Winter Skin Favourites

This is something that was requested AGES ago so apologies that we are already into Winter by the time I'm actually posting. There are lots of things I switch up when the colder weather approaches but moisturising products are the number one, I tend to choose thicker, richer formulas to protect me from the elements and treat dryness. Here are some of my favourites...

Garnier 7 Day Cocoa Butter Body Lotion £2.99 (not pictured)

This is a fantastic everyday body lotion. It sinks in super fast so it can be used in a morning before you get dressed without having to wait around for it to dry and it really does leave me feeling moisturised for longer than an average lotion. There are loads of formulas to choose from ranging from sensitive to normal to extra dry, all with different scents.. I love them all but the cocoa butter is my favourite. 

Body Shop Shea Body Butter £12.50

I've never been a big lover of these cult body butters. I know everyone revs about them but I just don't think they're great value for money. I bought this one on a deal recently so only paid £1 and I've been really pleasantly surprised. The Shea Butter version is much thicker, it's almost balm-like in consistency, smells divine and goes a really long way. I would absolutely repurchase! 

Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula £3.25

This is a must have for everyones body care arsenal. I am never without a tub on the go, it's the solid formula I'm talking about not the lotion. It can be melted to an oil to use on the skin or as a deep conditioner and what I love most is that you can rub it in indefinitely without getting those rolly bits you do with a lotion. Perfect for a much needed foot massage after a day of Christmas shopping.

Hand Therapy Concentrated Hand Balm (unable to source online)

I couldn't find this online so I'm not sure whether you can still purchase it but I'm sure there are equivalents out there. This is a Superdrug's own brand hand balm. It's super thick and leaves a protective layer which is great for combatting the cold and even better for those of you that can stand to wear gloves for the occasional overnight hand pampering. This never leaves my handbag.

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream £25.00

I doubt I really need to say much about this best seller. I'd tried samples many times over the years but only recently purchased a full sized tube. I use it on my lips, I use it as a moisturising face mask once a week, I use it on my elbows or any dry areas and even on the ends of my hair. It is one of my more expensive products and so I don't go crazy with it but it really does the job when nothing else will.

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector - Light £9.99

Okay so this isn't exactly skincare but I just love it and It's transitioned in to winter when I really didn't expect it to. I thought I'd return to full coverage foundation but this stuff leaves my dull winter skin glowy and fresh. If you feel you need a fuller coverage I'd still recommend this as a base as it does boast some skincare properties as well and every little helps.

MAC Tinted Lip Conditioner - Petting Pink £11.00

I've looked high and low for the best lip treats and this is one of my all time favourites. It has that delicious MAC lipstick smell and taste (yes, taste!) stays on my lips that little bit longer than your average balm and offers a subtle tint of colour. I always carry this with me and although it might not be the most moisturising lip balm it's a joy to wear and I never mind applying more... yum!

So I hope that helps any of you out there that are looking for some winter skin treats. These are some of the best I've tried but I'm always on the look out for bigger and better so please feel free to share your own favourites in the comments. 

Miss BB

Ready, Set, Glow!

I only really "discovered" Soap & Glory very recently. For a long time I thought it was all a bit trendy for me, I tend not to like things that seem uber-popular. I am suspicious by nature. Well.. they sent me a body butter a couple of weeks ago and since then I've spent a small fortune trying out other products from their range, it's quickly becoming an addiction. I intend to review everything at some point but I couldn't put this one off. I visited my friend K last night, you may know her at stylesocoy, and she showed me some of her favourite S&G products... one of them being this, Glow Job.

It's dubbed a daily radiance moisture lotion but it's kind of like a tinted moisturiser. There are "micro bronzer beads" built in to the lotion that burst as you rub it on to your skin (see pics below)

Here you can see the consistency and you may be able to make out a couple of the tiny beads which appear white at this stage...

 As you rub it in and pop the beads colour is released...

