Sub Zero Skin Heroes | My Winter Skincare Essentials

Hey lovelies, 

Firstly do ya like this post's title? I do admit I giggled quite a lot when I thought it up. (And yes, before you ask, I am that person that laughs at their own jokes a little too much..)

The products I'll be talking about in this post were my absolute saviours whilst I was away in Iceland. It wasn't as cold as I expected it to be, but the wind chill over there is something else! If you're taking a trip to anywhere that's a little chilly, or your skin's just in need of some hydration, read on cause I got you covered!

1. Versace Bright Crystal - £39 for 30ml

2. Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream - £70

3. Make Up Revolution Conceal & Define C3 - £4

4. Kiehls Cactus Flower & Tibetan Ginseng Hydrating Mist - £18.50

5. Colourpop Smoke N Whistles Super Shock Highlighter - $8

6. Glossier Priming Moisturizer - £18

7. Charlotte Tilbury Multi Miracle Glow - £45

8. Glossier Balm Dotcom - £10

Also yes, this is probably the most ostentatious blog prop I've used in product photos before but it's so damn pretty I just couldn't not. #SorryNotSorry 

Let me know if you want a more in-depth review of the Charlotte Tilbury Naughty and Nice Magic Box; whether I think it's worth the price, my favourite products etc. It was a very generous and totally surprising gift from my wonderful mother this Christmas, and it's taken me forever to actually start using the products, cause I wanted to preserve them. (Yes I'm that sad.) I'm really loving them all so far though, especially the couple I'm mentioning today! Someone probably needs to confiscate my debit card when I'm next in a department store with a CT stand else I'll likely end up doing some serious damage to my bank account. But hey, at least I'll look cute.

Glossier is a brand I've featured on the blog before, back when I made my first ever order from the website. It was a first impressions, and my initial love for all the products I tried has remained, especially for this absolute hero of a lip balm. I really expected to come home with the most horrendously chapped lips after day experiencing the bitter winds of Reykjavik on day one, but this little baby was an absolute life saver for the whole trip. Its super thick consistency made for the best barrier against the elements, even when Lucy and I went hiking up a mountain. (Yes. In the dead of winter. During a snow storm. And hail. Oh the hail. You'll have to wait for my next post to hear about that). If you want a lip balm that has great staying power, and doesn't look horrendous when you smear it all over your mouth and nose, (Yes noses get dry too boo), then you should definitely pick up Glossier's Balm Dotcom. I've got my eye on the glittery Birthday one next.

Charlotte Tilbury Multi Miracle Glow. This is a three in one product, and I'm absolutely in love with using it every which way possible. Its first use is as a melting balm that you rub in and then wash off. I'd personally use it as a second step cleanser after taking off my makeup, just to get my face super squeaky clean.It's similar to the Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm but a much yummier scent and texture in my opinion, and there's no film or dryness leftover, despite how much of a deep cleanse it gives. 

The other main use (and my personal favourite) is as an overnight treatment that you apply and allow to soak into the skin. I wake up with baby-smooth skin every time I use this and it leaves the most gorgeous glow. It's definitely an overnight treatment as it needs time to sink in, but my skin always feels so nourished and healthy after using this. Plus at £45 for 100ml I really don't think it's unreasonable. I'll 100% be purchasing the full size of it when this miniature runs out. 

I'll admit it, I'm an absolute sucker for a face mist. I have far too many and I'll probably never finish them all but I just can't stop buying them. So obviously I felt personally victimised by the placement of the Kiehls counter at Gatwick World Duty Free (just kidding, I just have zero willpower around pretty skincare), and had to make a purchase. I'd tried this product at a Kiehls on Wheels beauty event a few months prior and immediately fell in love with the scent so the second I locked eyes on it, I knew it'd be coming on holiday with me! The nozzle produces a really fine mist which is so soothing, plus the blend of geranium, rosemary and lavender is just pure heaven. It's exactly the "drink" your skin needs after a long day of wearing make-up and battling the elements and I'm still using it non stop even now!

This was always the skincare product I lusted after from Charlotte Tilbury. Charlotte's Magic Cream has been so highly talked about for so long,  and I'd always been so desperate to try it, I practically did a little squeak of joy when I realised the Naughty and Nice Box came with such a good sized mini of it! Obviously it did not disappoint and has quickly become a staple to my skincare routine. It's quite thick so I'd allow a good ten minutes for it to sink into the skin before applying makeup, but I can't get over the radiant finish it gives my skin. At £70 for 50ml it is most definitely a luxurious purchase, but I really don't see myself wanting to be without it any time soon!

Primers, moisturisers, moisturising primers, priming moisturisers. I'm not quite sure where the line is between the two, or in fact why more products don't do both in one go like this one. I'm pretty generous with the amount of this I squeeze out and massage into my face, but I love the glossy yet tacky finish it gives, and my make-up always applies beautifully when I've used this as my base. Glossier's focus has always been on healthy, dewy skin and I definitely feel like their Priming Moisturizer is key for achieving that. I don't know if I can say I've noticed the anti-redness properties, but my foundation held up really well the whole time I was in Iceland, and I never found myself getting dry patches or wearing away.  If you class yourself as having dry skin there is a thicker, version of this, called the Priming Moisturizer Rich, which I'd definitely be intrigued to try! (And equally hearing your opinions if you've tried it!) I wonder if it'd have the same priming effect being so much heavier though? 

What are your skincare must haves in Winter? Let me know in the comments, cause as we've now established, your girl can't resist a skincare splurge!