My Winter Beauty Essentials


With the freezing cold autumn weather in full swing (and Christmas gift guides and wishlists already flying about the place) it's all too obvious that winter will soon be here. Along with the festivities and merriment it's well worth sparing a thought for your skin and hair at this time of year, I don't know about you but mine can become dry, damaged and generally pretty unruly when left to their own devices! I like to have products on hand that I know are reliable and really work, here are a few that I'm currently loving for over the coldest months.

Facial Oil
I like: Clarins Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil
Facial oils were once a verrrry scary concept to me- the idea of putting oil onto my skin which can already be slightly oily seemed a bit counter productive to say the least. But facial oils are amazing for all skin types, and are particularly good for over the winter months as they keep the skin hydrated for longer. I've tried a couple of facial oils now (an honourable mention goes to Nspa's Deeply Hydrating Facial Oil) but the Clarins Blue Orchid treatment is my favourite. I use this around three times a week, it takes a couple of minutes to soak in so is definitely a night time product for me rather than something I'd put on before makeup. In the morning my skin feels noticeably softer and more nourished, always a good start to the day!

Hydrating Moisturiser
I like: Lotil Original Cream for Dry Skin
Lotil is one of those products that everyone should have in their stash. It's really cheap from Boots and an absolute lifesaver for all kinds of dry skin (it's good for everything from blisters, cuts and burns to psoriasis and eczema!) After using my regular night cream I've been going in with this on the drier patches on my cheeks and around my nose, but it would also make a really good hand or foot cream because it's incredibly hydrating. It's been tested over 100 years, and has been shown to be 100% effective in healing even the most dry and inflamed skin. Pretty impressive stuff!

Face Mask
I like: Skin Chemists Rapide Facial 
I do love a good face mask, if I'm feeling a bit rough or just want to give my skin a pick me up then a face mask always makes me feel so much better. While I have quite a few that I like and use regularly, this has got to me my ultimate favourite. Skin Chemists Rapide Facial is a glycolic mask which breaks down the 'glue' which holds all of those horrible dead skin cells together, which is perfect for this time of year when the weather and central heating can cause skin to look really dull and drab.

Lip Balm
I like: Jelly Belly Berry Blue
Jelly Belly do lip balms- who knew? As you'd expect if you've tasted their jelly beans, this tastes amazing and is a really effective little lip balm. The blue colour doesn't translate to the lips at all which is good (I'm not sure I'd pull off pale blue corpse lips if I'm honest!) I like that this is a stick format, throughout the autumn and winter when you're reapplying lip balm often it makes sense to go for the more hygenic stick format, rather than sticking your fingers into a lip balm tin. They do a whole range of other tasty looking flavours as well, definitely one to look out for if like me you're a sucker for fruity lip balm!

Eye Cream
I like: Una Brennan Super Facialist Neroli Firming
While eye cream is a year round essential, I feel that it's extra important to be appling it religiously in the winter. The delicate eye area is one of the first places to show signs of age, and so it makes sense to protect it from the elements with the right products. This one by Una Brennan is a great all rounder- it contains hylauronic acid for firming, shea butter for moisturising and caffeine extract to combat puffiness. It doesn't sting or irritate my eyes in the slighest, and absorbs really quickly. Una Brennan products are really reasonably priced, you can find them in Boots.

Repairing Hair Mask 
I like: Weleda Oat Replenishing Treatment
As with skin, the cold weather can cause havoc on hair and so using the right products to keep it hydrated and protected will mean you wont end up with a damaged mop on your head come the new year. Hair oils and masks are so important at this time of year, and just applying one a couple of times a week for ten minutes can make the world of difference. Weleda's Oat Replenishing Mask is one of the thickest and richest hair masks I've ever used- it contains organic jojoba, shea butter and extract of organic oat to smooth rough hair and add moisture. I apply this after conditioning my hair for ten to fifteen minutes while I'm soaking in the bath, usually with a face mask on too! 

What are your winter beauty essentials? Have you tried any of these products?