3 Ways I Prep My Skin & Hair For Winter

Well, I suppose it is really officially winter now isn't it? In the UK at least. The weather has become substantially colder to the point where it's meant to snow? Brilliant news if you're a snow baby like me. No really, it snowed so much when my mum was in labour they weren't even sure if they'd make it to the hospital. ANYWAY.

However, one downside to the colder weather is the sh*t it does to your skin and hair. If you're one of those lucky people who's body isn't remotely affected by the elements then embrace it, because it's such a massive nuisance.

As I sit now and look and my cracked fingers which are bound to get inevitably worse as winter goes on, I thought I'd create a brief list on how I try and protect myself for the harsher months ahead.

Skin
Everyone who doesn't enjoy having pale and crusty hands over winter, say I.
If you're one of those unfortunate people like me who has fingers which make you look like part lizard when there's a hint of frost in the air, then come here and let me give you a virtual hug. 
One thing I do not enjoy, is crusty, dry and half bleeding skin. Which seems to be more prone to bouts of eczema when I'm stressed or when winter is coming. Nope, I will not stop quoting Game of Thrones/Sean Bean so there's no point in trying to stop me.

I have in the past I've also had my face become more oily around this time of year, yet I know for others it can become drier. So how do I combat this you cry? Well, it's simple really - invest in a very heavy duty moisturiser. Personal favourites for my hands and feet include E45 cream. You may not smell of roses or unicorns but it's brilliant at tackling issues for very intense skin conditions. 

Lush also has some seriously thirst quenching products for your skin, especially their hand creams. Having tried the Helping Hands moisturiser, I was so surprised by how long the cream stayed on my skin and how lovely and soft they felt afterwards. Also as you know with any Lush product, it's made with very natural and fresh ingredients so you won't be treating your skin with anything nasty and potentially harmful. 

Speaking of Lush, if you're finding that your body seems to find it hard to deal with the not so smooth transition to the colder environment - have a bath! Having a good old soak, especially around this time of year, is a brilliant way to unwind and an especially hot steamy bath can help sweat out any infections that you're likely to pick up. Of course you pick up bath bombs/melts anywhere, but since I've been really feeling the hype of Lush products lately, I'd really urge you to give a least one a go.

If you are trying to save for Christmas and are looking for something on the slightly cheaper side, there is also Palmer's Cocoa Butter which I have started to use recently.
People have been raving about Palmer's Cocoa Butter for years and it's no wonder. Whilst it may not be as thorough like creams such as E45, it still tackles the dry skin on my hands very well and the little tube is perfect for keeping in my bag so I can apply whilst I'm at work or just on the go. At £2.10 at Boots, I don't see how you can go wrong.

For anyone who is more concerned about different parts of their body such as their face - I highly recommend looking into brands such as Clinique who have a vast range of products for all skins types.

Hair
I have quite a strange predicament when it comes to my hair and winter. Though my scalp seems to become slightly oilier, probably due to all the artificial heat in the air and the multitude of hats I end up wearing so my ears don't drop off. I also find that my ends become drier, again with all the artificial heat and what not - don't quote me and that as I could be talking complete rubbish. 

Head & Shoulders is always staple if my scalp is on the slightly oily side, but unfortunately it's not great for dyed hair as it can strip away at the colour with each wash - so watch out! But if an oily scalp isn't an issue for you, but dry ends are then let me just say three words. Leave.In.Conditioner.

A personal favourite which I have been using for a long time now is the Frizz Ease - Miraculous Recovery by John Frieda. Oh boy, does this thing condition. I use the product about once a week - the recommended amount, leave it in for 5 minutes, wash out and the results are just astounding. Be gone any dry frizzy ends and hello soft sleek hair!

I mean, my barnet will always be fairly unruly but it's a significant improvement from the mess it can otherwise be. There's lots of leave in conditioners on the market so look around. Some are better for dyed hair, others have heat protectant and well yeah, you get the picture.

Hopefully this post will help at least one person with similar problems to mine. You're in my thoughts for the perilous months ahead.

Victoria

NYX // Sculpt & Highlight Face Duo

Ever since NYX has released their products to Boots stores, no matter the store location, it seems to be an incredible to struggle to get to the NYX products. The swarms of young girls and their mothers is enough to make anyone want to run away and take cover, so the fact I even managed to pick up this item is a miracle in itself.

I mentioned the other day on Twitter that I was looking for a new contour kit, as my basic bronzer just wasn't making the cut. I've talked about my love for NYX lip liners in my previous post, so when my friend mentioned their contour kit I was eager to try it out. That was until I found out that they were pretty much sold out online everywhere - sad face. So you can imagine my delight when I found out I could grab one from my local Boots store, but oh no, they were sold out there too - sad face x2.. Instead, I opted for their new Sculpt & Highlight Face Duo in the hopes that this would just be a good, smaller, alternative.

I want to start off by saying that for the price of the stick, the product has a great consistency and a small amount goes a long way. Buffing a small amount of the contour just underneath my cheeks using my Real Techniques angled brush and buffing it in with my beauty blender, means I get a look that's not too heavy that I can build on if need be. I like to blend the contour with the 'highlighter' to prevent the colour looking slightly brash - I say it like this as I find it to be more useful as a concealer than a highlight. I picked up the lightest shade, yet the highlight blended in with my foundation so it doesn't really sit on the tops of my cheekbones well - I'll stick to the Benefit High Beam for now.

The creamy consistency means of the product means it clings to my skin like a dream and won't budge for the whole day/night, unlike some other powders I have tried. I feel it could be slightly more pigmented, but as I mentioned before it is buildable and a darker powder could be used on top to keep it set in place.

I still fully intend to purchase the NYX contour palette at a later date, but at £9 at Boots, I'm happy to keep using my Sculpt & Highlight stick until I get a few more pennies into my bank account.

Victoria

NYX // Lip Liners

I've been feeling a strong surge to upgrade my lip liner game as of late. Unfortunately for me, I find most brands of lipsticks incredibly drying on my lips, yes even moisturising ones. Because of this, lip liner is a must for over all lip protection staying power.

I recently purchased the NYX lip liners as I'd seen great reviews by fellow bloggers, in the hopes that my lipstick would last longer and I'm not really all about the bleeding lip life. The two normal pencil shades I picked were in the colours Nude Suede Shoes and Dark Soul. I really wanted a nude colour as pinky/beigey shades have been my staples lately and I feel my berry shades will look even better with extra precision. I also picked up a retractable liner in the shade Ruby Red - again precision is key for my darker shades.

Initially, I was very impressed with how well the shades matched their packaging - there's nothing worse than a red looking less ruby and more like that jumper you have to wear at Christmas because a family member knitted it for you. After a few trial and errors with using one shade in particular, bet you can't guess which one, I can safely say I'm extremely happy with the pigmentation of the pencils and can create a great base for my lipstick to sit on top.

L - R: Nude Suede Shoe/Dark Soul/Ruby

As well as the pigmentation, the longevity of the pencils on my lips means I can get a good few hours of colour before it starts to fade away - with a lack of bleeding I may add!

The biggest criticism I have is that the retractable liner does have a slight fluffier texture over the creaminess of the pencils, and doesn't glide on as well as the others. This is probably to give it a matte finish, but for me I find it a bit too fiddly to work with. Knowing this now, I'd probably go ahead and buy the red pencil over the mechanical one and at £5.50 per liner, you really can't go wrong!

Victoria