Beauty. Fashion. Lifestyle.
Posts tagged Intensive
Glamour Freebie: Balance Me Rose Otto Intensive Lip Salve
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Last Thursday was the day that the August issues of the women’s glossies hit the shops. After a fantastic month of magazine freebies last month (Benefit AND Ciaté – wow) I wasn’t expecting to find anything too thrilling this time, but was pleased to see that Glamour were giving away products from the natural skincare brand, Balance Me. I had heard of Balance Me before and had been keen to try their lip salve for a while, so of course this was the freebie that I went for! Balance Me Rose Otto Intensive Lip Salve.
I really like Balance Me’s packaging – I think the simple white tube and basic font with a swirl of colour is really classy and pretty. I’m also pleased the salve is accented with purple as that’s my favourite colour haha.
The salve comes in a lip gloss style squeezy tube, but unlike gloss it isn’t sticky. In fact, it’s probably the creamiest lip salve I have EVER used. You only need a tiny amount to cover both of your lips, say, a 2mm blob, and it smoothes your lips as soon as you apply it. I tend to use my finger to put it on instead of the tube applicator as too much comes out of the tube if you do it that way. As you can see below, the salve has a yellow tinge to it. This is the only thing I don’t like about this product as I think it looks a bit like earwax – not good!
The best thing about this salve, for me, is the smell, as well as the fact that it is 100% natural in origin! It is scented with various essential oils, including several different Rose oils, Ylang Ylang, Mango, Lavender, Red Mandarin and Patchouli, amongst others, and they combine to give a strong scent which is really quite fantastic. I put this on whilst in the car the other day and everybody else in the car could smell it and commented on how lovely it was. I can even smell it on myself when I’m wearing it which is quite pleasant! Some of the ingredients used to make the salve so moisturising are Virgin Coconut, Beeswax, Sweet Almond, Shea, Jojoba and Cocoa Butter.
The tube claims that the lip salve ‘plumps, smoothes and hydrates’. Though the latter two are true, I haven’t yet felt or seen any plumping effects from it, but that’s fine by me as plumping products tend to irritate my skin! I’ve definitely noticed a difference to the texture of my lips though… They’re quite obviously softer and they feel protected when I have it on.
Balance Me are a UK based company which pleases me as I am a huge advocate of supporting British business. This is honestly the best lip salve I have used, and I will be buying another tube once this one runs out. It’s just beautiful!
Which Glamour freebie did you choose this month?
Naomi xx
Friday Favourite: Avon Care Intensive Body Lotion
2It’s been a while since I last posted a Friday Favourite, but the feature has been revived for one of my ultimate every day essentials – Avon Care’s Intensive Body Lotion.
This lotion is formulated especially for ‘Extra Dry Skin’ and contains rice bran oil to help restore a natural softness to your skin. If I don’t moisturise every day, my skin gets quite dry, very quickly, so I’m always trying out new lotions to see which work best for me, and I think this is one of the best I’ve tried in a while.
The moisturiser is VERY rich – a blob the size of the one above is enough to cover about one whole arm, so you really don’t need much at all for good coverage. The bottle is huge as well – 400ml – so it will last for AGES! Despite the richness of the product, it isn’t greasy at all, rather, it softens your skin straight away. The bottle states that it provides 24 hour hydration, which for once is true! I apply this every morning after my shower, and my skin still feels lovely the next morning, even surviving my evening wash 
Though the body lotion contains no artificial scent, it does have a delicate, clean smell to it which is easy on the nose and makes you feel nicely fresh after application.
This usually retails for £4.80 for 400ml, which is a great price in itself and I’d be happy to pay that, but it is almost ALWAYS on offer which is obviously a bonus! It is currently being sold half price at £2.40 here.
Naomi x
Another Garnier Freebie!
2Hi everyone!
I know this is my second Garnier freebie post in a row but I like to let you all know when there’s something good up for grabs! Garnier are giving away yet ANOTHER sample kit for free, this time of their new Intensive 7days Moisturiser. To get your sample, visit the Garnier UK Facebook page, hit ‘like’ and then click on the ‘Tips, treats & more!’ tab at the top of the page. Then just follow the form through to get your free sample pack.
Enjoy!
Naomi x
PS. I know it’s been a while since I posted a review but I have a lot of exciting posts to come, starting tomorrow!
Do Moisturising Gloves Really Work? My Verdict!!
1After months of moisturising my hands several times a day using Avon Care’s Intensive Moisture Dry Skin SOS Hand Cream and Skin So Soft Soft & Renewed Age-Defying Overnight Corrective Hand Treatment, I decided that it just wasn’t enough. My hands were definitely feeling a lot softer, but the creams just weren’t getting to the root of the problem. A combination of cold winter weather, regularly cleaning the house and washing my hands with liquid soap had left the backs of my hands really quite rough, and once the hand cream had washed or rubbed off, my hands still felt dry. I decided that further action was needed so I bought a pair of basic moisturising gloves, or dermatological cotton gloves, from eBay for £1.85.
Moisturising gloves are thin, cotton gloves which are worn overnight, after moisturising, to help with the absorption of lotion. On my first night of use, I applied a generous amount of the previously mentioned Skin So Soft treatment, donned the gloves, switched off the lights and went to sleep. I was expecting the gloves to be uncomfortable and I thought I’d end up taking them off in the middle of the night, but surprisingly they stayed on (although I did look a little bit like Michael Jackson, circa 1985)! Rather disappointingly, my hands didn’t feel much different the next morning, but I didn’t give up.
The next night I went through the same routine, but rather than using the Skin So Soft cream, I used the Intensive Moisture SOS Hand Cream as it is a very rich emollient so takes longer to absorb. I wasn’t expecting miracles but, amazingly, my hands looked and felt so much better after just one treatment. For the next three nights I used the gloves and SOS cream religiously. Admittedly, I ended up taking the gloves off once or twice in the early hours as my hands were too hot, but that didn’t change the fact that THESE GLOVES ACTUALLY WORK!!!!
I am so impressed by these simple cotton gloves. After less than a week of use, my hands are in much better condition than they have been for months, if not years. They no longer look chapped and rough and they feel silky soft morning until night, whether I use any cream or not throughout the day. My knuckles often used to look red and sore but they’re pretty much normal now. I’m slightly annoyed that I don’t have any before and after photos as I want you all to see the difference they have made to my skin. Who would have thought such a cheap and easy product and routine could have such an outstanding effect? Cotton moisturising gloves are my new beauty miracle and I urge you to try them! Just make sure you choose a rich hand cream and apply liberally.
Have you had any success with moisturising gloves?
Naomi x
