My first go-to beauty product is the MAC Give Me Sun bronzer. I have used this bronzer for as long as I can remember now, and it is the perfect shade for giving you that tanned glow that we often crave in the winter. Of course this product is great in the summer too, as it enhances and compliments a natural tan perfectly. The clue is in the name – the lack of vitamin D that is often a consequence of winter can be easily remedied with this blusher. Ok, it may not give you actual vitamin D, but it certainly gives the illusion of having just come back from a week in the sun!
My second favourite product at the moment is the NARS Taj Mahal blusher. This blusher would probably put a lot of people off buying it if you hadn’t tried it on your skin first. It’s very peachy, almost orange but has the most beautiful golden shimmer through it. When applied to the apples of your cheeks, the colour is a lot subtler but really wakes up your face and gives you a perfect radiance. Paired together, these products look great and the warm, orangey tones really brighten up the dullest of days.
Body care/self-care methods you’re trying this month
DRINK MORE WATER: I am terrible at not drinking enough water, but the benefits to your health and skin are so important. I have been using a 1L water bottle that I carry with me everywhere, which has not only reduced my use of single-use plastic but and this really made me drink more water. It has made my skin clearer and made me feel generally a lot better.
GET MORE SLEEP: Sleep is something that we all need more of. I am guilty of not going to bed when I’m tired, and instead watching Netflix or scrolling through Instagram. But no one can argue against the importance of having a good night’s sleep and how much more refreshed and ready for the day you feel when you’re well rested, so aim to limit screens an hour before going to sleep and try reading a book instead.
MOISTURISE: This is something we should be doing every day but it can often be difficult to remember sometimes. It is especially important in the winter months, as although your skin is covered up a lot more, it dries out a lot more in low temperatures. It doesn’t need to be fancy or expensive, just lather in on before you go to bed and you’ll wake up feeling like a smooth goddess.
Current skin care routine
I have been using Dermalogica products for over four years and I absolutely love them. They can be pricey, but they also have a Clear Start range aimed at 18-24 year olds, which is cheaper. This is the range I use daily, which includes breakout clearing foaming wash (morning and night use), oil clearing matte moisturizer spf15 (day time use), skin soothing hydrating lotion (night time use), and breakout clearing all over toner. All of these products not only feel amazing on your skin but smell amazing too.
When in need of some spot zapping magic, I turn to their breakout clearing booster (day and night time use), which you can apply directly to the blemish or put a thin layer of all over the face. Blackheads can often be a problem for a lot of people and harsh facial scrubs don’t always have the desired effect. Dermalogica have invented a blackhead clearing fizz mask (which does exactly what it says on the tin). You apply a layer to any area of a damp face and leave for five minutes, in which time it will have fizzed up leaving you with a lovely mask of bubbles. You simply wash off with clear water and you are left with a glowing blackhead free face.
Two products I also use from time to time that are not in the Clear Start range are the daily microfoliant (a rice based powder that activates upon contact with water, leaving the skin perfectly polished) and the precleanse oil (a beautiful smelling oil which turns to a milk on contact with water). I use the precleanse oil before cleansing and it ensures you get rid of all the dirt, grease and unwanted stubborn makeup that you may miss with cleansing alone. The daily microfolliant is a gentle exfoliant and it’s great to use when you feel you need that extra scrub.