Splish splash I was having a bath...

I rarely have baths and I have my reasons for this: firstly, I don't have the time. If I find myself somewhere warm where I'm invited not to do anything for a while then I tend to abuse this right and will happily spend up to three hours soaking in a hot bath doing nothing but blowing bubbles. Instead of reaching a point where I decide enough is enough and get out I will just get lazier and lazier and stay put until someone knocks on the door needing the loo. My second reason is that I'm not just a quick dip in and out person- I have to go the whole hog and shave, exfoliate, scrub, polish and pop a mask on and if you're doing this in a shower there's only one place where your hard work can go and that's down the plug. If you're in a bath where does the days muck go? Well it stays in the bath doesn't it? And that idea is not especially appealing.

But every now and again I'll feel like having a good old condition and a mask or trying out some new products and that's when I find myself turning on the taps, getting out the bubble bath and lining up the essentials.

This is what I think of when I think of bath time:

'Mulan-Honour to us all'

Actual bath time

The products tend to revolve depending on what I'm trying out at that particular time but there are some that stay put on the shelf and that I come back to when I'm having an especially bad skin week and drastic action needs to be taken! 

'Secret Sanctuary' 

My favourite brand is 'Sanctuary Spa'. They have a product for everything and it all works. I guess the fact all these products are developed and used in the actual 'Sanctuary Spa' makes me trust that they know what they're doing and they look and feel like a little but of luxury yet they aren't even that expensive. My skin can be pretty sensitive as I get older but these leaving it feel soft and smooth like I've actually been to a spa without any flare ups. 

They're not heavily fragranced or unnaturally coloured a lurid lime green so I feel like they're a bit 'safer'. I usually start with the warming micro-brasion polish on my face and leave it on for a couple of minutes whilst I apply the detox mask to my chest and shoulders which is where my skin tends to kick up a fuss (always when I'm planning on wearing a next to nothing skimpy top!) 

Whilst that's getting to work I scrub the rest of my body with the moisturizing butter scrub. I know it says it's rich enough that you won't need a moisturiser but I always put my faithful 'Jergens' healing cream on anyway although some people could easily do without anything else. My favourite thing about the polish and mask is that they both heat up when you apply them so if you need a pick me up but don't have time for a bath you can still put them on and feel the benefits as the warmth opens your pores. 

'Herbal Essences Beautiful Ends hair mask'

'Lush's Mask of Magnaminty'

'Lindt' chocolates

I always flirt with 'Aussie's 3 minute miracle treatment' but ultimately I go back to Herbal Essences because you really can't beat their hair masks. Even their basic conditioners transform your hair and I use their leave in conditioner on the ends of my hair to carry on working throughout the day. If it's feeling really dry I'll apply  one of their hair masks, comb it through and then tie it up and wrap clingfilm around my head and then go to sleep and in the morning my hair is ridiculously shiny. If I don't have the time to re-wash it in the morning I'll put the mask on, wrap a towel around my hair and sit by the fire so the heat can help the mask to work harder.

I discovered 'Mask of Magnaminty' by 'Lush' back when I was a teenager going to prom and stressing out about the state of my skin. I was wearing a lilac strapless dress and about to take it back and swap it for something that completely covered my top half. I went to 'Lush' hoping there would be something strong enough that would dry out my skin on my back and chest and the sales assistant introduced me to this mask. It smells of mints and is a dark green with black bits in it, it's not very attractive and kinda looks like something you'd find in a swamp but trust me it works! Put the mask on a couple of days before a big event and you'll find a massive improvement by the time the big day comes. 

The 'Lindt' chocolates are just to heighten the feeling of luxury! 

Bella

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