Trimming My Stash And A Life Update - August 2016 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

Well the summer holidays are just about over, and Pumpkin Spice Lattes (or Frappuccinos in this case) are now back on the Starbucks menu, what does that mean? well it's September of course, and whilst I'm still praying for a lottery win or an Indian summer to get my sunshine fix, there is no doubt that despite the warm start to the week, autumn is on its way

Whilst I'm sorry to see the end of summer. I have to be honest and say I'm not particularly sorry to see the back of August. It was a pretty rubbish month in a lot of ways for me, culminating in a broken laptop, and a couple of screen free weeks, that I could seriously have done without. I'm now way behind schedule when it comes to blogging and You Tube and I have to admit that it's stressing me out a little bit! For once though I'm going to try and take my own advice and try to keep calm, and enjoy the creative process.

I've got lots and lots of posts and videos planned for the next few weeks, to try and bring myself back up to date, including some hopefully interesting reviews, and some hauls. If you like hauls, you need to make sure that your following my blog, and that your subscribed to my You Tube channel. I have a home haul, an ebay haul, specific shop hauls, and countless beauty hauls to come, including some items that I bought way back in May!

Since I have so many beauty items still to show you, I'm putting my Project 10 Pan plans on hold. My decision has nothing to do with the launch of Kat Von D into Debenhams later this month, and if you believe that you'll believe anything! ;). Seriously though I want a clean break and I can only do that when all of my beauty haul posts and videos are out of the way. I am definitely going to do it though and I'll let you know with a post and a video when I take the plunge and start my make up no buy. In the meantime though I've still be trying to use up as many beauty products as I can and here are the items that I finished in August.

Butter London Hand & Nail Creme - Mango Peach - 50ml
Sanctuary Spa Body Scrub - 50ml
The Body Shop Earth Lovers 100% Biodegradable Shower Gel - Apricot And Basil - 250ml
Benecos Natural Nail Polish Remover - 100ml
Primark PS Love Your Skin Nail Polish Twist Pot - 70ml
Rituals Fortune Scrub Sweet Orange And Cedar Shower Cream Scrub - 150ml
No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser - 200ml
Next Passion Fruit Coulis Shower Gel - 50ml
Total - 8 Items

July and August ended up being twins - I managed to finish 8 products in July and I managed to finish another 8 items in August. It wasn't a vintage performance by any means but I managed to finish a nice assortment of older body care items and one longstanding skin items so I'm still pretty pleased, and I'm already looking forward to improving my total next month.

1. Butter London Hand & Nail Creme - Mango Peach - 50ml

The first item that I finished was a product that I had pretty much forgotten about. I normally have about half a dozen hand creams on the go at once and this one was one that I'd pretty much forgotten about. I originally bought this from a site called Powder Rooms that I loved but it now appears to be offline. They sold all sorts of quirky brands and products and this hand cream from popular nail brand Butter London was just one thing that I bought from the site. It had quite a runny texture, but it was easily absorbed and it left the skin feeling silky soft. The biggest selling point for me though was the smell - the Mango Peach scent was literally mouthwatering. Unfortunately Butter London don't seem to sell their hand creams anymore but you can still buy their nail polishes and lip products from various retailers including Feel Unique and HQ Hair, and with their new UK website set to launch soon here's hoping that they bring this gorgeous smelling lotion back

2. Sanctuary Spa Body Scrub - 50ml

This is the first of several mini products in this post and it's another rediscovery. Like socks and selection packs, a Sanctuary Spa gift set from Boots used to be almost a mainstay under my Christmas tree. My tastes have changed slightly over the years but I can still appreciate this exotic scent and the familiar bright orange packaging. This body scrub is still one of core products in the Sanctuary line, and although the name has changed slightly, this micro bead free scrub, contains gentle, pumice stone particles, suspended in a patchouli and orange scented, essential oil filled foaming gel. I like this scrub and I'll happily use up the couple that I've found in my stash but that said I probably wouldn't repurchase. There are now lots of different scrubs in the Sanctuary line, and you should know by now that I love salt and sugar scrubs, so my favourite scrub from Sanctuary is actually their Hot Sugar Scrub which normally retails at around £12. Pricey but worth it for the circulation boost that the warming effect gives you. This one though under it's new name the Sanctuary Gentle Polish Body Scrub retails at a much more affordable £5.50 for a 200ml tube and this 50ml size retails at the perfect try me price of just £2.50.

