It's mid winter right now and we're all at that point where our skin is a bit worse for wear and our hair is dryer than ever, together with the help of some of my instagram friends I've found 8 beauty products that give us a bit of TLC in these cold months.
Firstly I chose this Herbal Essences 'Split End Protection Cream'. I have long hair which tends to become very brittle in the cold weather, I bought this when it was on offer in Boots but it retails at £4.70 for a 150ml bottle. I think this price is great because you get a lot of product for your money and a little bit goes a long way. It's basically a leave in conditioner that you can apply to damp or dry hair, I squirt about 3 pumps into my hands and then run it through the ends of my hair after towel drying it. So far I think it's brilliant and really has cleared up most of my split ends, it smells absolutely amazing of raspberries which is a bonus as the smell lasts ages. I really reccomend this for people who have particularly dry hair as it seems to lock in the moisture especially if you condition your hair in the shower beforehand.
Next up are the Soap and Glory body scrubs! The picture below is courtesy of the lovely @hellobirdie_xo on instagram. These were favourited by several instagrammers including @hellobirdie_xo, @alfarrant and @ameliavickery. I've tried the sugar crush scrub before and it really does leave your skin feeling softer and hydrated and an added bonus is they smell incredible! Soap and Glory can be found at Boots, instore and online, one of the 300ml tubs of the Sugar Crush body scrub is £8 which may seem pricey for a shower product but they last for ages and are definitely worth the money.
Scrubbing away all the dry and horrible skin is all well and good but only if you then lock in moisture with an amazing moisturiser afterwards. I found it hard to choose one so I chose 10! If anyone knows me well they will know I am head over heels in love with everything body shop, I think I've probably tried pretty much everything they sell. I love their body butters and can't rave about them enough. My personal favourite is either the Pink Grapefruit or Strawberry. They smell incredible and the smell lasts on your skin for ages. One of the great things about these moisturisers for the winter is that they are ridiculously thick, so thick that I think in the summer it would take a lot of standing around waiting for them to sink into your skin, however in the winter if you have the patience to let them sink in they will keep you hydrated for a long amount of time. These retail at £12.50 each however The body Shop are known for their amazing all year round sales so can usually be found for less or on offer when you buy several! (There is currently a 25% off all purchase sale on www.thebodyshop.co.uk when you enter the code NEW25) I do think if you pay full price it is worth it as again they last for a very long time, I have 10 and not one is finished and some I've barely even started, these are going to last me a very very long time!
The next thing was chosen by Instagrammer @holliedollie26 and is this Lip Scrub from Lush. Now even though I am very loyal to the body shop I think this winter I really have been converted to Lush, the products are just so lovely, this lip scrub was one of the first things I bought from there and I am so glad I did. Firstly when you open the lid you get this overwhelming smell of bubblegum (hence the name) which I LOVE! However if this is not to your taste they also do a popcorn or mint flavour. I suffer quite badly from dry and chapped lips and when you try to apply lipstick it can look really awful, this lip scrub is a godsend, get a tiny bit on your finger and rub it in to the dry areas of your lips, when you feel it's done its job just lick it straight off! Not only does it smell great but it tastes great too, bonus! It helps lipsticks glide on and leaves your lips smooth and refreshed. These lip scrubs will put you out of pocket £5.25 for a 25g tub, totally worth it. 25g may not seem a lot but when you're using a tiny amount at a time it will last you longer than you think!
A few of us instagrammers were in agreement on the next one, it's MAC lipsticks! I chose the colour 'Cosmo' however @amyforre on instagram chose 'Rebel' a beautiful dark red colour and @hellobirdie_xo chose 'chatterbox' which is quite similar to cosmo except it's more of a rosy pink, she added that it was a 'bright lip to perk up dull skin in the winter' I think this comment fits MAC lipsticks perfectly, our skin can get dull and worse for wear in the winter and with these lipsticks no one would ever know. I think all 3 of these colours are perfect for winter and with MAC there literally is a colour to suit everybody. I love the colour cosmo, it's a dark pink perfect to wear out in the day, I feel it warms up your skin tone and applying this after the Lush lip scrub it glides on like a dream and lasts hours! These can be found in MAC stores/counters and online for £14 each.
The next one is one of my personal favourites. Being a baker I regularly have to cut my nails which I hate! When I get a bit of time off (like now!) I love that I can grow my nails again, I received this Sally Hansen Maximum Growth nail treatment from my sister for christmas and I must say it does work wonders, it genuinely speeds up nail growth and keeps them strong for ages. It exceeds any expectations I ever had for nail treatments. After using it for 2 weeks after christmas my nails were beautifully long and stronger than they ever have been before and I'm pretty sure it's down to this little miracle worker. I'm using it again now and I love the shiny finish it gives your nails. This can also be found at boots and is £4.75, so cheap for the quality of product you receive!
