Dolly Rouge’s Best of 2011 – Part 1: Skincare, Bath and Body

Ladies, how strange does it feel to be writing the date as 2012? I keep writing 2011 by mistake and having to scribble over it. My head is still firmly in last year, and stubborn mare that I am I feel like digging my heels in! So to keep up the denial for another few days, I’m looking back on the past year, bringing you our very favourite beauty buys of 2011. First up is skincare, bath and body.

We do love our skincare in Dolly Rouge land, and it doesn’t come much better than NeoStrata. We adore their scientific credentials, and canny use of chemical exfoliants in different strengths for different skintypes. Check out Rachelle’s reviews of their 20 AHA and 4 PHA cleansers.

A mask that we both agree is the bomb, is Queen Helene’s Mint Julep Masque. This is a heavy hitter, packing hard working ingredients such as kaolin and bentonite clays, zinc oxide and sulfur. This mask de-clogs gunky pores and heals blemishes in a tick. Perfect for correcting the effects of Christmas over-indulgence on your skin. Don’t use it close to a big event however, in case its deep cleansing action causes a breakout. Have a giggle at Rachelle’s monster mug here!

A skincare favourites list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning La Roche-Posay and Vichy. Cicaplast is a multi-tasking wonder which can be used as a moisturiser, chapped skin soother, foundation primer and even a lip balm. Check out Kat’s review.

Thermal water sprays are also workhorse products. We like to use them after cleansing to return moisture to the skin, to set a finished makeup base, and spritzed during the day to refresh makeup and prevent dryness/oily breakthrough from air conditioning.

We spend far too much time rushing about from one task to the next, with a million and one things shouting for our attention. We like our showers hot and brief, just enough to get clean and get out into the barrage we call modern life. To prevent stress from taking its toll, I prescribe setting aside an hour for yourself once a week to wallow in steamy, fragrant water. Most people would call that a luxury, I call it looking after your mental health. For bath treats look no further than Lush with their vast array of bath bombs, melts and bubble bars.

Our favourite scrub-a-dub-dub for when we’re in the tub has to be Soap and Glory‘s The Breakfast Scrub. I have never, ever wanted to eat a beauty product so much in my life! The scent is a divine combination of maple syrup, honey and banana. It smooths and soothes with sea salt, sugar, oatmeal, cupuacu, shea butter and sweet almond oil. Makes you smell and feel good enough to eat!
Round off your blissful bathing experience with our favourite body lotion. Lush’s Dream Cream is a God-send for anyone with temperamental skin. Chamomile, rose, lavender and tea tree essential oils soothe irritation, while oat milk, olive oil and cocoa butter moisturise. Lovely stuff.

The perfume launch of the year has to be Lush’s Gorilla Perfume range. Particularly the Lust family, which Rachelle proclaims as her absolute Holy Grail scent. Laden with jasmine it oozes sex appeal and sensuality, drying down to a floral finish. What we particularly love about Lush’s Gorilla Perfumes is that you can layer your scent for outstanding longevity. The Lust scent can be found in eau de parfum, solid perfume stick (so handy for topping up on the go), Flying Fox shower gel, Godiva shampoo bar and even Lustre sparking body powder. Bravo Lush!

There you have it, our best of skincare, bath and body for 2011. Stay tuned for makeup, hair and more! What were your favourites of 2011? Enable us in the comments!