Mybeautywaxstash

Tag: handcare

  • Affordable Stocking Fillers For Christmas Under £4.00

    Whether the word ‘Christmas’ brings you out in a sweat or not, it’s coming. Most of us will now be thinking about what to buy our nearest and dearest whereas some have already started purchasing gifts. But what stocking fillers are on the high street that won’t put our credit card into meltdown? I’ve been keeping my eyes open for affordable items that can be purchased if you are looking for pampering products for friends, colleagues, family members and even teens. So what did I find?

    Garnier Hydra Bomb Eye Tissue Mask

    I’ve used these and they are great! Easy to use, moisturising, cooling and will give the under eye area a temporary pick me up. Ideal for those who love under eye patches/masks, enjoy using skincare and those who are simply tired and need a pampering! A winner as well for pre-teens/teenagers. Only 99p at Home Bargains.

    Garnier SkinActive’s Hydra Bomb Eye Tissue Mask
    W7 Foot Mask, Exfoliating Foot Mask Treatment & Hand Mask Treatment

    These are perfect products for those who maybe use their hands a lot or on their feet for long durations. Or just for those people who like to look after their hands and feet! These are nice and flat so easy to post reasonably cheaply if the recipient isn’t local. Maybe a nice treat to buy all three of these, wrap or place in a card. I found these in Tesco for £2.00 each.

    W7’s Foot & Hand Masks
    M&S’s Hand Cream & Hand Balm

    Who would have thought M&S would be a good place to grab hand care products that weren’t only effective, packaged nicely AND not expensive? I find these items can get lost in my local store but if you spot them definitely worth grabbing. I’ve personally used their Shea Butter & Honey Hand Balm and thought it was a lovely product. Both hand cream and hand balm are £2.00 each.

    M&S’s Hand Cream and Hand Balm
    M&S Body Scrub & Body Butter

    These are two products I really want to try. The body butter is the same fragrance as the hand cream which together would make a good small gift. But there is something about how the Coconut Body Scrub is packaged (glass jar) that screams luxury to me, but without the price tag. Both cost £3.50 each with the scrub weighing 100g and the body butter 200g.

    M&S’s Coconut Body Scrub and Body Butter
    Treacle Moon’s Warm Winterberry Nights Shower and Bath Gel

    I’ve used many Treacle Moon products in the past and they have all been great quality. Warm Winterberry is a new fragrance which I haven’t used but gave it a sniff and the scent is TO DIE FOR! If you love your bath and shower products to be fruity and mouth watering, this is for you! This was in my local Tesco store for £1.95 for 500ml.

    Treacle Moon’s Warm Winterberry Nights Shower & Bath Gel

    So these are just a few gift ideas that many people can grab from stores local to them. A good time saver if you’re already in a store doing a normal shop anyway (which as a busy mum I love!). All of these are affordable, pampering and easy to use. Great as stocking fillers, part of a gift basket, Christmas Eve box and dare I start mentioning teacher gifts…. Christmas gift giving doesn’t need to be expensive or stressful, so let’s make some purchases simple and cheap!

  • A Touch of Luxury. Neom’s Uplifting Hand Balm

    If someone was to ask me what my go to product was at the moment, I would say it’s a hand cream/balm. It’s a hand care product I use when my hands are suffering, dry and feeling tight, which they are right now. I have different products on rotation but I’ve just added to the mix Neom‘s Uplifting Hand Balm. This was a gift from a friend last Christmas and retails for £10.00 for 30ml.

    Neom’s Uplifting Hand Balm
    Why did I start using this?

    My hands NEED some extra TLC at the moment. We are in the throws of winter in the UK and it’s showing on my hands. When I was given this last year in all honesty I didn’t need to use it. This year is different and despite using other products, I really wanted to use this and see if this could deliver something more than what I was currently getting.

    What is this?

    This is a Shea butter rich hand product which contains natural fragrances. Not only is it aromatic, but designed to be moisturising and skin softening too.

    Packaging

    30m of hand balm comes in a cream coloured plastic flip topped tube. Very simple in look with black text on front and back. Rather than it screaming boring it says to me this is simple chic! Some of the more expensive products out there are packaged in a very basic way and this is one of them.

    Texture

    This is a little thicker than a standard hand cream, and this is why it’s called a balm. White in colour, holds it shape when released from the tube.

