Currently loving: basics

I know it's far more exciting to talk about the newest YSL lipstick, but sometimes a beauty routine just needs a few basics to make it work. Here are a few that I've been loving recently...

Boots Essentials, Cucumber Cleansing Wipes

Hardly a product to get your heart racing with excitement, but I do love these. They smell nice and they are a refreshing quick cleanse when I get home from work. Plus they are so cheap I don't have a problem using quite a few when doing the blogger-swatching routine. I picked these up last week when they were 3 for £3 - bargain tastic. Highly recommend, no - they don't take every inch of make-up off, but they refresh.

Oral B Pro Expert Toothpaste*

Yup, you read that right - a toothpaste. I really like this, mostly because the taste reminds me of American chewing gum (yes, might sound odd...it has that really strong, super minty flavour that is also a little bit sweet) This toothpaste also has a gritty texture, that might sound odd again, but I like it - super refreshing and leaves teeth feeling really, really clean. It also has all sorts of apparently amazing, highly scientific ingredients to stop staining, which I won't try to explain... but is an added bonus.

Dove Invisible Dry Stick Deodorant

I've mentioned my love of Dove deodorant before, this is no different - simple, but I love it. I do think the stick style seems to do good things for my underarm skin. It feels like it doesn't get as irritated when shaving. Plus it has that classic Dove scent. Nope, another very non-glam choice - but it kinda defeats the point of having nice make-up if you smell of B.O...

Jergens Naturals Cocoa Butter Moisturiser*

You can't beat a bit of Jergens for all over moisturising, I've pretty much finished this bottle and love it. It really does an amazing job of moisturising, especially after I came back from holiday - I really needed it. It does the job, smells nice, absorbs quickly and leaves skin soft. What's not to like?

So there we have it, my picks of my current favourite beauty basics. Which beauty basics do you rely on as part of your beauty routine??

Products marked with a * are PR samples. All others bought by me.

Sure & Dove Black & Blog event: win a goody bag!

A couple of weeks ago I went along to an event being held by Dove & Sure deodorants. Now whilst deodorant is hardly the most glamorous of beauty related products to write about, they are actually something I quite like to cover on the blog - as I like to write about everything beauty related from the basics to the luxe make-up collections. Especially since, to me, deodorant is just another part of the world of fragrance and the scent of a deodorant is something just as personal as a persons perfume choice.

Anyway, I digress - the event was a 'black 'n' blog' evening, based around the launch of the two deodorants that promise no white marks. Nothing that new or revolutionary for a deodorant brand to claim, but pretty essential all the same. To be really honest the appeal of the event for me was the Dove brand, which I really do like. I adore the scent of the original Dove products.

The prize selection!

As part of the evening there was a 'luxe lotto' to win a selection of three rather exciting prizes - a black Swarovski ring, a black patent Vivienne Westwood handbag or a fabulous Vivienne Westwood dress (black of course). On arrival each guest picks up a raffle ticket, and I chose number 1. Who ever heard of ticket number one winning in a raffle?! Well it did and I was over the moon! I was the third winner chosen so got to take home my first ever designer dress, this beauty:

A beautiful, classic black wrap dress with a quirky Vivienne Westwood twist. The only teeny tiny downside is that when I tried it on, I discovered I sadly did not have the sleek, statuesque figure of the model pictured and so the dress fell to my mid-calf rather than knee. Yep, that's how much shorted I am than a model. Depressing. But the lovely PR who organised the event has been very helpful & sent the receipt so I can exchange the dress for a size/style that suits me. Regardless of the shock discovery that I am not a 6ft catwalk model (ahem), I am still beyond over the moon to have won a beautiful designer dress. It will be treated with so much love that the boyfriend may get a little jealous.

There's me with the yellow bag of happiness next to me!

The style booth at the event.

Post-event, I have tried both deodorants out and can completely vouch for the fact that there are no white marks to be seen. On the fragrance side I do still prefer the Dove over the Sure as find it a little softer/less noticeable so less likely to interfere with my perfume. But again, this is a personal choice thing.

But, more exciting than talking about deodorant.. you can win some! I have a goody bag from the event to giveaway, that contains a selection of both Sure and Dove deodorants plus some rather lovely 'black' themed make-up goodies. Including the following:



Rimmel London nail varnish in 'Black Pearl'
Black eyelash curlers from Topshop make-up
MAC Zoom Fast Black Lash Mascara
Bourjois Smokey Eye Trio

All you have to do to enter is comment below with the answer to the following question:


Q: What three beauty products would you take to a desert island?


THE RULES:

- You do have to be a follower to enter the giveaway
- Must be over the age of 18 or have parental permission to enter
- UK only
- Giveaway will close at midnight on 10th March
- Please leave an email or twitter handle for me to contact you on if you win
- Winner will be chosen at random
- Winner will be contacted directly after the close of the comp, if I don't get a response within 3 days a new winner will be chosen.


Goody bag provided by PR for giveaway.
Products mentioned are PR samples via event.

New fragrances from Soft & Gentle deodorants

Soft & Gentle have recently released a new range of deodorant fragrances that are a bit more interesting than the usual 'shower fresh' scent that is pretty much the standard for antiperspirants these days.



With scents including 'frozen coconut & peach' (the orange one in the middle- yum) 'wild Rose vanilla' (on the right, not so yum, in my opinion) and 'passion flower black orchid' (on the left, another yum) there should be a smell to suit everyone.

They work well as deodorants (they have 24 hour body responsive protection...ooooh) but think they are better for those that don't really wear perfume as the various scents would end up competing for nose time!

I do like how the bods at Palmolive have done something a bit more interesting to a beauty basic. The coconut peach scent will be a lovely fragrance for summer!

**the small print**
Pr samples.

Currently loving: Beauty basics

When I first started blogging I used to write a lot about the basic products I was loving - and I realised I hadn't done that for a while. So decided to revive the posts and do another basics post.

These three products are some beauty basics that I'm currently loving:

Dove Solid Stick Deodorant

I've gone on about my love for the Dove classic scent before and this is no difference. I find this deodorant is great for keeping my underarms soft (not that I want them to be stroke-able, but they are less likely to get shaving rash or generally irritated if they are well moisturised. Plus this has lasted ages - I bought it in early September and it's still going strong.

Vaseline Active Fresh Deodorant

I'm not so stinky that I need two deodorants...but I have gotten into an odd habit of using this AND the Dove one. I think it's because I like the scent of the Dove and the moisturising properties but like the refreshing feeling of a spray deodorant. Either way - these two keep me fresh and dry all day long. Definitely not stinky.

Nivea Soft Cream

A handbag essential for me, have repurchased many a time and will continue to do so. Ideal for hands and any other dry spot - absorbs easily, feels lovely and smells good. What's not to like?

So there are the basics I'm loving at the moment - what are your favourite beauty basics??

**The Small Print**

All bought by me