De-Stress Pamper Night

Ive been feeling pretty stressed the last few months as a few major life events have happened in a really short time. So I have started actively making time for myself and one of my favourite things to do is to take some time out with a pamper evening.
I began my pamper evening with a bath using the Sanctuary Sleep range Calming Luxury Bath Float. I am a massive fan of this range as It really does aid relaxation and smells divine while doing it. It has a texture  like a body lotion and if you didn't read the label first you would be forgiven for thinking it was just that!

Following on from this I next used also from the sanctuary sleep range restore body oil. I got this as part of sleep in a box and had been waiting until I was feeling especially stressed before using it. 

It had the same type of scent as the rest of the range but a little milder. I used the oil on my arms, legs, chest and neck. These are the areas I tend to hold tension in when I'm stressed out. 

The oil took a long time to dry into my skin maybe 2 1/2- 3 hours. I did feel more relaxed with it in but I was actively trying to relax. I found the most difference with this the next morning. It definitely deserves it's place in the sleep range wow I slept like a baby even this horrible muggy weather didn't wake me (which it has been) and I also woke up with beautifully soft skin. This is definitely a must have product for my future pamper evenings. 

Finally I used the pur dirty girl mud mask. 

This is a proper brown mud masque the likes of which I haven't used for a really long time. The mask went on really easily and was easy to wash off my hands which I always look out for, the directions said to leave it on for 5-20 mins. 

I had decided to leave it on for closer to the 20 minutes but it dried quickly and after about 12 minutes got so tight and uncomfortable that I had to sprint to the bathroom to wash it off. It came off really easily and there was instant relief from the tightness. My skin had that lovely freshness that you get from a masque, next morning I have a few little spots up after using it so I just wouldn't use when I have any event to be at. Overall I like the masque it didn't dry out my skin at all which can be a problem for me with mud masques. 

I had a lovely pamper evening with these products and finished it off with a movie night with my new husband. Bliss! 

What are your favourite products for a pamper night?

Massage Oil Bliss........

I'm a massive fan of massages and relaxation in general. So when my other half asked me for a massage a few days ago I thought hmmm perfect opportunity for me to get one back the following night all in aid of reviewing a product for my blog, which he could hardly say no to! So I introduced this little baby,

Monu Skincare Warming Ginger Massage & Body Oil.
I love massage oils because they are always such a treat and scream out luxury and relaxation.
So Ill get to work on telling you about this one......

Night one I was the masseur, I think if your giving a massage its important to do it right (not that I have proper training) I mean in terms of setting the right tone. Lights need to be low so your not getting blinded by bright fluorescent! and I like to stick on some 'relaxation songs' on you-tube just to really get the relaxing going.
The massage oil itself has a really lovely ginger scent strong but by no means overpowering. You need to rub your palms together in order to warm the oil and you really do feel the oil beginning to warm after a minute or two. I really loved the texture if this makes sense it was oily without being greasy or too slippery. It was perfect to prevent friction whilst massaging. But what I loved most about It was after about 20-30 mins It did dry into the skin meaning that It didn't need to be rubbed or washed off which I have experienced with other oils. This also gave It the added bonus of working as a moisturiser. As a relaxing luxury treatment it gets a thumbs up from my Mr. as his comments were 'that was savage, I slept like a baby'. Ill add here that he does have trouble both relaxing and sleeping so that is one major compliment!

Night two and I was the massaged (is that a word?)
Unfortunately for me my turn did not include dimmed lights or relaxing music, rather a comment 'how do i use this stuff?' followed by a quick explanation and away we went.
I have to admit it felt amazing going on, my massage was more like someone rubbing on body lotion than actual massage but ill definitely take that and it was still very lovely. The smell when It was on was way more complex than when I had smelled it as the masseur. It made me feel relaxed and cosy and you can definitely feel the 'warming' part of its title. I have to agree with my other half this did help me to sleep like a baby! But more than that I woke up next day with baby soft skin all over my back brilliant bonus! I do feel way less stressed and refreshed after my lovely treat.
I definitely look forward to using more Monu products in the future.
If you want to give them a try you can find them here

Hope you enjoyed this post
you can find me on twitter @clareken86
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RELAX AND DE-STRESS

After having an extremely hectic few months that included a wedding (my own!) a honeymoon a house move and another trip to the sun. My body and especially my skin are stressed, dried out and a little neglected in general. So i've decided its time to pull myself together in an attempt to fix this.  Ive got a few products to mention in this post NIP + FAB GLYCOLIC FIX PADS, DERMALOGICA MULTIVITAMIN POWER RECOVERY MASQUE, SANCTUARY SPA SLEEP RANGE BODY BUTTER and finally ANATOMICALS SLEEP BALM.


