I spotted that in amongst their product range was a heel balm. Now I’ve had very dry heels since I was lad so I thought I’d give it a whirl.

I’d not heard of emu oil based products before so I did a quick read up to see whats what. It’s a natural product obviously and has been used for centuries in Australia to protect against the harsh sun. Emu oil based products are free from harsh chemicals and are non-allergenic.

The heel balm is a white cream consisting of emu oil and includes some tea tree oil, giving the balm it’s fragrance. It’s best applied after you jump out of the shower and have towel dried your feet. The balm is easily applied and you don’t need to use too much. As it’s oil based I found that it was easily absorbed but didn’t completely dry straightaway.

Does it work? Absolutely! Even after just a couple of days my poor old heels showed a noticeable improvement – they weren’t dry and felt so much more supple. I’m still using it a week later so that says something

Visit Emu Oil Well for more info.

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Emu Oil Heel Balm

I’ve been trying the Jergens Extra Softening body moisturiser that contains shea butter. Apparently shea butter is the ingredient that revitalizes dry and rough skin. As my elbows are prime candidates for some extra softening TLC that’s where I’ve been applying the cream.

So what did I think? Well, a lovely fresh scent is nice to start with. Now body butters kind of make you think of a thick, heavy cream but this is much, much lighter – nothing like a body butter at all. It’s very light and feels slightly soothing as you rub it into your skin. I don’t use much but it is easily absorbed as you rub it over your skin. There’s no greasy feeling at all and it seems to work too! It does seem to calm and soften rough skin. I even tried it on my dry heel and I found it rather soothing.

Oh, I happened to notice that although it’s an American company, us Brits get the products that are actually made in the UK, so there’s no food miles equivalent.

You get the impression that this is a quality product, so well done to Jergens – I’ll be finishing off the tube!

Visit the official site: jergens.co.uk

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Jergens Extra Softening Cream Review

Sarah gave me the Ultra Hydrating Moisturiser by Jergens Naturals to try. I gather we’ll all be hearing much more about Jergens this year as the company behind the top selling body cream in the USA come to the UK.

So what did I think of their moisturiser? Well, first off this Jergens product had a really nice smell. I guess it helps that the main ingredients are Jojoba Oil, Avocado and Olive Oil (which apparently moisturises and nourishes skin and is rich in Vitamin E and antioxidants!).

The cream was easily absorbed into my skin and wasn’t heavy at all. My skin felt moisturised for a long time after application but did not feel greasy at all

The packaging is nice and neutral and the fact that 96% of the ingredients are natural is a great benefit. Can’t wait to see what Sarah says about the Extra Softening one now!

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Jergens Naturals Ultra Hydrating Moisturiser

The Nourishing Moisturiser is also a unisex cosmetic and as with all the products in the Skinfood range is free from nasties and made from nice things including coconut palm as a base.

I found the Nourishing Moisturiser a little to heavy for a day time moisturiser so would therefore consider it for use as a good value night time moisturiser. It takes slightly longer to blend in but that’s okay as my skin did feel smooth in the morning.

One of the easiest and fastest places to get Skinfood products is amazon. Skinfood tends to cost £4.99 so you’ll need to spend a penny (more) to qualify for free delivery !

Stay tuned for more reviews of some of the newest hair and beauty products on the market.

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Skinfood Nourishing Moisturiser Review

As the name suggests it’s a Dove anti-perspirant deodorant that also slows down the growth of under-arm hair. Now let me be honest here …Julia Roberts might be able to get away with exposing some untended underarm hair (remember those photos?), but for the rest of us it’s not really attractive is it? This new Dove deodorant spray (also available as a roll-on) aims to slow down the growth of the hair so you don’t have to shave it off so regularly ..isn’t it such a faff!

From the off Dove are onto a winner with me because I’ve been using their roll-on anti-persperant for absolutely ages now. This new spray has the normal quality feel that I’m used to and is slightly fragranced, which is just how I like it. It keeps you fresh and dry as you’d expect. It doesn’t leave a white residue either  - thank heavens, it’s so annoying when that happens!

Now I’m a true blonde so I guess I have slightly more leeway in terms of how often I need to shave my underarms but I’d say that the hair minimising does work, with the hairs also being softer and easier to shave.

Any criticisms? Well no, none at all really. But I do have one question for Dove… when are you bringing something similar out for legs?

For further product information you can visit the Dove website.

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Dove Hair Minimising Deodorant Review

I’m always eager to please so I’ve been trying it regularly. The Daily Moisturising Lotion contains natural colloidal oatmeal which helps your skin feel smoother and more supple. The lotion is fragrance free so is great for those people with sensitive skin.

I found that it had the Aveeno lotion had a nice consistency, it was not too thick like some body creams and not too runny when gently squeezing the tube.

