BEATING THE WINTER BLUES // The Products Saving My Skin

Hey guys!

Welcome back to my blog after my hiatus - taking time off to focus on uni and work has made me hardcore busy, but I'm so glad to finally be done and dusted with that. I've missed blogging way to much and talking about beauty and makeup and skincare and EEEK! I have SO many posts in the works for you guys, talking about all different things and I'm starting with this one - the products that are getting my skin through winter!

Just for a refresher, I usually have normal to dry skin. However, due to a variety of factors (ie. uni and work stress, coming off the pill, working in constant air conditioning etc), my skin has become more dehydrated than usual, is also starting to break out in certain areas and has even become sensitive in parts, especially around my eyes. Because of this, I've been switching up my skincare constantly - trying out new things to try and find what will cure my skin of this feeling like this. Obviously, I want my skin to look great even without makeup on - hell, if your base isn't great before makeup, it never looks quite right anyway! And I finally feel like I may have found the perfect four products that are really helping my skin get back to how it was - read on to see what they are!

1. Cetaphil Daily Advance Ultra Hydrating Lotion for Dry to Very Dry Skin

So this stuff is literally between $9-11, and it is possibly my new favourite product for my skin ever! I've had some bad run ins with 'cheaper' drugstore products that have really not helped my skin, in fact they've probably done the opposite. But not this bad boy - oh no, this stuff is fantasticly moisturising without being greasy or oily, and really sinks into my skin to make it feels completely ready to face to winter weather. I've heard amazing things about Cetaphil, but like every other cheaper face brand that I've tried (sorry exaggerration, but y'all get the idea), I didn't expect it to actually be as amazing as it is. Everyone who has dry skin needs to jump on this if you are on a budget but still looking for something to actually work.

2. Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask

Holy shit, if the whole Origins products in this range smell like this, hell I'mma buy 'em all and I will never look back. I was recommended this by the lovely ladies on our Instabeautyau Facebook page (holla gfs, if you're not already a part of it, get on that - not even a biased admin at all ;) ) and the lovely lady working at my local Mecca also recommended it, saying that using it would not only help hydrate my skin but also help balance out my skin and hopefully avoid the breakouts I was experiencing. So 2-3 times a week, depending on how dry my skin is, I use this in place of a night time moisturiser and go to sleep with it onmy face. It just feels like a super creamy moisturising cream, so it is a little sticky but I really don't mind and it smells incredible. Always wake up with glowing, happy skin the next say and I'll forever be grateful to it!

3. Bioderma Senisibo Face Mask

Ok so this is for sensitive skin, but its super moistursing and soothing which is why I have personally been loving it. Again, this is like a thick cream (similar consitiency to the Origins mask), however you leave it only for 10-15 minutes then sponge off whatever is leftover on your skin. It definitely helps calm and soothe my skin, and gives it added moisture so I avoid any dry patches. I use this on rotation with the Origins mask, so usually 2 times a week and it 100% has been helping my skin stay hydrated and radiant!

4. The Body Shop Vitamin E Eye Cream

Like I stated above, my eyes have been super sensitive lately. I can't use normal makeup remover on them due to how sensitive they are (legit, my eyes will be sore for days, almost like I've been rubbing them constantly), and because my eyes also water super easily ESPECIALLY at night, I need an eye cream that will keep them hydrated as my eyelids completely dry out and really look ugly with makeup on. And this is that cream! Ever since the first week I've used it, my eyes have been so much more hydrated and slowly but surely, the dry skin on my eyelids is slowly disappearing. Super happy with how this has gone - really need to try more of The Body Shop products - I also use their Seaweed Mask 1-2 times a week for my breakouts, and it's also amazeballs. Surely there is more hidden gems - any recommendations, please leave them below!

And those are the four products that have really made a diference in my skincare routine this Winter! Hopefully this can help any of you experiencing the same problems that I am during this cold, shitty weather! What have been stand out products for your skin this season?

Until next time....

xxxx

in between blogging, you can find me here!

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winter skincare essentials!

Hey guys!

You may have noticed that I've been a but quiet for a bit over a week now. I had some things happen in my personal life and was lacking in creativity and inspiration, so I decided to take some time off to relax. I'm back though, not to worry, and finally bringing you Part 2 of my Winter Beauty series. 

This time its all about skincare, and what I have been using to keep my skin from completely drying up and looking all cray. I have been using this combination since midway through Autumn to start prepping my skin, and have it to thank for my skin feeling as good as it does at the moment. I love trying new things for my skin, but typically in Winter I like to to stick to a rigid routine because straying from it can lead my skin to dry out and look awful - ain't nobody got time fo' dat, amirite?

