This Week’s Tried and Tested

Each week I’ve decided that I’ll try a selection of some of the endless testers I seem to have accumulated on my travels firstly to clear some space in my room. And, of course for you lovely lot!

 

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Intensive Moisturising Hand Cream 

This is undoubtedly one of the best hand creams I’ve tried – and I don’t throw those words around often! It is so intensely moisturising that my hands have the loveliest, dewy effect. They weren’t particularly dry before, however after being in constant 30 degree sun for a week they needed a little extra TLC. The formula absorbs so easily into the skin and doesn’t leave any kind of sticky residue; plus, as it says on the tin it really does give your hands moisture lasting 8 hours and over! I also love this for moisturising my cuticles and keeping my nails extra healthy. I can’t fault this hand cream so it’s a 5/5 from me!

 

REN Flash Defence Anti-Pollution Mist
This mist is a hard one to review as I haven’t got round to inventing my time machine, so I can’t tell you the long term benefits. However, what I will base it on is how my skin and make up felt after using. I have to say my make up stayed looking fresher for a lot longer than usual, and I didn’t get the usual oiliness that I would around 3pm when my body kicks into its sleep mode at work. Also, it’s a great spray for giving you an extra dewy look or simply to freshen up your skin throughout the day! I guess with this one you just have to trust that the experts know their stuff about protecting your skin from polluting agents and go with it. If anything it’ll give you great skin for perfecting those selfies! I would rate this product 4/5

 

Percy & Reed Perfectly Perfecting Wonder Balm
I always feel like I’m cheating on my favourite products if I swap, so I felt that testing this was bitter sweet because of my love affair with the OGX coconut milk serum. But, I must admit that I actually quite liked this! It’s not the best hair product I’ve used but it certainly helped condition my hair and helped nourish my damaged ends. I used a small amount on towel dried hair all over, focusing especially on my ends which gave it an overall healthier look and softer feel when blow drying compared to not using any product. My first criticism of this product is that it felt quite heavy when styling. I don’t like the feeling of having product in my hair so I struggled to get to grips with this. I kept touching my hair as it felt quite unnatural! Also, because of this I was dubious to put much on my roots, so it didn’t help to control my frizz. I will use up the rest of this tester but I’m afraid I probably won’t invest in this again, so it’s a 3/5 for this product.

My Top 4 Hand Creams

 

With this cold weather that doesn’t seem to be leaving us alone, my hands are constantly screaming out for some TLC. I always try to take really good care of my hands because they can show the first signs of aging (thanks to sun exposure), and I’m desperately trying to nurse my nails back to health after shellac has ruined them (completely my fault as I peeled the varnish off instead of getting them properly removed….oops). So, it’s fair to say I’ve road tested a few hand creams along the years, and after whittling down my favourite few, I wanted to share them all with you!

These all range in price, so if you’re looking to try a new hand cream then hopefully this will help you to find a product to suit your budget!

 

L’OCCITANE Shea Butter Hand Cream, £19.00

 I can’t remember the first time I tried this, but it’s been a staple in my make up drawer for years. It’s so nourishing, smells amazing and leaves a great smooth finish. The cream is enriched with 20% shea butter and honey, almond extracts and coconut oil are blended with aromas of jasmine and ylang-ylang essences to not only leaving your hands smelling delicious, but also to ensure that this caring cream is extremely effective. It has a really rich texture to it which helps to leave your hands super smooth, and really penetrates the skin to leave hands nourished. It weirdly reminds me of the texture of Philadelphia spreadable cheese, but obviously smells a lot nicer! Also, because of the rich texture you’re not left with any oily traces, which I absolutely love about this product! Whenever I apply this product I can’t help but touch my hands, which I think says it all!

Rating: 5/5

 

 

Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream, £15.00

 This is another staple product in my household thanks to its instantly nourishing properties. It’s an emollient-rich (seeks to really moisturise) cream that contains soothing sesame oil and fortifying Japense mulberry, which gives it a luxuriously rich texture, and lovely smell! This cream absorbs in so nicely and doesn’t leave any oiliness, which is great! It also really helps to condition cuticles to cuticles to make your nails healthier and stronger. If you’re looking for something to really treat your hands, and help maintain healthy cuticles, this is the perfect product!

Rating: 4.5/5 (The only reason I didn’t give this is 5 is because I love the L’OCCITANE one so much!)

 

 

Soap & Glory Hand Food, I’ve pictured the smaller size, but the larger is £5.50

 I love Soap & Glory products so I knew I would fall in love with their hand cream. First, the texture is quite similar to the L’OCCITANE cream as it’s quick thick so it does give a really intense moisturising effect. As you can imagine this smells gorgeous because of the shea butter, macadamia oil and marshmallow (mmmm) it contains. It absorbs really well into the skin and you only need to apply a small amount to cover both hands.

Rating: 4/5

 

Vaseline Healthy Hands & Healthy Nails, £3.99

I picked this up when I was out and about in the freezing cold and my hands were in desperate need of some moisture. This has a lovely smell to it, and definitely did succeed in moisturising my hands. It has keratin and has a three-layer level of moisture so it really acts to delve deep and give intense nourishment. It does also help to soften your cuticles and make the area appear healthier. The texture is lighter and almost runny compared to the other hand creams, which I don’t like as much; as well as this it does leave a slight oily residue. My only other issue with is the product is that is stung my skin when it was super dry and I applied it. I do have very sensitive skin and I know that it’s quite common for really dry hands to react to certain products, but I definitely wouldn’t recommend this for really sensitive skin!

 Rating: 3/5

Depending on your skin type, all of these creams have great properties that all act to nourish and soothe your hard working hands. However, if I had to select my favourite products based on a budget buy and a splurge buy,  they are…

Best Budget Buy: Soap & Glory

Best Splurge Buy: L’OCCITANE Shea Butter Hand Cream

 

 

Thanks for reading 🙂

Cheat Your Way To Perfect Nails!

 

If there’s one thing I’ve always struggled with it’s maintaining strong nails. But, what I discovered a few years ago is the importance of maintaining good cuticle health to ensure your nails are as happy as can be!

I was recommended this Jessica Phenomen Oil for my cuticles by a beauty therapist, and it is the most amazing thing!! She told me that if I use one thing on my nails, make it this, as it’s so strengthening.

It firstly smells absolutely divine (I wish I there was a smell cam). And even better, this little pot goes such a long way!! I’ve had this for a good year now and it still looks untouched. I was told to use a small amount of this everyday before bed, but it’s more like once or twice a week depending on when I remember! But, this still is a good amount for leaving your cuticles feeling nourished. I basically take the applicator and dab a small amount on each cuticle then gently rub in. I also use the Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment to make sure my hands also feel super moisturised. The combination of the two products tricks my hands into thinking they’ve spent a day at a spa!

 

A great alternative to this oil that I’ve found is this Vaseline intensive care cream, which is a two in one targeted hand and nail cream. It’s not as effective as using the oil alongside a hand cream, but if you use this daily it will definitely make a difference!

My final tip for helping your nails to be as strong as can be it to use a strengthening nail polish. I use this Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Nail Polish either alone, or as a base coat if I’m painting my nails. If you want this to act as a targeted treatment then build up layers every other day. I don’t have the patience to do this often, but when I do I can really see the results!  Would love to hear if of any other cuticle targeted products!

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