    Fragrance

    I have never smelt anything like this before! You get a fresh, slightly herbal mint scent come through which smells true to life. Underneath it is a hint of citrus but not zesty or sweet, it just adds to the freshness already given by the mint. This fragrance is incredible! Very unusual and very natural in smell. This isn’t a scent everyone will like because it’s so different. But I think the majority of people will.

    In use

    I didn’t need to use much of this, just a pea sized amount. The luxurious texture of this looked appealing but it’s thickness didn’t stop it rubbing into my hands easily. As I rubbed this in it felt very moisturising, had a slip to it and left my hands feeling very soft and smooth. There was a slight shine left on my hands but they didn’t look greasy. They looked more alive, less ashy and hydrated.

    But can I talk about how this smells? The scent of this isn’t overwhelming which aromatherapy type scents can be. It’s just the right strength and it’s incredibly intoxicating. I can smell this while applying this balm and a good while after. You want to embrace the smell, you want to sniff your hands constantly. It’s energising and relaxing all at the same time.

    Recommended?

    Let’s not beat around the bush, this isn’t cheap! But if I was to have a little splurge I would with this hand balm. It smells divine, it moisturises well and do you know what? I ENJOY using this! And this is what makes it worth it. Would I recommend this if you are on a tight budget? No, it doesn’t make sense. If you wanted to treat yourself or someone else with something special I would have a look at this product. In fact, this has made me want to look at their whole range because there is definitely something special about this. So my question is does that follow through the rest of the brand?

    This can be purchased from different retailers including Neom direct, Marks and Spencer and Sephora.

  • £2.00 Marks and Spencer’s Shea Butter & Honey Hand Balm

    It is COLD! We knew it was coming in the UK so it shouldn’t be a surprise. But it doesn’t mean we have to like it! Hats are on, gloves at the ready and woolly jumpers have been dug out of the back of wardrobes. As much as I’m all for grabbing these items to make myself feel cosy and human, there is one thing that’s been suffering like mad the last few days-my HANDS! They feel and look dry, lacklustre of colour and they need a much needed zap of moisture. So I thought I would give Marks and Spencer’s Shea Butter & Honey Hand Balm a go. For 75ml this cost just £2.00.

    Marks and Spencer’s Shea Butter & Honey Hand Balm
    Why did I buy this?

    I have various hand creams in my collection, but a hand balm sounds so much more moisturising, right? My hands look and feel slightly battered at the moment and I wanted something richer than my usual hand cream. I’ve used Marks and Spencer’s Hand Scrub, which I loved, and thought this would be a good product too. The fact it costs only £2.00 means it’s another affordable product to buy, use and hopefully enjoy.

    How to use?

    You can use this like a traditional hand cream (when needed). Or it can be used as a hand mask and use twice a week by applying a thick layer onto the hands for 10 minutes then rub into hands balm that hasn’t sunk in.

    Packaging

    This hand balm comes in a screw top lidded tube, which is standard. But it’s interesting in appearance because of it’s colour which is a vibrant shade of gold. It doesn’t look like it cost £2.00 but more.

    Fragrance

    I got a shock with this because I thought I picked up the almond version and this is clearly honey! It definitely does have a sweet, honey like scent to it. There’s an almost floral element to this as well, although very faint. If you’re not a fan of honey this won’t be for you. Personally, I don’t mind it but it’s not my favourite scent for a hand cream if I’m completely honest.

    Texture

    White in colour and holds it shape once squeezed out of the tube. Not runny like a body lotion but quite as thick as a body butter, it’s somewhere in between.

    On the hands

    I used a 5p sized amount of hand balm which I rubbed into my hands, which went in very easily. What makes this different from some hand creams is this has more of a slip to it. I won’t use the word ‘greasy’ but it’s obvious there is something in this giving it that feel (this contains Shea butter). My hands felt more moisturised and looked more healthy colour wise, but I expected more and felt I needed to get a little more balm for a second application. Just remember this is after one application and my hands are a bit rough! A plus point was my hands didn’t feel slippy after use and could use them straight away.

    The fragrance is very specific but not too strong, but it’s there. This is one of those scents I couldn’t or wouldn’t want to smell on my hands all the time but occasionally.

    Marks and Spencer’s Almond Milk & Vanilla Hand Scrub wit their Shea Butter & Honey Hand Cream
    Recommended?

