New Years Day Pamper

Is there a better way to kick off the new year (& celebrate my lovely new bathroom!) than with an at home pampering session. I love reading other blogger's  'pamper day posts', so I thought I'd continue the indulgent spirit of the festive season and tell you how I spent a large slice of my New Years Day.

I was itching to try a couple of the products from the Nip+Fab Ultimate Pamper Kit. I picked this set up at Sainsburys for £10 (reduced from £40) and it includes some real gems. Taking inspiration from its name I headed bathroom-ward clutching a couple of the face products and set to work.

I started with a mini facial. Shu Umeura Fresh Pore clarifying oil to cleanse. To exfoliate, Nip+Fab Face Scrub which contains Salicylic Acid to combat blemishes (so sorely needed after the last few weeks!) and Bamboo to exfoliate. To breathe some much needed life into my tired, dehydrated skin I applied a massive helping of Nip+Fab Hydrating Mask. This mask is heavy on the Hyaluronic Acid to plump and Blackcurrent oil to sooth.

Then I took to slathering L'Oreal Perference Wild Ombré to the ends of my hair. Whilst this was working its magic, I sat back with my face encased in mask. I left the mask on for the full 45 minutes of the hair dye! After washing dye from hair, I showered with Yves Rocher Tradition De Hammam Shower Oil. Slipping into a wonderfully rose scented bath, courtesy of English Floral Garden Rose bubble bath, I settled down to watch the flame flicker on a Lily Flame Rose Petal candle. I emerged so completely serene that I decided the time was right to use the very last drops of my Ole Hendricksen Rose body oil. Then I finished the facial moisture binge off with a generous helping of Elemis Maximum Moisture Day Cream. 

The whole experience was blissful and went a long way in relieving my gin jaded state. Every girl needs a bit of top to toe TLC now and again.

I'll be doing a full review on the Ultimate Pamoer Kit once I've given the products a proper run for their money, but I have to say so far, so good for Nip+Fab.

Movember Male Grooming Product Round Up

Everywhere I look at the moment men are sprouting moustaches in support of Movember, a charity event to raise money for men's health causes in particular prostate and testicular cancer. I love this concept and its great to see so many people taking part, even if some are looking better than others! Anyway, after a conversation with my husband about beard oil, I thought perhaps I should do a little round up of some of the male grooming products we like the look of. If you're looking to treat the man in your life to a post-Movember treat or something to help a patchy nose beard on its way, keep reading!

£163.50 mankind.co.uk

I love giving my man beauty gifts, it stops him pilfering my products and indulges his decadent bathroom habit he won't admit too! I'm often a bit disappointed by the 'manly' styling of many of the products I find. Not so with eShave S Stand shaving set I think its classic but modern style would look great in any bathroom.

£25 notonthehighstreet.com

Every new razor needs some shaving products to accompany its maiden voyage. Shave Kit & Face Rag by The Botanist is created using natural ingredients, suitable for all skin types and contains a shave oil for a smooth, close shave, a beard oil to moisturise skin beneath a beard or stubble & condition the facial hair. It also comes with a 'face rag' to remove excess oil. Both oils contain essential oils like tea tree, patchouli, lime, and sandlewood and are packaged in the cutest cork topped bottles. 

Tweezerman Moustache scissors and grooming comb (£15.95 cheapsmells.com) are surely an essential for any facial hair cultivationist. This handy set will keep your man's 'tasche neat and tidy with straight, sharp blades for precise trimming of all facial hair and complete with a fine tooth comb to help achieve a  truly professional finish. 

£4.99 foadwax.com

No man worth his facial hair can be without a tub of moustache wax and we think we've found the finest there is! Toad Satin Wax from Foadwax.com is vegan friendly and made in Britain using all natural British ingredients. The website says;
Foad's Toad Satin Wax is our Vegan pomade style moustache and beard wax suitable for everyday use. It has a loose to medium hold and a satin sheen finish. It can be used alone for groomed, neater facial hair, endowing your face fuzz with a natural flowing look. However it can also be used in conjunction with Foad Wax to aid its distribution, and create your own unique mix and level of hold for a more styled look. 
Love the styling of this product and the handy pocket sized tin making those all important on the go touch ups hassle free!   
 

Grimas Water Make Up (£9 funtimefaces.co.uk) can be used to darken or fill in patchy facial hair. It's probably something that most men (the ones I know anyway!) will need a bit of practise at. Its applied with a damp sponge directly to the area. Its actually a stage make up product but comes highly recommended, check out the Wayne Goss video link at the end of this post for more information on make up for men.

