Christmas skin part 2

Yesterday I discussed cleansing, exfoliating, serums and moisturisers as part of your daily routine. Today I am going to discuss the extras that make beauty fun. I think they make it fun, your mileage may vary.

First up, sheet masks! Unpacking one of these babies makes me giggle. Everyone looks like something out of a horror film in them but that's part of the joy. I have a friend who sends me a selfie via What's App whenever she is wearing one and it never fails to amuse me. I love a sheet mask. They are pretty cheap and perfect for jet lag. I always pack one when I am flying to use at the hotel when I land. Slap one on cleansed skin and relax for 15-20 mins. You can relax for longer if you like, no harm will come to you. Then when you're ready gently remove it and massage in the residue. I also wipe the mask over my hands for a hit of moisture and because I can't bear waste.

I've been using these for years and my absolute favourite used to be Oil of Olay but they seem to have stopped making them. Never mind, the market is crowded. Sephora do a fabulous line (and they ship to the UK). My favourite is Rose.

You can find dozens more on their site.

I also like Tony Moly and have used the Rice one. Again, you can see plenty of others to suit your skin type on that site.

When I was in Rome, the hotel was so fancy that the toiletries included a sheet mask! I didn't have time to use it on the trip so it came home with me but A for effort.

I also like eye masks and the Skyn Iceland ones seem to act like scaffolds to eye bags. I often use these when I don't have time for the full face mask. They don't leave residue on your face but tighten and firm which is what we all want, right?

I'm also a fan of the Bliss Triple Oxygen eye masks although they are expensive. These get wheeled out when things are really bad.

Moving on from sheet masks to the old fashioned face masks. I adore these, there is something so satisfying about applying a cool layer of gunk to your face and praying the doorbell doesn't ring.

Sometimes you just want a clay mask and the best one for me is by Clarins. It's very gentle and doesn't sting or irritate and it leaves skin feeling very soft and clean.

Other times you want moisture. Sisley Black Rose is the Rolls Royce of masks. I bought mine with reward points. I can't imagine ever shelling out hard cash for this but if you happen to get a sample or ask someone nicely near your birthday, you won't be sorry.

To perk up tired skin, I still like Bliss Triple Oxygen Mask. It has the added bonus of being really easy to wash off.

I could go on and on. I have my eye on the Bobbi Brown masks. I have some mini Caudalie ones that I adore.

At this time of year, I recommend holing yourself up and treating your skin but a tip from me, don't apply a face mask and then sink into a hot bath. I have done this more than once (I never learn) and ended up with a bright red face that took three hours to calm down!

Christmas skincare

Heating, cold air, too much sugar, too much everything, not enough sleep. It can all send your skin haywire and we don't want that do we? This year I have discovered proper hot cloth cleansing and it's a game changer. I also stopped washing my face with foaming face washes and that's made a difference too.

The fact is, look after your skin properly and everything else is easier. And life being easier is enough of a motivator for me.

Let's start with the cleanser. I love Skyn Iceland Pure Cloud Cleanser. It's gentle and not overpowering and it is so soothing. I find many cream cleansers try too hard with a ton of active ingredients that irritate my (usually very well behaved) skin. This is the one I keep returning to. You can use it on your eyes too.

I understand that the idea of hot cloth cleansing in the morning may be a bit of an effort. I concur and that's when I use an oil cleanser. I am currently using the Parsley Seed Facial Oil by Aesop which is very nice but the packaging is annoying.

I have Clinique Take The Day Off Oil waiting in the wings. It's half the price and does just as good a job.

That's your clean skin. Now the fun bit. My biggest discovery this year has been exfoliating toners and why did I not know about these before? They slough off dead cells and make your skin ready for the moisture. I adore Zelens face pads and have stockpiled many in various 30% offers. They are expensive, I can't pretend they are not but my skin tone has massively improved since using them. I also like that they come ready to use without having to soak a cotton wool pad. Umm, yes I am really lazy.

If this is too rich for your blood, then the Alpha H Liquid Gold is also good.

Then you need a serum. My endless quest for the perfect and affordable serum continues. I adore Chanel but cannot justify it on a regular basis. I am currently using the Avene serum from Boots. I like this, it has the right texture. I cannot stand those serums that feel like plastic. This seems to be doing me good. I've tried countless others from French brands and Oil of Olay. All are ok but don't knock my socks off.

Now you can moisturise. I have to tell you that having spent a fortune on creams over the years, my current favourite by a country mile is L'Oreal Extraordinary Oil Cream. It's utterly divine, it applies like a dream, soaks in instantly and actually leaves me glowing. Nothing else comes close. And it's £10! I spent a fortune on mine as I reported before but it was worth it. Yes, I am worth it!

Oh, you should add a SPF as well. I don't tend to in darkest winter when I literally seem to be outside for 10 minutes max but I feel duty bound to point it out.

On other moisture fronts, I like an oil for the evening. Clarins Blue Orchid Oil is still a firm favourite and smells heavenly.

