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

BUDGET BUYS (£10 AND UNDER) – PART 1

This was originally due to be a blog post of 10 budget buys, but I’ve woken up with an acute case of the sniffles. Therefore, as needs must, I’m posting Part 1 of my Budget Buys under £10 this week, and Part 2 (more buys under £10) will be following at a stage where I’m less congested.
In compiling this list, I wanted to source not just ‘cheap products’, but products that offered great value for money, and performed a great deal better than their price tag would have you believe. I firmly believe that it is possible to get good quality on a beauty budget, from make-up to body care, whether you shop on the High Street or online, there really is something out there for everyone.

(Selection of my current favourites (l-r): Take it Outside, Madison Avenue, Bordeaux, Sole Mate & After School Boy Blazer)

Essie nail polishes £7.99 – this was a very tough category: I knew I would include a budget nail polish, but Essie was run a very close race by Rimmel Nails Pro, Models Own and Barry M’s Gel Nails range, all of whom are frankly awesome. I genuinely believe that we get a great deal in the UK when it comes to budget nail colour: in fact, we’re pretty spoilt for choice.
I went with Essie simply because this range isn’t afraid to go with the unusual picks: colour launches such as peach during the winter, dark teal for the height of summer – Essie have rewritten the rules on what goes, which I find, for a leading cosmetic brand, to be extremely refreshing. The classics of Essie I could almost recite by heart: Chinchilly, Mademoiselle, Mint Candy Apple, Russian Roulette. But I do love the limited editions. When I finish my little bottle of After School Boy Blazer, I shall whimper as it’s consigned to the waste basket.

Nivea Rich Nourishing Body Moisturiser for Dry Skin £3.75 – £5.25 This was an easy pick for my Budget Buys, as I’ve been using this product for years – and I do mean YEARS. Nivea’s a brand with some serious heritage behind it and their products really have stood the test of time, being repurchased by consumers over and over again.
I adore the Rich Nourishing Body Moisturiser (the ‘blue bottle’) because it tackles dry skin without any nonsense. Its reassuring ability to hydrate each and every time, with that gentle Nivea scent that doesn’t intrude on perfume or body spray, is what makes this product such great value. You don’t need a lot – a little really does go a long way. It doesn’t sit on the skin for ages after application either – despite being called a ‘rich’ moisturiser, I would call this a perfect mid-weight lotion for those who want something substantial, but don’t want a body butter or cream. It’s right up there with salted caramel hot chocolate and comedy mittens as one of my favourite winter staples.

Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Blusher £9 – Soap and Glory is a brand that does particularly well in offering great value at budget level: there are many more products I could’ve added to this list, including their body washes and face masks, but I decided to focus on the products that don’t get as much praise as they should. The Sexy Mother Blusher is a cream-stick blusher that dispenses a beautiful, translucent wash of colour. Easy to blend and control, this can be built from the sheerest tint to a more defined look. Word of warning; the shades look very deep in the tube, but they will apply onto the skin very delicately. Test ‘em out before you buy, but to be honest you can’t go wrong with Pinker Belle as the perfect hit of pink, or Berry Jamm for a classic winter shade. In short, the quality of this blusher is well in excess of its £9 price tag – and worth checking out.

Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub £8 – this scrub really is a feast for the senses. Loaded with sweet lime oil and smashed brown sugar (really), this is a tropically-scented treat that is a total pleasure to use. However, as with all S&G body products, the scent is only half the story. This scrub, which also contains sea salt, is a perfect exfoliator if you’ve found some other scrubs too harsh on the skin. Sugar Crush tackles rough patches without ever feeling scratchy, thanks to that oil-based formula. It has great ‘slip’, rinsing off when you want it to – the density of the scrub is perfectly balanced and sits on the skin without melting off until you’re done with it. If you’ve found body scrubs a frustrating experience until now – give Sugar Crush a go. I think you’ll be well and truly smitten.

Cowshed Lippy Cow Natural Lip Balm £5 – a lip balm that proves cult beauty doesn’t always cost a small fortune.
Containing Linden Blossom and Rose Geranium essential oils, this is a simply-constructed, but extremely effective product. In a world where you sometimes need a PhD to understand what goes into a tube of moisturiser, this soothing, protecting balm doesn’t hide behind a complicated list of chemical ingredients. The texture of the balm is lovely and malleable, and only a tiny amount is needed each time. It’s does a great job of protecting you against the elements without feeling like a layer of lard on your lips. Ideal for this time of year, this is that rare thing: a lip balm that actually does what it says it will. Guard it with your life.

