Best in Beauty 2014 -Skin, Hair and Body

I have written my 'Best in Beauty' post on my Japanese blog at the beginning of Jan, but I missed a chance to write on this blog...until now. I know I'm a bit late, but hopefully you enjoy it :)

SKINCARE
My skin has changed slightly about 2-3 years ago. It used to be super dry, but it started becoming a bit oily during summer. This year, I turned 30 and my skin has become combination skin all year round. I struggled to find suitable products for my combination skin, as I was used to having dry skin. But these products are the ones saved my skin a lot throughout the year!

CyberWhite HD Advanced Brightening Night Creme
I'm about to use up the 2nd jar of this beautiful night cream, and I am not looking forward to that because I don't think I can purchase it myself. This cream is supposed to help eliminate dullness, brightens up the dark spots and make your whole complexion looks brighter. And I noticed that my dark spots around my eyes look brighter actually. Brightening skincare products never worked on me so I was not expecting anything to be honest, but I'm happy too see the visible result! But what I love about this cream isn't that effect, it's how it feels on the skin and how it smells. It's not too heavy yet moisturising enough, and it smells divine that helps me relax before going to bed.

Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II
It minimises the appearance of my pores. Enough said.

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Eye
It applies like lotion but moisturises the skin around the eyes well. I tried the sample sachet which lasted for more than a week I remember, and felt it reduced the intensity of my dark circles, and picked one up at the duty free shop in Okinawa. It's not greasy or heavy around the eyes at all, and definitely reduces the fine lines in the next morning as well as brightens up the dark circles. And this tube will last me forever!

Terracuore Damask Rose Dew Oil
Oh my god, has a facial oil ever been this fragrant? I don't think so. It is like a fragrance that you apply on your face. It moisturises, brightens, plumps up your skin, while redusing the visibility of the pores. It feels like a serum rather than an oil when applied an appropriate amount, and sinks into the skin instantly. I use it before moisturiser when my skin feels stiff, or apply it on top of the moisturiser when my skin needs intense hydration. Also you can use it along with a steamed towel for a 'at home spa treatment'. 

Perfume, Hair care and Body care

Jo Malone Perfume
I discovered Peony & Blush Suede in summer, and asked my husband to get one from the duty free shop at Heathrow Airport when he was back in London, as the price in Japan is ridiculously high even when you consider the terrible exchange rate between GPB and JPY. I don't typically pick a floral scent, but this one smells feminine yet not grandma-like. I used up half the bottle within 2-3 months, which was because it didn't stay on my skin at all and I had to spray it a few times throughout the day. Then I purchased Pomegranate Noir on Rakuten Auction for 1,000yen  just because I didn't want to use up Peony & Blush Suede. I am combining it with Red Rose (in sample size) as it smells too musty to me on its own. I also like Blackberry & Bay, French Lime Blossom and Earle Grey & Cucumber. 

Rituals Honey Touch Body Cream
Definitely the best smelling body cream, ever. This is my first ever body cream that I've used up in my life. It leaves my skin soft and smooth, without being greasy at all, and the scent transfers to my clothes and remain smelling divine for hours. It was too heavy during the summer as it's super humid in Japan, it was the only thing I was looking forward to about autumn / winter. It smells like a gorgeous bathroom at a very high-end hotel. I know it sounds horrible, but you may understand if you've tried it!

L'Oreal Elseve Extraordinary Oil
The best hair oil ever. It doesn't weigh down my hair at all yet nourishes the ends instantly. It smells of 'oriental flowers' which is a bit musky, kind of dusty in a way yet feminine and sexy....which I absolutely love.

Alterna Bamboo Volume Weightless Whipped Mousse

It gives a great volume in my hair!! The mousse texture makes it easy to distribute to my hair. I use it mainly on my roots when I wear my hair down to give enough volume, or apply it all over including the ends when I wear my hair up, which gives a good 'grip' to my hair without making it greasy.

Do you want to know what my favourite makeup products of 2014? It will be up on Sunday!

Rituals Honey Touch Rich & Nourishing Body Cream

Rituals Honey Touch Rich & Nourishing Body Cream £17.00

I first got to know the brand Rituals just last year, when Fleur from Fleur de Force mentioned about this body cream on one of her videos. Then I remember she and Becky from Talk Becky Talk spoke more about the brand in one of their haul videos, that made me really want to try out some of their products. They said that the whole shop was spa-like and their products also smelt like spa. Who wouldn't like that?

But I was a little bit scared to try out their products without sniffing them because although I love good scented bath and shower products, I also can be pretty sensitive towards scents. Plus their products are not too pricey but not too affordable either especially YEN is getting weaker now. So when my husband offered to get it for me as a Christmas present, I was super happy that I could fly to the moon.

I wanted all the body cream they have got, but I decided to give "Indian Rose and Himalayan Honey" one a try.  The scent is just DIVINE!!! If you are hesitant to purchase this range of products online because you are not a big fan of a rose scent, don't worry about it. It smells nothing like rose. I don't like rose and floral scents too much either and that is one of the reasons why I didn't purchase it earlier, but it just smells like a spa treatment that you (might) get in Bali or Phuket or somewhere like those tropical islands, nothing like rose nor honey.

To be honest, I have more of a bang on description of the scent. It literally smells like a ladies' room in a very luxurious hotel. You know the ladies' room that doesn't even look like one, with beautiful decorations and an amazing powder room, that's what I am talking about! Sorry if I put you off, but if you like that kind of scent (a luxurious spa or a ladies' room, whichever it is) you would love this body cream.

The texture is literally like whipped butter cream. It moisturises my skin but is never feel heavy or greasy. It contains Dimethicone (silicone) which makes the skin surface silky and smooth, so you can dress immediately after applying this. 

Because I love the scent so much and I want to be wearing it 24/7, I've been applying this body cream every single day without forgetting to do so since I got it on Christmas -which is very impressive for me as I failed so many times to make it a habit. And it shows how much I adore this product. This new habit improved my skin condition for sure, as now I don't have any dry patches on my legs or arms that I tend to get during winter.


Now I'm curious about their body cream in the orange jar (Touch of Happiness) and the blue jar (Touch of Hammam). I also want to get their foaming shower gel when I go to England next time, as they don't ship any aerosol tins.  Have you tried any products from Rituals before? What's your favourite?