3. The Body Shop Earth Lovers 100% Biodegradable Shower Gel - Apricot And Basil - 250ml

This is another rediscovered product and unfortunately it's another product that's been discontinued. The Body Shop Earth Lovers range was a range of 100% biodegradable shower gels. The packaging was biodegradable as was the shower gel itself, and it was also sulfate, paraben, colour and soap free. This one sounds a little odd fragrance wise but it just worked, the sweetness and fruitiness of the apricot, went perfectly with the peppery herbal hit of the basil. I personally found the formulation a bit watery but I did enjoy this fragrance.

4. Benecos Natural Nail Polish Remover - 100ml

This was a product that I was sent to review from My Pure, and whilst I quite like it, I've got to say that in my opinion you can't beat a normal chemical filled (but acetone free) nail polish remover. This did what it was supposed to but it really struggled on anything with texture or glitter, and it was also better suited at removing one or two coats rather than a full manicure. You can read a full review here.

5. Primark PS Love Your Skin Nail Polish Twist Pot - 70ml

When these little pots first came on the market I had to admit that I wasn't a fan. I tried a few at several different price points and I was left feeling a bit mehh but now I get it I really do. This particular pot is just £1 and for me it's been a beauty life saver. I don't use them often to remove a full manicure but if you mess a nail up mid paint, then these pots are a quick and easy way to take your polish off without ruining the rest of your manicure. They also last for ages, and even when their effectiveness is starting to fade, just tip the polish remover out of the pot, and replace it with fresh remover, and you can get a bit more use out of it. Eventually though the sponge starts to disintegrate and you need to move onto a new pot. I already have a new pot and I will definitely be picking up another one.

6. Rituals Fortune Scrub Sweet Orange And Cedar Shower Cream Scrub - 150ml

Another one of these and I think that this particular full sized one came in a beauty box. I love the texture and that fact that you can use it wet or dry but it definitely isn't my favourite Rituals scent. I think it has a fairly unisex scent, with the tart, citrus of the orange, and the warm woodiness of the cedar. Nice product but I prefer some of the other Rituals scents. You can also read my thoughts on this product here x

7. No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser - 200ml

Although I don't use or buy this particular product regularly, it's one of those things that I seemed to have a few of. The reason being, that this was the product that I always bought when I they had the free No7 voucher offer on in Boots. It's a good quality, gently fragranced hot cloth cleanser, that takes your make up off quickly and easily, and it feels nice on the skin. Every time I use this I always ask myself why I don't buy it and use it more often, for me it easily rivals some of the more expensive and famous hot cloth cleansers out there, so if you're on a budget or if it's on offer, it's well worth a try or at least it used to be. Like a lot of things Boots seem to have to changed the name, it seems to be the same product but it is now called The No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser which retails at £9.95 for a 200ml tube. I really hope it is the same product and I will definitely be picking one up to try next time that I need a new cleanser.

7. Next Passion Fruit Coulis Shower Gel - 50ml

My shower product sorting continued last month and this was another rediscovery. This mini came from a limited edition Next Christmas gift set, that was themed around food fragrance beauty products. It had a thick texture and a pretty disappointing fruity scent. The name promised so much but for me it didn't deliver and even it could repurchase it, I wouldn't  :(

A bit of a mixed bag from me today I know, with a mini life update and an empties post, but it's good to share, and if you have any questions either on any of the products that I finished last month, or on anything else to do with me, my blog or my You Tube channel then please leave me a comment x Don't forget to follow me on all of my other social media channels via the links in the sidebar and I'll see you soon with a haul post x

Benecos Natural Nail Polish Remover - A Review For My Pure*

As much as I love nail polish, there are aspects of it that I don't love. I hate waiting for it to dry, and I hate it when it chips, but more than anything else I hate having to remove it! There are now products on the market to help our polish dry more quickly and there are things to help stop it chipping, but despite advances in beauty and science, nail polish removal doesn't seem to have got any easier. It still takes an age to do, it can be messy and more often than not it smells terrible.

Like nail polish itself, nail polish remover more often than not is crammed full of strong chemical compounds that are designed to dissolve lacquers, plastics and even paints. Most of them do the job that they're designed for but there are side effects, certain ingredients such as acetone can be very drying on the nails and the hands, and oh did I mention the horrible smell!

