Beating Winter Skin & Prepping Your Party Face!

Winter means only one thing for skin - dry, tight, blotchy. Add to this eclectic mix of problems we don't want, lack of sleep, overindulgence in the food and booze departments, smokey atmospheres and general pollution and you have got dehydrated, congested, spotty skin with dark shadows and eye bags to boot! But hey, it's Christmas and it's party season and life is for living! Whilst we can't stop work miracles with our hard partying ways, we can invest a little time in our skin to keep it looking fresh, supple and radiant, providing a happy base for our party make up.

Here are a range of our favourite products that you can try to help alleviate your skin woes during the cold months:

Face Mask - Power Berry Facial Mask from Neal's Yard Remedies

Using a face mask once a week will help draw out impurities and unblock clogged pores, leaving your skin looking brighter.

We particularly love this NYR one for its sweet smell and jam like appearance but once mixed with water, transforms into a soft milky liquid that also exfoliates once you remove it.

Rich in antioxidants, skin looks brighter and feels silky after just one use!



Exfoliator -  Modern Friction from Origins

Exfoliate with a gentle foaming cleanser twice a week to keep renewing skin cells and removing dull skin for a clearer complexion.

This Origins exfoliator is great because it aligns it's self with microdermabrasion, but a natural version so even better! But it also promises to reduce fine lines and refine pores - how can we say no?










Cleanser - Sensibio H20 - Micelle Solution from Bioderma

A Make up Artists favourite and cult kit product, Bioderma has only just become available to buy in the UK.

Anyone who reads magazines, has had a facial or had their make up done knows that your daily routine should include cleansing twice a day - morning and night.

There are cleansers out there for all skin types and Sensibio is particularly great if you have sensitive or normal to dry skin. It's a mild, water based cleanser that does not need to be rinsed, is alcohol free and cools as it cleanses.

Sensibio removes make up and impurities and even includes decongestion ingredients to keep your skin look and feel fresh.







Toner - 100% Organic Rosewater Toning Spritz from Botanics at Boots

A toner is particularly important if you are using a cream or non foamy cleanser, like the above as it removes residue of the cleanser and any remaining make up whilst also refining your pores and balancing the pH levels on the skin.

Even if you use a face wash over a cleanser, you can still use a toner to refine pores especially if you find you have an oilier complexion.

Rosewater has been used in skincare for centuries and has great healing properties and is good for dry and oily skin.

We love this fragrance!








Serum - Double Serum from Clarins

Serum is one of beauty's newish wonder products and certainly isn't one to be dismissed. One of its main ingredients is Hyralonic Acid, which sounds pretty harmful, is actually produced naturally in your body and is integral in the cell renewal process. By applying it to your skin, it encourages this renewal boosting collagen and making the skin appear plumper and firmer.

A serum is a thinner consistency than moisturiser allowing it to sink down lower into the skins layers which is where cell renewal takes place. You apply a serum before your moisturiser, allowing to be fully absorbed before applying moisturiser.

Clarins Double Serum also contains 20 plant extracts to help 'boost skins vital functions' so not only does it firm and plump your skin giving it a more youthful appearance, it also gives you a glowing radiance. Sold!






Eye Cream - Extra Eye Repair Cream from Bobbi Brown

If anything is gonna give away you're burning the candle at both ends, it going to be your eyes - dark shadows, puffy, eye bags.

The are many different types of eyes creams, some a a gel which has a cooling effect that's great for puffy eyes. Whilst others, like this Bobbi Brown Extra Eye Repair cream is more nourishing with it's blend of plant oils and peptides to help target fine lines, wrinkles, puffiness and dryness. You can use this cream day and night to get the best results.

Apply using your ringer finger as this applies the least pressure to your skin, which is it's most delicate around the eye area. It's also why you need a separate cream here than for one your face. You should also ensure that you do not use your face moisturiser over the eye area as the cream will be too heavy.


Day Moisturiser - Vitamin C Daily Moisturiser SPF30 from The Body Shop

 Your day moisturiser should be different from your night moisturiser. Day creams are usually lighter and contain SPFs and other ingredients to help prevent damage from pollutions.

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and is used a lot in skincare. It has anti ageing properties and has a brightening effect on the skin leaving you looking bright and glowing. However, if you do suffer with sensitive skin Vitamin C may be too harsh for you and could cause stinging and redness.







Night Moisturiser - Treatment Serum Mask from Paul and Joe

This gorgeous serum is based on a aromatic blend of Almond, Fennel, Mallow and Bilberry which is designed to relax the mind and body and promote a good nights sleep.

As a serum this can be used alone or under a night time moisturiser, although unless you had really dry skin, this would probably be enough on it's own. The serum seeps into the skin to deeply hydrate and repair overnight so that once you wake, you have a dewy, bright and radiant glow.

Paul and Joe even guarantee that this product allows you to get the 'proper beauty rest' that you need, especially at this time of year... We're looking forward to bedtime already!











Facial Oil - Midnight Recovery Concentrate from Kiehl's

Facial oils have become more popular recently and are kind of the next step on from a serum. There is a bit of a fear with oils that they are going to saturate your skin and make oily skin feel even oilier. This is not the case! A facial oil will usually come with a dropper or dispenser and you only need to apply a few drops on the forehead, cheeks and chin before using circular motions with your fingers to move the product around the rest of your face before it is easily absorbed, leaving your skin soft, supple and not greasy.

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate is a blend of Squalene, Evening Primrose, Lavender and other essential oils to intensively moisturise dehydrated skin, leaving it looking more radiant upon waking.






Lip Exfoliator - Sweet Lips Scrub from Lush Cosmetics

Your lips are skin too and need a good exfoliate just like the rest of you, and with lips being a big feature for party make up, it's important to keep them in tip top condition.

You should exfoliate your lips once a week using a scrub or an old toothbrush to remove dead skin and keep your lips smooth.

Lush Sweet Lips Scrub is made up of caster sugar and jojoba oil to moisturise and hydrate your lips. Whilst vanilla extract and cocoa absolute provides a yummy flavour to make those lips even more kissable!


Lip Cream - Eight Hour Cream Lip Protectant from Elizabeth Arden

Finally, keeping your lips protected from the cold, wind and pollution on a daily basis will help keep chapped skin at bay. Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Cream Lip Protectant is a firm favourite in Make up Artists kits.

It contains Vitamin E and SPFs to protect and nourish the skin and is basically the Eight Hour Cream formula in a stick!

This product can be worn alone or under lipstick to keep lips soft and moisturised.