Tuesday 28 October 2014

Beauty Stocking Filler ideas: Best Beauty Buys at Wilko!

Not sure I'm going to tickle everyone with these beauty accessories but I personally don't see why beauty should equal ridiculously expensive, fancy packaging along with the outrageous claims!  Hence why I am fanatical about Wilko, yes, that multi-purpose store that has almost all my daily essentials wrapped up from furnishings and fittings to laundry and kitchenware to these handy beauty essentials, shown below, for under £10!

Top Left to Right: Nail Soak Off Dish, Hand Held Make Up Mirror, Nail Brush, Toe Nail Clipper, Pumice Stone, Nail Buffer 4 in 1, Men's Large Foot File 
Yes, I did say for under £10, £8.50 to be exact.
How often do you find a Nail Soak Off Dish in your local chemist or store?
Not ever I should imagine and it proves they really have done their research and made sensible, practical choices such as with the 4 in 1 Nail Buffer, a top seller at Sephora and man-sized Foot File - a favourite of mine, not that I have man-sized feet but its sturdy!
Whatever you choose you'll be able to play at a snip when you discover the cosmetics aisles stocked with Essence, Sally Hansen and more.
Go and see for yourself the rubberised handled Top Nail Clipper and double sided Make Up Mirror, your store is well stocked and waiting, not to mention they have a multitude of more products online at Wilko.com


Tuesday 14 October 2014

The silver lining to NO stretch marks!

Top left Tiana Organic Coconut Cooking Butter,  (below left) Jason Vitamin E Skin Oil, Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Skin Therapy Oil and Massage Lotion for Stretch Marks.
And here they are!  My happy body oils and butters that steered my belly away from stretch marks during my 9 months towards motherhood.  What an ideal way to really test out recommended products than to go through a belly busting period watching skins textures and high 'n' lows of the seasons.
I began my pregnancy using a combination of the Palmer's products, the Skin Therapy Oil was great to use all over my body as it kept my skin soft and supple all day, plus I would top up my belly and bust day and night with the Massage Lotion for Stretch Marks which simply left my skin feeling so soft and well coated in one of skins favourite butters, Shea, as well as cell boosting Collagen and an important nutrient for healthy skin, Vitamin E.
This routine lasted about 3-4 months where I would keep trying other products in between to compare such as Remescar Stretch Mark Scar Cream new on the market, silicone based cream which my belly liked though I found it a little slippery on the skin as for me, I prefer something to absorb but sit on the surface when I'm actively keeping my body hydrated and for this reason I stopped using it but will go back to it at a later date and try out to see what effect it might have on old stretch marks scars!
As my bump went from small, upfront and cute to 'you look like you've swallowed a watermelon whole' with the addition of much tighter skin and an increasing chance of stretch marks,  I began regularly delighting in the subtle fragrance of Coconut Butters and Oils, my most preferred, Tiana Organic Coconut Cooking Butter as opposed to Biona Organic Coconut Oil, which became a little gritty at times.  This really did make a noticeable difference to the softness and general quality to my skin which locked in moisture throughout the day and night, held the 'plumpness' and left my skin the smoothest it has ever been!!
During the final months I went back to applying Jason Vitamin E Skin Oil Extra Strength which had come highly recommended by industry professionals, as an additional boost to the coconut butter which added a very well protected layer of moisture, especially during the times when skin tightened to excruciating taught-ness when there was no more stretch left.
My bodycare routine may well seem over the top but it worked, no stretch marks to speak of and a renewed love of Coconut Oil and Butter which I can pass onto my baby's skincare routine as its natural and carries no petroleum or mineral by products.