Thankfully there are a lot of acetone free removers on the market now but a lot of them still contain way too many chemicals for some, so for one of June's My Pure reviews I decided to try out a more natural, gentle and non drying nail polish remover from German brand Benecos.

At first glance it's hard to see how a nail polish remover would ever fit into Benecos ingredients philosophy. Traditionally full of chemicals and preservatives, making a nail polish remover that contains natural ingredients, and no nasties, genetically modified material, soy or gluten was no easy task but like with their nail polish, Benecos have stuck to their guns and created a product that fits right in with their philosophy and the rest of their range.

The Benecos Natural Nail Polish Remover is an acetone free product, that's created without any synthetic preservatives, mineral oils, or parabens. It contains ethyl lactate which is a natural degreaser that comes from sources of lactic acid, alcohol, water, and vegetable glycerin for moisture and nail condition. It also contains sweet orange oil and lemon peel oil and other citrus extracts.

Packaged in a wide necked plastic bottle, the remover itself is clear and resembles water in both colour and in consistency, when you touch it though it has a slightly viscous, oily feel.

The first thing that you notice when you pour the remover onto a cotton pad is the smell. Now I would never advise that you go around smelling nail polish remover, but you can't help but smell it when your using it. Compared to some I've used this one doesn't smell too bad, it still isn't great though and it's a bit like really strong alcohol with a bit of a citrus hit. Thankfully the nastier aspects of the fragrance die off quite quickly and your hands and nails are left with a subtle citrus scent.

I used it just like I'd use any other nail polish remover, I normally hold the cotton pad over the nail for a little while to start dissolving the polish before I start wiping. This makes removal a lot easier and a lot less messy. How did I get on? well see for yourself

Before 

After

Before 

After 

The first polish I tested it with was Benecos Natural Nail Polish in Lavender Sky (read my review here) - here I used 1 coat of nail strengthener, and two coats of polish. You would expect this remover to work well with the same brand of polish and as expected it got it all off without too many problems.

I also used it with a few coats of strengthener, and on another occasion with another brand of polish, a coat of strengthener and a top coat, and I have it did take a little bit longer than it did with my usual acetone free remover but it did the job. 

The key thing that I noticed though with this remover was that my nails weren't left looking white and dehydrated and the skin around them certainly didn't feel dry or uncomfortable. As I said before this polish remover has a slightly oily feel and I think that helped to almost give the nails a hit of moisture. It was just enough though and you didn't feel as though you needed to wash your hands straight away.

I have to say this remover impressed me way more than I thought it would. I was thoroughly expecting it to struggle with polish removal but by and large it did the job, without smelling too bad and without drying out my nails and my skin. I did find that it took longer than my usual remover especially when I was removing multiple coats but considering the lack of chemicals and nasties, you really can't complain. That said I'm not sure I would repurchase it as I'm pretty happy with my current budget friendly remover, but if you're trying to cut down on the amount of chemicals you use in your beauty routine though or if you're looking for a cruelty free product, then this is definitely something worth trying. The Benecos Natural Nail Polish Remover comes in a 100ml bottle and retails at £5.95 from My Pure.Would you consider using a "natural" nail polish remover? Let me know your thoughts x 

*Sample

Nails Of The Day - Benecos Natural Nail Polish - French Lavender*

Although I don't seem to write as many nail posts as I used to, I'm still obsessed with nail polish. Nothing makes me happier than seeing a flash of colour when I'm typing, or seeing a set of pretty painted toenails peeking out from my sandals. My nail polish collection is getting seriously out of control though, but I can never resist adding new ones to my collection especially when it's from a brand that I haven't used before. As you know I love trying new things so for one of June's My Pure reviews I decided to try a nail polish from German brand, Benecos.

I've tried a few products from this BDIH Certified brand now, and I have to say for the price point I've been pretty impressed. The brand produces a wide range of affordable, good for you, skin, body, hair care and make up products, that use organic ingredients where possible and are free from a lot of chemicals and preservatives that you would normally find in toiletry and cosmetic products.

When you think of nail varnish though, one of the things that you probably think of is chemicals, surely there is no way that a nail polish can be natural and good for you? Well think again, all of the nail polishes in the Benecos range are not only cruelty free and suitable for vegans but they're also 5 Free. A lot of nail polishes now describe themselves as 3 Free but there aren't that many traditional style, nail polishes out there that describe themselves as 5 Free. What that basically means is that Benecos nail polishes are free from toluene, formaldehyde, camphor, phthalates, and colophonium or colophon, which have been found to cause skin irritations and breathing problems.

