Evening Essentials

Today I thought I’d share with you the products that I've been using and enjoying in the evenings recently, all of which live atop the chest of drawers in my bedroom for ease of access.

Body Shop Passionfruit body butter (limited edition) £13
I bought this body butter, along with quite a few others, in the Body Shop after-Christmas sale for about £4, but have only just gotten round to using it, for two reasons. Firstly, I have an obscene amount of body butters and lotions stockpiled that I’m slowly working my way through and secondly, because it’s a fruity scent, I wanted to save it for the summer months. I’ve got to admit that, amongst all the Body Shop body butters I’ve tried (which is A LOT) this isn’t my favourite, but I have been enjoying using it nonetheless. I’ve found the formula a bit too heavy for everyday use during the (slightly) warmer weather we’ve been having in the UK, so I tend to use this once or twice a week after an evening bath when I want to feel really pampered.

Palmer’s Natural Bronze Gradual Tanning Moisturiser £5.35

When I’m not using the Passionfruit body butter, I’m using this. The texture is perfect – neither too thin nor too thick, it does an amazing job of moisturising my skin, sinks in fairly quick and gives me a boost of colour which I desperately need. When we had our first sunny day in the UK this year back in May, I went out in a sundress sans tights and was horrified by how ghostly pale my legs were after not having been abroad since 2009 (sadly family holidays come to an end when you hit your twenties). Out came the gradual tanning lotions. I’d never tried this Palmer’s one before but after hearing several people recommend it, I picked it up in Boots and haven’t looked back. I’ve found it gives a much better and more immediate colour than the likes of Johnsons and Garnier, and instead of that strange biscuity fake tan smell, you get the signature chocolately Palmer’s scent - yum.

Dove Deoderant Anti-Perspirant Cream Stick £2.50

I feel like armpits get a little left out when it comes to moisturisation, so I love that this Dove deoderant cares for them as well as being a really effective anti-perspirant.  I don’t get on with roll-ons (waiting 5 minutes before I can get dressed? - no thankyou) and was getting fed up of using aerosols, so I was really happy when I found this. I apply this to clean skin after a bath, and it calms just-shaved armpits a treat as well as leaving you with that clean original Dove scent.

Origins Make A Difference+ Rejuvenating Moisturiser, £34 & Eye Doctor, £27

Next up are two fairly new additions to my skincare routine from Origins which I’ve been loving using in the evenings. I’d been a bit lazy with the whole moisturisation business before buying these, so they’ve really helped my skin back on track. The great thing with both of these is that they’re incredibly moisturising without being heavy so you don’t need to use a lot of product. The Make A Difference moisturiser is a beautifully thick and fruity smelling; I really enjoy massaging this onto my face at night, before following up with the Eye Doctor cream. This moisturises like no other eye cream I’ve tried and has a lovely fresh cucumber scent to it.

Badger Sleep Balm £3.99

This balm is really intended as a soothing temple rub to help aid sleep, but it does say you can use it your lips as well which is what I do. All the Badger balms are certified organic and the main ingredients in this one are olive oil and beeswax so my guess is it must be doing my lips some good.  Truthfully I’m just trying to use this up as I’ve had it so long and have so many other lip balms I want to use up/try. I do love the Badger packaging though and have got my eye on this Hardworking Hands balm for my mum – she gets such bad cracked hands from doing a million rounds of washing up a day, and I got her the Burts Bees hand salve in a set at Christmas which she loved and I know she's almost used it up.

Soap & Glory Endless Glove Moisture Mask & Hand Cream £6.50

Last but not least, the Soap & Glory Endless Glove hand cream has been keeping my hands in check. My hands get really dry and sore if I don't keep on top of moisturising them, and even though I apply hand cream throughout the day at work, they always feel especially thirsty at the end of the day. Before I got this I was using their Hand Food cream which I love, but it just wasn't quite cutting it as my night-time hand cream. The thing with the Hand Food is it sinks in really fast which is great for when you're on the go, but for the evening I want something a bit more heavy-duty and Endless Glove does the trick nicely. Like the Make A Difference moisturiser, it's ultra moisturising without being heavy (perfect for warm summer nights) and smells deliciously fruity and tropical too.

Chandra

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