TGIF

Sad as it sounds, there’s nothing I love more on a Friday than finishing work and popping into town on my way home to pick up the weekly toiletries. Things always crop up during the week that we need around the house so I make a list then pick them all up at the end of the week.  I try to buy as much stuff as possible from Boots to rack up maximum advantage card points (which naturally I then go and spend straightaway), and of course I always get sucked in by their offers and end up picking up one or two extra items I hadn’t planned on getting.

On this particular Friday I actually stopped by the Body Shop first as they had a sale on and there were a couple of things we needed. I and my boyfriend had been getting through body wash at an alarming rate, so when I saw that they had 750ml shower gels in the sale - plus an extra 40% off – I saw a bargain and snatched it up. I never thought olive would be a scent I’d like – coconut and shea being my all time favourite Body Shop ranges – but we’ve both actually been loving this.  Really refreshing to use in the morning, the unique, sweet aroma  lingers in the bathroom for hours afterwards and the bottle will last ages too so great value for money.

I also picked up the Macadamia straightening balm which I’d had my eye on for a while and really liked the sound of. I’d been in need of something nourishing to apply to the ends of my hair after washing for a while, and had been trying to make do with odds and ends of half-used serums I had lying around, but at £7 with 40% off everything in store I couldn’t say no. So far, so good – this sweet smelling creamy balm glides through hair and gives it a lovely shine once dry. In the recent humid weather, I’ve been making a conscious effort not to use my GHDs as much and just blowdry my hair straight instead, and I really feel this product has been helping me to achieve this.

The first item I picked up from Boots was another haircare item. In need of a new hair mask, I decided to try this Aussie Shine 3 Minute Miracle treatment as I’ve always been a fan of the original formula. I was slightly disappointed to find this didn’t have the signature Aussie scent (which I love), but instead a subtle sweet smell, and also isn’t as thick or nourishing as the original formula. In hindsight, this is product aimed at people with dull, lifeless hair in need of shine, not for those with dry damaged hair. Never the less, I’ve still been enjoying slapping this on once a week for a bit of shine treatment, and for intense conditioning I invested in a couple of others online (full haircare routine to come).

Of course I couldn’t pass up a buy one, get one half price offer so I also picked up the new L’Oreal EverRiche nourishing & taming shampoo for very dry, rebellious hair (definitely me). I’d had this sulphate-free Hair Expertise range on my ‘to try’ list ever since its launch, but it wasn’t until recently that I tried a sample of this from a magazine and fell in love with the rich coconut scent and creamy lather. As this is so luxurious I’ve decided to save it as a treat to use on Sundays along with a hair mask.  

I’ve tried quite a few of these Garnier 7 Day lotions, and when I spotted this new sweet almond oil version on the shelves of Boots I had to stop myself from buying it due to the previously mentioned towering stack of body butters waiting to be used. But when the beauty team over at Nouvelle Daily gave it their seal of approval a voice in my head said ‘I knew I needed this!’, and I have actually gotten a lot of use out of this not least because I just can’t face using heavy body butters in this hot weather. I love that this cream is light but not gel-like - skin feels hydrated, nourished and non-sticky after use - and I’m in love with the beautiful fresh Garnier scent too.

The last couple of items I picked up were my first ever Essie nail polishes in Naughty Nautical and Sunday Funday. I’d spied these new Summer 2013 collection polishes in Boots on my lunch break earlier in the week and fallen in love with the gorgeous turquoise and coral shades straightaway. I’ve heard a lot of negative comments about the Essie polishes so I wasn’t expecting great things, but I’m actually really impressed. The brush makes application so easy, the formula glides on and is opaque in 2 coats. Fast drying, hard wearing, beautiful bright summery colours  – no complaints from me. 

Chandra

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