Next time for Part 2 Budget Buys (under £10), I will be including brands such as Max Factor, Boots Botanics, Burts’ Bees and Neutrogena….ooh the anticipation…I’m now off to drown my sniffly sorrows in a very large Lemsip.

HELEN TOPE

WEEKEND PAMPER

Let’s face it: we all start off with good intentions when it comes to our beauty routine. We tell ourselves we’ll be exfoliating twice a week, using face masks and even doing a deep cleanse at the end of each day – no excuses.
But then reality kicks in. You forget to exfoliate, your face mask collects dust on the bathroom shelf – and the less said about your deep cleanse, the better. Skincare shouldn’t be a chore, but there are definitely times when it feels like it.
However, this is another way. By keeping your skincare routine simple and stress-free during the week, a weekend pamper can tick all the treatment boxes in one fell swoop, leaving you feeling refreshed and revitalised (and note how much better ‘pamper’ sounds than ‘chore’….)

First off, it’s time to hit the shower – there is a school of thought that luxuriating in a bubble bath is the ultimate pampering treat – but if time is of the essence as far as you’re concerned, what follows is a guide to time-saver pampering. Start off with a matching body scrub and shower gel such as Soap and Glory’s ‘Sugar Crush’ for a fragrance layering effect. The tropical, aromatic hit of lime oil and kiwi juice is nothing short of mouth-watering – but the real beauty of Soap and Glory’s body products is how they deliver a spa-quality experience for a high-street price: worked gently over the skin, the scrub is the perfect consistency to tackle patches of rough skin, while the shower gel cleanses without stripping.

If you feel like continuing with the tropical theme, next apply a coating of Boots’ Coconut and Almond Intensive Hair Mask. At £1.99 for 350ml, this product may not immediately suggest ‘luxury’, but this hair mask is that rare thing; a cult product that doesn’t break the bank. A little goes a long way and in terms of cost per use, this really is a budget buy that gives luxury brands a run for their money.

It reached cult status by achieving unanimous praise from beauty bloggers for its brilliant formulation: intensely nourishing on even the most frazzled hair, when tested with pricier masks, it matched and often bettered results achieved by those prestige brands. Whether your crowning glory has been damaged by UV rays, heat or colour, this mask will transform the way your hair looks and feels. Try it just once, and I promise – you will be converted.

Next stop – deep cleanse. If your weekday skin routine revolves around face wipes, a hot cloth cleanser will be a perfect weekend pick-me-up for your skin. Using products such as wipes and cleansing waters are great for removing make-up, but when it comes to getting your skin deep-down clean, nothing beats a product specifically designed for the job.
There are plenty of great cleansers around: the classic choice is Liz Earle’s Cleanse and Polish. Containing ingredients such as eucalyptus and cocoa butter, this award-winning formula will leave your skin glowing. If you have dry, dull skin in particular, this product will seriously impress you.

However, don’t think that you’re excluded from hot cloth cleansers if your skin veers towards combination or oily. Soap and Glory’s Peaches and Clean Purifying Cleanser (£8) delivers on its gentle-but-effective promise. It is the perfect balancing cleanser for problematic skin, making quick work of removing make-up and de-clogging congested areas. Its lightweight, milky formulation won’t overwhelm oily skins, and as it rinses off, your skin feels rejuvenated and refreshed.
Now your face is beautifully clean, it’s time to give your skin a treat, and face masks are brilliant for targeting any issues you may be having with your skin. Dryness, excess oil and lack of radiance are all solvable problems – you just need the right mask.
For oily / combination skin, one of the best products is the Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask (£23). Using charcoal and China clay to dissolve impurities and unclog pores, your skin will be left feeling clear but comfortable, especially important if you’ve been experiencing breakouts.

However, if your skin feels in need of a moisture boost and you’re in the mood for a dose of luxury, Filorga’s Meso Cream Mask (£38), may not be the cheapest option, but the results certainly justify the price tag. This mask can be applied and left on the skin for up to 30 minutes: it brightens the skin, leaving it luminous and radiant, whilst plumping out wrinkles and fine lines and erasing signs of fatigue. It is a serious multi-tasker that makes you look like you’ve spent the day at a beauty spa – the Meso Mask may be pricey, but it’s that good.
For an extra bit of luxury with your face mask, soak two cotton pads with Liz Earle Eyebright soothing lotion (£10.75). Made with cornflower, witchhazel and aloe vera, this herbal lotion can remove eye make-up but is equally adept at refreshing tired, puffy eyes. It may feel like an indulgence, but use it once, and I guarantee you’ll be keeping a bottle on standby.

