Forever Kerry

Does anyone else save the “nice” things? 😅

You know what I mean.

The lovely hand cream you don't want to finish.

The skincare you've decided is too nice for an ordinary day.

The new product sitting unopened because you're going to start it at the “right time”.

I've definitely been guilty of this, and when you think about it, it's ridiculous.

They're there to be used.

I'm trying to get much better at opening the nice things and actually enjoying them instead of keeping them in a cupboard like they're going to become valuable antiques.

And there's something quite satisfying about getting to the bottom of a product knowing you've properly enjoyed it.

So here's your Wednesday challenge:

Go and use one of the things you've been saving.

What have you got tucked away waiting for a special occasion - skincare, toiletries, perfume, candles, a fancy bottle of something, or even clothes you've decided are “too good” for everyday?

And more importantly, what exactly are we all saving them for? 💜

Why are the smallest habits sometimes the hardest to remember?

It's never the big complicated things I forget.

It's the things that take about 30 seconds.

Take my supplements.

They're sitting there. I know I want to take them. It takes practically no time at all.

And yet if I don't make them part of my normal routine, it's surprisingly easy to get halfway through the day and think, “Oh, I haven't taken those.”

I've found I'm much better with things that have a natural place in my day rather than relying on myself to remember them at some random point.

The same goes for drinking enough water, putting hand cream on or any of those other tiny things we say we're going to do regularly.

It's not always about finding another new habit.

Sometimes it's about making the ones you've already chosen easy enough to actually stick to.

What's your 30-second thing that you STILL manage to forget? 😅

Taking vitamins? Drinking water? Hand cream? Putting something away instead of leaving it on the stairs for three days?

Please tell me it's not just me. 💜

What I thought this business would be, versus what it actually became 💜

When I first joined ESSENS, I honestly thought it would be pretty straightforward.

Sell some perfume. Make a bit of extra money. See how it goes.

Seven years later, it's become a lot more than that.

Yes, I still sell perfume - quite a lot of it. 😂 But I've also learned about skincare, wellness, fragrance notes and ingredients I probably wouldn't even have noticed before.

I've done stalls, packed samples, spent far too long deciding which perfume I'm wearing, met some brilliant people and made friends I wouldn't otherwise have met.

And I've built something that fits around my life and my NHS job, rather than having to completely change my life to fit around it.

That's probably the biggest difference between what I imagined and the reality.

I didn't start with a grand plan to build an empire. I wanted something different alongside a job where my working day is centred around illness - something that gave me a bit more focus on wellness, lovely products and people enjoying themselves.

Seven years on, I'm still here.

Still learning. Still trying new things. Still getting excited when someone finds a product or perfume they absolutely love.

And yes, still occasionally wondering where on earth I'm going to put all the stock. 💜

If you'd told me seven years ago I'd still be doing this now, I'm not sure I'd have believed you.

Have you ever started something thinking it would be a small part of your life, only for it to turn into something much bigger than you expected?

20% minimum perfume essence sounds impressive, but does that automatically mean a perfume will last all day?

Not necessarily.

Fragrance concentration is only one part of the story.

The actual scent composition matters too. Some fragrance materials naturally disappear more quickly, while others hang around much longer.

Then there's your skin.

A perfume can still be noticeable hours later on one person but seem to vanish much faster on someone else. I've certainly noticed that while testing all the new fragrances recently.

And then there's your nose. Sometimes your brain simply gets used to a scent you've been wearing, so you stop noticing it even though somebody else still can.

That's why I don't like judging a perfume from one quick spray.

I want it on my skin, then I want to see what happens over the next few hours.

Sometimes the one I love immediately doesn't work out, and the one I'm unsure about at first gets much better.

How important is longevity to you when choosing a perfume?

Would you rather have a fragrance you absolutely LOVE but need to respray, or one that lasts from morning until night? 💜

Do you actually finish your products?

I was thinking about this the other day.

How often do we actually get to the very bottom of a product before opening something else?

There's always something new to try, something that smells lovely, or something sitting in the cupboard that I'd completely forgotten I had.

But I think finishing a product probably tells you far more than me saying I like it.

If I've squeezed, scraped or pumped out every last bit and then gone looking for another one, that's a pretty good review!

So I'm going to start paying more attention to my ESSENS empties.

