Friday Favourites

This week's Friday Favourites contains 'cult classics' - things that I've used and loved for a while now and just wanted to share. (Plus I'm saving for Open University tuition so that I can finish my History degree. So I'm trying to buy less. It's a challenge.)

Soap and Glory Face Massage Mini Mitt

This unassuming little pink disc is a great alternative to the hot cloth cleanse. It doesn't need to be wet to use and it dries much quicker than a flannel, making it ideal for small bathrooms and travelling. It also has a sucker on the back so it can stick to the tiles or the side of the sink - very useful if you need reminded to get your scrub on. It's made of pliable rubber with little spoke-like bristles which clear the pores and buff off dead skin cells, leaving skin brighter and smoother. The corner with the little lumps on it is meant for massaging the skin, but to be honest I never use that section since the bristles do the job better. Its flexibility means that it can get in all those annoying bits round the side of my nose. The bristles bend to the touch, meaning that it's near impossible to press too hard and over-scrub the skin - making it great for sensitive, easily irritated skins that need exfoliated regularly. It gives a lovely gentle scrub, gentle enough for every day use, but leaves my skin squeaky clean. I pop a blob of cleanser on it and work it all over my face. I find that the tiny bristles really do massage my skin, as it feels plumper and more full of life afterwards.

Oddly I can't find it on the Soap and Glory website, only on the Boots website (I got mine in my local Boots - advantage card points!) I definitely recommend this over Soap and Glory's 'A Brush With Greatness' facial brush, which I think is too rough to use on the face. 

I love this mitt - it's easy to use, portable, convenient and, at £4, fantastic value for money. The one thing that does annoy me slightly has nothing to do with the product itself but its branding. Did it need to be pink? I understand that Soap and Glory do market their products towards women, but I think we're all in agreement that skincare shouldn't and isn't just limited to women. I think a lot of guys would use this but may be put off by the colour! I'd have preferred a mint green - gender neutral while still fitting in with Soap and Glory's vintage aesthetic.

£4 from Boots 

Denman large paddle brush

Judging from reviews I've read, I may be the only person who harbours vehement hatred for the Tangle Teaser. 'Tangle teaser' is an accurate description, but not in the way it's intended - it knotted and matted by hair beyond belief. My hair may not be what it was designed for; I have fine hair but quite a lot of it, and once it grows below my shoulders the ends start to tangle together. I was moaning to my sister about this a while back. She tried my Tangle Teaser and felt it made her hair stick to her scalp and recommended I try her Denman paddle brush. It was a complete revelation and I bought my own the very next day. This actually gets the knots out of my hair in seconds, even if it's wet. It makes my hair smoother, shinier and much more manageable and I was able to cut down on conditioner. I've used this every day since I bought it over six months ago and I'm still impressed with how it makes my hair look and feel. 

£9.99 from John Lewis and Boots (it is sold in Boots, but I couldn't find it on their website. I'm not having great success with finding product links today!)

The Body Shop fair trade soapstone oil burner

I've had this lovely oil burner for quite some time and it's so useful. It lives permanently on my mantelpiece because I use it so regularly, and the fair trade Indian soapstone is really pretty. A tea light is placed in the bottom and the dish at the top is filled with water and a couple of drops of essential oil. As the liquid evaporates from the heat of the candle, the oil's fragrance fills the room. The burner is sturdy and stable - there's an indentation in its base so the tea light doesn't slide around, and the oil and water bowl is deep so it's unlikely to spill if the burner needs to be moved. Any essential oil, or oils, can be added. The Body Shop sells its own oil blends (the sandalwood and ginger blend is heavenly) and little bottles of pure essential oils can be bought individually in health food stores, Muji and Neal's Yard Remedies if you prefer to create a bespoke fragrance. An oil burner is a really long lasting, versatile way to use fragrance at home as it can be used indefinitely. 

£10 from The Body Shop

Happy Friday!

Thanks for reading x