November Favourites

It’s already that time of month where I rave to you guys about all the things I have been loving for the last four weeks! You all know how this works so I’ll just go ahead and start!

Simple soothing facial scrub: I have been kicking dry skin’s butt this winter. I always fall back to this product when my face needs a bit of TLC!

Rimmel London BB Cream 9 in 1: I have been using this BB cream instead of a foundation this winter because I just think a foundation is too drying for this sort of weather. I’ve been pretty impressed with this BB cream. My skin actually does have a few blemishes and has done all month because of stress and usually I don’t like the lack of coverage of BB creams but I’ve actually been quite comfortable with this one. It’s just enough for my face and never too much. I’ve worn this nearly every day this month and will continue to do so!

Far Away Skin Softener: I bought this from Avon about two years ago but I rediscovered it in my make-up stash about three weeks ago and have been loving it again! It’s kind of my Christmas smell, I always seem to pull it out at Christmas as it has quite a strong spicy scent to it. This is just lush.

River Island Scarf: I bought this scarf last month when I went home for reading week because the colour instantly caught my attention. I LOVE pink at the moment and pastels are going to be HUGE this winter. This scarf is so big and soft and snuggly, it is just perfect to keep me warm and I absolutely love it!

New Look Black Studded Boots: I bought these boots from last year’s New Look winter collection and they’ve just been sat at the back of my wardrobe since I’ve moved to London but I recently rediscovered them and have been wearing them quite a lot this month. I completely forgot how much I loved these boots. They can spruce up any old outfit and are so comfortable!

That’s pretty much it for what I’ve been loving this month!

What have YOU guys been loving?

My Winter Skincare Routine

So as winter is coming on fast it’s time I prepared and protected my skin against the weather so I thought I would tell you my winter skin regime and share my love for my favourite skincare products with you all! Every morning after I have used Simple’s refreshing facial wash gel in the shower, I apply Simple’s Hydrating light moisturiser. If there are slightly dryer patches on my face, I reach for Clinique’s Dramatically Different to further relieve my skin before I apply make-up.

Although I tend to wear less make up in winter than in any other season throughout the year, it’s still important to ensure it’s well cleansed.  I use Simple Purifying Cleansing Lotion on a cotton pad to remove any make up at night before toning with the Simple Soothing Facial Toner. Twice a week I will squeeze in a facial scrub using the Simple Smoothing Facial Scrub before their Deep Cleansing Face Mask. I find this to be particularly important in winter to shift dead skin cells off the face to keep skin looking fresh.

Once the mask is washed off (and all hair is on top of my head ready for bed), I apply Soap & Glory’s Night and Flight Moisture Miracle to my face so that while I catch up on my beauty sleep, my skin can rehydrate!

Those are my favourite skincare products, tell me yours?

Skincare for sensitive skin

We’ve all been there! At a slumber party or having a pamper session at home with a face mask. It’s all fun and lovely for a few minutes and then WHAM! Your face starts tingling and burning, you rush to the sink to wash it off and look up in the mirror to find a rather red, sore and rashy complexion…again!

Some people are born with skin a little more sensitive than others. Some people might have had a cosmetic accident or damaged their face in some way and have suffered the consequences of sensitive skin ever since. A few years ago I was at a nightclub where people had those thick ‘glowsticks’ to wave about and somebody broke a glowstick, threw it over the crowds of people in front of them and, of course, it landed on me. The chemicals and all kinds of nasty stuff that made it glow proceeded to trickle down my face, resulting in a heavy rash and sore blistered skin. I have suffered with sensitive skin ever since.

The majority of facial products, cleansers and soaps are fragranced because we girls can’t resist a fruity smell! However, you’ll find that these fragrances irritate and burn your face. After a long series of allergic reactions to various face masks and creams, I thought I would never be able to facial scrub or face mask again. And then I tried these…

The ‘Simple’ range is fragrance free and soap free and instead use natural ingredients, all dermatologically tested so as to not harm or irritate sensitive skin. They are sent from the Gods!

As you can see, I have a reasonably extensive collection of these products.

I think it’s very important to ensure that your face is clean and so I tend to keep the ‘refreshing cleansing gel’ in my shower to use every morning and then I use the ‘Purifying cleansing lotion’ and the ‘Soothing facial toner’ with a cotton pad to wipe away everyday dirt and grime for a brighter complexion. The ‘Hydrating light moisturiser’ is absolutely divine to apply afterwards to prevent dry patches.

I much prefer the ‘kind to eyes make up remover’ to scrubbing at my eyeballs with a face wipe. A few drops on a cotton pad soak and refresh your eyes whilst wiping them clean of all traces of eye make-up. Lush!

Twice a week I use the facial scrub followed by the deep cleansing face mask (we CAN use face masks still!) and they are great for sweeping away dry skin and looking after the new skin to stay fresh faced.

Alternatively, you can also check out the Boots ‘botanical’ range which use all natural products. As you can see, mine are well-loved.

High end cosmetics companies such as Clinique are also very recommendable, dermatologically and allergy tested, fragrance free products. I purchased the ‘Dramatically Different Moisturiser’ and the ‘Foaming Cleanser’ and both were amazing! The cleanser in particular made my skin so refreshed, soft and smooth- a real treat for your face. I wouldn’t use it too regularly though as they are a little more expensive than the Simple and Botanical range which are equally just as good!

So, sensitive skinned readers, head to your local pharmacy and get yourself a skin routine that works for you!