supremely hydrating; this is a substantial treat for your skin. Be advised that this is one of those body butters where it takes a little while to fully absorb into the skin, but that’s a small price to pay for such a phenomenal product.
Normally I wouldn’t advocate spending big on body products, as there are so many great budget buys around, but having tried this, the £29 price tag is entirely justified. Simply put, it’s the best body moisturiser I’ve ever used.

REN Bio Retinoid Anti-Ageing Concentrate – £42
When it comes to REN products, I may as well wear a badge pinned to my lapel declaring ‘World’s Biggest Fan’. This will now be the 5th product I’ve tried from the range and I’ve not only enjoyed using them all – I’ve been incredibly impressed by their quality and performance. For a mid-priced beauty brand, REN aren’t shy about using ingredients that make a material difference to your skin.
The Bio Retinoid concentrate is a perfect case in point: retinol is an excellent ingredient for treating the visible signs of ageing, but it can cause irritation. REN’s solution? Deliver it in an oil format. The skin recognises the oil molecule as something familiar, readily accepting it, and taking any ingredients embedded in the oil as well. It means that ingredients like retinol are then less likely to cause irritation, and can be used on a regular basis, producing real results.
I apply this under a night cream, and this really does leave your skin looking brighter, smoother and younger the next morning. It’s one of the most effective anti-agers I’ve used, and its formulation means you only need a few drops of the concentrate at a time. I’ve only been using this product for a few weeks, but I think this will be a returning favourite.

Elemental Herbology Bio-Cellular Matrix Facial Serum – £19.99 at TK Maxx, (£44 RRP); Cell Active Rejuvenation Moisturiser – £19.99 at TK Maxx (£59 RRP)

Yep, this is why I love TK Maxx so ruddy much. I just want to give it a great big, beauty-lovers hug.
Where else can you get top-notch skincare at bargain prices? Admittedly, you’ve got to bide your time with TK Maxx – the bargains are there for those who pop in on a regular basis and keep their eyes peeled. I was thrilled to get this serum (and errr…the moisturiser too – it seemed rude not to get the matching set). I was curious to see if Elemental Herbology’s products would live up to their reputation. I’m pleased to say that I have been wowed – and then some.
The moisturiser is a great anti-ageing product, but the biggest round of applause has to go to the serum. It smoothed rough, uneven patches of skin like a dream, visibly getting to work on fine lines and minimising signs of fatigue – and this was all on the first use. I was incredibly impressed, especially at how it refined the texture of my skin. It felt like I’d had some resurfacing treatment – the results were that good. I will continue to use this serum, and see if the improvements continue after the first initial applications, but so far – amazing.

Essie Nail Polish ‘Sole Mate’ – £8.99
I’m normally a ‘Bahama Mama’ girl when it comes to Essie’s selection of autumn / winter shades, but this year a chance encounter at the Boots stand saw me falling for another. ‘Sole Mate’ is a gorgeously dark berry shade, deeper than ‘Bahama Mama’ but still as addictively wearable. It needs two coats to get full coverage, and this adaptable shade gives a ‘polish’ (see what I did there) to any look.

Herbal Essences Bee Strong Conditioner – £3.99 (£1 in Poundland)

I do love a beauty bargain, and they don’t come much more bargainous than a quid.
I came across this product in Poundland – I was thinking about getting a new conditioner and this cheery yellow tube called to me. I’d used the Bee Strong strengthening treatment a few years ago when medication turned my usually robust barnet into a weakened, fragile state. I was impressed with it, and I think it was those positive associations led me to pick up this conditioner. It was £1 – I frankly wasn’t expecting much.
I now feel quite humbled as I tell you that the Bee Strong conditioner is a marvel – my snobbish assumption that a budget conditioner couldn’t be up to much was well and truly blow out of the water. The Bee Strong conditioner took my frazzled, damaged hair and make it look (and feel) human again. My frizziness was replaced by smoothed (but not weighed down) locks – this conditioner struck the perfect balance in treating but not overwhelming. Up to this point, I had been struggling to find a product my hair could get along with. I was frankly astonished that this conditioner achieved where a pricier, salon brand had failed. I’ve done a bit of research and looked on the Boots website – and I am not alone – this conditioner has scores of reviews – and the average rating is 5 stars.