You may think it would look streaky but it really doesn't. It doesn't dry too quickly so you have time to work with it on you skin and you should be left with an even "glow" as below...

The difference is more than a tinted moisturiser. It doesn't seem to have any shimmer yet leaves a beautiful dewy, bronzed and yes even radiant appearance 

Overall I really like this. At first I thought it was a budget friendly VitaZing which I still think it could be but it doesn't claim to adjust to your skin tone like the Origins version (though does anyone know if it really does that?). Anyway, I'm not entirely sold on the point of the bursting beads rather than just making the moisturiser tinted but it's a novel effect and it leaves a really lovely finish so does it really matter?

You can buy Glow Job for £9.00 from Boots (currently on 3 for 2)

Have you tried this or want to recommend your favourite S&G product?

Leave me a comment!

Garnier BB Cream - Review

Garnier's BB Cream is finally here. This hugely hyped product dubbed a "Miracle Skin Perfector" was one new launch I couldn't wait to get my hands on and now I have it I just had to share my first thoughts with you. I have seen surprisingly few reviews and posts about this given the buzz surrounding it so I couldn't get a real idea of how well it worked or what it did. Hopefully for those of you looking for just that.. this will help!

Firstly There are 2 shades available, Light and Medium. It retails at £9.99 and sold out and can be bought at Superdrug and Boots. The original BB cream was created in Germany but the craze really started in Asia where it was said to be the secret to Korean actresses beautiful skin. It soon became popular here to buy online and there was much talk on YouTube about these mystical creams for months before Garnier launched the first drugstore version. BB stands for Blemish Balm, there have been many variations made, some are said to have skin lightening properties, some are anti-wrinkle, some anti-acne. What Garnier are claiming to offer is a sun block and moisturiser that evens skin tone, boosts glow, blurs imperfections and smooths fine lines all in one wonderful tube. Ok so enough of what it's supposed to do... here you can see the balm in action. Please excuse my early morning makeup free face.

This is JUST the balm on my face, no concealer, nothing! I am really impressed with the coverage. I'm not sure it even is coverage. It's almost like it really is blurring imperfections, evening out skintone and boosting glow. It feels weightless and moisturising when on the skin but it doesn't leave me uber shiny like a tinted moisturiser would. I can explain it but I'm excited.

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side note:

Can anyone else see that one of my eyelids is bigger than the other? It's so rare I can capture it on film so everyone thinks I'm bonkers but seriously... it's really obvious here... what's it all about????

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Here's a swatch of the cream alongside some of my other foundations.

L-R

Natural Collection Tinted Moisturiser in Fair, Mac Studio Fix Fluid in NCW25, Garnier BB Cream in Light, Nars Sheer Glow in MontBlanc/Light2

It's a much thicker consistency than any of the compared products as you can see.. you might think that as a result it's more moisturising and spreads further but I didn't find this to be the case. I used this as an all-in-one so applied it to my clean face, no moisturiser/primer. I found it to be quick drying, it spreads like an oil free moisturiser so I needed more than I'd expected to cover my face and blend in to my neck. This being said I liked the coverage that it gave and it is buildable because of it's thicker formula so it's not all bad. I did get shiny in my t-zone/chin area by lunchtime but no more so than with any other product (except revlon colorstay) But I used a little powder to mattify and the coverage lasted me until I wanted to remove my makeup. I was impressed given that I was expecting little more than a tinted moisturiser.

I will do a more in depth follow-up review when I've used this exclusively for a few weeks so that I can really see whether it's made any improvement on my skin condition. I'd love to think that it will and isn't JUST a cosmetic product. Whether I repurchase this will really depend how long this little tube lasts me. £9.99 is more than I'd like to spend for what is quite a small amount of product (It's just 50ml).. but I'll see how it goes, if it offers real benefits to my skin it would be worth the cash for sure.

Have any of you tried this yet?

What are your thoughts?