Winter Skincare & Body Essentials

As soon as the temperature drops my skin tends to go a bit haywire. The combination of the cold air outside and central heating inside causes so many dry patches and flakiness, it is not a pretty sight! I know I'm not alone with this so here are the skincare and body products I have added to my routine to combat this.

No. 1 - Ultrabland from Lush

This is a beautiful cleansing balm with so many moisturising and calming ingredients so it's almost guaranteed not to upset your skin. I apply a small amount of this to dry skin and massage it in then remove with a damp face cloth and it removes all traces of make up and leaves my skin feeling really clean but still super nourished. It has no scent whatsoever which I definitely prefer from my cleansers and it says it is suitable for all skin types. This is also a super affordable cleansing balm compared to others that I've tried and it does the same job for a fraction of the price.

No. 2 - Intensive Glow Pads Brightening Treatment from Bare Minerals

As my skin has been so dry is was seriously lacking in any radiance and was looking so dull I needed to seriously inject some life back into it. I was in Boots with my Mum one day and was having a pretty loud moan about my horrible skin to her and the girl from the Bare Minerals counter grabbed me and showed me these. Bare Minerals isn't a brand which I would usually pay much attention to and I haven't heard much about their skincare but I am so impressed with these. They come in a tub and contain pads already soaked in the solution so they're really quick and easy to use. After cleansing you just sweep the more textured side over your skin (avoiding eye area) then repeat with the smoother side then dispose of the used pad and you're done. Even after just one use I noticed a huge difference, my skin was a much even texture and a really stubborn dry patch on my forehead had almost completely gone. After a few more uses my skin was considerably brighter and radiant. They are an acid exfoliator so not to be used more than 3x a week and I was at first worried they may upset my skin a little but so far I haven't had any problems. The only downside it the price as they are £34, but the tub does contain 60 pads so really it's not too much money compared to how many uses you will get from one tub.

No. 3 - Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream

I think this moisturiser featured in a Favourites post this time last year. If I could only use one moisturiser for the rest of my life it would be this one. For me it offers unbeatable hydration which lasts throughout the entire day or night without feeling heavy or greasy on the skin. For such an intensive moisturiser it is so lightweight and sinks in so quickly, my skin absolutely loves this stuff. It doesn't have any SPF in it so I usually just use this as my night time moisturiser but if I know I am having a day inside then I sometimes use this in the morning too as it sits really nicely under make up. As with Ultrabland it is completely unscented so won't upset any skin sensitive to fragrance.

No. 4 - Rose Hydrate Intense Moisture Mask Superfacialist by Una Brennan

This mask is very heavily rose scented so this will either be a love it or hate it product. If I'm using a face mask I like it to have a nice fragrance and I am a big rose fan so I adore this. It's not thick in texture which makes it very easy to apply to your skin. Once applied it instantly feels calming and moisture boosting and is just a lovely experience. I leave it on for 5-10 minutes then rinse the majority of it off with a splash of warm water then I take a damp face cloth and remove the rest of it properly and continue with the rest of my skincare routine. It leaves your skin feeling so plump and hydrated and a nice addition to my winter skincare routine a couple times a week. I also like the fact it comes in a tube as it makes application much less messy compared to masks in a pot.

No. 5 Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve

My hands probably suffer the most throughout winter, they get so dry the skin ends up cracking and becoming so sore. This Kiehl's hand cream helps so much. It almost creates a moisturising barrier against the cold which is exactly what I need. It contains avocado oil and sesame oil so it is very nourishing for poor dry skin and it smells gorgeous. It does take a while to sink in thoroughly but in winter I think that is actually a good thing as it provides longer lasting hydration and protection from the cold. I apply this to clean hands just before I'm about to go outside. This is a miniature version which is perfect handbag size, the full size version however is really huge and I would not want to carry it around in my handbag. 

No. 6 - E45 Intense Recovery Lotion

Not the most glamourous or exciting beauty product but for me it is such an essential. E45 is a magical brand and one that has been in my house my entire life. The original E45 cream was used on my skin throughout my childhood and I've used it on all my tattoos whilst they have been healing. During winter it's not just the skin that is exposed to the elements that dries out, it effects my whole body so I picked this up a few weeks ago after my friend with eczema said it helped his skin. I don't have eczema but this has definitely done a great job of hydrating the skin on my body after showering or bathing. As it's a lotion it is much thinner than the original E45 cream which makes it very easy to smooth over large surface areas and to my surprise it sinked in so quickly which is essential during cold months as standing around waiting for moisturiser to sink in before getting dressed isn't fun in winter! Again it's another unscented product and is hypoallergenic so is perfect for even the most sensitive skin. Also £5.99 for a big bottle is so affordable, you can't go wrong.

This definitely wasn't the most luxurious of posts but these few products really have been a saviour for my dry skin and I can't recommend them enough so anyone suffering with similar over the winter season.

