I thought I might throw a few Christmas beauty life-savers out there. Now that the temperature has definitely dropped and as I sit here typing, I am geared up in my matching Topshop scarf and hat (yes this would be one of my many early chrimbo prezzies to myself)
Firstly I couldn't help but stick a Christmas countdown gift in, knowing how much us girls love a chocolate treat, especially in our advent calendar. Well forget the chocolate, what could be better than a calendar filled with nail varnishes?....who says you can't change your colour everyday, and surely anything to help us get into the festive mood is a winner.
To then achieve those perfect nails, I have been slathering on Horse power by Butter London, painted nails are a must. Unfortunately they don't seem to be much of a fan of me...give me 5mins of immaculate nails, before the chipping begins. Mainly down to my weak nails. So I am religiously painting this bad boy on daily.
I have featured a few christmassy shades in my previous post, however Essie have released a new collection of glitzy nails. Lets face it anything red or glitzy is perfect for this time of year.
Prep it!
I have tried and tested all of the below and have to say am a fan of them all. We have seen a surge of melt away skin care has hit the shops.
My all time favourite will be of course Dermalogica with its Pre-cleanse, which massages on as an aroma therapeutic oil, only to wash off as a milky cleanser ridding the face of any stubborn make-up. With much the same concept Eve Loms facial cleanser, is applied like a balm and rinsed off with the help of a Muslim cloth. Both give you a great excuse to spend a little extra time giving yourself a facial massage. I also like a good bit of exfoliation in my routine, however some exfoliators can be harsh and if you scrub too often, you can actually end up drying out you face, causing those oil glands to go into overdrive. This potentially ends in unwanted breaks outs. Give Dermalogica's Daily microfoliant a go, it is a lot more gentler and still gives that fresh canvas we crave after exfoliation.
A brand I am also loving is Jurlique they do a great range, featuring scents to suit everyone. I particularly love there Rosewater balancing mist, it smells lush and is great after cleansing.
SOS!!
With the change in season, everyone suffers with the effects the cold weather brings. Above are some must have skin Savior's, I always have at the ready.
Eve Lom Dynaspot, is a treatment combining tea tree oil and chamomile for the ideal spot treatment, apply this all day to help calm any red angry breakouts. For the ultimate face mask, Ren have a great purifying mask - Clear calm 3 clarity restoring mask, well suited for that end of the week pamper, to give stressed skin a good detox. I religiously apply Cauldalie's Divine oil day and night, you can tell I am a fan, as I have mentioned this product previously. However unlike many oils this one is easily absorbed, smells amazing and can pretty much be used for everything, even on your hair. Another multi-purpose product is Elizabeth Arden's 8 hour cream, I'll always have a tube of this knocking about somewhere ready to treat dry lips, hands and pretty much any skin irritation.
Lip Service!
Admittedly I have about 3 jars of carmex on the go, one in my bag, one on my desk and one in my pocket...I can't get enough, they are never-ending! I also have 8 hour cream, Mac lip balm and Lucas Papaw ointment. Funnily enough I rarely suffer from dry lips and you wonder why. But below are just a select few products on offer to keep those lips puckered up through the frosty weeks ahead.
Of course you'll see some usual suspects good ol' Carmex and Vaseline, Lucas papaw does much the same as these two. Kiehl's and Mac do their own lip balms, whilst also containing a SPF, are maybe a bit more luxurious with a more conditioning finish. For those who want more of a lip popping effect, try Smashbox's O-plump to give you that pout to shout about.
Prime
Now the canvas is prepped, your ready to prime. There is a huge choice of primers out there, pricier does not always mean they are better. I do find Mac has a great range, their Fortified skin enhancer comes in four varieties; one to revive, illuminate, neutralise and adjust. Once you have applied this go ahead with using your choice of coverage. I have stuck in smashboxes BB cream, as BB creams seem to be the way forward with there balancing properties.
Last but not least I would say if your hair is also in need of some TLC, Bumble and Bumbles Creme De Coco mask, not only smells good enough to eat, but also gives your hair an intense conditioning treat.
Hopefully some of those beauties, will help you survive the party season and help you stay looking fab!
Lx