The next product is another one from Lush, I chose the Bath Bomb 'The Enchanter' as it is my favourite however I reccomend ALL lush bath bombs, I have tried quite a few since the beginning of winter and I am completely hooked I love them and am determined to try every single one Lush sells! @Chloooe97 on Instagram also reccomended a Lush Bath Bomb called 'Party Popper' check out all the bombs at any Lush store or at www.Lush.co.uk. I love them for so many reasons, firstly I love having baths, I love laying in the warm water when it's freezing cold outside, I love relaxing and seeing the steam come from the water, I love the smell of the bath bombs (which lasts the whole bath and more) even when the water is drained the bathroom is left smelling amazing, as is your skin! I love that the bath bombs aren't just for fun and they really do make your skin feel lovely, they act as a moisturiser and bath bomb all in one. I really love the fun factor, this is my favourite bath bomb as it looked so different in the bath to how it did to begin with, it was orange on the outside and once i popped it in the bath and the outer shell fizzed away it split into two halves, one magenta and one bright yellow, which both fizzed creating this amazing orange colour, and who doesn't like bathing in orange water!? If you want a surprise try the 'Golden Wonder' bath bomb! There are ones that are solely for fun and smell nice but there are also skin conditioning ones, relaxation ones, ones for babies, there's pretty much a bath bomb for all occasions and you know with lush they're made using quality ingredients, by hand, to the great lush standard we all know. The bath bombs range in price from approximately £1.50-£4.50 each.
Lastly these Body Shop Shimmer Cubes were chosen by @eloiseannekex on twitter. I have some of these cubes however mine are much brighter colours suited for the summer. I love the colours Eloise has chosen, she says they're everyday colours that give you a bit of 'winter sparkle' the warm pink and brown tones will really warm up your skin tone in the colder winter months and the shimmer in them means they are perfect for both day and night wear. What I love about these cubes is that they are pigmented... to an extent, if you want a light dusting of these colours then that is do-able using a fluffy eyeshadow brush sweeping across the lid or through the crease, using a more compact brush and packing more product on you can get a darker more smoky look and by adding a drop of water to these colours they transform into highly pigmented cream shadows that last for hours, perfect paired with a winged eyeliner and dramatic lashes on a night out. A set of four of these cubes cost £16 and can be found at www.thebodyshop.co.uk or in Body Shop stores.
Thank you to everyone on Instagram and Twitter who reccomended products, of course I could only write about the products I have tried and tested however below are the rest of the reccomendations, feel free to chat to one another about these products for further details and who knows we may all find a new favourite winter saviour!
Instagram -
@hellobirdie_xo said the YSL touche eclat foundation is the perfect winter foundation as it doesn't cling to dry patches. She also reccomends the Reve De Miel lip balms as they are perfect for solving dry cracked lips!
@alfarrant said anything soap and glory! She particularly likes the hand food moisturiser, the smoothie body milk moisturiser and the spray on moisturiser as it's perfect for those days when it's too cold to 'stand around naked rubbing moisturiser all over you' I really want to try the spray on one it sounds amazing.
@amyforre said Burts bees lip balm to prevent dry lips and a good moisturiser e.g. benefit!
@eleanorspain said she loves the body shop coconut oil for renewing dry hair. She said Balmi lip balms are amazing as you don't have to take your hand out of your glove to stick your fingers in a tub (so true) and it's mint which is nice and tingly in the cold. She also said the one thing she would never go without is a good toner at night otherwise her skin gets so dehydrated, she particularly loves botanics rosewater spritz as it's very hydrating, may have to try this!
@chloooe97 said strawberry and milkshake bubble bath/shower creme from lush as it leaves your skin so soft and smooth, she also reccomends soap and glory hand food, the ted baker body sprays as they smell amazing! And finally the born lippy lip balms from the body shop.
Twitter -
@eloiseannekex said she keeps make up to a minimum in the winter as her skin gets very dried out, she's loving the collection 2000 concealer from boots and the body shop shimmer cubes (shown above)!
@bryonyeleanorr said estee lauder day wear moisturizer and chanel rouche coco shine evasion lip stick as it's warm toned, another lovely colour to keep you looking great through the winter!
Comment below with your Winter Beauty Saviours and why you love them so much!
:)
