Zalando Haul

Hope you’ve all had a lovely Christmas, I’m back with an early Christmas present I received from the lovely people at Zalando. The online company recently gave me a voucher to spend in their women’s beauty section and I picked up a few goodies.

Best Hand Cream Ever

The first thing I got was the Yes To Cucumbers Cool Conditioning Hand Cream*, which I’ve renamed The Best Hand Cream Ever. It’s made up of lots of skin-loving ingredients, including Aloe Vera, Sweet Almond Oil, and Camomile.

It smells lovely, really fresh but very subtle. The best thing about it is how soft it makes my hands feel. I can honestly say that no other hand cream comes close in terms of results. It’s a little like the Elemis Pro-Radiance Hand & Nail Cream, but much better – and much cheaper! 

Just like the Elemis it comes is a huge 100ml tube, which I’ll admit isn’t so handbag friendly – unless you carry around a suitcase like I do! But I can't really complain - £5 for 100ml? Yes, please. 

Bath Time Treats

Neom is a brand I’ve lusted after for a while but I’ve ever splurged, so when I saw the Neom Mini Bath Oil Set* I knew I had to get it. It contains six 5ml bottles of gorgeous oils designed to indulge you in a mini spa treatment at home.

The pack includes Real Luxury, Tranquillity, and Complete Bliss. Honestly speaking I can’t really tell the difference between them once I’ve tipped them in the bath – but they all smell exceedingly luxurious.

I usually use a lot of oil in my bath (I live in a hard water area!) but 5ml of Neom Bath Oil was enough to make the water feel really soft and fill half of the house with a very relaxing aromatherapy scent - and of course make my skin feel very nourished. Made with 70% organic ingredients and 30% essential oils, these bath oils are seriously worth the treat.

You should definitely check out the Zalando website for a great selection of beauty products and body care.

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Quick Review: Elemis Pro-Radiance Hand & Nail Cream

Elemis Pro-Radiance Hand & Nail Cream* is an award winning moisturiser full of wonderful skin-loving ingredients including camellia, macadamia and jojoba seed. It’s free from nasties such as parabens, mineral oils, and DEA so if you’re ingredient-conscious then this is one for you.

The scent is lovely; it’s very light and refreshing without being too overpowering. The actual texture doesn’t differ from that of many other hand creams, it’s very thick and sinks into the skin really quickly without leaving a residue behind.

My biggest issue is that I don’t feel like it’s moisturising enough. However, my hand cream preference is quite strange as I like products that leave behind a bit of a residue – mainly because my skin gets really dry, particularly around the cuticle area. I think that most people would find it adequate to use, although if you’ve got really dry, broken skin then you’ll probably need something more heavy duty.

Would I repurchase? No. It’s a huge 100ml tube so it’ll last ages, but £17-£23 is a bit extravagant for a hand cream that I’m not in love with.

Elemis Pro-Radiance Hand & Nail Cream is available from Debenhams, FeelUnique and Gorgeous Shop. Prices range from £17 to £23.

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#LiveBloggers Review: Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Skin Protectant Cream

I know this product has been reviewed into oblivion so I’m going to keep this one short, but after receiving this in my #LiveBloggers goody bag it’s safe to say I’m in love. Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Skin Protectant* is literally a Godsend – especially with the cold weather rolling in.

The uses are endless – cuticles, hangnails, lips, heels, elbows, knees, burns, eyebrows, cheekbones, cuts, scrapes – need I continue? I’m in love.

The smell is a bit strange, some people say it’s quite medical whereas I’d say it’s a lot like wax. It’s available in a scent free version though, so there’s alternative available if you’d prefer.

Bottom line: It’s amazing. Pricey, yes. But still amazing. It does contain mineral oil, which annoys me a little, but aside from that it’s good stuff.

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Skin Protectant Cream is available from Boots, Debenhams and Feel Unique with prices ranging from £20 to £25 for 50ml. However I’ve found it on the Cheap Smells website, priced at £15.95/50ml – bargain!

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Review: Renouve Anti-Aging Hand Sanitizer

I’m a bit of a germophobe and quite honestly scare myself when I sit down and think about all of the germs I come in contact with. Handling money, on the tube, cooking – all everyday activities that are potentially ‘dangerous’ for a germophobe like myself. This is why I always carry hand sanitizer with me.

Before I purchased Renouve Anti-Aging Every Day Defense, I hadn’t really thought about the damage that all of the alcohol in hand sanitizers can do.

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The alcohol content in most sanitizers is very high, which causes the skin to dry out and inevitably look older. My chubby, round face means that I still get ID’ed (I’ve even been asked for ID to buy the Lottery before!) so it’s important that my hands don’t age faster than my face.

Queue Renouve.

Advertised as an anti-ageing hand sanitizer, Renouve is 95% natural and contains absolutely no alcohol – or parabens! Ingredients like orange peel extract, vitamin E and aloe vera work hard to moisturise your hands whilst still killing bacteria. Not only is it good for your hands, but the packaging is gorgeous. You almost have to remind yourself that it’s not a facial serum of some sort.

With a texture much like a light oil or serum, Renouve absorbs quickly and feels very much like a moisturiser when dry.

I'm not sure if I completely believe the the 'lifestyle' the company is trying to sell, but I'd like to think that I'm at least doing something to prevent premature ageing!

Bottom line: I love everything about this sanitizer, except the pricetag. At a whopping £22 this is by no means cheap – very much a luxury item. Now at that price I doubt I’d repurchase, but I think I’ll make a point of sourcing alcohol-free sanitizers in the future. 

Renouve Anti-Aging Hand Sanitizer is available to buy from the Renouve website, priced at £22/30ml. 

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Review: Jason Hydrating Hemp Hand and Body Lotion

I’ve mentioned lots of times that I have really dry skin. Due to this I’ve always found oils more effective that creams and lotions. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve come across a few creams that have done wonders for my ashy skin, but on the most part they never seem to be as effective as body oil.

I jumped at the chance to try Jason Hydrating Hemp Hand and Body Lotion* as it’s meant for extremely dry skin.

Made with no parabens or phthalates and a whole heap of essential oils, this lotion is very skin-friendly.

I expected it to smell horrible – the hemp range in The Body Shop stinks (although I’ve heard it’s pretty effective!). However, it doesn’t smell bad at all it actually smells quite fresh.

I had my doubts about how effective it’d be when I first applied it. The creams that have worked for me in the past have all been thick and very dense, like body butter, but this was quite light.

I didn’t want to write it off without even giving it a proper chance. So I did. And I was bitterly disappointed. After about 6 hours my ankles, knees and elbows were white. I’d forgotten to put my body butter in my bag – so I had to walk around with brown skin and ashy grey limbs. Not a good look.

I didn’t want to give up on it completely, so next time I applied my Body Shop Beautifying Oil over the top and the results were amazing. The two individually don’t last more than 5-6hours on me, but together they lasted the whole day, with no ashy limbs!

Bottom line: I personally wouldn’t buy it as used on it’s own it’s really not moisturising enough for me. I don’t think it’s suitable for people with extremely dry skin, but it’s definitely great for anyone whose skin needs a bit of a moisture boost. 

You can buy Jason Hydrating Hemp Hand and Body Lotion from the Jason website, priced at £7.99/237ml.

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