Christmas Eve Pamper Session


Happy Christmas Eve! I can hardly believe that Christmas is only a few hours away. One minute you're feeling like a bit of a weirdo for writing Christmas themed blog posts in November (true story) and then before you know it you're sitting in front of a huge turkey dinner wondering what the hell happened. Tonight I'm looking forward to a cosy night, a hot bath and a bit of a pampering session. Here are some of the products that I've picked out to use!

I picked this up for just a few pounds in Asda a couple of months ago after reading up on the benefits of dry body brushing. The idea is to brush long strokes towards the heart which will improve circulation to the skin as well as exfoliate. I'll be using this before jumping in the bath, and following up with an exfoliating body scrub.

Coconut oil is a miracle in a pot, this stuff is so versatile and cheap as chips too. If you have dry skin or hair and need a quick fix on a budget then you need this in your life. Because it's so heavy and greasy, coconut oil isn't really something you can put through your hair without looking like a greasy mess (well I definitely can't anyway) however it's a great pre-wash treatment to quickly hydrate the hair. I warm this up in the microwave and slather it all over my hair and scalp about an hour before I run the bath. Walking around like a slippery grease ball for a while is well worth the effort, because once it's washed out it leaves your hair feeling so soft and smooth. I then use my regular shampoo and conditioner.

Klorane Mango Hair Butter
After washing and conditioning my hair I like following up with an intense mask. It just gives it that extra moisture boost, which is never a bad thing at this time of year. The one I'm using at the moment is this Mango mask from a brand called Klorane, and while mango is usually not my favourite scent (too many vodka and mango juices in my student days I think!) this smells really subtle and sweet I love it. I'm also a fan of the Herbal Essences mask tubs which are only a few pounds each.

I tried one of these for the first time last week, and when I looked in the mirror with it on I actually scared myself a bit. Quite frankly they make you look like the love child of Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre and a Smurf, but my god do they make your skin feel nice. They contain caviar which seems quite disgusting but is an ingredient that's been used in Asian skincare forever, luckily it doesn't have any kind of weird scent. Caviar and certain types of marine algae are the richest sources of a chemical called astaxanthin which has shown reduce the appearance of fine lines, age spots and improve skin tone, elasticity and skin moisture content. As the mask dissolves, your skin absorbs all of the beneficial ingredients from inside. 

This little duo are my favourite facial oil and my favourite hair oil. I love how soft and hydrated the Clarins Treatment Oil leaves my skin, and is just the product for the job when you want to give your skin a treat. I use this over my regular facial moisturiser, which I spoke about in this post. The Loreal Extraordinary Oil is by far the nicest highstreet hair oil I've tried so far. It leaves my hair looking so shiny without it looking greasy in the slightest, and the weighty glass bottle gives it a bit of a luxury feel even though it was really cheap. I smooth a small amount through towel dried hair, which also protects it from brushing damage.

Wax melts are the best things since sliced bread if you ask me. They throw off just as much scent as an actual candle, and you can try loads of different varieties without spending much. There were so many scents I had my eye on this Christmas it made sense to do it this way rather than committing £20 odd to one large jar candle. I'm going to be popping 'Christmas Eve' in my wax burner this evening, from what I can tell through the wrapping it smells like cinnamon cakes- always a winning Christmas scent! Each wax melt supposedly lasts for eight hours although personally I think it's a lot longer than that. I had on 'Cinnamon Stick' earlier which has to be my all time favourite from Yankee, I wonder if this will top it?

What are you up to this Christmas eve?