Katie

My skin and I have always had a bit of a love/hate relationship. I’ve spent years trying to get rid of cystic acne that seems to come and go of it’s own choosing, leaving me feeling like a spotty teenager. 

I’ve (touch wood) found a regime now that seems to work for me, and I am SO pleased about it. I still check my chin every morning to make sure there are no new lumps appearing, and it still feels like Christmas when I discover there’s not! 

My routine is the same, every single day. I double cleanse, once with a Face Halo and then a second time with a cleansing oil and flannel. Just to make sure everything is off. I use an acid toner or a glycolic scrub from Nip & Fab. A vitamin C serum under moisturiser during the day, and Skin Elixir from Jane Scrivner in the evening. 

Skin Elixir is a daily moisturiser, but, because I have quite oily skin, I find it a little too good at it’s job for day time so I tend to stick to this being my bedtime routine. 

It’s an organic jojoba oil, rich in essential fatty acids to balance sebum production and feed the skin with vital nutrients, and replenish with lipids to maintain and fortify barrier function. 

What I love about this oil is you only need one pump for your whole face, which means the 30ml bottle is going to give you seriously good bang for your buck. (30ml is £29) It soaks into your skin, but still feels like it’s there, without being too heavy or sticky. There are so many oils that leave you sticking to your pillow, or your hair to your face, this isn’t one of them.

It contains sandalwood, frankincense, myrrh and sweet orange so it smells incredible and it works to prevent premature ageing, improves elasticity and balances dry, oily and dehydrated skin equally. 

Jane has spent a lifetime in the beauty industry and really knows her stuff when it comes to oils and ingredients. She is a firm believer in moving away from solving skin issues, instead creating a healthy skin directly at the source. It’s quite simple for her, in that you have to keep the barrier function (a natural blend of oils and water) and the acid mantle healthy. Feeding, restoring, nourishing and replenishing with healthy skin food. The skincare 5 a day. Just like you would your entire body, which makes perfect sense! 

Jane Scrivner Skin Elixir is available here for £29.

*this product was gifted in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.  

1: Washing your hair is not a quick 5 minute job. It takes time to work up the energy to do it, never mind actually doing it. 

2: Dry shampoo is your friend throughout the week, but you need a permanent supply because standard bottles last a matter of days. 

3: Whacking it up in a ponytail isn’t as simple as it sounds. There are so many factors to consider. Hairbands that can take the weight, the right angle so you don’t feel like you’re pulling your hair from it’s roots and don’t even get me started on headaches. 

4: Having a steamy shower sounds fun, just don’t get my hair wet OK? 

5: Damp weather = massive hair. 

6: Hot weather = massive hair. 

7: There is nowhere you can put your mane to help cool down when you’re hot. Nowhere. You may as well be wearing a wooly hat. 

8: People will always tell you you have a lot of hair. Like you’ve never noticed. 

9. On hair wash days you know you have to get up 2 hours earlier to make it presentable for work. Are you prepared to do that? No. So you go to bed with wet hair and hope for the best. 

10: When you go to bed with wet hair you’re not stupid enough to expect it to be dry in the morning. That is for people with normal amounts of hair. 

11: Layers are not always your friend. Find a hairdresser who gets this and doesn’t insist on chopping into your hair to ‘remove some weight’. 

12: Same with thinning scissors. Don’t even come near me with those. 

13: A messy bun isn’t as easy as it sounds with this much hair. 

14: There is a real possibility you may strange yourself at night. 

15: Your hair will magically find itself under your armpits while you sleep. Rendering you trapped. 

16: If you manage to lay on it in a certain way, you’ll be trapped again. Unable to lift your head OR your upper body. 

17: If anything manages to fly into your hair, good luck getting it out again. 

18: You get through shampoo and conditioner quicker than Corrie gets through drama. 

19: The amount of hair that comes out when you wash it doesn’t seem to affect the thickness AT ALL. HOW?? 

20: Blocked shower drains are your speciality.