Nail polish shades featured (L-R): Tanya Burr ‘Litte Duck’, Essie ‘Take it Outside’, Orly ‘Harmonious Mess’

For the final stage, nothing says pampering like a manicure. It may seem a strange concept, but a hand scrub can be a brilliant addition to your routine, polishing and treating an area that’s often forgotten about. Manicurist brands such as Leighton Denny and Essie both stock hand scrubs – apply a small amount to the backs of your hands, gently work the product around, and then rinse off with warm water. Your skin will be brighter and look younger: a definite bonus as hands are notorious for showing signs of ageing. Follow with a generous helping of hand cream and let it soak into the skin. Treat your cuticles with a remover, pushing them gently back. (Burts Bees’ Lemon Cuticle Cream comes personally recommended). Once your nails are prepped, they’re now ready for colour.
Painting your nails should be a simple task, but if you’re like me, it does take some practise (and a surprising amount of concentration) to get it right. Making it easier for yourself is all about finding the right formula. This doesn’t necessarily mean spending big bucks either: Rimmel’s Pro Nail Polish, Barry M’s Gel Nails and Model’s Own are all under £10 per bottle and very easy to apply. With proven track records of long-lasting wear, these brands really do earn the term ‘beauty bargain’.
But if you want to splurge, one of the best luxury brands for nailcare has to be YSL. In terms of ease of application, colour saturation and finish – YSL is very hard to beat. Their formula has hi-tech polymers to create a chip-resistant film on the nail; plus a ‘structural memory’ to ensure the polish dries in minutes. I told you it was fancy.
Their latest collection for Autumn 2014 is selling fast, but YSL are famous for their range of beautiful, colour-drenched shades. Their latest must-have shade ‘Bleu Galuchat’ (£18.50) is a season-perfect teal colour that will look good on every skintone. YSL excel by marrying the best on-trend shades with a robust, hard-working formulation that you would expect from a luxury brand. But if teal isn’t your thing, YSL will have a colour to tempt you, and a little bit of luxury will help those good intentions stick.
The key to not making a weekly beauty pamper an exhausting experience is to use products that multi-task, working hard to deliver what they promise. This doesn’t always mean spending big – some of the high street’s iconic brands offer real value for money with products that create an experience that’s luxurious but doesn’t take hours to complete.

It may seem like the beauty industry is all about the quick-fix, but products work at their best when applied on a regular basis. By taking some time out for yourself, you can start to see real results in less time than you might think. It’s not an exact science, but apply a little know-how, and your weekend pamper could leave you feeling good – and looking better.

HELEN TOPE

SUMMER BEAUTY PICKS

Summer brings its own unique set of beauty challenges, it is the season where we’re all meant to be having fun with beauty. Tropical colours, fun finishes and lightweight formulations should mean that beauty in summer should be a breeze.
But if you’ve ever struggled through a hot, humid summer you’ll know the reality is somewhat different. Foundation that refuses to stay put and slides down your face; your trusty moisturiser that now brings you out in spots – it’s enough to put a girl off summer for good (if it wasn’t for the ice-cream).
But there are ways and means. Here are my Top 5 picks for a beautiful, stress-free summer.

Indeed Labs Hydraluron Moisture Jelly (£24.99)
You might feel like skipping moisturiser altogether during summer, but your skin still needs the same loving care you would give it during colder months – just delivered in a slightly different way.
Indeed Labs have made a name for themselves creating notable products that are consumer favourites because they do the job without a whole lot of fuss. These are deceptively simple products, with a great deal of science to back them up. The latest launch, Hydraluron Moisture Jelly, is their ultimate lightweight moisturiser with a micro network complex that locks in moisture, keeping your skin hydrated for longer.
Perfect for combination / oily skins, this moisturising jelly also comes into its own during the height of summer. Delivering a high-octane dose of moisture without clogging the skin, it soothes sun-parched skin beautifully, keeping it in tip-top condition without breaking you out. It’s only been released this month, but this product is set to make itself a lot of new friends.
http://www.boots.com/en/Indeed-Labs-hydraluron-moisture-jelly_1493124/

