This year I have really drilled in my morning habits a little bit more than last year. I am getting up earlier and making sure I have enough me time before I head off to work. Starting my day in the best frame of mind and a little TLC is really improving the productivity of my working hours. So, after all the stress of Christmas and New Year’s, over-indulging on sweet treats and lashings of mulled wine and bubbles, my skin has really suffered. I don’t know about you, but my face shows signs of stress way before I even realise what pressure I am under! I get hundreds of pimples that layer my forehead, outbreaks of spots around the two creases of my nose, and a few hormonal breakouts around my chin. My skin is more stressed than me! So, when January hits, I always like to strip back and spend as much of the month as naked and free as possible!!! Don’t worry, I’m talking about my skincare and makeup application here! Yes, I am trying to be a bit more minimalistic these days, but there will be no running around in the woods letting it all hang out just yet!
So, we all know that we should be cleansing our face in the morning, even if we have cleansed the night before. While we sleep, our skin breathes. It repairs and releases oils that can clog up your pores, along with dirt and dust that can sit on your pillow. In the morning I have just started using Nivea MicellAir Rose Water Wash Gel. The main thing that attracted me to this product was the pink packaging. I’m normally a plain type of girl; white bottles, grey packaging. That type of girl. But this really caught my eye. So, after a quick look, I saw it was Nivea, a good brand which has been around for a very long time. It has withstood World War One and World War Two! If you’re a History buff, have a little Google. Nivea's story is quite interesting! Another thing I really liked about this product is the lack of ingredients. Yes, there are still a few listed but I would say less than half the normal beauty product ingredient list. Bonus! It’s such a straight-forward product and the application is simple. Apply to wet face and neck, massage gently in small circles, rinse thoroughly with warm water (people forget the importance of this. Avoid contact with eyes (self-explanatory). This simple but effective formula left my skin, minus the pimples of course, feeling so smooth and moisturised. I felt like I had a full-face wax! I’m sure this exists somewhere in the world! Along with the smoothness of my face I felt extremely hydrated for the best part of an hour afterwards. I normally moisturise straight away but I wanted to test this product honestly and a lot of cleansers leave my skin feeling tight which this didn't. Maybe the moisture has something to do with the chemistry of the micellar water, which I don't know a great deal about, but would love to investigate. The rose scent was perfectly mild, so as not to overpower anyone who isn't a lover of rose. So basically, I am very impressed with this pink bottle of rose wash. It left me hydrated, refreshed and as smooth as a baby’s bottom!
I never go a day without moisturiser, and with the cold weather blasting our skin in the wind and the central heating we keep turning up, our hot showers we keep pumping out just to take the chill out of our bones, we are seriously drying out our skin! It’s not just the sun that damages our skin, we also do it to ourselves mainly in the winter months. So, this winter I have not lived without Neutrogena's Hydro Boost Gel Cream. This product was introduced to me last summer whilst working on a bride with a fellow Makeup Artist. Her work was outstanding. I believed my work was good, but I was lacking a product. She advised that this was a good product to use and since then I have never looked back. Elizabeth might have moved on to another product by now, but so far, I haven’t found anything that I like as much as this. It has a nice cooling effect as you apply it to the face and neck. It leaves your face dewy and moisturised due to the hydro properties in the makeup of this gel-cream. I use this before I apply makeup, or I leave it free if I am having a no makeup day. I also combine it with the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Eye Gel. This helps bring my tired eyes back to life. I think this is the best combo right now, and certainly the boost we all need after a hectic end to the year!
Isn't this the cutest, tiniest pot of Vaseline ever!
Vaseline is another brand that I love and has been around for so many years. It’s an absolute lifesaver! At the moment, my lips get really dry and crack in the corners due to lack of vitamin D due to less sunlight in the colder months. I smother that on after applying my face and eye cream and let it sink in before applying any lipstick, or just wear it alone. Another great tip is that I apply lip liner a shade darker than my natural lip colour then smudge it in to create more of a lip stain. I then dap a bit of Vaseline from the centre of the lips outwards to add colour but also moisturise. Another bonus! So, there you have it! My basic morning skincare regime for January. I will also be having as many makeup free days for when I am not working or when I am not visiting friends. My family are used to seeing me makeup free but I’m looking forward to giving the guy I buy my milk from a fright!
