Cold Weather Skin Saviours

If ever there's a time when my skin feels a bit dry, dehydrated and lacklustre it's at this time of year. The bitingly cold weather and central heating are recking havoc on my skin not to mention the after effects of one too many late nights in December. My skin has a tendency to get very sensitive in the cold but over the last few years I've managed to come up with an arsenal of products to keep it in tip top condition. 

Cleansing is so important in the cold, anything foaming will just strip the small amount of moisture there is in the skin. I've been using the Nude Perfect Cleansing Oil in the evenings and the Aurelia Miracle Cleanser in the mornings and as a second cleanse at night. The combination of the two have left my skin feeling fresh and clean but still plumped up, nourished and soft. 

The Clarins Special Eye Contour Balm is one I seem to come back to every winter, I spoke about it more in my Morning Skincare Routine Video which you can see here. It's rich and moisturising but still sinks in easily and sits well under makeup. I've also upped my usage of Time Bomb's Youth Juice Secret Oil from a couple of times a week to 3 or 4, I've also been piling it on on at-home, no makeup days. It too sinks in easily and the lovely scent makes it such a pleasure to use. 

I generally moisturise my body all year round but in winter I love an oil or a super rich body butter. The Bliss Lemon+Sage Body Butter is so thick it's almost solid, it takes a bit of rubbing in to get it to sink in but boy is it worth it! I've been quickly working my way through this deluxe sample tube but a full size purchase may be in order! 

Two things I definitely couldn't forgo are hand cream and lip balm, Soap & Glory Hand Food is everyones favourite for a reason, it smells lovely, is lastingly moisturising and most importantly doesn't leave a reside on the hands. The Body Shop's Coconut Lip Butter is thick and moisturising enough to heal even the most cracked lips but unfortunately does leave a bit of a pale cast on the lips. For that reason, I reserve it for overnight use and I always have super soft lips come morning!

What are your favourite cold weather products?

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Another Little Haul

Another haul, I know, shoot me. It's been barely a week since my last one and here we are again. I really wanted the Nars Digital World Lip Pencil Coffret when it came out and as usual I dilly-dallied and they quickly sold out. Story of my life. Luckily they came back into stock and I quickly snapped one up. (As I write this they're still in stock online). I'm so glad I got it as I just love all of the shades, there isn't a single dud. 

When I'm in Boots, the Essie stand always manages to draw me in, their polishes are so pretty and I'm a sucker for anything arranged in colour order. I decided to go for a barely there pinky nude called Not Just A Pretty Face, which made it onto my nails in record time. I'm already certain this is going to become a long term favourite.

The last thing I got was the Nars Multiple in South Beach which is just a ridiculously beautiful colour. It looks really orange in the bullet but doesn't transfer that way, it applies as a sheer coraly-bronze that does wonders to warm up dull skin. I've been using it as a blusher/highlighter hybrid and I love it. 

Have you bought any new makeup recently?

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May Favourites

May has been a bit of a horrible month for me as I've been ill for the last 2 weeks. When I'm ill anything even vaguely resembling a beauty or skincare routine goes out the window. Instead, I've been reaching for Lemsip, Strepsils and lots and lots of tea! That said, there are a few products that I was loving before I was ill as well as some really quick and easy to use ones!

First up is the Avon Ideal Flawless CC Cream, I've recently switched from wearing foundation to something a bit lighter on a day to day basis and I'm loving it. It's incredibly lightweight, blends really easily and has SPF50 as an added bonus! Expect a full review coming soon!

I have fallen head over heels for the formula of the Barry M Gelly Shine Nail Paints, particularly the shade Blueberry which I've been wearing on my toes non stop for the last couple of months as well as on my fingers for most of that time too!

I've been wearing my hair au naturel as of late thanks to a combo of 2 products, both from Lee Stafford. The first is the Argan Oil Curl Creme (full review here) which I've been working into just washed hair while its still wet. I then leave it to air dry and it's leaves me with perfectly formed curls. For next day frizz touch ups I've been spraying in some Argan oil Anti-Frizz Serum Spray which revives curls and leaves everything looking a bit smoother and glossier. 