When you consider facial hair, its not actually that different from eyebrows and so a good eye brow pencil or palette would be more than adequate for filling in sparse areas. I really like MAC Eye Brow pencils ( £12.50 maccosmetics.co.uk), as they stay put well and don't need sharpening and are available in 6 shades so there's bound to be something for everybody.

£25.60 lookmanfastic.com

£40 mankind.co.uk

Once Movember is over and your man is once more naked of top lip foliage, why not treat him to some pampering skincare.
Billy Jealousy's Shave3some contains everything a man could possibly need for a luxurious shave. A hot towel pre shave treatment, shave cream and after shave balm work in conjunction to provide a comfortable shave, professional results and minimise irritation.

Elemis Men Post Shave Recovery Mask is formulated to replenish nutrients that are stripped from the skin with shaving. It contains macadamia, lavender and rosemary oil to calm irritation and shea butter to moisturise. My man has not tried this mask, but it smells lovely and has a beautiful texture. If its anything like the other Elemis masks it'll delivery great results.

A Few Good Websites
Need more inspiration for beauty treats for your man? Here are some websites that have been tried and tested by Esme's male counterpart!

http://www.mensmake-up.co.uk/ is definitely worth checking out if you know a man who isn't afraid to conceal, line or buff himself up a bit. 

http://www.mankind.co.uk/  has a great range of skin care brands that are difficult to find in the shops.

Visual Aids
I thought I'd include a couple of YouTube videos that contain some useful tips for male grooming, whether you're a man looking for hints or a woman wanting to learn some male friendly techniques.

The mighty Pixiwoo have done a great tutorial on male grooming, including how to clipper stubble,  that can be found at //www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7TOUg9udfc&feature=related

On of my YouTube favourites, Wayne Goss gives a great Make Up for Men tutorial here; //www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmUXF_W21Rc

Bored of the Old Routine.

I'm so fickle. While some may say 'if it's not broke don't fix it' I'm more inclined towards change for changes sake. My current skin care routine is perfectly adequate but I'm bored, I want to mix it up a bit & try some new products.

The Status Quo

I currently use Elemis Rehydrating Rose Petal Cleanser, followed by Olay Anti Wrinkle Wash & Elemis Ginseng Toner. If I've worn particularly heavy make up or my skin feels it needs something a bit richer I like to use a hot cloth like Soap & Glory The Fab Pore or Boot Botanics Cleansing Balm. To remove my eye make up I use good old Johnson & Johnson Baby Oil. I've had stick about this in the past but I find it is the only thing that cuts through stubborn mascara and gel liner, whilst being gentle on my eyes. I usually use a face mask once a week, something deep pore cleansing or moisturising if my skin is a bit drier. 

On to pastures new...

Inspired by the many posts I've read about cleansing oils I've ordered some Shu Uemura Fresh Pore Clarifying Gentle Cleansing Oil and as I'm a bit weary of putting oil on my combination skin I've stocked up on an old favourite Bioderma Crealine H20 to use as a toner as although not really necessary I find the squeaky clean feeling I get from using a toner reassuring! I'll probably continue with the Olay Anti Wrinkle wash in the mornings as its quick, I like the gentle exfoliating effect and my skin seems quite keen on it. I've also invested in a sample of Clarins Lotus Treatment Oil which I'll be using at night as it is meant to be very good for rebalancing combination skin. 

 Lotions & Potions

In terms of creams I use a bit of a mixture depending on what kind of mood my skin is in. When its really dry I use Elemis Maximum Moisture Day Cream but its a bit rich for me so often I just dab that on the dry bits. I had been using Nivea Q10 Pore Refining Day Cream until I received a sample of Vichy Idealia (http://www.esmesbeautifulthings.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/vichy-idealia-day-care-cream.html), its so nice that this is my current day cream of choice. I'm also quite keen on Neals Yard Rehydrating Rose Daily Moisture if my skin is good and my pores are having a skinny day! I think I'll probably stick with the Vichy for now as its been well over a week with no breakouts (yeay!)
At night I tend to stick with Old Faithful, Olay Anti Wrinkle Instant Hydration. However, I'm coming to the end of a pot and I'm eyeing up (boom ,boom!) L'Oreal Revitalift Repair 10 Multi-Active and I've seen this on offer somewhere lately so think I've give it a shot. 
My eye area tends to be a bit greasy and because I use baby oil to remove my eye make up I'm usually quite sparing with the eye cream at night, I'm using Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream morning and night at the moment because it does seem to lift and brighten nicely. I'm think of adding  ROC Multi Correction Anti Age cream at night as I think its probably time to take a stand against fine lines and wrinkles!!

So that's my new skincare regime for the new season, here hoping for some positive results!!