Happy Wednesday! Today’s post is all about a few beauty bits I’ve come to love over the past few months. I’m placing a lot more emphasis on products I love and use regularly, to share with you guys, but if I spot something I think is hot right now (especially on the fashion side) I’ll share that too.
I’m really focusing on my hair, skin and nails at the moment, in terms of my refinement process. I’ve seen the results we can achieve if we just pay that little bit more attention to our routines and the products we use. For me, it’s all a part of self care; I know self care is more than just beauty treatments, but I cannot feel my best if things within my control are left neglected. So, this is me focusing on achieving my best self, as unfortunately some of us have to work for our Beyoncé “I woke up like this” moments.
Starting with hair
If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll have seen me talk about my hair journey, here. Basically I started off with relaxed hair, but after years of having a limp and lacklustre hair I decided to go natural. I did that for approximately 2 1/2 years and then in May last year, I decided to get a keratin treatment- since then, I’ve not really looked back. I now get regular keratin treatments using a brand called KeraStraight I get it done professionally at Inspire Beauty (shout out to Sandra who is amazing) and while it is a pricey treatment, I’m just loving the strength of my hair at the moment. That’s coming from someone who has always suffered with breakage, even as a natural.
Obviously there is a little bit of work that needs to go into taking care of keratin treated hair, mainly I can’t use any products that have in it, but I wanted to go a step further. When I go to the hairdressers they use Kerastase products and I really love the feel of my hair afterwards, so I thought why not use it regularly. There is a large range catering to different hair types. For shampoo I use the Discipline Bain Fluidealiste to prevent frizz and add strength. It contains protein and it’s sulphur free, but next time I plan to get the Kérastase Reflection Bain Chromatique as it is sulphate free.
For Conditioner, I went for the Resistance Ciment Anti-Usure, for its anti-breakage properties. I also picked up the Resistance Ciment Thermique which is a heat protecting cream. I tend to wear straight styles and figure the extra heat protection is a good idea. My hair is naturally fine but there’s a lot of it so it looks thick, so I tend to go for products that strengthen my hair and don’t leave too much residue which makes it look limp. I use it on hair wash day, once a week and I’m done.
Skin
After years of using an aloe vera bar soap, that then got discontinued, I realised my skin likes natural ingredients and aloe vera in particular. After do research I come across the Dr Organics range in Holland & Barrett. I’ve definitely noticed a reduction in spots. My skin scars easily, but I find the pigmentation also fades quite fast so my thinking is if I can just go on long enough without spots, I could have pretty clear skin. I use the creamy face wash, skin clear toner and oil control moisturiser. As someone who suffers with very oily skin, these products have been a Godsend, I’m glad I stuck with it as the results were not immediate.
Now there are still a number of issues I’d like to tackle with my skin, my uneven skin tone for one! In the meantime one thing I have come across that has really improved the texture of my skin and added additional glowines, the Peter Thomas Roth 24 carat gold mask. I love the texture and consistency of the mask it’s very thick, it feels lovely went you put it on and there’s something a little lux about it being gold. You put on liberal amounts and use it 2 to 3 times a week and I have seen a difference in the smoothness of my skin. I picked mine up on Lookfantastic it is a little bit pricey, but it’s worth it- just wait until you have a discount code.
Also in the skin category, I’ve started using an SPF every day specifically the La Roche-Posay factor 50 Tinted Dry touch Gel Cream. Now this stuff is quite thick. I dab a little on the main surface area of my face, and let it sit a minute. It does leave a little bit of a white cast on dark skin, but once it’s soaked in, I apply my moisturiser and it’s fully blended. For me the skin protection aspect is key, furthermore, I wear foundation on a daily basis so for me it’s a small price to pay to have protected skin. I’ll try the untinted one when this runs out, but that might take a while.
Nails
I wrote a post last week about my love of Class, Sophistication, Finery– I talked about getting regular manicures and pedicures and I’m so glad that I found a place to go in my lunch break. Once again and like my hair, nails nails also need maintenance between appointments. I’ve started using the Burts Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream. It’s been a couple of weeks and the difference in my cuticles is amazing. I am prone to hangnails, the skin that hangs off around edges and just looks generally unsightly, but since using this, they are much softer. I’ve also started wearing gloves to do the washing up which no doubt helps the situation.
I hope you enjoy the post, let me know your skin, hair & nails must haves in the comments.
T
Any links I’ve used are affiliated via Awin.
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