21: Special events mean special do’s which means spending money. You don’t have the skills or arm strength for anything other than straight or wild.  

22: Wearing a coat, a scarf, a bag AND your hair is akin to a challenge on the Krypton Factor. 

23: Don’t attempt to use your sunglasses as a way of keeping your hair off your face. Unless you enjoy looking like cousin IT when you try to remove them. 

24: Shutting the car door while it’s windy isn’t as easy as it sounds. But it’s a lot more painful than you’d think. 

25: If someone listens to these moans and dare suggests you cut it, you are INCENSED and wonder why the hell you’re friends with someone like that. 

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I am a huge fan of Time Bomb skincare. You may remember the last product I used, the Complexion Cocktail Shot, which (cough) I may have thought you had to drink. (Disclaimer, you did not have to drink it).

Well, here’s a new product to my radar, the Powerball Intensive Moisturiser. 

It says on the blurb it’s the first sustainable moisture surge to defeat dehydration. Which kind of grabbed my attention because my face is more dehydrated than, a dehydrated thing. 

The breakthrough technology defeats dehydration by flooding the skin with a power-house blend of 21 natural hydrating agents that act on every level, refilling, reviving and retaining. 

We all know to get hydrated we need to have water, which makes up 64% of your skins cell structure. So, without it, the cell is depleted and less plump. Plump is a good word for skin. 

Powerball has Ectoin, which is a water-hoarding protein known to enable organisms to thrive in harsh, arid climates. Nothing like the UK at the moment, but if it can work there, it can work here. It also contains Trehalose which protects skin in sub-zero weather. The faithful (and quite frankly amazing) Hyaluronic Acid is partnered with Aqua Cell Complex to deliver a powerful surge of hydration to help fill vital water reserves and to guard against epidermal water loss, leaving the skin plump (there it is again) moisturised, smooth and supple. 

It feels quite light when you scoop it out of it’s beautiful little ball, but it’s not! It’s rich and it lives up to it’s name – it really is powerful! I have been using it after cleansing in the evening, despite using my cleansing oil, my face has still felt tight and stretched, the constant in and out of central heated building, into blasts of cold wind and whatever else the British weather likes to throw at us during these months has really wrecked my skin this year, but this bad boy tackled that head on. 

My face felt like it was being nourished, for want of a less cheesy word, good old Hyaluronic Acid, and it continued to feel like that all the way through until the morning. 

I love it! 

You can find Time Bomb at QVC and www.timebombco.com – Powerball Intensive Moisturiser costs £37.00 for 45ml. 

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My hair is like my comfort blanket, my ‘thing, my trademark if you like. It’s long (really long), it’s ginger and it’s very important I use the right products for it because (like me) it’s getting on a bit and needs looking after. 

I’ve tried so many different shampoo and conditioners, all in the hope of finding one that’s reasonably cheap but does the best job. A; because I have so much hair, I get through quite a lot of product each month and B; because I also have a teenager with just as much hair as me. So you know, money. 

What I’ve found out however, is, you get what you spend when it comes to haircare. I have thick, coarse hair, and, as I’ve mentioned, a lot of it.

When it dries naturally, depending on it’s mood, it can either take on a wavy, carefree kind of attitude, or it can take on a dragged through a hedge backwards look. 

You can guess which happens most often I’m sure. 

Philip Kingsley recently got in touch and asked if I’d like to try the Re-Moisturizing range, which has been designed for coarse textured, or very wavy, curly or frizzy hair. Hello me in a sentence! 

Philip Kingsley is like the Don of Hair. I’ve long been a fan of his Elasticizer, the pre shampoo treatment, which just seems to breathe life into my locks like nothing else on this planet.

I even prefer it to in salon treatments like Olaplex and I try to use it at least once a week, which, as you can imagine, is an expensive habit to have! (Top tip, QVC!)

