Christmas and New Year...

It is such a beautiful time of the year: full of joy, love, family time and planning for the new year. I feel like 2019 was a building ground for an amazing 2020. I can't believe that we are about to enter a new decade. I usually feel very positive and motivated this time of the year and looking forward to festive fun and food. My boys are so excited to open their presents and busy making cards and decorations. We decorated our tree at the beginning of December, so they could enjoy it at least for a month and even little one was helping and hanging baubles on the tree.

I wish you a lovely Christmas and an amazing 2020. May the new year bring love, joy, and success in whatever you do; may it give you strength and determination to pull off all your new year resolutions.

I have a lot in mind for 2020: driving license, re-decorate our home, book a local and a not so gateway, find new gift ideas for MWgifts, help my little one with his potty training and my older son with his SATS test and to have as much fun as possible as 2020 happens only once, right?!

What are your plans for the new year? Do you make any resolutions or go with the flow?
Marija

Empty bottles: John Frieda, Childs Farm, Lanolin Lano, Clarins, Elemis

Got few empties collected for a review. Quite a mix this time.

John Frieda Frizz Ease Perfect Finish Serum. Love serums from John Frieda: they are lightweight and don't leave your clean hair greasy, have a good pump, which provides you with just enough for one use and they smell delicious. John Frieda Frizz Ease Perfect Finish Serum is suitable for all hair types and helps to tame flyaways and boosts shine for a polished finish. This serum is formulated with a unique blend of silicones and combined with silk protein. My only reservation bottle is too big, for a 50ml product bottle takes a lot of space and won't go easily in your hand luggage if you travel. Other than that, my hair loved it and I am already on a lookout for a next bottle or might give it a try to a different serum from John Frieda collection. Which one is your favorite?

Moving on to face care. I have cut up and fully finished Re-Charge Sleep Mask from My Clarins. The original product comes in a jar, which is great as it was a lot of face mask left inside the tube after I couldn't squeeze anything out. 

My skin and I love this overnight face mask. It helped to hydrate and refuel my skin while asleep leaving in bright and refreshed by the morning. The face mask has a refreshing scent and light consistency, won't leave you with a shiny face and your pillow messy. It is made with organic coconut water for nutrition and hydration, Alpenrose for detox, Huang Qi for extra detox and fig extract to boost moisture.

This is anti-pollution skincare, made with eco-conscious packaging and Vegan-friendly.

Another facial care empty tube is from Elemis Pro-radiance Cream Cleanser. This is a deep cleansing cream formulated with skin-protecting Moringa Seed Peptide, balancing Great Burdock, and anti-oxidant rich Noni and Assai Fruits. It has a refreshing herbal scent from plant extracts that purify and richly moisturise dehydrated skin. 

I used it for full-face cleansing after removing my eye make up with micellar water. Elemis Pro-Radiance Cream Cleanser has a rich creamy texture, gently dissolves make-up and grime, revealing a radiantly looking complexion. 

I like the quality of Elemis skincare and would recommend this cleanser for dry skin.

Next is Lanolin Lano. I still have a bit left at the bottom I am not able to pump out, so it will need to be cut up and transferred in a little jar. It is always amazing how much product is left inside the tubes and bottles. Got this clever cream from my local Waitrose store suitable for dry and thirsty skin. Made of 98.4% of natural ingredients to nourish and hydrate the skin. The cream is very rich, has a light clean scent and can be used all over the body as a day or night face cream, hand, body cream and it is suitable for baby skin too. It is brilliant if you are looking for multipurpose skincare.

And the last, but definitely not the least Childs Farm Hair & Body Wash for Sensitive Skin. My older son loves this gentle and yummy scented hair and body wash. Not the first and I am dure not the last bottle to go through for us. It lathers rather well too for a natural hair and body wash.

Childs Farm Hair and Body Wash is made with sweet orange and argan oils, leaving skin clean, not stripped of moisture and soft, and hair shiny and tangle-free. 

