The winter skincare saviours

Oh hey little fresh faced Ayden! I had a horrible old time with my skin a few years ago (have a read here) which led to me coming off the pill and putting it down to hormones – because no amount of fancy products were truly going to solve my woes completely. Fast forward to today, I am in a much better place with my skin where I enjoy my skincare regime and don’t feel in a panic that I am just spending every day fire fighting the break outs. I have kindly been sent some products to test drive over the winter period, where the weather is harsher and perhaps a lot more food and drink than usual is consumed (which for me definitely has an effect from the inside out) so here are my thoughts on some winter skincare saviours.

Coco Melt Makeup Remover Balm – £24.99 @ Hello Body

This makeup remover balm is a delicious, thick and luxurious drink for your skin. The balm melts into an oil as you apply it, which is great for melting your makeup away gently. It does leave an oily residue, however, even when you wipe with a hot cloth – so for this reason I’d only use it as part of a two step cleansing routine as you will need to use a separate cleanser afterwards to help remove the oily residue. I’d save using this for a heavier makeup day where you’ve got a considerable amount of foundation and eye makeup to take off. Perhaps post Christmas party if you’ve got the patience for double cleansing!

Coco Kiss Lip Scrub – £14.99 @ Hello Body

Don’t get me wrong, this is a really lovely lip scrub, and the organic sugar grains did a wonderful job of keeping my lips smooth and removing any dead skin. But the £14.99 price tag is over double what I would usually spend on a lip scrub from Lush! With the Lush scrub, you can lick away the residue but the Hello Body version states you should rinse them and do not swallow. I really liked this product but would not repurchase with the price tag being so high compared to what I usually spend on a similarly great product.

Coco Day Daily Face Cream – £24.99 @ Hello Body

This was my favourite out of the three Hello Body Products I tried. A light but nourishing daily moisturiser which sinks into your skin really well, and makes applying makeup afterwards no problem at all. I’ve been using a pump of this every morning and have no complaints. It smells delicious, absorbs really well, and contains anti bacterial properties to help prevent blemishes.

All of Hello Body’s products are cruelty free, and a lot are vegan too. They are heavily invested in reducing their impact on the planet and using sustainable packaging as well, which is a big thumbs up from me! Have you tried any of their products before?

Seahorse Plankton+ Discovery Collection – £30 (currently reduced to £25) @ Beauty Kitchen

This set from Beauty Kitchen is a great introduction to their Seahorse Plankton+ range. It gives you the chance to try a little bit of everything so you can decide if/what you’d like to repurchase. Can I just say, the Konjac sponge is a game changer! I much prefer using this now to my usual cotton cloths. The really radiant moisturiser is lovely and thick, I use it before bedtime to allow my skin to really drink it up overnight. I haven’t used the facial oil yet (tend to not be a fan of oils to be honest) but I just saw a wee tip on their website saying you can mix some drops of the oil into your moisturiser for an added boost, so I’ll definitely be trying that tonight!

The miracle mask is great too, a little goes a long way and it left my skin feeling really soft and smooth. I have been using the gel cleanser as a 2 part routine with the Coco Melt mentioned above, and it got rid of the oily residue no bother and left my face feeling squeaky clean.

Beauty Kitchen claim that the marine extracts in these products are scientifically proven to firm, balance and renew, for visibly more radiant skin. I wouldn’t say that mine has felt particularly radiant after a couple weeks of using them but it definitely feels plumper and very hydrated. Every element of this packaging has been designed with reusability in mind, so you can either reuse the packaging yourself or send it back to them for free and they will wash and reuse for their next batch. You can read all about their Return, Refill, Repeat programme here.

Wonder Balm – £12 @ A Pony Called Steve

Tierra Balm – £9.99 (currently reduced to £6.99) @ Temple De Luna

Now when my skin is super mad at me, or if I only have a few minutes patience to take my makeup off before bed, these beautiful balms are the stellar two which I reach for! Wonder Balm is an all natural cleanser from A Pony Called Steve, and you only need the tiniest amount to melt between your fingers, apply to your face and rub rub rub. It’s so gentle I am able to rub it over my eyes to remove all my eye makeup and mascara, but powerful enough that in one fell swoop and a swipe of a cloth and warm water – ALL my makeup is off and my face feels mega clean!

Tierra Balm is a little skincare saviour which I keep on my bedside table. It’s a natural, moisturising balm for dry skin and boy does it deliver. I leave this on overnight on any patches of dry skin that I have (on my face or body) and for the past few nights I have also used it on a cold sore which went from angry and sore, to much calmer (and almost gone) by the next morning. Super soothing and nourishing, it’s also suitable for people who are prone to acne, eczema, dermatitis and psoriasis.

Daily Hydration Body Lotion – £10.99 @ Shea Moisture (also available at Boots, Superdrug & Asos)

Daily Hydration Body Wash – £10.99 @ Shea Moisture (also available at Boots, Superdrug & Asos)

Fully on the hydration wagon this winter, I’ve been using this duo from Shea Moisture on a daily basis as well. The coconut body wash smells delicious, but does cost quite a lot for what is essentially a shower gel. I know that you tend to pay more for fair trade ingredients, and the brand are cruelty free too which is always a plus. The formula is super gentle, I’ve actually poured a bit of it into Reuben’s bath a couple of times as a bubble bath! The body lotion is definitely more deserving of the price tag, and is a lovely light and fluffy whip which soaks into the skin without leaving hardly any residue (which is great considering how nourishing it is) I apply this after my morning shower, especially to my legs and bump where I had stretch marks last time with Reuben.

Super stretchy & comfy jumpsuit c/o Femmeluxe Finery

Have you tried any of the brands I’ve mentioned in this post? If so, let me know what you think of them and if there’s any other products I should try! Despite having a manic work schedule, making time for a little 10 minute ritual before bed and in the morning has been lovely in making me feel like I’m really taking care of my body (and my brain) during this pregnancy and the harsher winter months. I’ve been told a couple of times now that I’ve got a bit of a pregnancy glow going on… but I’m pretty sure it’s probably just the sheer amount of coconut oil based products my skin is enjoying on a daily basis! Haha. Tomorrow is my last day of work before heading off on Maternity leave, and I’m super excited to cosy up with my family over Christmas and have some well earned rest ♥