Having a cold meant dry skin and lots of hot baths! I added a small scoop of coconut oil to my baths, not only is the fragrance amazing but it also meant I didn't have to faff around with body lotion afterwards. 

Aside from cleansing, the only thing I've been putting on my skin for the last 2 weeks is the Botanics 100% Organic Facial Oil (full review here). I've been using it in the mornings and evenings and it's done my skin a world of good. I actually think my skin looks better now than before I was ill!

The last thing I've been loving is The Body Shop Sweet Lemon Lip Butter, it's been helping to moisturise my dry lips and it tastes smells delicious!

What products have you been loving this month?

REVIEW: The Body Shop Mango Lip Butter

I'm a big fan of The Body Shop Lip Butters, I spoke about the richer Shea Butter one here. In the last few weeks I've switched over to the Mango one, it has a much lighter consistency which is great now that the weather isn't bitterly cold and lip chapping.

It's a great lip balm which doesn't leave any kind of cast on the lips (unlike the Shea one if applied heavy handedly) and it smells absolutely delicious, any mango fan is guaranteed to love this! It also leaves the lips feeling nice and soft and not at all like you need to reapply immediately. 

Have you tried any of The Body Shop Lip Butters?

REVIEW: The Body Shop Shea Lip Butter

No thanks to the cold weather, cranked up central heating and the cold I had for most of last week, my lips have been feeling dry, sore and generally a bit worse for wear. After trying quite a few lip balms, none of which did much, I tried The Body Shop Shea Lip Butter. It completely brought my lips back to life in the space of about a day and a half.

Obviously I was seriously impressed and have been using it non stop ever since. It has an extremely thick formula, so you only need a tiny amount. I spread a thin layer over the lips and top it up when ever I feel like I need a bit more. It has a sweet, nutty fragrance that makes it lovely to use, and I think it's really good value considering how long this pot will last me. The only slight downside to it is if you're a bit heavy handed with the application it can leave a slight white cast but as you only need a tiny amount that isn't too much of a problem. 

Have you tried any of The Body Shop's Lip Butters? 

REVIEW: Chanel Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss in 56 Imaginaire

If ever I had to pick just one lip gloss to wear for the rest of all time, obviously such a situation will never occur so we're talking hypothetical here, I would definitely choose the Chanel Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss in 56 Imaginaire. Described as 'a gloss with the colour intensity of a lipstick' the formula is great, it isn't sticky and doesn't cling to any dry patches on the lips, in fact, it hydrates them leaving them feeling a lot softer than they were before, thanks to the added shea butter, canola oil and vitamin E.

It comes in super sleek black packaging with the gold Chanel logo at the top, it just feels so luxe! It has a traditional doe foot applicator, as with most glosses, and I find the formula lasts really well, about 3 - 4 hours which I think is pretty good for a gloss.

My choice of shade is a lovely sheer pinky peach with warm undertones, it's very flattering and is definitely the old cliche 'my lips but better shade'. I find it completes any makeup look from minimal to a full blown smokey eye. It's such an easy to wear shade that I can quite happily swipe it on without a mirror. 

I could quite happily wear this gloss everyday, but at the cost of £25.00, I don't want to go through it too quickly! So I'm on the hunt for a cheaper alternative (suggestions welcome!). When I do run this tube dry I'll definitely be repurchasing it and I also have my eye on a couple of the other shades in the range.  

In fact, I love this lip gloss so much, I wore it on my wedding day! What's your favourite lip gloss?

REVIEW: Nivea Raspberry Rose Lip Butter

The Nivea Raspberry Rose Lip Butter seems to be one of those products that has had a lot of hype in the beauty blogging world. People love this stuff. I understand why, it smells divine, like a delicious raspberry yoghurt, but for me it didn't quite live up to expectations.

Much as I love the scent, I found the actual consistancy to be disappointing. It's very thick, which isn't terrible in itself but I find the product leaves lips with a very pale pink cast. Which on my complexion just looks ridiculous! If you have very fair lips/complexion this might work for you but on anyone else it is definitely an unflattering tinted balm.

That said, it hasn't gone to waste, it does moisturise lips fairly well and I like the scent so I've just been applying it sparingly before bedtime! I'll use it up, but I definitely won't be buying it again!