In Sickness and In Health

I have been a bit all over the place this month, mostly because I've been ill throughout most of November and it's hard to talk confidently about beauty when you look like shit. So these are the wonder products that have helped to make me look human on the rare occasions when I'd leave the house. The packaging is dented and slightly grubby in these photos, but on the bright side at least you know that they are well loved.

Weleda Skin Food - £7

Okay, the one pictured is the 30ml and the one I've linked to is twice the size, but I have no doubt you'd find a use for this during the winter months. This is like a thick salve as it helps to sooth any dry areas and cracked shin, such as elbows and knees. This may be a bit gross, but I tend to get really noticeable black marks on my nose where I've been wiping away, to the extent that someone asked me if i had intentionally burned it! This has come to the rescue as my skin just drinks it up. It doesn't have the oily residue left by other moisturisers, as Weleda is a natural brand and I will be looking to buy more from them in the future. Using this near the beginning of the month has reduced any discolouration around my nose and helps to deal with any skin irritations brought up from the cold.

L'Occitane Dry Skin Shea Butter Hand Cream - £8

This was a fairly new acquisition as I've never really used hand cream regularly, but as the weather got colder I picked this up as there was so much buzz around it - and frankly it was getting a bit embarrassing pulling out my mini REN Rose Otto Lotion whilst on the Tube. This has a luxurious feel to is as the thrick formula is instantly hydrating, leaving your hands moisturised for a few hours. Definitely one for the times when you need a quick pick-me-up as the smell is divine.

Bath and Bodyworks Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel in Linen

Unfortunately, I'm not sure if you can get this scent anymore, as Bath and Bodyworks are located in the US and Canada. I can only link here where they sell a few seasonal Favourites, including Warm Vanilla Sugar which I also own and love. Back to Linen, this is such a clean, homey scent and is good when you're rushing around on public transport or maybe after blowing your nose. The gel also contains Tahitian Palm Milk so it's not as drying as other alcohol based hand gels are. So if you're within reach of a Bath and Bodyworks store, give this a sniff as it's a clean favourite (sorry) from me.

 

Nuxe Reve de Miel Lip Balm - £10

Yup, everyone raves about this, but for good reason. At first, I was skeptical and only got the £5 stick version, which needs warming up and breaking into before it can be on par with the tub version. I lost the chapstick, and I couln't go one week without cracking and getting the 15ml tub. The formula is extra nourishing and smells of milk and honey. Horrible cracked lips, begone! I was at the stage of the cold where Carmex is as useful as water, but the Nuxe lipbalm is longlasting and also helps to get rid of any dead skin. It may not be best under lipstick, but the heavy luxe packaging and thick hydrating texture more than makes up for it.

Benefit Sun Beam - £18.50

On sick days, your skin tends to look a bit dull and lifeless and this highlighter tends to be the solution when I don't want to look like I tried too hard. Yes, Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Topaz is still my favourite, maybe I'll do a side by side comparison someday. The thing is, the shade Topaz is too dark and bronzey for winter and Sun Beam offers a good compromise. I tend to use it on the tops of cheeks and over my dark circles, so the light reflective particles can give my face a subtle lift whilst hiding the lack of sleep and pale skin.

So those are my necessities for many sick days this month! Just so you know, I have changed my URL from ohsofrivolous.blogspot.com to makeuptobreakupblog.blogspot.com, just because there's no point having your own personal space on the web if it doesn't represent who you are. I hope to show more of my personality on here and I'm genuinely excited about the next post! Take care xxx

I'm not dead... I promise!

Well, I've been a bad blogger, haven't I? Sorry I haven't posted, it's been a mixture of not physically being able to submit anything through Blogger, moving back home and being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of beauty products I've accumulated!! I only have one face after all.

Update 1: I got my hair did! Considering that I've never been a fan of the poker straight look, I have been known to avoid the hairdressers for fear of being burned. But this time, I came out with a short bob and curled it loosely to give that messy tousled look.It probably didn't help that I'd been out in the wind and rain before I took this, it looks like I've been pulled through a hedge...

Update 2: My new makeup routine consists of mixing Revlon Colorstay in toast with YSL's Le Teint Touche Eclat, which seems to have solved the problem of using them individually. On its own, Colorstay gives full coverage,is very matte and this particular shade made my complexion look muddy. On the flipside, YSL's latest offering is very sheer and gives a dewy finish which doesn't last long on my skin. The shade B60 is my closest match despite it being too light for me (it leans more yellow than my skintone) so this compromise gives a more natural semi-matte finish. On my lips is MAC Syrup lipstick, which has become my new go-to nude.

EDIT: I forgot to mention what brush I used for my base as applying the Revlon Colorstay can be a bit tricky and it dries quickly on the face! I apply my foundation with the Real Techniques Stippling Brush as the duofibres allow you to work quickly whilst stippling the product onto your skin. Everyone's been raving about these brushes so I don't think another glowing review is necessarily needed, but before I bought this, I would use a standard foundarion brush and end up using too much product. The Stippling brush gives an even lightweight application without compromising on the coverage.

Update 3: There is SO much I forgot I had! After moving back into a box room, I've had to move everything into storage and it hasn't been easy. A vast amount of it is skincare from different parts of my skin journey, and makeup that I've tried, thought was so-so and cannot bring myself to throw it out. I'm trying to phase out buying so much by just using what I have, but the lack of funds hasn't stopped me compiling a list as long as my arm! Things forgotten include the Revlon Colourstay, SEVERAL nail polishes and my favourite perfume of all time Flight of Fancy by Anna Sui.

I was reminded by another favourite over at The Sunday Girl blog where the mere mention of the Bath and Bodyworks hand sanitisers made my start looking for my own collection. I have 3: Linen, Warm Vanilla Sugar and Fresh Lemon. I'll show you the Lemon one as it's the least battered of them all.

I love these as they're very dinky and handbag friendly without the horrible alcohol scent! Considering I went to America a year or two ago, it's a wonder I have any left at all...

Update 4: After umming and ahhing I decided to visit the BeautyMart at Harvey Nichols to eye up the skincare section and hoard lots of Bioderma. Unfortunately for me, they were sold out of the big bottles, so had to resort to getting the tiny one to test it out... so far so good. I was fairly restrained despite them having Weleda, Balance Me and other organic goodies in stock. As aforementioned I have more than enough skincare (but of course that doesn't stop me wanting to try more, sigh) so I only walked out with Bioderma and yet another polish. FYI, the samples you get are amazing, mine included an oil cleanser.

Whilst in there, I was complemented on my nails, do you like? The green polish is Going Incognito by Essie (pre-diffusion line) and the glittery one is a very pared down Edinburgh Gate by Nails Inc. This glitter polish is so chunky it can be passed off as a sequin mani if you layer it enough, but the combination of silver, green and red particles make it very versatile.

I have a few things planned, such as my Nails Inc Polish Collection, what's in my make-up bag and other fun stuff. Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to see.