So here's the routine I stick too - read on to see what I use and why!

After taking off my makeup, the first thing I do is go in with Clarisonic. This little machine is my baby, I'm pretty shocked how much this has improved my skins appearance and texture. I know some people hate on it because of the price, but I do not regret spending one cent. I use this to firstly get rid of any remnants of makeup on my skin (which there always is, even after scrubbing it with my favourite makeup remover the Garnier Micellar Water), and also to gently exfloiate my skin to get rid of any dry patches I may have. My skin always feels completely smooth after using it.

After using my Clarisonic, I get a little cotton round and pour some of this on it. Not only does this get rid of any makeup that the Clarisonic may have left behind, it also adds a little more moisture back into my skin. After swiping it around on the cotton round, I then turn it around and use the drier side to pat off the excess cleanser that hasn't soaked into my skin yet.

Two newer additons that have recently-ish made it into my skincare routine are these two godsends from Bioelixia. I use the Multi V Moisturisng Lotion in the morning, and the Multi Action Eye Serum at night, as it tends to ball up my makeup if I use it in the morning. I adore both products, they smell so good and they're so incredibly hydrating, ESPECIALLY the eye serum. A little tip I also use in Winter is to put my a little of the eye cream on the ends of my nose and on the sides of my lips because those are my driest spots - works wonders, and its so amazingly moisturising!

Oh lawdy, do I love Sukin Skincare. I have a full post on all my products here but these are the two that are most important in my Winter skincare routine. On the left, we have the Sukin Moisture Restoring Night Cream which contains rosehip. I love this as my night time moisturiser, it sinks in straight away without leaving any greasiness at all, just baby soft moisturised skin. On the left, we have my ever beloved Rosehip Oil which I use before the moisturiser. I can never say enough good things about this oil - its another great shot of hydration, yes, but it also makes my skin more plump (in a good way) and radiant when I wake up in the morning. (And yes, I needed a tissue under it because it unfortunately leaks everywhere - even when standing upright!)

And of course, the most necessary part of Winter, for me anyway, is to maintain a gorgeous bronzed glow. Because everythings better with a tan, of course! These are two that I have been loving lately. The J Bronze Dark Tanning Mousse, which gives me this beautiful deep golden colour that looks extremely natural despite being ' fake tan, and a newer edition, the Stefan EcoCoco Tan which is not a mousse but a cream developing tan. I have been using that for the past three weeks, and it smells exactly like Reef Oil and moisturises my skin at the same time - love multipurpose products!

And that's it for my Winter Beauty Skincare Routine! Wouldn't be able to maintain my skin without these products - and it's so important to have this in place because a smoother base will give you a more flawless makeup.

What are some of your Winter skincare essentials?

Until next time...

xxxx

click here to read part one of this series!

in between blogging, you can find me here!

instagram: http://instagram.com/beautybybek

twitter: https://twitter.com/bekaaturner

winter beauty essentials!

Hey guys!

It's finally the first day of Winter here in Australia - and while we don't get anywhere near as cold as other countries, anything below 20C will have us scrambling. To help get us Aussies through Winter, I've decided to do a two part Winter series - one dedicated to beauty essentials and the other for skincare.

Winter is awesome - we throw away all our warm baby pinks and corals and embrace the plums, berries and purples. We ditch our deep tans in favour of paler skin (most of us anyway) and bust out our ugg boots, cardigans and jackets. Personally, I like the cooler weather. I'm definitely a homebody, I love wearing my hoodies and Winnie the Pooh slippers, and snuggling up with a good movie. As well, living in Australia, during Summer it is (the majority of the time) unbearably hot so its definitely nice to have a break from it.

When I think of Winter, I imagine darker shades of everything - my eyes, blush, lips, clothes, you name it! My favourite look for this season is just a gorgeous brown neutral eye, full coverage foundation, plum blush and berry lips. Just perfect!

All the products I'm going to show you in this post are definitely the essentials on my Winter beauty rotation. Keep reading to find out what they are!

