Hello there, you special lot!

When it comes to beauty products, I must confess my utter lack of loyalty to a specific brand.
I like to try new things, within reason of course, that is how I come to know my skin (and hair) and how I get to know what it agrees with.
But there are certain products that no matter how many things I try out, I keep coming back to.
The truth is, if these beauty aids would become discontinued I'm not sure I could cope!

• The first one is Pantene Pro V curl mousse, and this is a life saver for a curly haired gal like me. I mean I don't even remember my life pre-Pantene Pro V...

People always ask me if my hair is natural and what I use to make it so curly.
First of all, yes, my hair is naturally curly, so that helps! Also I have loads of it, I mean massive amounts of hair... My hair routine is rather lame, I wish I took better care of my curls but honestly, this is what I typically do:
I wash it most times with Pantene Pro V shampoo, except when I'm trying new ones,  and condition it (again Pantene), I only brush my curls when I'm washing it, then I pat dry it a bit with the towel without rubbing. When my hair is still quite wet, I smother that mousse all over it with my fingers and let it air dry. That's it! Sometimes I put some anti frizz serum before the mousse on the tips, but rarely.
I have no time to fuss over it and honestly my hair has a mind of it's own, so it won't do much apart from just growing freely all over the place!
Plus I'm lucky I'm not really into looking too done up anyway, so there's always a natural vibe to it...

• Coconut oil... what more can I add to what's already been said about it? Nothing really...

It's absolutely amazing (unless you can't stand the smell), I use it as a night cream for my face, all over my body, on the roots of my hair the night before washing it, as a leave in hair mask, cook with it, you name it, I do it with coconut oil... If you happen to be living under a rock and haven't read about the endless advantages of using coconut oil, then here's just a few reasons why I'm devoted:

 It's an all in one product, meaning, it can be used for various purposes. Besides using it as a hair and skin moisturizer, you can cook with it, it can be used as a shaving cream, adding a bit of sugar will make it into a (rather delicious) exfoliating scrub, or simply use it as a massage oil, but to me hands down the best feeling is knowing that I'm eliminating loads of artificial and toxic ingredients from my skin routine. And let's face it, that is priceless.
Make sure it is extra virgin, raw, organic, cold pressed, and Fairtrade ( if you can) or the best you can find...
There is a slight downside though, I would advise to wait a bit before getting dressed after applying it to your body as it gets quite greasy and it may leave grease stains on your clothes, as I found out the hard way.
 Usually after applying it I put the robe on and get on with my hair until the skin absorbs the oil completely, it takes me about fifteen minutes to half an hour normally, but of course, it may vary depending on the amount used or the skin type... For days where you need to hurry up, I would advise using a fast absorbing body cream of your choice. I've been loving the new Garnier Ultimate Blends oat milk and rice cream range, for it's delicate smell and easy absorption.

• Indeed mascara is one of my must haves, I do try different ones all the time, however I always go back to Max Factor's Masterpiece Max mascara.

 The brush is very good at keeping my eyelashes evenly separated, making my eyes appear more open. I keep empty ones, so that even when I'm trying other mascaras out I can go at the end with the brush for a perfect finish!
They're Real! by Benefit is another mascara that I like a lot, the brush is also rather good, specifically for those tiny eyelashes in the corner that normally go unnoticed. However, Masterpiece Max mascara is half the price as a same size tub of They're Real! mascara. I also like the fact that they sell a small tub version of the Benefit mascara (for the same price as a full size tub of Max Factor) that you can fit on the smallest of purses.

• I would like to express my appreciation for Baby Lips by Maybelline NY...

I'm talking about a tinted lip balm that is very effective in keeping the lips soft and moisturized while giving it a little colour.
 I absolutely adore it, not only for the texture that is amazing, but also for the vast range of shades in the collection. I tend to prefer the deep berry tones but there's a lot to choose from. Also it smells gorgeous and the packaging is super fun besides being very affordable!
WARNING, it can be addictive ;)

• A product that was overlooked by me, and I wish it didn't, is the Micellar Water by Garnier...

I'm constantly late for trends, I'm not particularly proud of it and have been more aware of trends now than ever before in my life, but I wish I had adhered to this one sooner.
For years all I used to remove my make up with was make up remover wet wipes (and even baby wipes, shhh), for it's practicality and, I thought, efficiency. After all, growing up there was only make up remover lotion, that we applied with a cotton wool followed by the toner, remember? So the wipes made so much sense to me, and were also so hassle free! No more cotton wool mess (they always got caught on my eyelashes). Until I've tried Micellar Water... After I have removed my make up with a wipe I ran the cotton soaked in Garniers Micellar water on my skin and was astonished as to how much more make up was left on my skin. So now, I still remove the majority of my make up with wipes, specially mascara but then I apply the Micellar Water, I love the Garnier one for sensitive skin, but quite frankly I haven't tried any other so far, I'm quite happy with this one.



DISCLAIMER
This post is not sponsored (but I wish it was)...
I am by no means an expert on beauty, this is just a list of products that I personally like.
Always make sure you use something for your skin/hair type, taking in consideration allergies and intolerances.
Research the products further before purchasing as this is only my experience and it might work differently on you. Take care.


Below there's a video I made, regarding my favourite beauty products, make sure you check it out!
Now it's your turn to let me know what beauty products you can't live without and why, also if you know of any products I should try, be sure to suggest here or on social media (username @fabvlae) and...

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Much love,

Rita