Bliss Sugar Scrub (Blood Orange & White Pepper) – £30
This body scrub holds a regular place in my beauty routine – if I’m applying a face / hair mask, I multi-task like nobody’s business and get this fabulous scrub to work. I do love a bit of Bliss and their body scrubs are particularly noteworthy. Substantial, but easy to work over the skin; hard-working but never scratchy – these scrubs are definitely on the pricey side, but considering how little you need each time, a tub lasts for AGES. The gorgeous scent is the icing on this particular cake: the blood orange and white pepper scent is a zesty, uplifting must for grey January days.

So there you have it – my favourites for January. Next month should prove interesting; it’s my birthday month which has already been used as a justification for a mini beauty splurge including MAC, Superfacialist by Una Brennan,
Barry M and an overnight glycolic peel from Superdrug.

HELEN TOPE

WINTER ESSENTIALS #2: BODY MOISTURISER

Few products have the potential to comfort and soothe us better than a body moisturiser. Banishing dry, winter-parched skin is a big ask, but the product that delivers doesn’t need a fancy ad campaign or a supermodel spokesperson. Many of the products I’m about to recommend are brand bestsellers – iconic beauty products that don’t need a megabucks campaign for moral support. Quality, value for money and attention to detail has meant that these brands have cultivated loyal bands of followers – no advertising budget necessary.

(left to right: Neom Organics Refresh Sicilian Lemon and Fresh Basil body lotion; Neom Organics English Lavender, Sweet Basil and Jasmine body oil)

In the beauty industry, the word ‘iconic’ is usually preceded by a pretty hefty price tag. But the good news about body moisturisers is that you don’t have to spend serious money to see results: great products are readily available around the £10 mark.
The body moisturiser itself has had an overhaul in recent years too, with formulas branching out from lightweight lotions to intensively hydrating body butters. If you’ve found applying body moisturiser a bit of a chore, chances are you’ll find a formulation you’ll love among this latest crop.

Body Lotions
The most traditional formula has to be the humble body lotion. We don’t ask much of the lotion. We’ve become conditioned to expect lotions to be not that great – it’s the one beauty product that retailers think they can reproduce without much effort, with generic tubes of gloop appearing each Xmas without fail. But a good lotion – a really good one – is an art form, and two brands in particular understand this principle extremely well.
Nivea is synonymous with products that stand the test of time. A product that has been repurchased over generations is a pretty good indication of its quality – and a repeat purchase is a sure sign of a good thing.
While the crème, in its little blue tub, is perfect for patches of super-dry skin, for an everyday treat I cannot recommend enough their Rich Moisturising Body Moisturiser (£5.25).Designed for dry skin (but also available in lighter formulations), this lotion glides onto the skin and – importantly – doesn’t sink in right away. This might seem an odd point of praise, but you’re looking for a lotion that doesn’t vanish into the skin immediately. If it does, it almost certainly means that the brand has used chemicals to ‘push’ the product into the skin, meaning you won’t see (or feel) any benefit at all.
On applying the Nivea lotion, within a few minutes, you will feel it getting to work. Your skin will feel comfortable, soothed and protected. Nivea really impresses long-term: that comfortable feeling will last and last, giving you softer, smoother skin for longer. It’s a real winter staple – and the quality of hydration is so good, you simply won’t believe it’s possible from a product costing under £6.

