Pampering and destressing favourites

It is currently exam period for me so naturally I get quite stressed while studying for exams. To counter the effect that stress has on my body I like to make some time for myself at least once every week to destress and wind down.

Some of my favourites include L'occitane hand cream in lavender. I usually use this while studying as it has a therapeutic lavender scent which helps me stay calm. Another favourite is my Sukin Hydrating Mist Toner. I am absolutely in love with this toner as it has a soft rose and chamomile scent. It is also hydrating and refreshing when sprayed onto the face. I think this is my 4th bottle of the toner. I have run out of backups of it and will need to restock soon. Moa's the green balm also helps when I'm stressed as I find i tend to get dry patches on my face when stressed. I apply a small amount of Moa the green balm to my face and it seems to fix the problem well. The green balm also works wonders on my hair. I use it to smooth the ends of hair and it adds shine to hair without looking oily or greasy. When my eyes get tired from staring at the computer screen and books for too long I use this lavender scented eye mask. It can be microwaved and helps relieve tired eyes. Lastly I like using the Dr. Hauschka lip balm pot while studying as it has a subtle herbal scent.

What do you do to help you destress?

Makeup bag essentials

I work part time in an office environment where there is aircon and heating all the time. This really dries out my skin so there are a few products that I must have with me at all times. Lip balm is my obsession so I always carry it around. I'm currently using the Dior Creme De Rose which I love. It smells like soft roses and has a pretty pale pink colour which goes on clear. It is one of the most moisturising lip balms I have tried (I have tried many). I heard this was being discontinued? Not too sure about that though. I also always carry a tube of hand cream with me. My hands always get really dry and uncomfortable while typing at work. The L'occitane limited edition one in passionate jasmine has the original formula but smells like jasmines. It is not too overwhelming but instead a very pleasant slightly sweet smelling jasmine. For my cuticles or any dry patches I reach for my Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream (fragrance free version). To be honest I bought this initially just because it was so hyped up. I was curious about why everyone loved it so much. After trying this I can see why it is loved. However, I do have to say that for me it is not as much of a miracle worker as everyone says. It does moisturise my lips and dry patches. But I have other balms that can do that too. I carry this one for the convenience of it being in a tube.

For makeup, I like using neutral pinks like the Dior Addict lipstick in 564 Model. This is the perfect daytime pink that just brightens up my complexion. I also carry around a bold coloured lipstick for days I go out after work. I'm currently loving the Mamonde creamy tint in the colour matte pop rose. I wore this the whole night and only touch up once. It does not transfer and fades evenly and gradually. But it still leaves a vivid tint on your lips.

Lastly, I also carry around a hair tie just incase.

Products I have been loving

Helloo! Recently I have been trying to use up products that I own and found that I have been reaching for these quite a bit.

Products shown:

Missha Super Aqua Bergamot aroma deep sea water micro mist - wow that name was really long. This is essentially a water mist you spray onto your face whenever you feel dry or want to be refreshed. I really like this. The scent is quite subtle and soft (not really sure what bergamot is meant to smell like). As the name suggests it is a micromist so it sprays out really fine mist compared to the Avene Eau Thermale spray which tends to leave small droplets of water on my face :S

Anna Sui lip balm - This is my second tub. It smells so good! It is a very soft rose scent that is present in all Anna Sui products <3 Absolutely love this stuff. It moisturises the lips really well as well. And the lid screw on so I don't have to worry whether the tin is closed properly.

Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie - I have been obsessed with berry coloured lips and nails recently. Berry Smoothie is quite sheer and has a few shimmer particles in it but they are not that noticeable on the lips. It is really moisturising as well.

L'Occitane hand cream in lavender - Love the texture of L'Occitane hand creams. This one is gel like and absorbs instantly leaving my hands really soft and smelling like lavender. I find that L'Occitane lavender scent smells nicer than Crabtree & Evelyn's lavender.

Caudalie Beauty Elixir - I usually spray this when I feel tired because it has a minty sensation which helps keep me awake haha. As for the smoothing and glowing properties I can't really say I have seen much of a difference. Before this big bottle I used up 2 smaller sized ones and also could not see much of an effect. I use this for the minty sensation and scent as a pick me up really... it is pricey but I really like it for that purpose.

French Pharmacy Skincare Haul

Recently my skin was acting up and very sensitive. I started getting really itchy and flaky skin around my eyebrows and on either side of my nose. I tried putting on masks and slapping on more moisturiser but it would still get flaky by the end of the day. So I looked for some moisturising skincare which was aimed at sensitive skin. The first sensitive skincare I tried was the skin recovery cream by Avene. After around 2 months of using it religiously day and night it fixed all my flakiness and itchiness!!!

Then....I started researching into more of the French Pharmacy skincare products and made a few orders from escentual.com =__=

They have a huge range of french skincare and at quite low prices too (compared to Australia).

Products shown:

Nuxe reve de miel hand cream- quite a good hand cream and isn't sticky.

Caudalie beauty elixir - refreshing spray... but not really seeing any results yet

La Roche Posay tinted moisturiser - this is an ok product but I found that it only works if I apply one thin layer. If I try to apply a second layer it tends to rub off the first layer and I'm left with nothing.

La Roche Posay Hydreane Legere - haven't tried this yet

La Roche Posay ceralip - I read from amodelrecommends that this lip balm was really good.. but on me it actually made my lips flakier :S

La Roche Posay nutrilip- this is very thin but is much better than the ceralip for me. After it dries up my lips actually feel moisturised and repaired.

La Roche Posay physiological soothing toner - haven't tried

Avene skin recovery cream - repurchase since I finished the first tube. Really really good moisturiser for my sensitive and dry skin in winter. But since the weather is getting warmer I find that this is a bit too much and leaves my dry skin feeling slightly oily and heavy.

Avene gentle milk cleanser- haven't tried

Avene extremely gentle cleanser - haven't tried

Overall I'm quite happy with my french skincare finds but some of them are a bit disappointing especially the ceralip and tinted moisturiser.

Crabtree & Evelyn Haul

Hello. Recently I bought the Pomegranate Argan & Grapeseed Oil body lotion from Crabtree & Evelyn because they are doing a facebook promotion where you get $10 off plus a free mini hand cream :D I really like this scent and was running out of my 25g size so I decided to use the coupon and save some money haha. I got the body lotion one since it's not as thick as the hand therapy and it's getting warmer in Australia now so the hand cream would be a bit too much.

The body lotion works really well and absorbs nearly instantly leaving my skin feeling so smooth <3

So after the discount the body lotion cost $18 aud which is still quite a lot... but it is 250 ml and absorbs really well so I guess it's still worth it. Plus I got a free 25g citron honey and coriander hand cream :)