It’s those in-betweeney days twixt Christmas and New Year and I’ve been doing the obligatory tidy up and taking stock. Today was the turn of beauty products, which made me assess which were my favourite products of 2015. Here are my top five:

 

1. Espa Optimal Skin ProCleanser

 

 

I thought I’d never replace my favourite cleanser (Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm) with another, but having experienced the wonders of this Espa ProCleanser during facials at Wear Park Spa, I’ve been converted. It’s a cleanser and exfoliator in one, and can also be left on the face as a mask. The consistency is gel-like, and the exfoliation comes in the form of jojoba beads, which melt when rubbed into the skin – it’s all very gentle, no harsh sandpaper-like scrubbing, yet skin is left ultra soft and radiant. I wish it had a flip top lid for use in the shower, but apart from that this has to be the perfect cleanser.

 

2. Humphreys Lilac Witch Hazel Toner

 

 

It was one of those late night internet down-the-rabbit-hole searches for natural skincare that led me to this product, and the testimonials were so good that I had to give it a go – or was it the fabulous vintage style label. In any case, it smells really lovely, and leaves skin very soft, and ready for serum and moisturising. It doesn’t contain alcohol or any nasties, just witch hazel with lilac, aloe and hyaluronic acid and extracts of papaya and pineapple. I wish there were more places selling this – I imagine it is cheap as chips in the US, but even with import costs, it’s still a lot cheaper than the bigger brand toners.

 

3. Ren ‘Keep Young and Beautiful’ Instant Firming Beauty Shot

 

 

 

My bathroom cabinet clear out revealed a hidden army of serums – I think every beauty purchase this year, whether it be at counter, spa or beauty box subscription, has yielded a sample bottle of serum. But the one I am keeping is this by REN, one of my favourite natural skin care brands (available at The Magdalen Chapter, Exeter). It too contains hyaluronic acid, one of the star ingredients in skin care this year, and gives skin an instant boost – it can be used as a serum as normal before moisturising, but also during the day over make-up to plump and hydrate skin. As I work in an air-conditioned environment this has been a wonder product for my skin – love it.

 

4.

 

 

The state of my frizzy hair is a running joke for my bf, who says he’d rather run his hands through barbed wire. He is joking of course, but as we know in every jest there is an element of truth. I’ve tried every anti-frizz hair product on the market and none has made a difference until I came across this argan oil. It’s 100% organic, and can be used on skin, nails, hair etc., for all over moisturising, I do sometimes use it as a body moisturiser, and massage into my cuticles, but I mainly use it as a pre-shampoo hair treatment, massaging into my hair and scalp and leaving for twenty minutes or so before shampooing. It leaves my hair so soft and pretty frizz free – it’s definitely better than any thing else I’ve tried for this.

 

5. Dr. Bronner’s Rose Pure Castile Soap

 

 

I recently wrote a post about my favourite rose beauty products and forgot to include Dr Bronner’s Rose Castile Soap, how could I? I’m on my second bottle as you can see – they have changed the font on the packaging from a serif to a sans serif one, but the content has hardly changed, still lots of Dr. Bronner’s zealous religious philosophy: ‘Notable Quotes from the Moral ABC’. My eyes aren’t up to reading such small print in the shower without my glasses, and anyway it is all a bit strange, but does not take away from my love of this product. It’s got no sulphates or detergents, but lots of certified fair trade and organic vegetable and essential oils. It can be used for all kinds of cleaning (Dr Bronner says 18 uses: ‘washing your face, body, hands and hair, for bathing, shaving, brushing your teeth, rinsing fruit, aromatherapy, washing dishes by hand, doing laundry, mopping floors, all-purpose cleaning, washing windows, scrubbing toilets, washing dogs, controlling dust mites, and killing ants and aphids’) but I just use it as a body wash. A little goes a long way, and I love the subtle but slightly old fashioned and romantic rose scent. I might not go so far a following Dr Bronner’s ‘cleanliness is next to Godliness’ philosophy, but a shower with this does make you feel pretty divine.

 

So there you have it, my top 5 beauty products of 2015. I think these will stay firm favourites right into 2016 and beyond, but I’m always keen to try out new ones, so any recommendations, do let me know! Happy New Year all x