My Pure currently stock 15 shades of nail polish from Benecos but the shade I tried was French Lavender. I'm a huge fan of lilac and purple nail polishes so this one was right up my street.

Packaged in a 9ml size cylindrical bottle, this polish has a short, and thin, but good quality brush. The polish was quite fluid but the brush was easy to control and it applied easily and smoothly. and dried quickly. The coverage was okay after 1 coat but I felt that it really needed two coats to give the full depth of colour.

The finished colour was quite a bit deeper than it looked in the bottle, it wasn't the lilac tone that I'd anticipated and instead it had very much a dirty, dusky lavender, purple finish. Wear wise, I always test nail polish without a top coat and two days in, I only have a little bit of tip wear.

Although the colour didn't end up being quite what I expected I have to say I still liked this nail polish. It applied and wore well, it dried quickly and it definitely didn't seem to have as strong a smell as some polishes that I've used in the past. I'll definitely be trying a few more colours in the future, and if like a lot of people I know, you're looking for a gentler, or 5 Free nail polish, then this could be the brand to try. Benecos Natural Nail Polish in French Lavender comes in a 9ml bottle and retails at £6.95 from My Pure. Are you a fan of free from polishes? Let me know your thoughts x 

*Sample

A Review Of Benecos Natural Compact Blush - Sassy Salmon*

The eagle eyed readers among you will probably already have at least some idea about what this posts going to be about. No I don't mean from the title that's way too obvious - I actually mean from the pretty large hint that I dropped in Fridays My Pure post.

It made sense I guess, if I was going to review the Benecos Rouge Brush, it made sense to review one of their blushers too so for the second of April's My Pure review I'm reviewing the Benecos Natural Compact Blush in the shade Sassy Salmon.

I've already talked an awful lot about the Benecos philosophy but I think it's important to mention it again. This German brand is BDIH certified and what that means is that the products are free from a lot of nasties that tend to crop up in a lot of beauty and make up products. They only use predominantly organic natural ingredients, and their products are also cruelty free, gluten free and free from genetically modified ingredients.

Like the Natural Highlighting Powder that I reviewed in a previous post (read it here) this blusher only contains natural pigments and minerals, and it is free from artificial colourants. It's also packed full of hydrating and moisturising skincare ingredients including macadamia nut, and castor, and sunflower seed oils.

This 5.5g powder blusher comes packaged in simple, but stylish clear plastic packaging. The blusher itself is embossed with the Benecos leaf / stalk logo.

My Pure currently have 3 colours to choose from but the one I chose was probably the most summery Sassy Salmon, a pretty rosy coral shade. I've tried my best to replicate it in these pictures but in real life it's probably a touch more brighter and coral looking.

As you can see from the swatch picture the pigmentation is excellent, this blusher has a soft, velvety feel, and despite the fact that it's a little powdery in the pan it's very easy to apply and to blend.

I feel like a broken record lately but thanks to the changeable weather this probably isn't the best of pictures but I hope you can see the pretty glow that you can achieve with this blusher. I think that this blusher would work on most skin tones, and because of that I can really see if being one of my go to summer cheek shades for Summer 2016. I love this blusher and it will definitely be making an appearance in my March / April favourites video, not only for the appearance, and quality but also for the amazingly purse friendly price. The Benecos Natural Compact Blush  is available from My Pure and comes in 3 shades and retails at just £5.95 for 5.5g of product - which I think is pretty decent when you consider the quality of the product, and the companies philosophy. What's you favourite blush shade for summer? Leave me a comment and let me know below x

*Sample

Benecos Rouge Brush - A Review For My Pure*

When I first started out in make up I didn't give two hoots about what I applied it with, rubbishy sponge applicators, scratchy brushes and even cotton buds, I used anything I could to get as much product on my face as possible.

I can't imagine what I must have look like but what I didn't realise then though was the importance of a good make up brush. You can buy the most expensive and best make up products in the world but if you apply them with a bad brush then you're probably wasting your money.

