DRUNK ELEPHANT Slaai Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser

As soon as Drunk Elephant hit the UK I wanted to try absolutely everything, I had read so many reviews and seen so much love for the brand that it was hard not to be swayed by the hype. Founded by Tiffany Masterson who said she wanted a clean from toxins and the 'Suspicious 6' namely essential oils, drying alcohols, silicones, chemical screens, fragrance/dyes and SLSs, all ingredients we hear a lot about being bad for you, bad for your skin and so on.  I held off for as long as I possibly could, waiting to find a product that I really felt I wanted to try and I've never hidden my love for balm cleansers, they are something I use every single day without fail, whether I am having a duvet day, going to work or moving around London.  So, when I came across the brand new Slaai Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser, I bought it.

Said to be a 'must-try' for any Drunk Elephant devotee, the Slaai Makeup-Meltin Butter Cleanser is an oil to milk cleanser and it comes packaged inside the most amazing, brightly coloured box and is accompanying the Cleanser is a Bamboo Booster.  Designed to be used on dry skin, you use the spatula, which sticks to the top of the lid using a magnet, to extract the cleanser from the tub and then massage it, with dry hands and then massage it onto your face in circular motions.  You only need a small amount of this cleanser because it has the most amazing buttery texture that spreads with ease, almost on contact with your skin in fact.  

This Cleanser literally melts away anything in its path including excess oil, dirt, grime, pollution, sunscreen, makeup and even the hard to remove water-resistant formulas are not going to fool this product, they are gone! It even gentle enough Once you feel you have used the cleanser long enough, simply use warm water and a cloth to remove it, water emulsifies the cleanser to a milky formula that leaves the skin feeling beautifully soft, clean and hydrated,

As this Cleanser is free from the 'Suspicious 6' which are mentioned above, I was intrigued to know what actually was included and it used a blend of anti-oxidant rich fruit extracts and oil which are said to help soothe the skin, so you will see the inclusion of blueberry, kiwi and strawberry alongside cranberry seed oil, acai fruit oil and watermelon seed oil which also help moisturise.  Then there is the inclusion of:

• Marula seed oil: a moisturising oil, high in antioxidants and omegas 6 and 9., that preserves and nourishes your skin while restoring its youthful glow.
• Baobab seed oil: super-penetrating oil that intensely softens and helps dissolve makeup with its high fatty acid content and deep moisturising properties.
• Kalahari melon seed oil: lightweight oil that soothes while moisturising and restoring elasticity.
• Mongongo oil: has a fatty acid profile as rich as coconut oil that protects the vital lipids in the skin as it melts dirt and other impurities from the skin. 
• Ximenia oil: rich in vitamin c and is very nourishing and moisturising.

When it comes to a scent, there isn't really anything descriptive to say about it, I had expected something fruity but there isn't anything of that nature, it just has a clean scent to it.

The inclusion of the Bamboo Booster is something I really like the idea of, though other brands have done something similar in the past.  Almost like a seasoning to your cleanser, this booster is designed to slough away the build-up of dead and dry skin cells to leave your complexion, soft, smooth and radiant looking.  

It is a physical exfoliant which you can definitely feel on your skin, so one to use with caution. Made up of ultra-fine bamboo and charcoal spheres, it is something you really only need to use one or twice a week depending on how your skin looks and feels.  To use, thankfully it has been designed to almost mimic that of a salt shaker and one shake is enough, I find, of product needed to complete the task.  I mix the Bamboo Booster into the cleanser on the palm of my hand and then apply it, massaging in circular motions, to my skin, this way I can control how abrasive I want the exfoliant to be.

For this 110g tub as well as the Bamboo Booster it is priced at just £29 (here*), which is an absolute bargain.  I honestly cannot express just how much I love this Cleanser, it is just divine and I intend to purchase a second tub just as soon as this one looks to be running out.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

Lotil - The Ultimate Cream for Everyone

Last August, I managed to trip over the tiniest step, land fully on my ankle and not only overstretch a tendon but also tear every ligament too, apparently I was very unlucky because a break would have been easier to fix!  That said, I spent weeks on crutches, the only way I could get too and from work and very few Blog events, as well as having an ankle support bandage to ensure that whilst I moved around, my ankle did not.  Throughout that time, if you follow me on Instagram, I did share some of the horrors of my ankle and lower leg turning all different shades of black, purple, green and the most amazing shade of yellow - something I will spare you from right now.

Fast forward to May and I still have a swollen ankle. If I walk too much it swells up and if I don't rest it, it aches and we go round and round and in circles waiting for it to heal properly.  Wearing an ankle support and bandage constantly means I can only wear trainers because bending my foot to wear any other form of shoe is agony after a few minutes and trainers allow my support bandage to do its job, but this has lead to very very dry skin around the top of my foot, just above and around my ankle.  So having tried a few different creams, I was sent a pot of Lotil Original Cream to try., a cream I had seen on my social media feed but hadn't really tried before.

Tried and tested for over 100 years, Lotil cream is a skincare hero. It can benefit everyone by gently rehydrating dry skin, adding moisture retention and providing the maximum protection against both environmental and climatic conditions.

That is as good enough a description as I needed to give the cream a try. I like that it comes packaged inside a hefty tub, it isn't too OTT with the packaging and what you see if definitely what you get.

The cream is a similar texture to Sudocrem for me, quite thick but that is where the similarities end because with Lotil, you have a cream that is non-greasy, it doesn't feel tacky on the skin when applied and nor do you have to sit and massage it into the skin for what feels like a week to ensure it has all been absorbed.  With Lotil, you only need a small amount because it is very much the case of less is more and what I do like is how my skin feels after using it.

As I said, the skin around my ankle injury was really dry and just felt horrendous to the touch, so I applied a fairly thick layer of cream before bed and let it works its magic. I am now a good few weeks into using it every single day, just around my ankle and the difference is quite something, I am not quite back to how my skin was, slowly but surely there have been improvements and I am less of a snake shedding its skin feeling to having dry skin on one part of my ankle.  Lotil prides itself in being packed full of emollients, which rapidly rehydrate the skin and where needed, softens chapped, dry and cracked skin.

Lotil is perfect for use on hands, elbows, knees, body and face and it is available online and instore from places such as Boots for £6.29.

Have you ever tried Lotil?

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.