Philip Kingsley Re-Moisturizing Range

The Re-Moisturizing products deliver moisture to transform coarse hair from dry and frizzy, to soft, smooth and shiny. They add control and weight to aid styling, making it perfect for coarse hair that doesn’t hold a style, and reduces breakage caused by snapping. The Re-Moisturizing Shampoo contains the same ingredient as Elazticizer, Hydrolyzed Elastin, which increases hairs ability to stretch, meaning less breakage occurs.

The Re-Moisturizing Conditioner deeply penetrates the hair strands to leave coarse, frizzy hair smooth and shiny. It contains Oat Proteins to improve hair texture, making coarser hair types easier to manage. It also increases moisture retention so hair is left nourished and glossy throughout the day.

I absolutely love the smell of these products. It took me a while to work out what it reminded me of, but I eventually settled on roses. It smells like a rose perfume, which I’m a huge fan of. 

After the first use, my hair didn’t necessarily feel any different but it did dry better, had a nicer ‘shape’ if that’s the right word, and didn’t get as greasy as quick, which is something I’ve found with other products designed for my hair type.

But, with each wash, it’s felt better and better. The ends feel less brittle and even when I leave it to dry naturally, they still feel fairly soft which is a massive difference. 

When I straighten my hair, it’s so much easier to get through, there’s a lot less pulling and dragging needed and I can probably do my whole head in less than 20 minutes, which is a bloody life saver on a work morning when I realise I’m rocking a birds nest, it’s 6am and I have half an hour to sort it! 

I can’t imagine I’ll stop using this anytime soon. The original bottles I was sent were 250ml and I think they lasted just under a month, so I invested in the huge, 1000ml bottles, which come with a pump. I’m hoping they will last a good few months! 

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Green People is one of my favourite skincare brands around, because of their approach to being organic, cruelty free and suitable for sensitive skin. Something which, in this age, should be standard and easy for huge companies to achieve.

I’ve loved all of the Green People products I’ve tried, including the teenage range, so when they got in touch asking if I’d like to take on the Winter Hand Care Challenge with them, my response was obvious! 

My hands are always dry, sometimes so dry they get sore and feel really tight. It doesn’t help that I pick the skin around my nails when I’m stressed or anxious, and so, when the skin is already dry, it’s a lot easier to pick and then it gets even more painful. It’s a bit of a vicious circle! 

To add to this, drier hands always appear older, which I hate. But, I have a huge issue in that I generally dislike hand cream. I’m quite fussy, in that I need it to be super moisturising but not greasy – it always leaves me feeling like my hands are dirty, so I need to wash them, defeating the object of putting the hand cream on in the first place. 

THE GREEN PEOPLE WINTER CHALLENGE

The idea of the challenge was quite simple, I was sent a Green People Manuka & Lemon Tree Hand Wash with two tubes of Manuka & Lemon Tree Hand Creams, one for my bag and one for at home. I was asked to use them both together for a month to see how it worked, in the hope that they would breathe some life (moisture) back into my old lady hands! 

MANUKA & LEMON TEA TREE ANTIBACTERIAL HAND WASH

The hand wash is 100% organic and is made with 80% certified organic ingredients. It kills bacteria quickly, thanks to Australian Tea Tree and New Zealand Manuka – the smell is incredible, it’s really fresh and summery, the word I want to use is ‘zingy’ if that helps! (300ml £13)

MANUKA & LEMON TEA TREE HAND CREAM

The Manuka & Lemon Tree Hand Cream is brilliant. It’s lightweight so it doesn’t leave behind that horrible residue (horrible to me, you may like that feeling!) and it seems to soak in straight away, there’s no need to keep rubbing it in. It does it’s job fast! 

The Tea Tree helps to soothe cracked, sore skin and the orange is an anti-inflammatory property which helps to restore moisture. It’s super hydrating and is 91% organic. 