Not just “here's a product and what it does”, but:

Did I finish it?
Would I buy it again?
Did I miss it when it ran out?

Because they're the things I'd want to know if someone was recommending something to me.

Are you someone who finishes one product before opening the next, or have you currently got about six half-used bottles on the go?

And what's the last product you finished and immediately replaced? X

Something I wish more people knew about skincare.

You don't have to use every product from the same range.

Your cleanser might be from one range, your serum from another and your moisturiser from somewhere completely different.

And that's absolutely fine.

I do it myself. I choose products because of what I want them to do and how they feel on my skin, not because the bottles all match nicely on the bathroom shelf.

For example, you might want something gentle for cleansing, a serum to target the appearance of fine lines, and a moisturiser because your skin feels dry.

The important bit is finding a routine that suits your skin and that you'll actually use.

So rather than asking “Which skincare range should I buy?”, a better place to start can be:

“What does my skin actually need?”

If you could change ONE thing about how your skin currently looks or feels, what would you choose?

More hydration? Less dryness? Brighter-looking skin? Help with the appearance of fine lines? Or are you actually pretty happy with it? 💜

More shampoo doesn't mean cleaner hair 🧴

Hands up if you've ever squeezed out a massive blob of shampoo because your hair felt particularly dirty. 🙋‍♀️

It's very easy to think more product = better result, but you don't necessarily need loads.

With shampoo, I'm concentrating on my scalp and roots, where the oil and build-up tends to be, rather than piling shampoo through every inch of my hair.

Then conditioner is the opposite - I'm much more interested in the lengths and ends than covering my scalp in it.

And I've learned it's much easier to start with a smaller amount and add a little more if I need it than discover I've squeezed out enough shampoo for half the street.

It's one of those really simple things that can also make your bottles last longer.

How do you wash yours?
Shampoo once or twice?
Conditioner every wash or only occasionally?

And be truthful, are you a sensible little blob person or a giant handful person? X

What does that little jar actually mean?

Have you ever noticed the tiny picture of an open jar on your skincare or makeup?

It'll usually have something like 6M, 12M or 24M written inside it.

And no, it isn't telling you how long the product will last me before I need to buy another one. 😂

It's the Period After Opening (PAO) symbol.
So:
6M = use within 6 months of opening
12M = use within 12 months
24M = use within 24 months

It's something that's really easy to overlook, especially when you've got products that seem to last forever.

The problem is, does anyone actually remember WHEN they opened them?

It's also worth paying attention if a product changes significantly in smell, colour or texture rather than automatically carrying on using it just because there's some left.

Go and have a nosey at a couple of products in your bathroom.

Did you know what that little jar meant?

And what's the oldest product you've currently got open? 💜

🎄 CHRISTMAS IS COMING 🎄

I know, I know, we're not even in October yet.

But if you're one of those people who likes to get organised early, this one's for you.

4 x 50ml perfumes for £100 from our Standard and Classic ranges.

That's four presents sorted in one go.

You could choose one for your mum, your partner, your bestie, that person who's impossible to buy for.

Or perhaps:
🎁 One for Mum.
🎁 One for a friend.
🎁 One for someone else.
🎁 One that somehow accidentally ends up in your perfume collection.

Don't worry, I won't tell anyone if you get something for yourself! 😂

With the new fragrances just launched too, there's even more choice this year.

If you'd like the fragrance list, just let me know and I'll send it over. And if you're stuck choosing for someone, tell me a little about the perfumes they normally wear and I'll help you narrow it down.

Are you an early Christmas shopper, or are you firmly in the “I'll think about it in December” camp? 🎄

What’s the most boring product you use every single day? 😂

Not your favourite perfume.

Not the gorgeous skincare serum.

Not the product you’d show off in a photo.

I mean the completely ordinary product that quietly gets used over and over again.

For me, things like deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner probably get far less attention on here than the more exciting products - yet they're the ones that actually get used all the time.

And I think we’re all a bit like that.

We get excited about the new or fancy things, while the dependable little products in the bathroom just keep doing their job.

So today I'm giving the boring products some appreciation.

What’s your everyday product that you’d genuinely be annoyed to discover you'd run out of?

And is there something you buy repeatedly without even thinking about trying another one? X