Winter Essentials

Hello there,

Well now I have my latest assignment out of the way and I can stop thinking about antigens, mucus membranes and blood clotting 24/7 and I can guilt free devote some time to my blog. 

I promised my winter essentials and this is what I deliver, I am going to try not be too obvious with my choices and hopefully a few products you may not have tried. 

First off, Nspa brightening day cream. I have owned this for a little while and rediscovered it lurking in one of my overnight bags. It is a brightening day cream with SPF 15 ( which as we all know is just as important in winter as in summer ) it contains Vitamin E and Maca Root which has invigorating properties, sweet almond oil also contains Vitamin E as well as essential fatty acids and Neroli oil which is sourced from orange blossom petals giving the cream a delicate citrus perfume as well as a toning and balanced effect. The consistency is nice, I've found in the harsher weather my skin has dried out quite easily and an application of this cream in the morning has ensured my skin has been glowing throughout the day. Although it does contain oils it doesn't leave a greasy residue and has not triggered any breakouts in my acne prone skin. 

The most surprising things about this cream is the price and where you can get your mitts on it, it available exclusively at Asda and retails at £6.00, there is currently a promotion on and it is on a  2 for £8 offer with other products in the range 

Ah Carmex, my old buddy, my old pal. I won't dwell too much on this product as it is a staple in most peoples collections however just a few quick points. I do like the Carmex in a tube concept, when I think about the hygine of repeatedly rubbing germy fingers into the little pots and god forbid double dipping it does make me shudder. I imagine it would make quite a busy Petri dish if a swab was taken towards the end of a pot. Also, no awkward lip balm finger residue. 

Yay SPF 15! 

£2.69

Nails Inc, Maryleborne Mews. Okay so this was one of Glamour Magazines amazing freebies and yes I did buy some of the other colours because who wouldn't. I'm actually very glad I did because inside the magazine was a little red card from The Body Shop which you took into store it had a value of £3, £5, £15, £100 or £1000 and turns out on one of the cards I acquired after a weak moment and desire for more nail varnishes had £100 to spend in store on it ! Woo!

 I digress.. This colour is so pretty it's a grey lavender like nothing I've previously owned and I think it just looks beautiful.  I think I've come to realise that some of the more 'boring' shades that you may not notice as readily as the more pretty colours can looks so chic and professional. 

This was a Glamour Exclusive so no long available.

Kikoto advanced hair therapy, Volume-Enhance Cleanser with Date, Green Tea, Fire Tulip, Smetic Clay and Karité. This was one of my stocking fillers, expertly chosen by my Mum. I have never used a hair cleanser before so this was very intriguing as well as it's blend of African Plant extract and Electron Acceptor Technology... Okay so this is probably the most nerdy shampoo ever blogged about but bear with me. Cleanser it is, it's of a creamy consistency more like a hair masque if I had to compare it to any previous hair products I have used. Electron Acceptor Technology is a blend of antioxidants that specifically target free radicals to prevent damage to the hair, so quite a claim and I would have to have used of longer to comment on this but it did leave my hair feeling very refreshed. 

£8.95 75ml , Amazon

Finally last but not least.. Pantene Pro V 2 min intensive nourishing treatment for fine hair. 

It does what it says in the tin, I'd pay good money for a product like this, especially with the tendency for masques to be so heavy and greasy it's so noticeable with fine hair because it makes if limp and greasy before you can blink. I usually apply a couple of packets of the masque all over my hair root to tip let it soak in for half an hour or so while I'm sat up in bed and leave it in over night. The next few days my hair is so soft and I feel like it does the world of good. 

£4.49 200ml, Ocado

I hope this was useful and not too ropey for a first attempt, of course I'd appreciate any feedback!

Rachel x