Prepping for Holiday

Of course we all want to look our best while on holiday and I for one am no exception, of course as mentioned I’m only going to Cornwall but as my only holiday this summer. So this is how I make myself beautiful for holiday.

Shave and moisturise:

For summer we all want silky smooth skin, especially having beautiful soft silky legs as what else feels that amazing. So to start with I will use and exfoliator such as The Body Shop Blueberry Body Scrub Gelee, which smells so good you could almost eat it. This just removes any dead skin and really sets you up ready for shaving. Then onto the shaving using plenty of Satin Care Pure and Delicate Shave Gel paired with my Gillette Simply Venus Razor in order to achieve a close shave. If I want to be more thorough like I do when going away I tend to do this I will shave

In the sink so nothing gets missed and then jump back in the shower, usually using this time to use a hair mask so it’s not wasted or pointless. In order to keep my skin smooth I’ll use a body butter after shaving, I will always try to use a body butter daily but if all else fails I will use it after shaving. At the moment I am using the sweet floral Laura Ashley Imperial Bloom Body Butter, which is a nice break from my usual fruity Body Shop Body Butters.

Even out skin tone

The week before coming away Christ it reached 35C back home however, when the sun comes out I still wear jeans/leggings or more often than not maxi skirts. So My legs and chest tan easily even with a high factor sun block but my legs are super pale so in order to rectify this I cheat. I am awful at traditional fake tan so I tend to opt for a gradual moisturising tanner although this is best when moisturising before still, at the moment I am using the Johnson’s Holiday Skin Lightglow Body Lotion. It may take longer to get the tan but its subtle and looks a lot more natural as you have more control.

Silky Smooth Hair

About once a month I will use a hair mask depending on my hair condition but before going on holiday I will use a hair mask without fail. I’ll start washing my hair as normal with my trusty TRESemme Salon Silk Shampoo, just to ensure all the dirt, grime and grease is all removed. I’ve tried other shampoos but nothing leaves my hair as fresh and clean as TRESemme. Then I will pop out the shower squeeze my hair out, brush it through with my Tangle Teezer and even towel a lot of the excess moisture out. I will then take a small amount of The Body Shop Rain Forest Moisture Hair Butter  (read my review for it here), a little goes a long way with this one and I work it on my hands before thoroughly running it through the mid to ends of my hair. After running through my hair I will clip my hair on to the top of my head to keep the conditioner off my back. I then leave it in for 25/20 minutes which is longer than it usually says but it is definitely worth it. During this time I will do something else such as shaving my legs or some face exfoliating, basically using the time effectively.

Pretty Nails:

I like to keep things simple with my nails just one simple and pretty colour for my time away so it isn’t a huge amount of effort. I am using one of my favourites for a while which is the Barry M Speed Quick Dry in Eat My Dust, this is a beautiful pastel blue and I am so in love with it. I have used this with both my hands and feet as I’m so in love with it, a quick drying but long lasting nail polish.

There are some other things I may do but haven’t done this time such as a face mask or some foot TLC it just varies as I don’t always have what I need to hand. So what do you guys do before going away? Do you take the time to prepare of do you just decide it doesn’t matter your on holiday?

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Morning Routine

This is something that I have been meaning to do for a while but now its summer I think it is much easier to do this type of post. I’m in that weird limbo between finishing university/graduating and getting a job I finally have a proper morning routine and I just thought this would be a perfect time to do it.

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There is definitely that temptation to say fuck it and just stay in bed all day but then nothing would get done, and I decided that I wanted to make a proper effort for getting fit. So every morning I’m getting up a 8:15am (crazy I know when I don’t have to get up), well I don’t get up then you have to the the customary checking facebook/twitter/instagram and waste a bit of time when you really don’t want to get up.

So straight after getting up I go to the bathroom to freshen myself up, first up I brush my teeth I absolutely hate having morning breath. I’m not particularly fussy with my brand or anything but I always prefer the stripey kind so at the moment I’m using Colgate Triple Action which I picked up at a poundshop. I also wash my face to wake myself up and unclog the dirt from over night, I’m using my usual Superdrug Tea Tree Skincare Lemon Face Wash which leaves you feeling fresh and awake. I know this step kinda feels pointless considering I will go for a jog after this but it wakes up and and is a nice step to have really.

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I then go for my morning jog where I cover 1 to 2 miles depending what I feel like. It really wakes me up and makes me feel so much better. It is definitely worth getting up for exercise as it really does make you feel better.

My current body wash is the delicious Body Show Vanilla Brulee Shower Gel, which smells heavenly and I really hope they bring it back this Christmas. If I was my hair I use the TRESemme Salon Silk Shampoo and Conditioner, which are my all time favorite shampoo and conditioner they thoroughly clean my hair leaving it feeling fresh and silky I cannot recommend them enough. If my hair is feel a bit dry due using more heat that usual I’ll use a leave in conditioner or a hair oil at the moment I’m using the Dove Anti-Frizz Serum.