On applying the lotion it was easily absorbed into my skin and did not leave my skin feeling “greasy”. On the tube it states “moisturises dry skin for 24 hours” – I can agree with that as my skin felt smooth all day!

I liked the Aveeno Lotion, however as I have normal skin I found it to be a bit heavy to use every day all over my body. I would definitely use it on such areas as elbows and knees regularly (problem areas for lots of women) and perhaps once weekly on my whole body.

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Aveeno Moisturising Lotion Review

Skinfood is a unisex skin care company from New Zealand offering a range of products, free from artificial nasties and suitable for any skin type and age. And as it’s unisex, then it’s suitable for us blokes!

I do actually need to use a moisturiser because I can get dry skin on my face, especially if I’ve been out running quite a bit. I don’t have a problem using a cream …who wants dry skin for heavens sake?

The Skinfood moisturiser seems reasonably priced at £4.99 for a 3.3 fl.oz tube. It’d last me quite a while because I only like to use a little – even though it says apply liberally.

It’s non greasy and is easily applied – it doesn’t leave your face feeling greasy at all. In fact on my face it seems to be absorbed really quickly – maybe that’s because I only use a little amount? It has the faintest, slightest of scent – only noticeable if you smell your hand after using it. I notice that one of the ingredients is Manuka honey …as an aside, I’ve been told by a couple of people to take Manuka honey for a sore throat/tickly cough because it works really well.

It’s worked of course and has kept my dry skin at bay (and I don’t remember to use it daily). And I’m certainly going to carry on using it too!

Apparently, Skinfood is stocked at leading retailers including John Lewis and good old amazon.

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Skinfood Moisturiser Review

Organic Fiji is a range of natural cosmetics made from certified, organic, virgin coconut oil using Fair Trade coconuts harvested in the South Pacific Islands. Coconut oil is apparently packed with deep moisturizing properties and it’s a natural anti-oxidant too. All good stuff!

I’ve tried the Cucumber Melon nourishing lotion a couple of times now after jumping out of the shower. First thing to notice is the smell of the lotion … mmm it’s really fresh and delicate! John liked it too, so that makes a change (he moans about the smell of my cocoa butter from Body Shop!).

The lotion itself isn’t runny nor too thick, though I did need to give the bottle a firm squeeze to put some in my palm. It applies well, absorbing quickly into my skin and not leaving a greasy after feel. Suffice it to say I’ll be finishing the bottle
The official UK website details all the products in the range and details why coconut oil is such a good natural ingredient. Having had a quick look I see that there’s a good selection of Organic Fiji available via amazon.

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Organic Fiji Lotion Review

Anyways, I’d forgotten all about it until we heard from Diana Privitera who works at Pretty Minerals – she asked us if I’d like to try a minerals based product, so of course I said yes please!

So, a day or so later I received a dinky pot of ID bareMinerals foundation (pictured). As I’m fair skinned I plumped for the light version – it does come in seven different shades so you’ll be able to select the right shade for your own skin tone.

Before I tell you how what I thought of it, I’d best give an overview of what minerals based makeup is:

• made from pure, quality minerals found in the earth
• free from preservatives, oil, waxes, fragrances and the like
• looks like a powder
• you can sleep in it!
• applied by brush
• water resistant
• provides natural SPF15 UVA/UVB protection

So How Did I Find It?

My first impression was that pot was quite small – but then I gather that a little goes a long way. Upon opening the foundation powder it looked a little gold and glittery, so I was a bit sceptical – would it match my usual powder?

The pot has a kind of sieve inside to regulate the release of the powder and it’s a simple 3 step process of SWIRL,  TAP,  BUFF.

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bareMinerals Foundation Review

Vaseline is a pure petroleum jelly and can be used on your skin and lips. As it says on the label it’s proven for generations to care for babies skin.

I’d say that it doesn’t really smell of anything at all really. Use a little and it’s easily absorbed in to your skin – use more and it is a little visible with a shiny, clear appearance.

We use it our on daughters dry lips in the autumn and winter, Sarah uses a little on both her face and lips to combat the cool winds. And even though I’m a chap I use it as well!

I use a little on my face (carefully) near my eye, as I get a dry patch – most probably due to running outside on the coast where we live. For longer distance runs I use a little on my toes and erm, elsewhere to stop any painful chaffing. Men can suffer with rubbing too when running!

I also use it on my nose when I catch a heavy cold (sorry, you’d call it man flu) to stop it becoming sore after blowing it with umpteen tissues.

We always have a couple of jars handy at home – it’s less than £2 at Boots here. They do a dinky little tin too (see here) for under a £1 that’s ideal for pockets and handbags.

What do you use it for (no rude comments now! ) ?

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Vaseline – A Beauty Essential