A/W Beauty Essentials: Foot Creams

It's autumn again and for many of us it means that our feet will be stuck in boots again for the next few months. That's why I wanted to share a few products with you that will help to keep your feet soft when it's cold outside.

To be honest, I'm not a big fan of foot creams. Whenever I rub some on my feet, I immediately remember about a thousand things I need to do that involve walking. Many foot creams are thick and take very long to sink in so it's best you use them before bed when you're absolutely sure you don't have to get up again in a few minutes. For that I use two foot creams, both by the Body Shop: the Peppermint Cooling Foot Rescue Treatment (which gives a 'cooling' sensation) and the Hemp Foot Protector. They are very heavy and to me very similar in terms of hydration. You'll wake up with way better looking feet that feel a lot softer too!

However, if you don't like the feeling of heavy foot creams (like me) but you still want something that does a great job at moisturizing, I have something for you too: the Shea Butter Foot Cream by l'Occitane. I have used this one before but kind of forgot about it once I ran out. Recently I received a pretty big sample of it and fell in love again. It's a thick cream, but a lot less heavy than the Body shop ones. It's made with 15% shea butter which is known for it's great moisturizing properties and it smells like lavender (like!). It only takes a few minutes to sink into the skin and leaves your feet really soft and hydrated. You can use it at night but it would be good for during the day too, as it won't leave your feet feeling greasy for hours. Definitely going to repurchase the big size once I run out of my sample!

Last, but not least: don't forget to exfoliate your feet regularly. You can use foot files or regular exfoliating gloves, but always be gentle! If your heels are really dry then try to exfoliate them a bit more often, but don't use harsh tools. Also, soaking them before exfoliation will help too! You can add dead sea salt and/or bath oils to make the experience a bit more fun and luxurious.

I'd love to know how you keep your feet looking their best during the colder months! Feel free to let me know in the comments! -L.

Apivita - Revitalizing and radiance mask with pomegranate.

I have been really into Apivita products lately and today I'll review the first face mask I've used from that brand. Most of their face masks come in sachets containing 8ml of product which will be more than enough to cover your whole face, neck and chest! The best part: you get two sachets (16ml) for as little as 3.50 Eur. If you use them on your face only, you'll have enough for four facials! As with almost everything, I thought that low price would mean sh... bad quality. But I wanted to give it a try anyway and I'm so glad I did!

The first mask I used was the one with pomegranate. It's supposed to really moisturize your face and make it more radiant. Also, pomegranate is a great antioxidant! I decided to use the mask on my face only, so I split the sachet and put half of it in a little jar (meant for traveling) and saved it for later. I applied the face mask on clean skin and let it sit for about 20 - 30 minutes, even though it says on the back to rinse it off after 10.

After rinsing it off, I was disappointed. My skin was a bit more hydrated but there was no big difference and not much glow. BUT! When I woke up the next day, I was really surprised! My usual dehydration lines were almost invisible and my skin was really radiant and looked so healthy! Since this mask was the only addition to my normal evening routine, nothing else could have made the difference. I was even more impressed to see that the great results lasted for at least 3(!) days. When I used the mask for the second time, I got immediate results and the glow lasted for a few days again. I guess the ingredients just needed some time to do their work but once they started working - it showed!

As always with Apivita, I can't see any harmful ingredients on the list so that's a very big plus. I can't wait to try other masks and the next one I'll be testing is the prickly pear one. I highly recommend trying the pomegranate face mask if you need hydration and basically a little pick-me-up for the skin. For this price, you can't go wrong! If you have any favourites among the Apivita face masks - let me know! -L.