After my shower I do a little bit of skin care/tlc starting with my body. So obviously you need deodorant, I am currently using the Sanex Dermo Pro-Hydrate Depliated Skin, not my favorite deodorant but it does its job and smells pleasant enough. Then when I can remember or every time I shave I like to use a body butter and for once I have stepped away from my go to body shop body butter and I’m using the Laura Ashley Imperial Bloom Body Butter. Its more floral than other body butters and it smells amazing. I then move onto my face which I am currently using travel sized bottles as if the miniatures are available sometimes I prefer to have the mini’s before I committed and the small bottles seem to last ages as a little goes a long way. I currently using the Body Shop Vitamin E Cream Cleanser and the Body Shop Vitamin E Hydrating Toner which I am absolutely loving and they smell amazing, I use the Boots Cotton Wool Double Faces Round Pads which I like as they have a softer and more textured side and I think it really makes a difference. I then finish up with the Simple Kind to Skin Hydrating Light Moisturiser which is nice as it is sensitive with no perfume so I’m not loading my face up with loads of different smells.

This would be the point I put on make up if I’m wearing any that day but I’ll leave that for another post.

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I then will go and grab breakfast and this depends on how hungry I am to if I opt for porridge or a cereal bar and I’ll also have a huge mug of coffee. It is at this point I will retreat to my laptop check my emails and job notifications and begin another day of job searching.

What is your morning routine do you try to be an early bird like me or do you try to stay in bed all day?

Love

Gwenllian Branwen

xox

Mega Empties Part Two

So I had way more empties then it seemed reasonable so my empties got split between two posts,if you wish to see make up and skin care empties check out my other post here. This post with cover bath body and hair. So lets get going so I can finally chuck everything out.

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Bath and Body

Shea Butter & Peppermint Deep Moisturising Foot Pack: I have no idea what brand these are as my mum picked them up from body care but I also like the ones from home bargains. These work so well on dry cracked feet and are mess free simply stick on the booties and leave on for 15-20 minutes while you so something else. I’m endlessly buying these as they are amazing especially as summer is coming up and you’ll have your feet out more and more.

Gingko Biloba Intensive Rejuvenation Foot Pack: I love foot packs as you can tell, as more and more come out I’m just trying all the different ones out and I haven’t found a bad one yet

Wilkinsons Fruits Rhubarb and Vanilla Fragrance Explosion Bath Bomb: I’ve been curious about these bath bombs for a while as they are so inexpensive and smell great in the packet so seem way better value for money. So they make the bath smell amazing but that seems to be it they don’t change the colour and don’t do anything spectacular to your skin but they are still nice to try and I thoroughly enjoyed using it just to try out but I’m not sure if I’d try again although they are only around the £1.00 mark.

Sanex Sensitive Shower Gel: I don’t know if they still sell these in the same packaging but I will always buy the sensitive version as its my favorite scent and always feels nice on the skin. I cannot think how to explain the smells but its simply sweet and nice. They last ages and well worth trying out.

Radox Nourish Bath Soak with Ginger and Shea Butter: This was the most amazing nourishing bath soak ever my skin felt so smooth and nourished as it did after using this. It didn’t have that many bubbles but I feel like sometimes bubbles aren’t important if it leaves your skin feeling amazing afterwards. It’s also so soothing and relaxing after a long day so perfect with a few candles and a good book (or a text book, the joys of final year). I may repurchase it but I’m never loyal to bubble baths/bath soaks and like to mix it up but I may rebuy it at some point I definitely wouldn’t turn it down.

The Body Shop Vanilla Brulee Body Butter: This was one of the Body Shops Christmas scents and as its vanilla i wanted it, I received the set as a gift from my boyfriend parents. It was lovely and it is a shame that it was only a Christmas scent as I prefer this to the regular vanilla scent.

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Hair

TRESemme Smooth Salon Silk Shampoo and Conditioner (both 900ml): These have lasted absolutely months and they are my all time favorite shampoo and conditioner I barely use anything else as they leave my hair feeling super clean and amazing. They do smaller bottles but the bigger ones are better value for money especially as I stock up on when they are like 2 for £5 or half price which is always possible simply due to how long they last you can always wait for the right offer. I like the other offers but salon silk is by far my favorite great quality and amazing value for money.

TRESemme Colour Revitalise Colour Protection Treatment Masque: I’ve had this for ages but being a 500ml tub it just never stops going its just so good. I don’t know if they still do this one so I’m going to keep an eye out for it.

 Batiste Dry Shampoo Travel Sized in Blush: I’ve had this since last summer, tending to opt for the travel sizes as I rarely use dry shampoo, this smells really nice and batiste always do great dry shampoos. I have discovered that dry shampoo definitely works best putting it in the night before but then it depends why you are using it.

