Yay, I got all of my monthly posts out before the last week of the month, aren’t you proud?!? Today I am sharing my January First Impressions with you, quick product reviews of products I have started testing. Starting with skincare, moving onto makeup and then body and hair care.

I had heard great things about First Aid Beauty, so I was quite excited to try a few things out for myself.

The Face Cleanser is soothing and gentle and does a good enough job of cleansing the skin, the texture is pleasant, but I am not a huge fan of the scent. I like using this as a morning cleanse or a second cleanse.

I much prefer the The Deep Cleanser though, with red clay, it offers a more thorough clean without being drying.

The Facial Radiance Pads were at the top of my list, with a blend of acids to exfoliate the skin without irritation, and leave skin smooth and glowing. I am really enjoying these, they don’t sting or make my skin red, but I do see a difference.

The Ginger & Turmeric Vitamin C Jelly Mask feels fresh and light on the skin, my skin looks brighter and more plump and supple after use.

 I was quite impressed with the Resurfacing Liquid 10% AHA, applied at night and left overnight, this chemical exfoliator banishes dull skin and leaves my skin looking bright and radiant.

The last product I have is the Lip Therapy, a nice enough lip balm, but I much prefer the Nuxe or Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream.

I have been trying a few Murad Skincare products too, and aside from the Invisblur Perfecting Shield I quite liked them all. I found Invisiblur too siliconey, and because I don’t wear a primer daily, I was not a fan. Also, I feel that a separate spf 50 is definitely needed, this would not offer enough protection, so I rather leave it out.

The AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser is gentle, with a slight grit, and I really adore it! I love the Perfecting Day Cream, which also offers additional spf as well as the ultra hydrating Hydro-Dynamic Ultra Moisturiser.

Finally, the Retinol Youth Renewal Serum which I can use every night without irritation. This isn’t as strong as other retinols I have tried, but I do like it.

Moving onto a few bits from the Vitamin C range from The Body Shop.

The Vitamin C Glow Revealing Liquid Peel definitely leaves my skin feeling softer and smoother, and looking brighter without being drying or abrasive. It does leave a weird tacky sticky feeling on my skin though, so I do use a cotton pad soaked in some toner to remove it fully. There isn’t much of a difference in my opinion between the three liquid peels offered by The Body Shop, so if you have one, I don’t think you need to add this one too, as they all remove dull skin leaving your skin smoother and brighter. I have reviewed the Drops of Light Peel here.

The Energising Face Mist is probably my favourite product from the range, it has a fresh citrus scent, hydrates and refreshes the skin and is affordable.

I like that the Glow Protect Lotion offers some sun protection, but I do still use a sunblock. It has a bit of a thick texture, but works well under makeup.

The Glow Boosting Moisturiser has a wonderful light, almost gel-like texture, and is a perfect summer moisturiser. Pop it into the fridge for an extra refreshing cool feeling.

Next up I have some beauties from Josie Maran. The 100% Pure Argan Oil is great for cuticles and hair, but I find it too heavy for my skin. The Lip and Cheek Creamy Oils are lightly tinted balm to oil products that can be used on lips and cheeks, although I prefer to use them on my lips only. The Intensive Creamy Oil is the untinted and richer version of the above, and works so well as an overnight lip mask. I have been loving the Argan Enlightenment Illuminizer and featured it in my January Favourites. Lastly I have the Surreal Skin Argan Finishing Balm that gives skin such a wonderful radiant glow, and can be used both under or over makeup.

Next up I have these two stunning Fenty Mattemoiselle Lipsticks in Spanked and Griselda. I adore Spanked, but find Griselda way too dark for me. I also tried a sample of the Pro Filt’r Foundation in 220 and Primer. I quite liked the foundation, the shade was perfect for me, and even though I prefer a more dewy finish, this didn’t make me look too flat. The primer was okay, nothing amazing.

I love samples, especially cute little mini lipsticks, so I gathered all of my YSL samples and here we are. I will have a full review up soon with swatches.

First up I have Rouge Pur Couture in Le Nu, a beautiful rosy nude with a satin finish which I love. Next up Rose Saint Germain, a bright pink glossy lipstick from the Rouge Volupte Shine range, this isn’t very pigmented or long lasting but I love the glossy pink shade for summer. I am a huge fan of lip stains, and the Tatouage Couture Matte Stain in Rouge Tatouage is pigmented, long lasting and gives lips a lovely pinkish red stain. Lastly I have the Glossy Stain in Coral Acrylic, which looks more of a dirty orange nude on me. I am not too much of a fan of this. I also tried a few shades of the Volupte Liquid Colour Balm, and I adore these pigmented lip masks/balms/oils.

The Black Opium scent is dark, spicy and sophisticated, and thanks to the jasmine and orange blossom notes still leans to the feminine side.

Lastly and that I somehow managed to leave out of my photo is the Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils. This mascara gives fluffy, natural but volumised, lengthened and separated lashes.

I picked up a few products from the Ectoplasm scent, and I love them! The Shower Scream is so bright and slimy and cheerful, and the Naked Shower Gel is just the same. The Jelly Bomb has a similiar citrus scent, and it leaves my skin really soft. The important thing to keep in mind with a Jelly Bomb is to crumble it under the running tap, as opposed to dropping it in the water like a regular bath bomb. It then dissolves evenly and leaves a squishy jelly layer at the top of your bath.

I need to put out there from the start that I expected more from Philip Kingsley. Aside from the scents that are somewhat nostalgic, they didn’t do much for my hair at all. The Re-moisturizing Shampoo is probably the best of the three, but it wasn’t nearly as moisturising as I expected. The Moisture Balancing Shampoo is so thin it pretty much ran through my fingers, and the Conditioner was average.

I received a huge press drop from *Schwarzkopf a while back, and of all of the products, these were my top picks. The Root Retoucher is pretty amazing, applied in a similiar way as you would dry shampoo, it coats greys well, but washes out easily. The Gliss Intense Therapy Range does a world of good for dry and damaged hair, and the Treatment Mask in particular makes my hair feel so soft and silky! The Ultimate Repair Oil Replacement works really well as a leave-in treatment or as a deep conditioner.

Thanks for reading my January First Impressions, what would you like a review on first?

*Press Sample