I’ve wanted to write about my favourite beauty and fragrance products for a while, but I have so many that I needed time to whittle them down into my absolute all-time favourites, otherwise this post would fast become a tome.
I’ve been a lover of beauty products for as long as I can remember. While it may have been a nightmare for others to receive hoards of ‘smellies’ for Christmas, I was never disappointed.
So, after a lifetime of pouring, sniffing, lathering and smoothing, here is my carefully curated list of my all-time favourite beauty and fragrance products (click on the name of each one to find it online):
L’Occitane Rose Crème Mains
If, like me, you suffer with eternally dry and cracked hands, this delicately perfumed hand cream will come to your rescue. I am very sensitive to smells and can always smell whatever hand cream I apply, so I cannot abide something that is not nicely scented. This smells floral, but it’s not overpowering and I think it has fresh notes to it that lighten it up, as a lot of rose scented products can be quite overbearing. Aside from the smell, this cream is really nourishing, but it’s light enough not to feel clammy, as I don’t like feeling anything on my palms when I put cream on.
Cire Trudon Scented Candle in Balmoral
This candle is an absolute dream. I first came across it when an old flatmate of mine had one when we lived together years ago and I have never grown tired of the scent. It took me a while to find it, as the jar we had was unlabeled, but after much nosing around, I did. I love fresh, herbal scents and this candle is no exception. I think it smells like there’s a hint of basil in it, but the scent notes say that it is foliage, mint, cut grass, freesia and tea (basically most of my favourite things…). It has a great scent throw and I can smell it when it’s just sat in the room and not burning. There’s nothing worse than investing in a scented candle only to find you can’t smell it unless you’re so close that you’ve singed off your eyebrows. It has between 50 and 70 hours of burn time, as long as you follow the instructions.
Hawaiian Kukui Cream by The Body Shop
My first ever purchase of this body cream was accidental. I was away in Dubai and had run out of aftersun, so popped to the mall to restock. I went into The Body Shop and, after some over-zealous sales tactics from one of the ladies in there, the next thing I knew I came out with this cream. Never have I been more pleased to be shoehorned into buying something than when I tried this stuff. Firstly, it smells divine, like a much-more-expensive-than-it-is kind of body cream. It’s very rich and thick, but as long as you don’t use too much, it goes on really nicely and is instantly absorbed into the skin (I don’t like when a cream goes white on your skin and takes ages to absorb – who has time for that?). It is perfect both as an aftersun and an everyday after-shower body moisturiser and the 350 ml tub lasted me at least five or six months, which I think is amazing value.
Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Pamplelune eau de toilette
This is an unusual scent for perfume, but one that I adore. It smells lively and energetic and reminds me of cocktails outside in the sun with the girls. It has distinguishing notes of grapefruit and bergamot, but also contains neroli, which is one of most loved scents (I wore Jo Malone’s Basil and Neroli on my wedding day, which is another of my beloved perfumes). I also love the bottle with its charming honeycomb collar and little bee engraved on the lid, which looks chic sitting in my bathroom.
I didn’t realise when I took this photo that you can see me in the lid!
Tan-Luxe The Face Anti-Age self-tan drops
As a rule, I really dislike self-tan, so the fact that this little bottle of wonder made the list speaks volumes. I like to tan my body naturally (but carefully) in the sun, but not my face. I wear hats, huge sunglasses and extremely high SPF when I’m out in the sun, so my face is always a lot paler than the rest of me and it can look a bit odd. These self-tan drops just go into your usual facial moisturiser and give you that gorgeous healthy glow that the pale ones among us love. Most importantly, they don’t smell like self-tan which is one of the main reasons I’m averse to fake tanners. As an added bonus, these drops are anti-aging. The serum contains aloe vera, raspberry seed oil and vitamin E for smoothing and brightening.
Neal’s Yard Orange Flower Facial Oil and Frankincense Hydrating Cream
I have clubbed these two products together because I always use them in tandem. One of the best pieces of skincare advice I was ever given (and have followed religiously ever since) is to massage a couple of drops of oil on your face before your apply your moisturiser. As the oil sinks deeply into your skin, it takes the moisturising cream with it and thus benefits the skin much more. Now, I don’t know whether the latter is really a thing, but my skin has been in much better condition since I adopted this routine (about five years ago).
My skin is on the dry side of combination, so I need moisture, but nothing too heavy because I can still have breakouts. I love the Orange Flower facial oil because it is quite light, but it does free me from that tight feeling after I’ve washed my face. Unsurprisingly, the fact it contains neroli oil is also a huge bonus for me, as well as the fact it contains anti-aging ingredients too. I think facial oils can really help balance your skin’s moisture levels as well and this has certainly done the job for me.
My wonder duo
Frankincense hydrating cream is the one I always came back to. I will admit that I tried other face creams and thought the grass was greener, but I was wrong. For my skin, this little blue pot is the business and I will never stray again. Frankincense is said to help with the appearance of age spots, wrinkles and scars and has a lovely relaxing smell to it. This cream absorbs really quickly on my skin and leaves it plump and hydrated all day (and night, as I rarely remember to take my own advice and use a night cream).
So, there you have it. My list of my all time favourite beauty products and fragrances. I’d really love to know what your all time favourite products are, so do get in touch through my Instagram (@sarah_anker_spa) or by email and let me know.