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Candles

Matalan Vanilla Sugar Candle: I love vanilla candles and this one from matalan was amazing kicking off loads of scent which was a really sweet vanilla. The only issue I have with it is that it doesn’t burn evenly so a lot of the candle is wasted which is a shame.

Primark Pineapple and Ginger Candle: I’m still undecided on this scent as I don’t know if I like it or not as its very different to what I usually go for but these smaller candles are only £0.80 so it wasn’t a waste. I don’t think I will repurchase it but it was nice to try something new.

Primark Sweet Berry and Patchouli Candle: I loved this just a lovely berry scent which is more subtle rather than over powering, it looks pretty with the little top and everything it is well worth trying out if you go to primark.

Phew I’m done, no more empties at least for now and hopefully not for a while. What have you been trying and loving at the moment.

Lots of Love

Gwenllian Branwen

xox

What’s in My Shower

Is it wrong that I have some kind of obsession with these videos and love seeing what types of products people love to use so I thought I’d share what’s ‘in my share’ and the products I use on a regular basis.

So if you didn’t know I live in a student house with 3 boys and we all share a bathroom, which isn’t as bad as you might think. However I have lucked out, none of the boys even thought to use the bathroom cabinet so as well as placing some on the edge of the shower/bath I have filled this cabinet with all my shower/bath bits and its just a perfect size.

So I’ll start with the edge of my bath, these are the things that I use the most essentially daily.

Soap and Glory Orangeasm Body Wash: So this is my current shower gel/body wash I tend to prefer fruity scents and the citrus scent of this is ideal to wake you up and make you feel fresh first thing in the morning. Although it isn’t especially orange which is disappointing and it has more or a general citrus and tangy so if you want a true orange the body shop one is more for you. I love the creaminess of this body wash and it feels great on the skin. I also love the size of the bottle so even with my boyfriend how doesn’t seem to understand the concept of a little goes a long way with last forever.

Tresemme Salon Silk Shampoo and Conditioner: I don’t feel like I need to say that much about these I love these shampoos and conditioners and constantly rebuy them, especially the salon silk variety. If you want to know about my love affair with Tresemme I did a brand focus a while back which you can check out here.

Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub: I do a full body exfoliation once or twice a week and I tend to do it in line when I wash my hair, there’s no particular reason for it other than the fact its just easier that way. I love the fact this feels properly gritty so it feels like it is properly doing something although I have no idea if it does. It has an odd mix of smells of a odd combination of citrus and sickly sweet simultaneously and I’m not sure if this works. I’ve enjoyed it but next time I think I’m likely to opt for one of the Body Shop ones that smell amazing.

Superdrug Tea Tree Skin Care Exfoliation Scrub: I love tea tree skin care and I was over the moon when superdrug launched there tea tree skin care range. I use it every two to three days and brought it when I was trying to take better care of my skin and I feel like my skin is finally getting there. I’d highly recommend this especially at £3.29 its great.

Fresh Minty Foot Scrub: I do not use this nearly as much as I should. I have really cracked heals and in combination with foot packs I use this deliciously minty foot scrub, it really does work when I remember it although rubbing exfoliating products on to your feet does take some getting used to.

Escenti Tea Tree Facial Wash Gel: Every morning when I’m in the shower I wash my face with this just to get off all the oils and dirt that build up on my face overnight. I purely do it in the shower as I’m lazy and it kills to birds with one stone before going to lectures or work in the mornings.

The Body Shop Passion Fruit Body Wash: It’s sitting there half used as I brought the soap and glory orangasm and switched out as I tend to get bored or fragrances however this one is my most favourite body wash I have ever owned. So now I’m just saving it for the days where I’ve have a hectic day of work and just want to have a nice long shower. I don’t think they do this any more but I have a Body Shop outlet near me which I think does and I’m tempted to go in and buy it up.

Radox Nourish Bath Soak: As you can tell I haven’t actually used this yet but I always have to have a bath soak in the cupboard just in case and I cannot wait for an evening when I feel like a bath as this is shea butter and ginger. It should be a relaxing night.

Morrisons Sensitive Aloe Vera Shave Gel: A really inexpensive but absolutely great shave gel I just endlessly repurchase it, just leaves your legs so smooth and silky after shaving. Basically the lesson here is never reject supermarket own brands.

Superdrug My Little Star Baby Shampoo: I don’t know why this is in my bathroom cabinet as I use it to wash my make up brushes although I do wash them in the bathroom obviously. I use baby shampoo as its the best and most inexpensive way to clean make up brushes a must have for any make up lover and it costs like 75p.

Wilkinson Sword Razors Xtreme III Beauty:Last up my razor, these I just picked up cheap and the blade can like flex which after some getting used to these are some of the best razors I’ve ever tried and are great for everything.

So I hoped you’ve enjoyed having a glimpse into what I use day to day, which of these products do you use and love? What do you love using day to day?

Love 

Gwenllian Branwen

xox