Johnson's Baby Oil...one bottle, so many uses

As part of my job, I have to test the latest launches in the world of beauty, from hot new dream creams to long-lasting nail polishes. Because of this, I receive a steady stream of beauty-laden parcels through my door. Lucky? Yes. Space saving? Not so much. So when the opportunity arose to put the multi-tasking Johnson's Baby Oil, from £1.85 (Boots) to the test, I jumped at the chance to save a little bit of space, not to mention time. Johnson's have launched the 'I heart Johnson's Baby Oil' challenge, a blogger-based competition to win a trip to Milan Fashion Week. Yes please! The challenge? To come up with some new on-trend, 'I never thought of that!' ideas for the cult classic.

The 70-year old beauty hero is revered for its moisture-locking properties, leaving skin silky-soft and uber hydrated. In fact, applied to damp, post-shower skin, it's said to lock in up to 10 times more moisture than other creams and lotions applied to dry skin. Fancy that! As regular Best Tressers will know, I'm a massive fan of body oils, but most of the ones I test are pretty steep in terms of price. Johnson's bargain oil really stood up in comparison - it's powdery scent is instantly calming and comforting, and after trying out the following looks, my skin hasn't felt this soft in a good few months. Check out the trends I created below.

Did you know? 1000 bottles of the cult classic are sold in the UK every day



Look 1: Beach Hair

Beach hair

Love that moment when you step out of the sea with your hair all sleek and mermaid-like - think Ursula Andress in that Bond film? Well I don't know about you, but within 20 minutes my beachy, slicked-back hair turns into a frizzy, matted mess. Wet-look is a massive trend this season so I decided to douse my tresses in baby oil and I was really happy with the result. After a look like this, you will need to wash your hair thoroughly - a double shampoo is wise. It's worth mentioning that after drying my hair following its oiling up, it felt softer. Bonus.

Get the look: First, I sprinkled on a generous amount of oil from root to tip and brushed through with a Tangle Teazer to ensure even, thorough coverage. I finished by combing my hairline backwards for a just-stepped-out-of-the-sea look.


Look 2: Gleaming Cheeks

Glossy cheekbones

 I cannot live with my pearlescent highlighter but yesterday I discovered the high-shine finish of Johnson's Baby Oil makes a totally acceptable susbtitute. Applied to the tops of the cheekbones, it catches the light to define the face and give a healthy, dewy glow.

Get the look: It's vital to take this look slowly. Too much oil on the cheeks will undo all your hard make-up work and just make you look greasy. Remember, you can always add more but it's harder to go back once you've applied too much. Add a droplet or two of oil to the tops of the cheeks with your middle or index finger and blend.

Look 3: Shiny, Happy Peepers

Shiny, happy peepers

A high-gloss eye is so editorial darling but there's no reason why this high fashion trend can't make it into the mainstream, especially when it's such a quick, easy and cheap look to achieve. Talk about shiny, happy, peepers.

Get the look: I made my eyes up as normal, starting with Mac Eyeshadow in Carbon, £11.50, and built up the colour. After applying a couple of coats of Stila mascara, I poured a few drops of Baby Oil into its trademark pink lid and gently dabbed it on to my eye with my middle finger, starting in the centre of the eye and working outwards. As you can see from the picture above, it does tend to crease quite easily so keep a cotton bud handy to blend in lines.

Look 4: Sexy Sheen

Sexy sheen

It's no secret that my party must-have is high-shine skin. In fact, forgetting to apply my body oil would be as traumatising as skipping foundation or mascara. I love the look of gleaming, light-catching skin and the great news is it's an instant way to slim legs.

Get the look: For an instant slimming trick, apply a few drops down the centre of each leg and massage in. I also applied a few drops of oil to the decolletage (FYI, the oil catches the light to create the illusion of a smoothed chest -great for older skins!), arms and shoulders.

And there's more...

* Bath oil
As I was getting ready on Saturday, I added a few drops of oil to my bath. Once I was dry, my skin didn't feel greasy os slimy at all, but soft to the touch and hydrated, which is a rare thing for my skin in these drying summer months. Plus, that baby-like smell permeating the bathroom was so relaxing.

* Face cleanser
This was perhaps my least favourite of the uses I attempted. I applied a few drops on to a cotton wool pad and gently wiped over my face to remove my makeup. It left my combination skin feeling a little greasy but did remove stubborn mascara more efficiently than my regular cleanser.

* Brow tamer
As someone with quite dark, big-ish brows, it's vital I keep on top of grooming...this means tweezing (no strays allowed), brow pencil (fill in the gaps) and brow gel (to tame unruly hairs). The great thing about the latter brow step is the healthy shine it imparts - an instant youth-boosting look. Instead of using my regular brow gel, I dipped a generic brow comb into a lid-full of Baby Oil and brushed over each brow. No it doesn't have the firm hold of a brow gel but it did leave my brows looking neater with a lovely shine.

“I have been asked to work with the makers of JOHNSON’S® Baby Oil to try their product and blog about it.  They have sent me a free sample and the winner of the best blog as determined by a panel of judges will win a trip to Milan during Fashion Week.”