NOTES FROM MY BATHROOM SHELF

 

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Today I thought we'd shine a light on my bathroom shelf heroes that get taken a little for granted and fix that by sharing why I reach for them time and time again...

The first things I want to shout out are the Dieux Forever Eye Masks | £22. These are reusable silicone eye patches, which not only replace wasteful single-use products in your routine, but also mean you can transform any hydrating eye treatment or serum into your own personalised eye mask. These can be easily cleaned and the texture occludes the hydrating ingredients in your serum so you maximise the benefits. They're super easy to throw on whilst you sit and watch TV of an evening. Your eyes are going to look fresher, more hydrated and you'll have fewer visible creases once the skin is nice and plumped.

The next essential I have is White Rabbit’s Naked Cotton Classic* | from $15.99. I don’t use a lot of disposable cotton pads, but for certain things (like applying a toner), I just don’t find the reusable ones work very well for me and I’ve tried a lot of options on the market! Instead, I now invest in the best cotton pads I’ve tried and I don’t use them too often; maybe a couple of times a week. These are more like mini cotton sheets than those super-fluffy rounds you can get at a cheaper price. They’re nice and thin but don’t fall apart or shed and they absorb toner perfectly.

Moving on to shave products, there are two items I’m really enjoying from Estrid. The first is their Watermelon Jelly Shower + Shave | £8.95. This is a foaming jelly that can be used as both a body wash and a shave foam, and actually: a little goes a long way. You can get a really nice lather with this stuff and it’s lightly scented with watermelon (nothing to sickly-sweet or overwhelming), making it a quick and easy shower option to both cleanse your skin and get a smooth, irritation-free shave. Squalane, glycerin and sunflower seed oil also ensure the skin is soft, hydrated and conditioned after use. I also really enjoy their Starter Kit (Razor) | £9.95. This is just a good razor that’s reasonably-priced and so are the replacement heads (mine also last a decent amount of time). It has effective razor blades and a cushioning of buttery goodness so you can just run this under water if you don’t have access to a shave foam and avoid the dreaded rash.

I also have to shout out the Akt SC1 Deodorant Balm in Petigrain, Mandarin, Neroli* | £21. I can't lie; I was pretty dubious when this product first came onto my radar because I'm a Mitchum girl that wants the proper, heavy-duty stuff! This is formulated with moisturising shea butter and calendula, zinc oxide and sodium bicarbonate as the anti-odor agents and fragrance (I love this blend of herbal and citric aromas). It truly didn't sound like it would be enough for me; I was even a bit worried about wearing this out of the house when I first got it but it works! I don't know how, but this is a brilliant deodorant and given you only need to apply a pea-sized amount - it's going to last me forever. Yes, there's an initial investment but it's worth it for me.

Next, I have to mention my dreamy duo: the Naturium Glow-Getter Multi-Oil Body Wash* | £18 | and their Bio-Lipid Body Lotion* | £16.50. What can I say about this body wash? I love it, my mum loves it, even my boyfriend loves it, and he is not into all of this! It's a glycerin based formula, meaning it pulls hydration into the skin but it's also packed full of replenishing moisturising oils such as squalane, jojoba and rosehip. It provides a gentle, foaming cleanse that's gentle and non-stripping for my dry skin, which is welcome all year round but is especially great when the weather is cold. Then, once I'm out of the shower, I lock in hydration using the body lotion. This is lightweight in texture and comes in pump packaging so it's quick and easy to slap on your skin and go with. At the same time it's really substantial; it's formulated with fatty acids, shea butter, glycerin and plant oils to soft, nourish and hydrate the skin. It just works and is so easy to reach for in the morning over a tub of rich product that takes a while to work into the skin.

Something I always have on-hand is the Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm* | £23. To me; this is the best lip balm formula and I have it in the original plus some different tints. I’ve emptied about 3 of these so far and use it every night. It’s formulated with various plant butters, waxes and oils to nourish the lips and seal in hydration. It’s clear and glossy-looking, which also makes it great for wearing under lip colours during the day. I’m still waiting on a formula to top this one…

A product I don’t think gets much hype (perhaps because it’s pretty unglamorous!) but deserves it is are First Aid Beauty Ingrown Hair Pads with AHA & BHA* | £20. These are textured pads soaked in a chemical exfoliation solution with ingredients like glycolic and salicylic acid included. These exfoliate on the surface and within the hair follicle to help improve scarring and pigmentation in old ingrown hair sites, as well as to pry out any existing ingrown hairs. They work brilliantly and even just with one application, I observe real improvements.

I always have my Zitsticka Killa Microdart Patches* | £27 (for 5 applications) | on-hand for skin emergencies. Sometimes your skin delivers you a big spot at the worst possible time. Usually I'm happy to just apply my BHA toner and let breakouts run their course, but if I have an event or something I want to look my best for, then I want to speed things up and this is where the patches come in. Step 1 contains a swab soaked in tea tree and salicylic acid and Step 2 contains a microdart patch with tiny little dissolvable points containing salicylic acid, so the ingredient can be delivered into the skin at a deeper level. Plus, it's a zit sticker, meaning your blemish is protected from picking. When I apply this before bed to a blemish, within 24 hours I notice my spot is less swollen, angry and red, plus it heals completely at a fast rate with minimal scarring. What's not to love?

I recently picked up a new toothbrush, which I wouldn't usually feature on this blog, but I honestly just love the Suri Electric Toothbrush | from £75 | so had to mention it! This is a simplified but elegant and functional kind of electric toothbrush. The battery life is brilliant; I used it for over a month before it needed charging once and the small charging stand or case (which you can buy in addition) are really practical, not at all bulky and the use of a USB C cable makes it travel-friendly. The brush heads are made from organic material and can be recycled by the company, which is great because in the lifetime of an electric toothbrush, you're going to get through a fair few! It's lightweight and the components are repairable, so if you have any issues; you're not automatically looking at a full repurchase.

Finally, a product that's had a place on my bathroom shelf for many years now is the La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume | £17.99. This is a skin barrier balm that just always works! When I was travelling through Southeast Asia, we used this on our mosquito bites to soothe the itch. It works to soothe the skin and trap hydration on dry patches when applied before bed. I've used this before heading out on a snow day before. Plus, it's the perfect remedy for a damaged skin barrier or to use pre-emptively alongside a strong ingredient like a prescription retinoid. It's formulated with zinc and copper to soothe inflammation, madecassoside (the soothing component of the plant extract cica) and dimethicone, which really helps seal in hydration and prevent moisture loss. I think every bathroom shelf could do with a tube of this!

Have you tried any of my essentials? What's on your bathroom shelf?

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