Products to turn back time and link up

I had a bumper beauty haul for Christmas, a couple of products I've been using for years and a few I was keen to try.

Old Favourites

L'Occitane almond shower oil is a winner in my books - I love the delicate scent and the light fresh lather of the oil when it mixes with water.

Kneipp herbal bath collection:  this was my Secret Santa present from a colleague. I've used a couple of these oils before and they're sooo relaxing. The pack includes an oil for bad backs, a sweet dreams oil and a balancing oil.

Beauty Blender: these small sponges are marvellous for applying foundation. Damp the sponge first and then "bounce" your foundation onto your face, where you want it. It gives a much more natural application than a foundation brush, and I always swore by brushes!

The Body Shop: Back in favour?

I was never really into the Body Shop. But have you checked them out lately? They have some very appealing products for the older woman, and I earmarked a few to try:
British Rose plumping face mask: this was out of stock online, which piqued my interest. The mask looks like a pink jelly with bits in, and smells divine.  It's quite cooling on the skin and leaves the face fresh and smooth with no redness.
British Rose petal-soft gel toner: amber coloured with bits.  I don't use a toner very often but it's good to use after an exfoliator, to remove any last vestiges of residue.
Vitamin E cream exfoliator:  this is very gentle and can be used by all skin types. I personally like an exfoliator that feels a bit grainy  (but not with plastic beads) so that you can feel it working. But if you have sensitive skin, this would be good.
Shea exfoliating sugar body scrub:  this is the business! I have been using the pricey Elemis Ginger and Lime Salt Scrub, but this product is more moisturizing and has a lovely subtle scent. I'll definitely switch to this.
Wild Argan oil hand cream: very impressed by this because unlike a lot of hand creams, it doesn't give a tacky, dry feeling a few minutes after it's been applied. At £5 for 30ml, I can afford to have a few tubes in places where I need hand cream.

Interested to try: Filorga 

The French brand Filorga has always interested me. They manufacture injectables based on hyaluronic acid and NCTF used by specialists in aesthetic beauty. They also have a range of anti-ageing cosmetics which are sold in Marks and Spencer among other places.  They tend to get very mixed reviews for their products with some people raving about them, particularly the wrinkle fillers, and other people saying they're a faff to apply and don't work.

For Christmas I received Filorga's Hand-Absolute ultimate rejuvenating hand and nail cream, and Time Filler Mask.  I'm saving the mask, which is a super smoothing black mask with collagen and "black fiber technology."  It's suitable for all skin types and you leave it on for 15 minutes. I'm not blown away by the idea of a black mask - I like masks to be easy to remove, and I remember the Mud and charcoal masks of yore which were impossible to get off.

The hand cream is aimed at dry and damaged hands, brittle, ridged nails, dark spots and uneven skin tone, and is said to achieve good results after 30 days.  I don't have the last two problems but I have the first three so I will give it a try, on its own, and report back.

Other products in my haul

L'Occitane One Minute Hand Scrub:  I am keen to improve the condition of my hands so this hand scrub with Shea butter sounds great for exfoliating and leaving hands smooth and ready for hand cream, after just a minute.

Liz Earle Gentle Face Exfoliator: as far as face exfoliators goes, this has everything I need and want: the satisfying grains of jojoba beads and the moisturizing heft of cocoa butter.

Escentric Molecule 01:  this was in a Liberty cracker,  and was a great way to try this much hyped scent which is said to smell like no other.  I was very keen to try it after a former colleague said it was her signature scent in my post The Scents Of Our Lives.  It's quite peppery and bracing with a hint of sandalwood, and I can smell it on myself . I don't dislike it - in fact I was tempted to put more on when I went to bed, which is always a sign that I like a perfume.

Laura Mercier Ambre Vanille luxe body collection:  as its name suggests, this is pure luxury and I will use the bath products for special occasions. The scent is a surprise: the amber warms and dilutes the vanilla so that it isn't too "in your face" and ice-cream like, and the dry down leaves a wonderfully soft, feminine fragrance.

No products were gifted by brands - but I was gifted by friends and family!