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser (£34)
The conventional wisdom when it comes to wearing base in summer is to switch to a tinted moisturiser: a lighter texture equals a happier skin. But not all tinted moisturisers are created equal. There are definitely some great formulations out there (Benefit’s Big Easy, Liz Earle’s Sheer Skin Tint), but if you want the crème de la crème, Laura Mercier has got you covered.
The genius behind the Laura Mercier range of tinted moisturisers is just that: there is a range of formulations and finishes available. Laura Mercier has recognised that different skin types require a different approach from their tinted moisturiser, and with this in mind, Laura Mercier has created three versions: normal, illuminating and oil-free. All three come equipped with SPF20 and provide a hydrating, long-lasting finish. The oil-free formula is a star product; controlling oily patches that occur during the day, but still keeping the skin hydrated, which stops the colour from fading. This is a hard-working, adaptable formula – value for money isn’t often a plus touted in relation to premium beauty products, but Laura Mercier’s tinted moisturiser will give you exactly that.

Body Shop Honey Bronze bronzing powder (£13)
From a cult beauty buy to the best of the high street, this next item started life as part of a limited edition collection – and became so popular it has now become one of the Body Shop’s (permanent) beauty gems.
What makes this bronzer unique is its colour range: the very lightest shade has been designed to be used by even the palest skins. If you’ve tried bronzers and found them just too dark (however light a touch you use to apply it), the Body Shop Honey Bronze could be your ticket to bronzed, beautiful skin. Just a light sweep across your cheekbones is enough for a gentle, sophisticated glow. Even if you’re not uber-pale, but have found some bronzers to be (quite literally) too much in your face, Honey Bronze is a buildable formulation that gives you control over how much colour you’re putting on. The matte formula makes this bronzer look much more expensive than it really is, effortlessly giving a professional finish that will convert any bronzer newbie. Be not afraid – you can wear bronzer!

Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Blusher stick (£9)
As good as Honey Bronze is, not everyone’s a bronzer girl. If you love your blusher, summer is the ideal time to step out of your routine and try new shades – and new formulas.
The blusher stick has been having a bit of a moment of late; brands such as No.7 and Clinique have produced creamy, easy-to-apply formulations that have proved immensely popular. Easy to blend, easy to control – it’s not hard to see why they have become a make-up bag must-have. Not requiring any brush for application, they’re also perfect for travel, making these products a no-brainer for your summer hols.
However, as much press attention as the No.7 formulas have received, I’m going to get controversial and say that Soap and Glory have produced an even better product. Their Sexy Mother Blusher sticks in berry-fuschia (Berry Jamm), coral peach (Onomatopeacha) and dusky pink (Pinkerbelle) are standout formulations: smooth, creamy and easy to blend onto the skin, these blusher sticks may look scary in the tube, but when applied onto the face, they become a beautiful, translucent wash of colour. Whether you want a delicate, barely-there shade or build up to something more defined, Soap and Glory leave that entirely up to you.
http://www.soapandglory.com/makeup/face/blusher-bronzer/sexy-mother-blusher

That’s the thing with summer: colour seems almost compulsory. While some colour can be scary (who actually wears neon eyeshadow?), for wearable, everyday-fabulous colour – you’ve got to go with coral.

(Braziliant)

Essie Corals Collection (£7.99 each)
A shade that is virtually synonymous with summer, coral works because it is a universally-flattering colour: tan or no tan, there is a coral out there for everyone.
While there are some serious contenders out there, no-one does coral better than nail brand Essie. Whilst adding a limited edition (Braziliant – spot the topical reference) to their existing range of shades, Essie has created corals for every mood. If you prefer your corals on the pink side, Sunday Funday will live up to its name. Like your coral with a bright, tropical twist? Peach Daiquiri and Tart Deco are a proper dose of high-summer colour.

(Sunday Funday)
With their wide, flat brush applicator, Essie polishes are easy to apply. Worn with a top coat, Essie shades frequently outlast their pricier counterparts – great for a holiday where the last thing you want to be thinking about is your nails.
That’s the key to thinking about summer beauty: not so much low-maintenance, but products that do the hard work for you. Whether that’s a one-shade-suits-all nail polish or a moisturiser that hydrates your skin without overwhelming it – just a few changes to your routine can make all the difference.
Summer may bring its own unique set of challenges, but there’s no reason why beauty should be one of them.

HELEN TOPE