Aaannnd we’re officially in the last 2 months of the year!  I can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that just next month we’ll be celebrating Christmas!?  It’s insane.  So, while I’m starting to compile things like gift guides, wishlists and annual favourites, it was bound to happen that I didn’t pay as much attention to what products I really loved during the month of October.  My October Favourites are a lot smaller than previous months, but trust me – they’re all goodies!

BODY CARE

The Body Shop Peppermint Candy Cane Body Lotion 

When I saw that The Body Shop had launched a candy cane fragrance as part of their Christmas line up, I knew I’d want to try it.  Then I popped into my local store, took one sniff and fell head over heels.  This stuff smells like peppermint and white chocolate!

I picked up this body lotion rather than the usual body butter as we’re in summer now (warmer weather = lighter lotion), and raved about it so much that my darling hubs stopped into the store one day when he saw a 3 for 2 special, and picked up the body butter, the scrub and the shimmer mist for me!  Spoilt!

I am so obsessed with this that I’m going to need to pick up backups, in the butter and lotion.  And I really want to try the shower gel too.  I know I haven’t owned the line long, nor have they been out for long – but I’m already obsessed enough to include it.

P.S. Their Berry Bon Bon fragrance is also delicious, although I’m a little underwhelmed by the Vanilla Marshmallow, as it just smells like overly muted vanilla to me.

Elizabeth Arden Green Tea Lotus 

I have so many fragrances at home that I’d term ‘winter’ scents.  They’re sweeter, heavier and gorgeous, but just don’t fit well in the humid Durban summers.  So I needed to pick up something I could wear on a daily basis that would be fresher and cleaner, with possibly a bit of a floral tone to it.

I was browsing one of the sales on Runway Sale one day and came across a number of these gorgeous Elizabeth Arden fragrances that I think have been discontinued (and replaced with some delightful new ones), and this one struck me for some reason.

It’s very fresh and clean smelling (thanks to that green tea), but it is just so beautiful that if I could open the bottle and just pour it over my head I would.  With top notes of Japanese yuzu, cherry blossom and plum that blend into a floral fragrance of lotus, lily and green tea, you can only imagine how light and yet still exotic this scent is.

Plus, I paid just over R200 for a 100ml fragrance.  It’s no longer available on Runway Sale, but I’ve added a link above to it on Takealot, where it’s going for just R185 – worth every cent!

Lush Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter

So, I know that this is technically a ‘cuticle butter’ but I have been using this as the most amazing multi-tasking butter.  I use it on my dry heels at night, and have taken great delight in massaging it into my husband’s perpetually dry elbows.  I use it on my cuticles when I don’t reach for a straight-up cuticle oil (I’m trying to finish the oil up so I can stick to this butter alone), and love how it just melts into the skin, leaving you nourished, pampered and (after about 5 minutes) not greasy at all.

Plus – it smells like lemon meringue pie.  What’s not to love?

SKINCARE

Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm

I am back onto this cleansing gem.  In fact, I don’t know how I ever did without it!  Let’s just say that with me trialling more makeup I’ve been needing something super strong to cleanse my skin at night.  And with the Halloween makeup I was doing, I had to bring out the big guns.

This cleansing balm from Clinique is legitimately magic in a tub.  It removed every last bit of my sugar skull Halloween makeup, and even pulled off the remaining blood and dried latex from my zombie look.

I have also noticed that this really and truly not only removes every last bit of makeup, it also doesn’t leave any product on your face, so there is no chance of blocked pores.

I use this as my first cleanse at night, and then the next product as my second cleanse, and I swear it’s a power duo of note!

Nikel Cleansing Milk with Immortelle*

This gentle cleansing milk is fantastic.  Even though it has a soft, sweet orange fragrance to it, it doesn’t irritate my skin or sting my eyes.

Perfect for a gentle morning cleanse or a luxurious second evening cleanse, I reach for this more than I ever thought I would.  Even though it’s a ‘no rinse’ formula, I do remove it with a damp, warm face cloth after each use, and my skin is left clean, soft and yet not stripped or tight at all.

It’s also packed with natural oils and natural active ingredients.  Plus – neither the ingredients nor the finished products are tested on animals.

MAKEUP

Filorga Pore-Express Primer* and Flash-Nude Fluid foundation*

So, if you recall my Instagram post, you’ll know that I received the Flash-Nude Fluid a while back, and that while I found it to look and feel beautiful and natural, it was a little too rich for my combination skin.

The foundation can be applied with a light hand for sheer coverage, and a heavier hand if you’re after a little more colour. It’s also packed with their patented NCEF polyrevitalising formula with 50 active skincare ingredients to improve skin quality and radiance, Hexylresorcinol (a botanical active that is a fabulous antioxidant and has brightening properties) and SPF30.  ⠀

I had kind of put the foundation to one side, as I didn’t think it would do for me during the hotter months here in Durban.  Until I was sent the Pore-Express Primer.

What I love about the Filorga makeup products, is that they aren’t just makeup – they’re skincare as well.  This primer not only works to mattify and blur your skin (which it does beautifully), it claims to correct these issues with long-term use as well.  There are ingredients that work to reduce the size of pores (by refining dilated pores) and slow down oil over-production, plus ingredients such as niacinimide and an anti-adhesion polysaccharide help to soothe and eliminate spots, while preventing further breakouts.  The primer is oil-free, non-comedogenic and feels like a less silicone-heavy version of the Benefit Porefessional.

I love that the primer keeps my skin more matte throughout the day, without leaving it looking dried out and cakey (as a few other mattifying primers do).  My skin looks natural and actually feels like it can breathe.

The primer and foundation paired together amazingly as well – wow.  Beautiful finish, light to medium coverage, and it wears the whole day long for me.  Sure, I do get a big glowy around 2 in the afternoon, but nothing a light blotting with a blotting sheet won’t solve.  I’m so in love, and I’ve actually noticed an improvement in my skin when I wear this duo consistently.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Lp299v Probiotic supplement 

There are so many benefits to taking a daily probiotic supplement.  I was told by the nutritionist I’m now seeing that it’s good to get into the habit, as it not only aids in IBS symptoms (something I developed through the delightful endometriosis treatment I was put on, and never struggled with before), but it can improve your overall health.

I’ve tried a couple of different probiotics, but nothing has felt like it made a huge difference until I discovered this one.  The pharmacist actually recommended it, as he claims it’s the one that most gastroenterologists will suggest for digestive issues and IBS.  That convinced me, and it’s definitely one I’ll buy each month.

You can read more on the benefits of a daily probiotic HERE.

*PR sample

What products were you loving during the month of October?