Primer

For Winter, I want my skin to look flawless. I do have redness in my skin that I need to tone down, which my ELF Mineral Face Primer in Green is perfect for, because it neutralizes my skin tone and redness. The other way I want my skin to look is completely moisturised and blended. My skin does tend to dry out a lot more in Winter than in Summer, so I really want to keep my skin free of dry patches. I've found that the Covergirl & Olay Simply Ageless Serum Primer is so fantastic for this. Yes, it is probably more suited at mature skin, but honestly skincare and beauty items made for more mature skin is perfect for those with drier skin. This just completely hydrates my face, almost acting as a second moisturiser before I go in with my foundation.

Foundation & Concealer

For my base, as I said before, I want my skin to look completely flawless. Having full coverage foundation and concealer is something that will really help conceal any blemishes or dry spots that become more prominent for me in the Winter months. Of course, my two huge favourite foundations for full coverage is the L'Oreal True Match foundation and Laura Mercier Silk Crème foundation. I've recently discovered the Max Factor Face Finity 3 IN 1 Foundation, which is a long lasting, full coverage foundation - but a full review of that will be on my blog in the near future.. 

For concealer, if I want something to cover any horrendous dark circles I may have, MAC Cosmetics Pro Longwear concealer is the bomb! My other favourite concealer at the moment is my Maybelline Age Rewind concealer in the Brightener shade. It really makes you look more awake, even though you've probably woken up only a couple of minutes before putting in your face.

Bronzer & Blush

For Winter, I don't think its as necessary to have my normal sun kissed bronzed glow that I love in the warmer months. Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil Bronzer is amazing for just adding a bit of colour, or a slight contour, because it's such a light bronzing powder. I do love this in Summer as well, but honestly this is just the perfect light powder just to add shape and colour in Winter, and I'll definitely be turning to it.

For blush, I'm loving the trend of having a gorgeous deep flushed look on the cheeks. The colder weather has a tendency to make my cheeks quite flushed naturally from being cold, and unlike summer where I would rather cover it up, this Winter I really want to embrace it. My favourite shade for this is theBalm Instain Blush in Pinstripe which is a beautiful plum colour. I barely put any on because it is hugely pigmented and I still want it to look somewhat natural, and this blush will stay put all day. Definitely my go to blush this season.

Lip Balm

Of course I had to mention my lip balms - I'm a lip balm FANATIC and they are definitely a must during this season. Who wants to walk around with dry or cracked lips showing through your lipstick? Definitely not me, that's for sure. Of course, Chapstick is my favourite brand for lip balms at the moment, and the Night Repair is amazing for my lips at night. For day, the Cake Batter flavour is my all time favourite, and it'll finally be available to buy here in Australia towards the end of June!

The other type of lip balm which is perfect for Winter is tinted lip balms! These are fantastic for on the go, because not only do they moisturise your lips but they also give you a gorgeous wash of colour without having to worry about putting on another lip colour over top. I mentioned all three of there in my May Favourites, but the Covergirl Smoochie in Luv U, and the Benefit Lip Balms in Lollibalm and Posiebalm are my favourites. I switch between them really quite frequently.

Lips

For Winter, I love the embracing the darker colours more so than ever before. Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Nudist is perfect for an everyday lip because its a gorgeous natural rose colour that isn't too bold or too understated. I've also been loving the Whitening Lightning Lip Gloss in Rosehill, which is another natural rose colour (a review of these glosses is coming soon as well!). For the more darker colours, the Revlon Matte Balms in Sultry and Shameless are great long lasting lip colours and they're definitely on the trend for darker roses and purples this season. Another great lip cult favourite that comes up every Winter is MAC's Rebel lipstick, which is a berry shade. Perfect for the colder months!

Nail Polish

My two favourite nail trends for winter - deep reds and neutral nudes. Essie's Wicked is an amazing deep berry red and Face of Australia's Bombshell is a gorgeous neutral beige nude, plus its super affordable, and such good quality for the price!

Perfume

I don't know about you guys, but in Winter I love wearing stronger scents. I prefer to leave my Marc Jacobs, and favourite Rihanna scents for Summer, and bust out one of my favourite scents Alien by Theirry Mugler, which is certainly a stronger scent. I'm not great at describing scents, so I apologise, but believe me when I say Alien is the perfect scent for Winter!

That's it for today's post! These are all my beauty essentials for Winter, and I definitely want to step outside of my comfort zone and embrace these trends. What are some of your beauty essentials?

Keep an eye out for next week when I let you all know what my skincare essentials are for Winter!

Until next time...

xxxx

in between blogging, you can find me here!

instagram: http://instagram.com/beautybybek

twitter: https://twitter.com/bekaaturner

*Some products mentioned were gifted to me, but that it no way influences my opinion of it per my Disclaimer