January Beauty Loves

Nope, you didn’t read the headline wrong, this is genuinely a beauty post! I know, my forays into beauty are few and far between. I’ll be honest, I’m still learning when it comes to makeup and skincare. Toners and exfoliators, BB creams and CC creams, strobing and contouring? Not my forte.

Yet beauty is such an integral part of the blogging industry, and I’m constantly getting sucked into reviews of the latest miracle foundation or XYZ cream. It’s a fascinating world, so although I’m no expert I thought I’d share my beauty journey with you nonetheless, one product at a time.

These are a few of the things I’ve received over the past month or so and thought I’d trial run for you!

Shaveworks Body Oil

I’m gonna be totally honest here, I was not expecting to be impressed by a shave oil. I’ve been shaving just fine without one for years, thanks. Yet this turned out to be my hero product of the month! It smells lovely, and leaves my legs feeling super smooth, so much so that I’ve been tempted to go out bare-legged, despite it being January and on the brink of snow. My only note is that because it’s oily (y’know, being an oil and all), its hard to use in softer areas like armpits as you can’t really get a grip to hold the skin taut. Therefore as a shave oil it’s best kept to the legs, but this is a dual action body oil so you can use it in other non-shaveable areas too.

In a sentence?      Shave smooth, smell lush.

Lavera Skincare

My mother (who is probably reading this, so hi mum!) is a natural health/skincare/living nut (I mean that in a good way mama, honest!). She’s been trying to convert me to her yoga doing, smoothie drinking healthy ways for years, and though I tend to be reluctant (Pizza > kale smoothie. Anyone who says otherwise is just lying to themselves), I have been trying to slowly switch my skincare and makeup for natural alternatives. Enter Lavera, a german mega brand with a huge range of natural products without any hippy dippy holistic vibes. I’ve recently started using their moisturiser and illuminating eye cream, which are great for my hectic schedule as they come in nice travel sizes. The moisturiser is light and not at all greasy, if a bit thin. I’m not 100% sold on eye cream – I find if I wear it under makeup it can cake unless I apply it very thinly.

In a sentence?      Natural goodness thats kind to your skin.

Lavera Lips and Cheeks and Lipsticks

As well as the skincare I’ve been trialling two lovely lipsticks and a lips and cheeks cream. The former are lovely slightly glossy colours and don’t dry out my lips like so many other lipsticks do, which is much appreciated. They do need reapplying over the course of the day, but that’s a fair trade off for not having chapped lips, right? The lip and cheeks cream has actually overtaken my usual blush as my go-to for a pop of colour, as it’s super subtle and warming, plus easy to build up and more controllable than a powder. I’m not too keen on it for lips as it looks and feels a bit lipgloss-y to me – definitely best kept as a blush.

In a sentence?      Pretty lippys and a gorgeous Winter blush.

Maria Nila Pure Volume Set

I’ve been using the Maria Nila shampoo, conditioner and hair masque for a couple of weeks now, and I’m a complete convert. This is another deliciously scented product – in fact my boyfriend keeps commenting on how nice I’ve been smelling recently (and sniffing my hair in public, which if I’m honest is a bit weird, but I’ll take it as a compliment!). I haven’t noticed a dramatic change in the volume of my hair as promised, but I’m happy with nice smells, smooth and silky locks, and pretty packaging to brighten up my hazy half-asleep morning showers.

In a sentence?      Looks good, feels good, smells GREAT.

Malin + Goetz Cleansing Oil and Mary Kay Cleansing Brush

I’ve put these two together as I’ve been using them in tandem, and because they’re two products I’m still getting used to. The cleansing oil comes out clear but lathers up when you apply it to your face, and does a decent job of removing makeup at the end of the day. I’ve been using it with my new Mary Kay skinvigorate cleansing brush, which is the first cleansing brush I’ve used so is quite a departure from my usual skincare routine. The brush is battery operated with two speeds and a small soft brush head. It can sting a little, though not so much that its uncomfortable. It certainly does remove makeup effectively, however one problem is that you can’t use it close to the hairline as you’ll end up with baby hairs everywhere, plus you obviously can’t use it around the eye area. Therefore although it works well on the areas you can use it on I do find I need to use another round of cleansing such as a wipe to remove excess bits of makeup, so it can be quite time consuming. As to the overall effect on my skin? I haven’t noticed any huge difference, but its still early days. Another one to report back on!

In a sentence?      A departure from the usual cleansing routine, but the jury’s still out..