Make up brushes come at all different price points, but what I've come to realise over the years is that a cheaper brush doesn't always mean a bad brush. I've bought brushes for a couple of pounds that I love and brushes that cost well into double figures that I can't stand. Buying make brushes is a minefield, you can't always tell how good something is just by looking at it, so sometimes you just need to take the risk and buy it anyway.

For one of this month's My Pure review I decided to give you guys a little bit of hand when it comes to brush shopping and review a brush from one of their newer brands Benecos. I've already talked about Benecos in a couple of my previous My Pure posts but just in case you're new to the brand, they are a BDIH certified German company, who produce a wide range of purse friendly cosmetics and toiletries, that are cruelty free and contain predominantly natural and organic ingredients, and no nasty chemicals.

My Pure have a few make up brushes from Benecos in their inventory but the one I decided to try was the Benecos Rouge Brush.

Unlike a lot of brushes on the market you don't get any unnecessary packaging with this one, it comes wrapped in plain cellophane to cut down on both costs and waste. This brush features a silver, tone, recycled aluminium ferrule and comes with a short, slightly ribbed bamboo handle. The textured handle means that it's easy to grip, and the shorter handle is specifically designed for controlled, easy application. The handle of the brush is also embossed with the Benecos logo.

Instead of having a flat or a domed brush head, this one is slanted, and is designed specifically to apply  a powder blusher  perfectly on the apples of the cheeks. Given the asymmetric shape though you could also use the brush to apply either a  bronzer or highlighter to create that perfect contour.

This two tone brush, is made from a high quality, densely packed synthetic fibre, so this brush is suitable for vegans and it's completely cruelty free. The brush is very soft and silky so it would perfect if you have sensitive or reactive skin. Whilst it feels it feels very soft at the same time, the hairs are quite dense so it picks  product up well, and it's makes blending and application effortless.

I've been using this brush mainly with blusher and I've been impressed with how well it's performed I haven't lost a single hair during application, and it was very easy to wash again with no shedding.

I'm a bit of brush obsessive and I've tried quite a few of the brands that are  out there, and I have to say that by far this is one of the nicest slanted, cheek brushes that I've ever used. I literally cannot find a fault with it. The price point is competitive, it does exactly what it should, it feels nice on the skin, it's well made, and it's cruelty free. The Benecos Rouge Brush retails at £8.95 from My Pure.

I'm definitely going to be trying out a few more products from Benecos in the weeks and months to come, and the other brushes are definitely at the top of my list. In the meantime I have another Benecos review going up over the weekend, I wonder what it could be? Maybe the photo below will give you a clue ;)

Thanks for reading and if you have any questions please leave me your musings below I'd love to hear your thoughts x

*Sample

A Review Of The Benecos Natural Highlighting Powder In Stardust*

Thanks to celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Victoria Beckham, layering on the highlighter has never been more popular. Whether you call it sculpting on strobing it all means the same thing, using a bronzer or darker shade to contour and shape your face, and a lighter shade of cream or powder, with or without shimmer to give you face a glow and that lit from within look.

I'm slightly obsessed with highlighters, and whilst yes, you can definitely over do it, a little bit of shimmer and light here and there, gives the face movement and texture and takes your make up to the next level. I probably have more highlighting powders and liquids than most department stores but I can't seem to stop adding to my already ridiculously large collection. I just can't help myself all that shimmer and sparkle just looks so pretty, it's no surprise therefore that for one of March's My Pure reviews I decided to try a pretty highlighting powder from one of the sites newest brands, Benecos.

I lost my Benecos virginity back in February when I tried their Natural Nail Care Pen (read my review here) and I have to say I was impressed not only by the brands philosophy but also by their very, friendly price point. This BDIH certified German brand produces a large range of affordable beauty products that contains predominantly organic natural ingredients and no nasty chemicals. There products are also cruelty free, and are free from genetically modified ingredients and gluten.

The product that I decided to try was the Benecos Natural Highlighting Powder in Stardust. Again Benecos are a brand that combines make up with skincare so this product is full of ingredients that are good for the skin including kaolin clay which is designed to absorb excess oil and aid wear time, natural light reflecting, mineral pigments including mica and organic moisturising oils including macadamia, sunflower, and castor seed.

Packaged in a basic but chic and practical, clear plastic compact, this is a solid, champagne, nude toned powder, packed full of tiny little sparkles There is a small floral design embossed on the top which isn't essential but it adds a nice touch to the product.