Thanks for reading
Laura x

Twitter: @laurasivers
Instagram: @laurasivers_
Tumblr: helloenvy-o

40 Questions Beauty Tag | Laura Sivers

40 Questions Beauty Tag

Hi everyone, I thought I would do a fun Beauty tag post for you today for some light, easy reading and it was a bit of fun for me.

Hope you enjoy :)

The Questions:

SKINCARE

-How many times do you wash your face daily?

Usually twice a day; morning and night, however if I have a show in the evening and have been wearing normal make up during the day I will cleanse my fave before applying stage make up.


-What skin type do you have? (dry,oily,combo)
I have combination to dry skin, my cheeks and forehead are really dry but I can get a bit oily around my nose. 

-What is your current facial wash?
La Roche Posay Physiological Cleansing Gel is my standard facial wash. If I'm in need of a deeper clean I will use Estée Lauder Perfectly Clean wash/mask.

-Do you exfoliate?
Occasionally if I feel the urge to - you know sometimes your skin feels like a bit itchy and needs a bit of a scrub??

-What brand do you use?
La Roche Posay. My favourite skincare brand.

-What moisturizer do you use?
Day time I use Estée Lauder Day Wear over the top of Hydralauron gel and at night I use Kiels Ultra Facial Creamon top of Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair serum.

-Do you have freckles?
Nope. I wish I did though - freckles are so super pretty.

-Do you use eye cream?
No, although as I'm heading towards my mid twenties I feel like I should be using an anti-aging eye cream.

-Do you or did you have acne prone skin?
Yes and it is still so super prone to acne.

-Did you ever have to use Pro-activ?
No I haven't ever used it or been recommended to use it.

MAKE-UP

-What foundation do you use?
Totally depends on what sort of skin day I'm having or what I'm doing or what the occasion is. During the day I would tend to just wear concealer and powder, if I were going on a night out I would wear MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation - shade NW10, for going on stage I always wear Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse in shade Cameo. My most favourite foundation ever was a Benefit Play Stix in shade Jax but it was discontinued a few years ago and I am gutted. I have such pale skin I struggle to find foundation to match my skin.

-How about concealer?
Unsurprisingly it's the beauty blogger favourite Collection Lasting Finish concealer. I just love it.

-Do you know your undertone color?
Cool toned pink.

-What do you think of fake eyelashes?
I know I am rubbish at applying them. I only wear them if I'm on a big stage. I would never wear them in real life though - I am lucky and have naturally long and thick lashes.

-Did you know that you are suppose to change your mascara every 3 months?
Mascara would never last me 3 months. I go through A LOT of mascara.

-What brand of mascara do you use?
Benefit They're Real has been my go-to mascara for ages but I got a sample of Lancome Hypnose Star the other day and oh my I love it. Will definitely be purchasing a full size tube of that next.

-Sephora or MAC?
MAC.

-Do you have a MAC Pro-card?
No I don't.

-What makeup tools do you use in make up application?
A varied collection of Real Techniques, MAC, Body Shop, Estée Lauder and Benefit brushes.

-Do you use make-up base/primer for the eyes?
Yes, I'm currently using a Soap and Glory one I picked up called Eye Bright and I'm really liking it.

-For the face?
Yes I love the Laura Mercier Radiance primer.

-What is your favorite eyeshadow?
Urban Decay Tease.

-Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner?
Depends what look i'm going for, more often than not I use liquid though.

-How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeliner pencil?
Not as often as I poke my eyes with my mascara wand, ouch!

-What do you think of pigment eyeshadows?
I think they're messy and much prefer pressed eyeshadows.

-Do you use mineral makeup?
I don't own any.

-What is your favourite lipstick?
MAC Rebel.

-How about lipgloss?
I'm really not a lipgloss kind of girl. I don't own any that I actually like.

-What is your favourite blush to use?
Benefit Dandelion.

-Do you buy your makeup on ebay?
I never have.

-Do you like drugstore makeup?
Yes, I buy too much high street make up and it's usually stuff I never use.

-Did you ever consider taking make-up classes?
Yes I would so love to go on a make up course!

-Are you clumsy in putting on makeup?
On other people yes. I really struggle doing other people's make up. I'm not clumsy really when applying it on myself.

-Name a makeup crime that you hate?
Over plucked eye brows.

-Do you like colourful shades of makeup or neutral ones?
I love colourful lipstick but would always tend to stick to neutral shades on my eyes.

-Which celebrity always has great make up?
Mila Kunis' make up always looks flawless and perfect on her.

-If you could leave the house using just one make up item,what would you use?
Brown pencil eye liner.

-Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on?
Yes of course, but it's not enjoyable and definitely not a pretty site!!

-Do you think you look good even without any makeup on?
Haha not at all!

-In your opinion, what is the best makeup line?
No make up line is perfect but for the sheer amount of options, shades, products, tools it would have to be MAC.

-What do you think of Makeup?
I bloody love it! 

Thanks for reading guys and I hope you enjoyed :) 

Love Laura x