My favourite things: beauty edition part 2

Following on from my last favourite things - beauty edition post which covered skin care and make up - here's part two, this time covering my must have hair and body care products...

1. Hair

As any of you who know me will know, I tend to wear my hair up a lot... I would love to be one of those high maintenance girls who styles and primps to perfection every morning, but the reality is I just can't be bothered - there are more important things in life to spend my time on!

So my favourite things when it comes to hair are as seen in the above image...

- Batiste dry shampoo
Confession time - I really dislike washing my hair. I think a lot of people use this sort of like a hair spray or a styling product for volume and hold, but me - nope, I'm afraid I just use it occasionally (yes, I promise - not all the time!) to stretch my hair an extra day between washes!
You can buy this at Boots.

- Kevin Murphy Young Again
I have a lot of hair. It's very fine hair, there's just a lot of it so it can get unruly. To help tame and smooth it I need to use a serum after washing, and when it's still wet and my favourite one of the moment is this one. It doesn't make my hair dry greasy, or feel horrible going on and it really helps calm the frizzies. Oh, and it smells great too. After having tried a lot of different serums and styling products over the years, this has to be one of the best I've found.
I bought it at Marquee Salon, Eastern Mangroves.

- Tangle teezer
Again, due to the fact I have a lot of hair, it can be horrible to brush after washing, but recently I came across this brush - the tangle teezer. My hairdresser uses them and I was impressed how easily it combed out the tangles without the hassle - even in hair like mine! I bought one and I've been a convert ever since.
I bought mine at my rather fabulous hairdresser, Glamour Salon.

- Invisibobble
Yep, I wear my hair up a lot. Mostly because it's easy, so I need a decent bobble. When I went to China in 2009 I came across a similar, unbranded version of the invisibobble, gave it a go, and that hardy wee bobble is still going strong and in my collection all these years later! A few months ago I noticed it was (finally) starting to get a bit too stretched and started searching for a suitable replacement - at which time I came across the invisibobble... and I just love them. They hold my hair well, they are strong plastic so don't go all horrible when wet and they're strong enough so that various hair products don't deteriorate the material and ultimately make them snap. They also don't pull or break your hair and are supposed to leave less of that pony tail kink or ridge in your hair when you take it down. I haven't really noticed this as my hair is quite wavy anyway but I guess the fact I haven't noticed it is a good thing - but even when I do wear my hair straight I can't say it's something I've noticed.
I bought mine in the UK, at Boots, but I think you can get them here in the UAE too.

2. Body care

- Elemis Frangipani Monoi Body Oil
I have really dry skin and never find that a normal body moisturiser does enough for me. I can't remember now when I started using this but I love it. I use it after a shower or bath and spread it all over, just like you would a body lotion. It smells amazing, soaks into my skin beautifully and leaves my skin moist and firm for ages.
You can buy it from various spas around the city including Eastern Mangroves, also Bloomingdales in Dubai or online at Elemis.ae.

- Izil Multi-Purpose Argan Oil
This is a recent find. When I was pregnant I wanted to use more natural products to avoid any nasties getting into my bloodstream that might affect the baby and so gave this a go. I was using it morning and night to help prevent stretch marks and keep my skin from getting itchy and it fast became another firm favourite. It's just brilliant, doesn't smell too much, is completely natural and just melts into your skin. You can even use it on your face and hair too!
You can buy this from their kiosk in Al Wahda Mall, Dalma Mall, or in Dubai at Ibn Battuta or Dubai Festival City.

- Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream
Another one that I have loved for years... this has long since been something that I use as an intensive lip balm before I go to bed every night. It's also great to slather on your hands and face before a long flight to prevent your skin drying out. It starts off feeling a bit sticky at first if you do this, but you can prevent that by using those thermal beauty glove thingies (I got a pair of white cotton ones in Tesco for buttons when I was back in the UK) and by the end of the flight it will have fully absorbed and your skin will feel amazing!
You can get this from beauty depts in lots of shops including Areej.

- Lucas Paw Paw Ointment
I discovered this in Australia and it really is the all in one cure for just about anything. It's made from fermented Paw Paw and you can use it for sun burn, spots, dry patches, eczema, minor burns, insect bites and just about anything - it really is a miracle cream! I'm usually very sceptical of these things but after using it I became a convert - why buy chemical filled antiseptic creams when you can use this instead?!
I get mine brought from Australia but I have heard there are other similar paw paw ointments available here in the UAE.

So there you have it! What are your thoughts on any of these products? Let me know what your favourites are in the comments!