Other lotions include: Kiehl’s Crème de Corps (from £16), Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula (£5.89)

Body oils
If you’re a fan of beauty blogs, you’ll know that oils are definitely having a ‘moment’. Facial oils are doing great business, with brands such as Sunday Riley, REN and Clarins persuading us to lose the fear and indulge in a pre-moisturiser treat. The idea of oils being greasy and difficult to work with is slowly being challenged – beauty brands have got wise to the benefits of using oils, coming up with light, non-greasy formulations that are beautifully skin-friendly.
Body oils are a handy product to have around, especially for those who feel they need something more than a lotion. Their lightweight texture with long-lasting moisturising benefits offers the best of both worlds, and scented body oils are officially the best thing in the world.
If you’re in the mood for indulgence, Neom Organics should be your first port of call. Especially famous for their candles, their exquisitely-scented body products are definitely worth your time.
The Great Day (Wild Mint and Mandarin) body oil (£32) is an example of how Neom excel by getting the basics right. A 100% natural product containing a blend of 8 essential oils, the invigorating scent is only half the story. The oil itself is not too runny, nor too thick. It moves around the skin easily, but you are always in control. It leaves your skin feeling silky but thoroughly moisturised. Its quick application is ideal for someone who doesn’t want to sacrifice valuable Masterchef time by faffing around. The formulation of this oil is perfectly judged, and will convert any sceptic – easy to use, and gloriously hydrating.
Other oils include Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Body Oil (£7.65), Dr Hauschka Blackthorn Toning Body Oil (£20)

(left to right: Bliss Body Butter Maximum Moisture Cream in Raspberry & Champagne; Soap and Glory Daily Smooth Body Butter; Korres Coconut Milk Body Milk)

Body butters
But if you’re looking for a big, walloping dose of hydration – body butters are definitely the quick-route to winter-proofed skin.
The name ‘body butter’ can sound a bit off-putting if you’re more used to lotion-based hydrators. But this is one body product that, almost across the board, it’s impossible to find a bad example of. The thick, nourishing formula has become a consumer favourite because it tackles super-dry skin head-on.
Although body butters are available at all price points, a nice, crisp tenner can buy you a very decent product. Body butters are something the beauty high-street names do very well, with Soap & Glory, Sanctuary Spa and The Body Shop leading the way.
Soap & Glory’s The Righteous Butter, in its generously-sized bright pink tub, is a beauty brand’s dream. Iconic and well-loved by consumers, bloggers and beauty editors – this body butter is a best-seller of irresistible force.
Loaded with shea butter and coconut oil, this aromatic moisturiser wins you over with its floral, musky scent – but its serious skincare credentials mean that this body butter thoroughly hydrates without leaving your skin feeling overloaded.
While it’s perfect for dry, parched skin, The Righteous Butter’s mid-weight texture means that it has universal appeal – ideal for a pampering, head-to-toe treat.
An honourable mention also has to go to The Body Shop, whose range of scented body butters cater for every beauty whim. Densely packed into an easy-scoop tub, this body butter can take on the driest of skin with ease. Don’t be fooled by the lovely aromas: deep down, these body butters are hard grafters.
Other body butters include Bliss Body Butter in Blood Orange and White Pepper (£22); Nip + Fab Body Butter Mango Smoothie (£9.95)

(left to right: Nip + Fab Mango Smoothie Dry Skin Fix Body Butter; The Body Shop Body Butter in Coconut)

You might think that during the winter, body skincare is pretty much a case of out of sight, out of mind. After all, that’s what layering is for. But having a good body care routine pays off in the long run: a well-hydrated skin needs far less day-to-day maintenance, meaning you spend less time trouble-shooting and more time getting on with the important things. If important things include digging out your novelty Xmas sweater to see if it still plays ‘Winter Wonderland’, I’m not one to judge.
So in essence – be kind to your body, and moisturise. If nothing else, it’ll spare you the nightmare of recrimination and regret once the opaques come off in April. Whatever formulation you end up going for, make it a regular habit and you’ll see (and feel) the benefits all year long.

HELEN TOPE