2012 Favourties... Skin Care and Hair Products

2012 was definitely the year of skin care for me, when I first started blogging I was quite happy with my face wipes and simple face wash that was until I started reading other blogs and learning more about skin types and skin care, so now I am trying out new products to see what is the best match for me, so these are my 2012 favourites of skin care products that I love and will definitely be buying again and again.

Ren Mayblossom T-Zone Control Cleansing Gel
This cleanser leaves my skin feeling really clean and refreshed, but doesn't dry out my skin at all. I've already bought another bottle of this cleanser and have recommended it to friends. (You can see the post here)

Clarins HyrdaQuench Moisturiser
I love this moisturiser it has really improved my skin, especially in the cold months, I have been using it twice a day in the winter, but I think it will be great as a night time moisturiser in the summer. (You can see the post here)

La Roche Posay Hyrdaphase Intense Mask
I use this mask all the time, it leaves my skin lovely and moisturised, I love it and will definitely be buying it again. (You can see the post here)

Decelor Ylang Ylang Balancing Face Oil
I got this on a bit of a whim after a lovely lady at the Decelor counter gave me advice about my skin care, she said that my oily skin was probably being made worse as my skin was unbalanced and that the ylang ylang will balance my skin. It is really expensive but I bought it for half price in Paris and you can get it cheaper on feel unique. I love using this as it smells gorgeous and my skin feels lovely when I use it. (Mentioned in this post here)

Emma Hardie
This has done the rounds on most blogs, I was lucky enough to get a sample size for free to try from Whats in my handbag, I love this cleanser it smells gorgeous and just melts my makeup, leaving my skin lovely and soft. (You can see the post here)

Figs and Rouge Lip Balm
Sorry I forgot to include this in the photo! I really like this lip balm, for me it is just as good as the infamous Nuxe lip balm but half the price! (You can see the post here)

I'm not really that into hair care products, it's not something that has ever really interested me, but at the same time I am obsessed with trying different volume products to find anything that give my hair any sort of boost. These products are the only products that I use again and again, I can't get loads of volume but they do give my hair a bit of extra body and shine.

Aveda Phomollient Styling Foam

Aussie Aussome Volume Shampoo and Conditioner

V05 Miracle Concentrate Elixir with Argan Oil

Elaine

Just Been Paid - Haul

Whats the best thing to do when you have just been paid? Get your hair cut and go shopping! So that's exactly what I did...


I went and got my hair cut at Savannah's salon in Newcastle, which also sells Aveda products so I thought I would treat myself to Aveda's Phomollient a styling foam that I swear by to add body to my hair, it costs £14 for 200ml which is more than I normally pay for my hair products but you only need to use a small amount so it lasts a long time. As I bought a product from the Pure Abundance range I also got a free 30ml sample of Aveda's pure abundance style prep spray, I can't wait to try this and will do a review soon!

French Connection have a great sale on a the minute, there are soo many dresses in the sale for £39 or less!

French Connection Lori Dress

This dress was in the sale at only £15, an absolute bargain for such a perfect summer dress, the only downside with this dress is that it's a bit see through... so I will maybe try to wear it with nude undies or more likely with leggings.

I also got a lot of hayfever tablets and packs of tissues (very boring), is anyone else suffering as much as me?


Elaine

Not So Favourites

Bit of a random post but I wanted to let you know which of the products I have bought and have decided to give away or stop using and the reason why, I always get new makeup or beauty products on a whim love them in the shop then get home and realise they aren't for me, I've lost count of the things that I have given to Rachel! So here are a few of the recent ones!

Aveda Shampure Shampoo and Conditioner

I normally love Aveda products especially their gorgeous scent, they are pretty pricey for a shampoo and conditioner so they are normally presents. I like this shampoo but I found that I was using it less and less, as my hair seemed to get greasy more quickly than normal so I would have to wash my hair each day or use a lot of dry shampoo to eventually just tie my hair up. I think this is better for people with normal to thick hair which isn't mine, so Rachel got this!

Simple Moisturising Face Wash

I love the Simple range, and I bought this over the winter as my skin was feeling a bit raw from the cold, but I haven't really used it as I find it's a bit thick for my skin type and I could never be sure I had washed it off 100%. It does leave your skin feeling lovely and would recommend it to people with dry skin (so Rachel's getting this). 
I now use the Simple foaming face wash and love it!  

Clarins Day and Night Moisturiser
I got the sample sizes of these moisturisers in the Febraury (I think) Glossybox, everyone seems to rave about Clairns, but I found that these moisturisers were too thick for me and I only used them a couple of times and gave them to Rachel, and she wasn't that impressed with them either.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation Shade 51 & Healthy Mix Foundation Shade 52

I bought the healthy mix serum foundation first and initially loved it but found that it seemed to white out all the colour in my face so thought I would just get the next shade up... simple right... wrong, it was far too dark and even too dark for Rachel! Despite the colour disaster I'm not that impressed with either foundation the coverage at the start of the day is good but by the end of the day at work it had completely gone and my face was really shiny. I know that the claim is 16 hour raidiance not 16 hour coverage but 8 hours would have been good! 

17 Matte Foundation in shade Natural

I talked about this in a Boots haul a few posts ago so I won't go on about it. I haven't really used it since I bought it and tried it out for a couple of weeks, it's that bit too dark for me but the main reason I don't think to use it is the sticky consistency I just find it hard work to put on, and if I don't spend time on it I end up with streaks. 

L'Oreal Magique BB Cream in shade Fair

I loved this when I first got it, and I still really like it, but after using it for a couple of weeks I have just seem to have stopped picking it up, because I just never think to put it on. I love the 'nude' feel that you get from this BB cream but I have to admit the light shade is far from that and the lack of coverage isn't good for me at the minute as my skin is awful.

This product is definitely for people who dont like wearing foundation and even find BB creams like Garnier or No7 too much. I really like this product but I am debating whether to keep it for the summer or give it away to a friend with darker skin...

As you may have guessed from the amount of foundations I have abandoned I have trouble getting the right foundation, I have oily skin but I am also pale, but a pinky pale so find that when I get the lighter shades they take away all the colour I have and I look a bit ill! So when I think I have the perfect shade in the shop it very rarely is when I get home... 


We will be doing a drugstore foundation review soon!

Do you have any products that you have abandoned recently?

Elaine