I have to admit, I don’t use the creams as much as I probably should, but that’s down to years (and years) of avoiding hand cream, so it’s a hard habit to break, but when I do use it, I’m always pleased by how fast it’s absorbed. So much so that I can use it at work and get straight back to the keyboard after applying it, AND, a biggie for me, I can use my phone straight after – you know it’s a good one when you can still swipe on an iPhone! (50ml £12.50)

My hands are definitely better since I’ve been using them, there’s less of a scaly look on the backs on my hands and the skin around my nails is pretty much in one piece so there’s a lot less picking going on. I absolutely love these two products and will keep using them, the hand cream especially, throughout the year, not just during winter. 

PR Samples. 

Technically, Frenesies Active Nutri- Intensive Cream isn’t a face mask, but it’s used as an overnight treatment, so I say it is and that’s all that matters really. 

Frénésies Active Nutri Intensive Cream is an intensive overnight treatment with a double action formula – it gently removes toxins and impurities from the skin whilst providing a hit of extreme hydration.

The formula combines powerful ingredients that work together to clean and deeply hydrate. Vitamin F keeps the skin supple and soft, whilst enhancing the penetration of antioxidants.

It’s also infused with Vitamin A (Retinol) for its potent skin regeneration properties. Retinol, one of my favourite ingredients, improves your skins texture and speeds up the cell renewal process – for a more youthful appearance, so skin is left supple, smooth and brighter.

The best way to use this mask is to apply a layer to targeted areas of skin in the evening, after cleansing, to use an overnight treatment. It’s really thick and feels quite heavy as a cream, but for a treatment it feels pretty good. 

The benefits of the cream are listed as deeply hydrating, complexion brightening and helps to eliminate acne causing bacteria, but as it contains cocoa butter I’d err on the side of caution, cocoa butter is an ingredient which I try to avoid using on my face as I’m acne prone, especially on the chin (thanks hormones!) so I wouldn’t use this weekly, but it’s been amazing for the husband who suffers with really dry skin.

His face has soaked this up beautifully and it really feels comfortable for him. If you’re more of a dry skin person, this is perfect for you! 

For him, this is almost the perfect day cream, it’s so hydrating and really moisturises his skin, it’s so ‘heavy’ it actually feels like it’s working it’s magic and he’s left with skin that doesn’t feel tight or stretched, which he often complains about, especially in the winter months. 

A tiny amount of this goes a long way and it smells gorgeous, it’s not an overpowering scent. 

It’s available from the Frénésies website and costs £22 or it can be purchased as part of the 3 Zone Facial Kit for £54.

I love a face mask, in fact, at least twice a week you will find me walking around the house with my face slathered in either a sheet mask (always terrifying) or a cream or balm type mask. 

My skin is a mixture of combination and dehydrated. My nose especially, it’s oily and dry at the same time, which, I’ve only just discovered means it’s dehydrated. Which would make sense, especially during winter when we’re in and out of warm homes and freezing temperatures. 

So, anything I can use to soothe my skin and hopefully make me look a bit more ‘glowy’ is a must in my skincare collection. 

New from Payot Paris is their Hydra 24+ Masque. It’s a super moisturising and comforting mask which is designed to treat the skin and provide a soothing & hydrating hit to your face, for the ultimate healthy complexion.  

It contains active ingredients such as Hydro Defense Complex, fig, watermelon, red algae extract and H2O patch – which work together to nourish the skin. It also protects against pollution and toxins due to the anti-pollutant active. 

Hydra 24+ contains Vitamin C, which is my new favourite ingredient in the quest for a brighter, more awake me, which brightens the skin, leaving it looking ‘healthy and luminous’ – yes please! And vitamin E to protect against environmental damage. 

It’s so easy to use, you apply a thick layer over your whole face (avoiding the eye area obviously) neck and even down to the boobs, leave for 15 minutes then wipe away the excess. It’s perfect for dehydrated skin, like mine, and my face literally soaks it all up, there is very little to remove after the 15 mins is up. 

It smells gorgeous, not too overpowering, and feels like it’s working, your face, if it’s anything like mine, goes from feeling tight and uncomfortable to feeling like it’s moisturised from the inside out. Kind of like a huge glass of water for the skin. 

It costs £25 and is available from www.jerseybeautycompany.co.uk/payot