Up first I am going to tackle my face.
I am mixing in my old reliable products with some new ones that I am trying out (very excitedly)

So after all of the changes in weather my skin has been dried out and dull and i obviously wanted to change this so im starting by using NIP + FAB GLYCOLIC FIX exfoliating pads. First off I like the packaging its simple and unfussy and i like how strong the plastic is as a lot of this type can be very flimsy. On opening the smell is definately a chemical type one but isnt that overwhelming well once you dont stick your nose in too close like i did oops! I was excited to start using this as it claims to "unveil younger looking skin, resurface & retexture skin helps to tone and reveal brighter and smoother skin" to me this sounds amazing and exactly what im in need of.
The pack contains 60 pads and reccomends to use once or twice daily. 
the first few days i used this in morning and found my skin to be a little shinier than i wanted for daytime so i switched to night use this greatly helped. i really liked using this product I was a little scared at the start as i dont relish the thought of putting anything with the word 'acid' on my face but the pads are so gentle. I definitely noticed a big change in my skin after using I wouldnt go as far as to say younger looking but it was brighter and healthier looking. all in all I will be continuing to use this.

Next up Dermalogica multivitamin power recovery masque. This claims to rescue stressed and aging skin, ahem exactly what im needing right now so I crossed my fingers hoping for the best!
the packaging is really sleek and definitely feels luxurious and expensive.
The smell reminds me of something from my childhood that I cant put my finger on but I definitely don't like it, its quite chemical and I wasn't mad about having to put it on my face.
I didnt need to use a huge amount so I think the tube would last quite a while which makes it good value for a masque. I think i paid 35.00 for a 75ml tube. 
The mask is a nice consistency and glides on easily, after about 5 minutes your whole face turns a luminous yellow, which is very funny if your husband comes home in the middle of it :) 
the upside is my skin retained some of the luminosity after I washed the mask off and my skin looked a lot fresher than It had before and so in turn my skin did look less stressed and younger. Its a nice masque to take 20 minutes out for yourself to relax with and in spite of the smell I did use again and will continue to as it really does work.

Anatomicals sleep balm cruisin' for a snoozin'  comes in a little blue tin a bit like a tin of vaseline, anatomicals packaging in general is quirky and fun , there is a little poem on the tin relating to the product that makes it feel extra special. inside is a hard balm that you rub on your pulse points to help you to sleep. the smell (having a problem with smells) is probably lovely to most people but I hate ....and yes hate is a strong word but exactly the one I want to use, I hate Lavender yuck!!!!!
so this product smells of Lavender which turned me off instantly but most normal folk probably would be ok with!
I rubbed in on my wrists going to bed and I slept all night although Im not entirely sure that the balm really did help? I was slightly disappointed with it as I love anatomicals headache balm and was so excited to try this. I wont repurchase this but im pretty sure its the lavender that killed this one for me.
Finally sanctuary sleep range comforting night butter this claims to reduce tension & stress helping to prepare for a restful nights sleep.The packaging is simple clear pot with a purple lid, its very recognizable as sanctuary brand immediately. This product for the last few months has been my 'I cant live without it, desert island must have' forget about just before bedtime I use this for everything, the smell of this cream is divine, its the smell of pure relaxation! its a really rich cream and it definitely reduces tension & stress. I use this to help relax my muscles if im sore, if im stressed I rub some on the back of my neck and shoulders to soothe me and of course at bedtime, it makes me feel so cosy going to sleep. I highly recommend this product as my top product for relaxing and de-stressing, Im so obsessed with this i now have the mini version which comes with 'sleep in a box' and it lives in my handbag, which you can see in my handbag essentials post.

hope you all enjoyed this blog post I went on a little make-up shopping spree recently and am waiting for my goodies to arrive so next post will be all about that haul.
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