2014 Favourites Part Two: Bath and Body, Haircare and Skincare

It's part two of my 2014 Favourites and if you missed part one, where I talked favourites from the 'Makeup', 'Nails' and 'Tools' categories, I shall link it here. Today's final edition, however, talks my top picks from the 'Bath and Body', 'Haircare', and 'Skincare' areas. I don't want to ramble for too long as this post will be even longer, so here we go...

Bath and Body:

 

BEST FRAGRANCE: 'Dolce' by Dolce and Gabbana. This was actually my first perfume I ever bought, and I'm so glad I did. When this came out last year I happened upon a tester in my local Boots and inquisitively gave it a squirt and a sniff and fell in love with the very classic, not-too-sweet, not-too-floral scent that would go with almost anything you paired it with. I'm already very close to finishing the bottle I bought not too long later as a treat with some birthday money, and am all ready to start on a new bottle that my parents surprised my with as one of my Christmas presents. I reckon I'll be loving this through 2015 too...

BEST BATH PRODUCT(S): This year has been the year when I finally got into LUSH products - I made a little post about just how I became a 'convert' here. I discovered the Christmas collection and fell in love - from the apple-tinged 'So White' bath bomb to the spa-like 'Christmas Eve' bubble bar - I've officially become obsessed and I a). cannot wait for the Christmas line to start back up again in 12 months time and b). really want to try out some more Lush goodies from their regular range.

BEST BODY SCRUB: I've also properly got into some new Soap and Glory products I hadn't tried before but ha d heard lots of good stuff about. One of these was their 'Breakfast Scrub', the first exfoliant I'd tried from their brand I think. I actually finished the big pot I had, as you may have seen in this Empties post, and loved everything about it - the smell, the texture, and its ability to make any slightly rough areas of skin super soft without feeling too aggressive on the skin. I'm currently using one of their others at the moment - the 'Sugar Crush' scrub - and I'm loving that also - so as this is the only one I have to hand at the moment, this is the one featured.

BEST BODY MOISTURISER/BUTTER/LOTION: I mentioned this when talking in part one of my 2014 Favourites about what hand cream I'd been loving, but I'm gonna talk about it again so prepare. It's the Palmers Cocoa Butter again, this time in the traditional body butter format. I tried a lot of body moisturisers in 2014 and initially found it hard to whittle them down to one, but when I think about it, this was the one I kept going back to, having discovered it when being recommended to me as a way of scar prevention from a burn I had. It worked wonders in that department, and when I gave it a go generally all over my limbs, they certainly thanked me for it. The smell is also to die for. Mmmm.

 

Also, a notable mention to my Venus Shaver that, like last year, did the job and kept me hair-free without drying out my skin or causing any irritation. Nice.

 

Haircare:

 

BEST SINGLE SHAMPOO: I mentioned in this post how this product helped  me keep my highlighted hair to stay the bright, pure blonde shade it is when first coloured, of course it is the Lee Stafford Bleach Blondes Shampoo. It's a purple shampoo (it literally does come out as a bright purple from the tube) and so helps correct the colour opposite it on the colour wheel - yellow - so for those of you with dyed blonde hair, or even natural blonde hair, this will help keep it from turning brassy and developing those nasty canary tones we all try and avoid.

BEST SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER: When I like to use a shampoo and conditioner together as a pairing (every other time alternated with a shampoo on its own such as the above), this year I loved using the TRESemme Platinum Strength Shampoo and Conditioner. I previously was using their Keratin Smooth duo, though found it too often leaving my hair a tad 'over-conditioned' and be too fluffy for me to able to tame and style. The Platinum Strength however, keeps my hair in good shape just as the Keratin Smooth did, though still keeps it manageable.

BEST TREATMENT: I have loved this forever, long before I started this blog. It's actually one of the first hair products I remember using when I started to get more into haircare. It is the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor. This I like to use instead of my usual conditioner around once a fortnight or once a month if I'm feeling a bit lazy, and it helps to keep my hair in good condition, especially if it's starting to feel very dry around this time of year, but again without making it unmanageable any way. I always notice such a difference when I've used this and I know I'll probably carry on smothering my hair in it forever more.

BEST HEAT PROTECTANT: I've been through bottles and bottles of the Got 2 B Guardian Angel Heat Defence, and will probably carry on doing so. Unfortunately it is not pictured as I recently finished up another bottle, as seen here. Of course heat protection is one of those things that you never really know if its doing its job until maybe later down the line, but as of yet it's doing good and also leaves my hair easy to style and smelling delish.