Childs Farm products are suitable for newborns and upwards, they are dermatologist and paediatrician approved and suitable for sensitive skin and safe for people who may be prone to eczema, and registered with The Vegan Society and certified by Cruelty-Free International. 

Have you tried any from above?

Marija

MWgifts - oil burners update

MWgifts has been running steady for two years now. I don't have a lot of free time to spare with a full-time job and family, but whenever I find the time, I am on the lookout for gift ideas and new stock.

This month we have a selection of oil burners made with various materials: from ceramic to soapstone. Beautiful designs and details will add that little touch to any home/office decor.

Prices vary from £5.99 to £17.99 plus P&P and all items are available for eBay global shipping. Click here to have a closer look and browse other MWgifts ideas.

Marija

Face masks: The Body Shop, Nuxe, Vitamasques, Elemental Herbology and Inc.Redible

Following my skincare routine update, I thought to share my current face masks with you. I have a selection from The Body Shop and Nuxe, plus various sheet masks to try and enjoy from my Birchbox.

The number one and most used mask is The Body Shop British Rose Fresh Plumping Mask. This is such a treat for my skin: refreshing gel texture with a light rose scent. This face mask suits my skin so well, I don't get any redness or irritation after use. This mask is infused with real rose petals, rose essence, rosehip oil and aloe vera. I like that it is formulated without parabens, paraffin, silicone or mineral oil. It moisturises, soothes and tones my skin after each use.

The runner up is Nuxe Insta-Masque Purifying and Smoothing Mask. This is a purifying mask with clay. It has light clay texture and scent. I like that is doesn't dry out my skin as some clay masks tend to do and you just need to apply it for 2 minutes. For a busy girl like me, this is an ideal skincare fix when I am short on time. This mask is made with rose floral water and White Clay (Kaolin).

Nuxe Insta-Masque Exfoliating and Unifying Mask is new for me and only been used once as I don't exfoliate my skin very often. Do you? But when I exfoliate I want the best possible result for my occasionally sensitive and dry skin. This is an exfoliating mask with micro-grains and combines the benefits of Rose floral water with Macadamia oil and a natural-origin fine exfoliating powder to exfoliate and even out the skin in just 2 minutes. I know, another quick fix for me. Recently I enjoy instant face masks or over the night treatments. They do work, while you carry on with your life.

This mask transforms into an oil when massaged. I love its refreshing scent and again the mask's gentle formula works well with my skin type.

I have a selection of sheet face masks in my bathroom all the time, for those days when I wish to experiment and try something new. Majority of them from Birchbox subscription. I like that you can try out various high-end brands for a small monthly fee. Can't comment much about sheet masks pictured above, as none have been tried just yet. Have you tried any?

Marija

My skin care routine - face - autumn/winter update

Love autumn/winter with all the colours glory, but temperature drop, misty rains and chilly winds do play havoc with my skin this time of the year. I tend to use same or similar beauty replacements each year adding few new treats along to try. Here is what I have currently on my bathroom shelf.

I like my skincare routine to be simple, so I can keep it up being busy with my boys and the rest.

In the morning I rinse my face in the shower without any cleanser, then use tonner (L'Oreal Fine Flowers Toner Rose&Jasmine for Dry & Sensitive Skin) and apply eye (SUKIN Antioxidant Eye Serum) and face cream (Avene Hydrance Aqua-Gel).

In the evening I remove my eye make up with Micellar Water (Argan Moroccan Rose Rejuvenating Micellar Water). I tend to rinse this off with warm water and then apply a night cream (Amore Puro Nourishing Night Cream)

I wash my face additionally with cream cleanser (Elemis Pro-Radiance Cream Cleanser) 2 to 3 times a week and apply a face mask at least once a week. I have a little selection of face mask which are foolproof and I know my skin won't react unexpectedly.

I am thinking to add a serum to use very evening along with my night cream to help smooth any imperfections out (fine lines and fatigue). If you know a very good one for 30+ skin, please comment below. What are your base products this autumn/winter?

Marija