    The fragrance for me probably is a no. This wasn’t the version I wanted and the Marks and Spencer’s Almond Milk & Vanilla Hand Scrub scent wise I found quite comforting and really liked. This doesn’t give me that same comfort. Formulation wise it’s nice to use and does improve the look and feel of my hands but I need to use this for longer to give it a true thumbs up or thumbs down. So I’m siting on the fence with this one, for now. But if you’re looking for a nice hand cream, and you like the fragrance of honey, this will be absolutely fine and make a good stocking filler. Available instore and online through Ocado here.

  • Marks and Spencer’s Hand Scrub

    I work very close to a Marks and Spencer’s store. It’s not massive and sells food rather than clothes. I don’t visit it regularly because if I’m honest I don’t have Mark’s and Spencer’s money! But what I have noticed is, nicely tucked into their incredibly small healthcare section, is various hand, body and skincare products. Intrigued, curious and interested to try something from M&S, I purchased their Hand Scrub with Almond Milk & Vanilla. This cost £2.00 for 75ml.

    Marks and Spencer’s Hand Scrub Almond Milk & Vanilla
    Why did I buy this?

    I’ve always associated Marks and Spencer with high prices. To see some of their body products for such good, affordable prices is brilliant. I bought the hand scrub because I’ve got lots of hand creams. Before I start using them again, I wanted to get rid of any rough, dry skin first and thought this would be a nice product to try.

    What is this supposed to do?

    This hand scrub is supposed to help remove dead skin cells, leaving skin smoother and softer. Thanks to it containing yoghurt and olive extracts, it’s also supposed to be moisturising while leaving the hands lightly scented.

    Packaging

    75ml of scrub comes in a clear, plastic flip top lidded tube. Very simple, nothing imaginative. There’s a couple of almond nut illustrations on the tube but that’s it apart from the text, so no other detailing. But it does the job! Since the tube is clear you can see the scrub inside it which looks very inviting. So simple, practical and but it does what it needs to do.

    Look & Texture

    Squeezed out of the tube this looks like a gel. It has a slight fluidness to it but holds it shape as a gel does. It has a slight golden brown tint to it but it’s still clear, so you can see the scrub particles in it. I love a good texture, and this excites me because I’ve never used a scrub product that looked and felt like this one, so very different for me.

    Fragrance

    This has an almost marzipan scent to it. It’s clear this is almond based and the vanilla is present as there is that typical, vanilla sweetness to it although slightly floral as well. I really like how this smells. It’s one of those scents personally I would enjoy anytime of the year, but more so now its colder and edging closer to Winter this is ideal.

    How to Use

    On damp skin, massage a small amount of the scrub onto the hands and rinse.

    In Use

    I made sure my hands were damp, but not wet. I rubbed this into my hands and found my hands were now slightly white as if I had rubbed soap into my skin and it needed to be washed off. What I found when rubbing this into my hands was it was a very unusual in feel. It felt very moisturising as if it had a slip to it, a slight oiliness to it, but there was no oil. The actual scrub pieces in this were the right sizes and enough in amount which was perfect for hands. I didn’t feel they were too rough or too soft, just right, because I could feel the exfoliating action. Rinsing off was a bit like rinsing off a handwash. I did find I needed to wash my hands twice because the first time I felt there was residue left on my hands. It felt a little tacky, but the second rinse was fine.

    Hands after Use?

    My hands felt lovely and soft. They felt a little smoother and moisturised too. I also noticed my hands had been fragranced. It was lovely to smell and not distracting. Although this was a moisturising product it’s not to replace a hand cream. I think if possible, following up with a cream would be best to keep skin soft and supple. My hands a few hours later after being in and out of water looked and felt dry, so this hand scrub is just a scrub and treat it like such.

    Recommended?

    It’s actually a nice product for the price and size. A hand scrub isn’t something you would use everyday, maybe once or twice a week if that. So 75ml should last a good amount of time. It’s beautifully scented. I can still catch the fragrance on my hands a few hours after use, but it’s soft and not lingering. It’s a nice product to use, leaves the hands feeling smoother and only costs £2.00! So would I recommend this? Yes I would! It won’t break the bank and it’s a decent product. Team it up with a hand cream or lotion and it would make a killer combo for yourself or someone else.

    I end this post with 2 words which is a recommendation of what this product would be good for…. STOCKING FILLER!