My Essentials

The links lead to where I purchased these products.

Shampoo: Naturally Thinking SLS Free Shampoo.

Conditioner: Superdrug Extracts Conditioner Coconut & Almond.

Makeup remover: Good Oil Hemp Oil.

Face wash: Sheabutter Cottage African Liquid Black Soap with Neem. 

Facial exfoliation: Superdrug Konjac Sponge.

Toner: Naturally Thinking Rose Water.

Toothpaste: Jason Tooth Gel with Fluoride 

Mouthwash: Superdrug Pro Care Sensitive Mouthwash

Dental Floss: Superdrug Pro Care Sensitive Floss

Lip Balm: Cioccolatina Rose Lip Balm

Body Soap: Sheabutter Cottage African Black Soap Chunks 

Body Lotion: First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream

Manicure Monday - "Astro Hot" by China Glaze

I purchased this nail polish at the end of November from Nail Polish Direct, the cheapest place I know of to buy China Glaze in the UK. Today was the first time I wore it.
I'd describe the colour as a shimmering lilac-pink with a subtle holographic effect . I think it's very pretty and I don't have anything else in my nail polish collection quite like it. I found the formula to be quite thin and sheer and needed three coats to achieve opacity. However it was easy to work with and required very little clean up after painting.

December Empties

 Superdrug Coconut Oil -  I used this as a body moisturiser. It works quite well, but I think I'll be sticking to virgin coconut oil in future, as it melts more readily making it easier to apply. This was so hard that digging my hand into the pot caused my nail polish to chip off.

 Superdrug Extracts Raspberry and Macadamia Nut Conditioner - This is a pretty good conditioner in my opinion, especially for the price. However I find the Coconut and Almond conditioner from the same range to be slightly more moisturising, so I'll be buying that in future.

Superdrug Nourishing Nail Polish Remover - I've already bought two bottles to replace this one. I think it's a good, basic acetone-free nail polish remover. I get through huge quantities of nail polish remover, so I want one that's inexpensive and gentle.

 Steenbergs Organic Rose Water - I've bought a different brand of rose water to replace this. I discovered Naturally Thinking sell a 1 litre bottle of rose water for £10, which is amazing value. I mix a little vitamin c powder with it and use it as a toner.

Sarakan Toothpaste - I started using this sulphate-free toothpaste after I discovered the SLES in my toothpaste was causing my mouth ulcers. It served me well, but after finally discovering an SLES-free toothpaste that also contains fluoride (Jason) I've decided to switch.

Sainsbury's Sensitive Mouthwash - I've got several bottles of this stashed away. It's an alcohol-free fluoride mouthwash, so it doesn't dry out my mouth.

Cioccolatina Karite Soap (not pictured) -  This is a bar soap made from over 70% shea butter. I found it to be very gentle and moisturising. I'll probably order another bar when I do my next Sheabutter Cottage order.

Manicure Monday - Models Own Deep Sea and Absinthe

I'm currently working my way through the enormous nail polish haul I purchased in the Models Own half-price Black Friday sale. Today I decided to try the Deep Sea Hypergel and Absinthe from the Velvet Goth collection. I found the Hypergel formula a bit difficult to work with at first as it's very thick and I found it impossible to apply a thin, even coat of it.  However, once I accepted I was going to have to apply thick coats I found it much easier to apply evenly. I was worried that since I'd applied it so thickly it would takes ages to dry properly, but I was pleased to discovered this was not the case. It took two coats to achieve an opaque finish, although with more even brushwork this would probably be achievable in one coat.

The Absinthe nail polish comes in a bottle with a velvet-covered cap, which I loved. For the accent nail I applied one coat over one coat of Deep Sea. You can use it on its own, but I'd already painted my ring fingernail by the time I remembered I'd planned to do an accent, d'oh. I dabbed rather than painted the polish on, to ensure the glitter was distributed evenly, then added topcoat for a smooth finish. It dried to a beautiful, shimmering emerald green finish and now I want to try others from the Velvet Goth collection.