BEST TOOL(S): I was lucky enough to receive both the Babyliss Boutique Salon Power Hairdryer and Salon Control Straighteners for Christmas 2013 and was eager to try them out and I have to say, they have revolutionised my hair routine for 2014 (poet and I didn't know it). I used to own a crappy hairdryer that I got about 5 years before that which was about as powerful as air-blowing on your own hair, whilst the Babyliss one is great for drying your hair quickly if in a rush in the mornings. The straighteners too have been even more of a change, beforehand I was using my Mum's straighteners, and whilst they did the job alright, it was awkward having to share one pair and the fact they had a square barrel made it difficult to do anything other than straighten. The Boutique ones are rounded and so make curling your hair with them a dream and doing actual straightening pretty darn easy too.

 

Skincare:

 

BEST REMOVER: This was a toss-up between the higher-end and lower-end end of the spectrum - Bioderma or Garnier Micellar Water? I actually asked myself this here. In the end, I'm giving it to the Garnier version. Though I love Bioderma as my first dabble into the micellar water concept, having tried the Garnier one I'm finding it hard to distinguish from the two apart from the price difference between them. Therefore, for those on a budget who may be reading, I feel I kinda have to opt for the cheaper dupe.

BEST CLEANSING PRODUCT: I discovered a fab 2-in-1 love this past year and it is the Nivea 2-in-1 Cleanser and Toner. I wanted to get more into the whole cleansing and toning thang and with this promising the two in one simple bottle I gave it a whirl along with another skincare addition and am so glad I did. Simply rub into either fresh or made-up skin and swipe off with a cotton pad to remove makeup or any dirt from the day and that's it - you're done. Having sensitive skin, I've had no problems with irritation from this so it really does the big thumbs up from me.

BEST FACIAL EXFOLIATOR: This is easy for me as this has pretty much been the only face scrub I've ever gave a go in the years I've been into skincare. It's the St Ives Gentle Apricot Facial Scrub. As I mentioned, I have quite delicate skin so for me, scrubs are where I have to take the most care as to not cause irritation. This has never done so for me and so I've continued to use it. Its harsh enough to get the job done, though remains kind to your skin without upsetting it in any way and - plus point - it smells delish.

BEST SERUM: 2014 was the year I got into the concept that is facial serum and I'm so glad I did - aforementioned primer mentioned alongside the Nivea 2-in-1 jobby in this post. I currently use the Superdrug Moisture Boost Serum and it's been going down a treat. I started off using it both mornings and evenings, though now only the latter, as I started to worry daytime application would worsen makeup wear-time. It also sinks in really well and doesn't leave my skin looking slightly over-loaded and greasy as a result in the mornings.

BEST DAY CREAM: I mentioned this in one of my first posts on here and how I loved using this as opposed to the one I was using beforehand. It's of course the Nivea Sensitive Day Cream. This, once again, sinks in so well and leaves a brilliant base for any other skincare products makeup you wish to apply on top, whilst still deeply nourishing your skin at the same time.

BEST NIGHT CREAM: Again, another Nivea product - can you tell I love their skincare? It's the night-time version of the above day cream - the Nivea Sensitive Night Cream - and its plus points run along similar lines to its day-time sibling. It's deeply nourishing and sinks in nicely, leaving my skin baby-soft before bed-time and not at all oily in the morning.

BEST EYECREAM: This past year was also the year I got into eye-cream, having got a sample-sized Benefit It's Potent! in a set. I tried it, used it up - all the deets here - and all in all, loved it. The formula meant it was quick and easy to apply and didn't require much dabbing on the delicate eye area to get it to sink in. Again, as with some products I've mentioned before, eye cream is one which you're never really sure if it works or not and will only truly know in 20, 30, 40 years time, but for now - it's done good.

BEST FACE MASK(S): Finally, one of my favourite and most-fun-filled skincare items - face masks. I've been doing these for yonks as you really do get the best of both worlds - applying a fun, yummy-scented mask which both relaxes and benefits your skin at the same time. The only ones I've ever used are the sachets of the Montagne Jeunesse masks. I've pretty much tried every single one - clay or peel - they do and love  and regularly use most of them. My sensitive skin has only ever been troubled by one or two I think but with the extensive range they do, it doesn't bother me too much.

So that just about concludes part two of my annual favourites and therefore the end of this mini-series for 2014! I hope you enjoyed, and rest assured - it'll be making a reappearance this time next year (I promise I'm not wishing time away - 2016 sounds way too futuristic for the moment) when I'll be show-and-telling just what I've loved through 2015!

For now, though, keep a look out for a new monthly series starting on this 'ere blog come the end of January, and it may or may not be related to this whole 'Favourites' theme...