At first I found the powder quite hard and I didn't get a lot of pigmentation from it but once I'd used it for a while, and worn away the top layer it became a lot softer, and the pigmentation improved. I've tried to swatch it but to be honest I think it looks a bit flat in natural light and you really can't see the sparkle that well.

This isn't the most pigmented or sparkly highlighter on the market but if you're after a more subtle look then this could work for you. Your never going to achieve a shimmery, sharp  Kimmy K or Vicky B cheekbone with it but if you want a bit of glow it could work for you. I've been using this quite a bit over the last month, and I have found that you do need to put quite a bit on and blend it in well or at least I did. You can use it on the cheek bones, and the eyelids like I have here, and you can also use it on the decollete or the shoulders or anywhere the light naturally hits to give the skin a bit of a sheen. Again it didn't show up too well in the photographs but  strangely enough my huge pores did! Funny that but I've taken a few pics with the flash to try and give you some idea.

Because of the pale shade, and lack of pigmentation I don't think that this product would work on some skin tones but if you're after a subtle glow, you're on budget and you prefer to buy cruelty free, then this highlighter from Benecos could be something to try. The Benecos Natural Highlighting Powder in Stardust retails at £6.95 for 9g, from My Pure x  Are you a highlighter fan? Leave me a comment I'd love to hear your thoughts x

*Sample

Benecos Nail Care Pen - A Review For My Pure*

I don't know about where you are today but it definitely doesn't feel like spring. Although the snow we've had didn't lie, it's damp, grey and freezing outside. I know I seem to be talking about the weather a lot lately - typical Brit I know, but the weather has such a huge influence, on our skin, our hair and our mood.

For as long as I can remember I've suffered from dry hands and nails. I use hand cream as though it's going out of fashion, and ever since I started wearing nail polish, I've used either a cuticle oil or a cuticle cream. If your cuticles are dry and ragged, and if you have hangnails then there isn't really a lot of point in wearing a pretty nail polish, after all there is no point in hanging an expensive painting in a rubbish frame.

Hand creams help, but if you want healthy cuticles and nails then you need to use an oil or a product specifically for the skin around your nails. I've tried a lot of cuticle oils, balms and creams over the years and at last I've found something that I love but like a lot of cuticle oils it comes in a glass bottle. Glass bottles are fine for home use but when you're on the go they really aren't that practical, and like hand creams, cuticle products should really be applied every time you wash your hands. Thankfully though there are few products on the market now that come in more travel friendly packaging, including a new product that I picked up from My Pure.

German brand Benecos is one of the newest brands in the My Pure stable and it's by far one of the most affordable. They produce a huge range of products ranging from skin, body and haircare items, to natural make up products and nail polish. They are certified by BDIH which is a German certification awarded to companies whose products contain natural ingredients and no nasties. Bencecos' philosophy is to produce affordable natural products, that aren't tested on animals, with beneficial ingredient that are organically grown wherever possible.

There are so many products that I want to try from the brand but given the state of my cuticles at the moment I decided to try out the Benecos Natural Nail Care Pen. The ingredients list reads like a who's, who of natural moisturisers and includes jojoba, coconut and sweet almond oils, shea butter, beeswax, and candelilla wax, and it also contains soothing chamomile extract.

Packaged in a pen style applicator, all you do is remove the cap and your great with a brush tip, simply twist the top of the pen a few times to prime it and then slowly the product will start to dispense.

Perfect for when you're on the go, this isn't a runny oil by any means and if anything it actually comes it looking more like a yellow toned, waxy balm.

Give it a couple of seconds though and it melts down to a fine oil, which you just massage into your nails and cuticles to give them both a moisture boost and to help stimulate nail grown.

It sounds strange to say it but this isn't the oiliest of oils, it isn't too thick or too heavy, and after a small amount of massage, it sinks in leaving the cuticles and nails looking healthier in a matter of moments. Oh and I've also used it on my toes too, my toe nails are dry and vile, and a bit of this oil really has made a difference to their appearance, even if it's just in the short term.

Despite all the rich oils and butters this product doesn't have too much of a scent but it doesn't really matter, it does exactly what it's supposed to, and it's both handbag and holiday friendly. It isn't the most exciting of products but it works and that's the main thing, and unlike some high street alternatives it's sensibly priced. The Benecos Natural Nail Care Pen 2ml retails at £6.95 from My Pure. Are you a cuticle oil fan? Let me know x

*Sample