Fair Squared Natural Beauty Products & International Giveaway

Beauty Before Bed #2

I've had the same evening "before bed" beauty routine for quite a while now and the same four products have been making an appearance. I wrote a beauty before bed post a little while back at the end of last year so I thought I'd do a follow-up post before I completely shake up my routine!

Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist 15ml* |  rrp £21.50/100ml

As much as I love toners, I do often forget to use them. My usual toner is Murad's Hydrating Toner* but this lives in my bathroom, so if I forget to use it I have my mini Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist to-hand by my bedside. I simply mist this all over my face and just leave it there, I find that it dries down relatively quickly but still leaves my skin feeling more refreshed. I haven't tried anything else from Jurlique before I do really love rosewater and the packaging - even of this mini - feels wonderfully high quality. It's definitely a brand I'd like to explore more in the future, and this little bottle of Balancing Mist will be staying on my bedside until it's all used up!

Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream 10ml* | rrp £20.00/20ml

This has been my go-to evening eye cream for months and months - but sadly this is my last tube, and it's very close to empty! Balance Me's Wonder Eye Cream is light enough to not overload my skin but still does enough to keep me completely hooked. Not only does the skin around my eyes look better than it did before but it's no-longer dehydrated, which will make a difference to the appearance of my eyes in the long-term. I've also found that using an eye cream has transformed the way that makeup wears on my skin throughout the day. Under eye concealer lasts so much better on skin that's in condition, and I no-longer find that it disappears throughout the day. It's a really worthwhile part of my beauty routine and I'll definitely be repurchasing this eye cream in the future as I'm incredibly happy with it.

Steamcream "Message Neko" 75ml* | rrp £13.95

Steamcream is one of those products that just hooks you. It's a natural moisturiser with an incredibly light feel but it sinks into my skin quickly and acts as the finishing touch of my beauty routine. It really gently rehydrates my skin without feeling heavy or aggravating - it's perfect for those with sensitive skin types. I've been using Steamcream for about six weeks now and I'm about a third of my way through the tin. In my opinion, this makes the product quite good value for money as a little goes a long way. I really like that it's lightweight feel and I think it will be especially nice to use in the summertime. I don't think I'm going to continue using it all up in one go, but I will be reaching for it again in the future. And I'd definitely repurchase it for myself or even for friends and family as the tins are just so aesthetically pleasing and the product itself is a great all-rounder that would work for so many different people. It's been a real pleasure to use this moisturiser and with it's availability on sites like FeelUnique I'm surprised that more people don't snap it up!

FairSquared Almond Hand Cream 100ml | rrp £4.49

I don't think that you can go wrong with this hand cream, it's just wonderful on so many levels. Once I know I'm completely finished with my skincare routine I always like to apply a handcream before going to sleep. I have really dry skin on my hands and FairSquared's Almond Hand Cream has a gorgeously thick and nourishing texture that still absorbs quite quickly. It's the perfect thing to use if you're not really "into" hand creams but you'd still like something to keep your hands looking and feeling soft. It's always a bonus to go for a natural and sustainably sourced option, and even with it's affordable price tag  FairSquared includes Fairtrade ingredients from Chile and Pakistan. I like supporting brands like this one but I'd very happily repurchase the product for the quality of the cream alone. In my book, this makes FairSquared a winner all round. 

Have you tried any of these before?

What beauty bits have made it onto your bedside table?

Have you entered my international beauty giveaway? Win a new lipstick for everyday of the week

Beauty Bits for the Extremities

Looking after one's hands and feet doesn't really have that much of a glamourous appeal, but for anyone with "problematic" skin like mine it's actually quite important! I have incredibly dry skin on my hands and not only does it not look nice when I don't look after it properly but it also feels really tight and uncomfortable too. I try a lot of intensively moisturising hand creams, and my oh my do I get through them. At the moment, two of my favourites are Fair Squared's Almond Hand Cream and Balance Me's Rose Otto Hand Cream*. Both have a subtle scent and a rich formula that offers long lasting hydration for even dry skin - and if you're not fussy (which I most certainly am not) they also double up as very good foot creams too.

However, one extra little step makes a world of difference to the appearance and feel of both hands and feet - exfoliation. If you exfoliate your skin regularly then not only does it make it look and feel softer and smoother but it allows your mositurising products to reach new skin. This allows them to be more deeply absorbed, improving the effectiveness of whatever hand or foot creams you choose to use. My favourite exfoliating scrub used to be L'Occitane's Almond Paste but it was just too expensive to keep repurchasing. I've found that  Dr. Organic's Manuka Honey Foot Scrub works almost as well on my hands, whilst Freeman's Bare Foot Lemon and Sage Foot Scrub* is a little bit more harsh which makes it perfect to use on your feet. I really love the scent of the Bare Foot Scrub as it's incredibly fresh, but if you like richer, warmer scents then you might prefer Dr. Organic's Scrub.

And just so you know, I've got a little twitter giveaway running today (March 3rd) where you can win your own brand new tube of Balance Me's Rose Otto Hand Cream, as well as one of Freeman's Charcoal & Black Sugar Polishing Masks. All you have to do is follow me on Twitter (link here) and re-tweet the competition tweet to enter. Obviously you don't have to enter but I just wanted to let you know in case you missed it over on my twitter page.

Do you have a favourite hand cream? And do you exfoliate your hands?

Click here to enter my Steamcream Giveaway to win a limited edition tin of your choice

February Beauty Favourites

Love Lula December Beauty Box Review

I received my December LoveLula Beauty Box over the weekend and I couldn't have been happier with the contents! LoveLula is a monthly beauty subscription (£12.50 per month inc. postage) service featuring natural and cruelty free beauty products. This month's box featured some really lovely brands, and I was particularly happy to see a bottle of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap - a product that I already absolutely love. I was also really happy to see some Joik products in the box as they're a brand that I've been really keen to try for the longest time. The Salcura Hand Hydrator is another lovely inclusion, although I've seen so many beauty subscription boxes featuring hand creams so I have quite a few to get through now. Lastly, there were also two FairSquared Lip Balms in the box, I didn't love the Pomegranate scent but I adore the smell of Spearmint so I can't wait to try that out. Overall, I'm really happy with all the brands included in the box and I feel as though there was a great range of products too. As per usual, LoveLula has really impressed me and I'm already looking forward to January's box!

Are you subscribed to any beauty boxes? What do you think about LoveLula's Beauty Box this month?