My favourite is Sarah Chapman Overnight Facial. This is what you put on when you need heavy duty maintenance. Rolling into bed at 2am? You bring out this baby. I promise you, it turns back time. OK, no it doesn't but it's damn good.

I also throw in facials, face masks and my super duper favourite: sheet masks! More on all of those tomorrow because I have to go and get changed for a trip to Kings Rd and Peter Jones beauty hall followed by champagne with friends. Ciao beauties!

Beauty on the move

From September to Christmas this year, I have done/will do a fair bit of travel. I'm not complaining, I like to travel and I always enjoy it for work. I get bored going to the same office every day so a bit of travel breaks that up.

Also, let's be honest, travelling allows a whole new world of beauty shopping. There's the duty-free joy both at the airport and on the plane, the exploring different products in other countries and perhaps, the best part, collecting my favourite beauty treatments in dinky sizes. This is one of the reasons I am obsessed with beauty box offers because I can collect the little sizes for my travels. I also really enjoy trying new products in swish hotel rooms. I actively collect face masks, treatments, bath oils, deep moisturisers so I can create a spa in my room.

Let's talk about duty-free. I don't think it's possible to fly from London Heathrow and not buy something. Well, ok, it's possible but why? Where's the fun in that? I always allow 30 minutes or so to peruse the beauty counters. Terminal 5 is perfect for this but I like Terminal 3 too. You get a few quid off the products but for me, it's all about getting on the plane with new swag and playing with it. I love to get a new perfume when I go somewhere although I do this more for holidays than work trips. At a minimum I buy something like a new mascara or lip gloss. Nothing too bank-breaking but a treat. If I am meeting a colleague at the airport and need to chat in the lounge then I wait and buy something on the plane. I once bought four products on the way to LA because 12 hours is a long time and I was bored. I managed to convince everyone I was with to purchase too and we basically made like Frenchie's bedroom in Grease for the rest of the flight.

Not all airports are created equal. US airports are awful. For the country that leads our capitalist hearts to the till and invented Black Friday, I don't understand why they can't see what a great retail opportunity airports are. Instead they make their airports as unwelcoming and downright communist as possible. And don't even get me started on their airport lounges. Dubai is very good but enormous and I've now been lost twice there. And I've only been to the airport twice. Singapore is marvellously good as is Hong Kong.

Once at your destination, beauty shopping is a whole new world. The mothership of this is New York City. Sephora, Duane Reade, nail bars, Rickys and all the fabulous department stores, the list goes on and on. I need at least a day to do them justice. When I was living in New York, if I had a bad day, I would walk home via Sephora and life just felt better. Often I bought nothing (no, really) but going in and playing with make-up for 20 minutes soothed me. I also love a European pharmacy more than is healthy. The French brands are wonderful and so chic.

For make-up, when I travel, I like everything to be in a stick format as much as possible. Stick foundations, eyeshadows, blushers, lip glosses etc. If I don't need a brush, so much the better. My new favourite stick is this Chubby Stick from Clinique:

I got a baby version (still big and would take months to finish) with a Clinique offer. It's very good. It only comes in four colours which I find refreshing in a world of endless choices.

For my upcoming trip, I bought this from Caudalie:

Three different masks and all nice and small. I plan to take the moisturising one on the plane with me. The trend for doing facials on planes is a little exhibitionist for my liking but this I can just slap on and wait for it to absorb. I don't think anyone will notice.

I wouldn't sit with a sheet mask on the plane (although each to their own!) but I do always take one with me for arrival. I always get jet lag so when I wake up early the next morning, I slap a sheet mask on and feel like I am accomplishing something. I don't have a favourite, I will literally put any of them on.

However, I do adore this from Skyn Iceland:

Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels. Bliss in a pack. I've recommended these before and I continue to love them.

I could go on and on. I may do another post about travel beauty. Meanwhile, I am plotting what I plan to buy at Terminal 5 tomorrow...

A year in beauty

It's nearly the end of 2015 and I enter the Christmas period with no kitchen but hey, I do have two (yes, I got another one yesterday - Hot Rose) new Bobbi Brown lipsticks so life is good.

This year for me has been about hot cloth cleansing. I always used foaming facial cleansers but I have reached the age where I have to admit it's too harsh on my skin.  My favourite cleanser is Skyn Iceland Pure Cloud Cleanser. It's lovely and cooling and works a treat. M&S stock this so you can often get 20% off it.

Throw away the muslin cloths and bulk buy some proper flannels. Essential. And wash them after each use. No, it's not ok to use them twice in a row.

I also embraced foundation. I will always love a tinted moisturiser but nothing looks as polished as foundation. I love my Chanel one and the purchase of a foundation brush has also been life-changing. I use it to buff my skin after application and it's fab. I use this Real Techniques one.

I am definitely spending more on skincare rather than make-up these days. Oils, cleansers, face masks, treatments. The list is endless. I still adore make-up and will never stop looking at it and playing with it but nothing gets my heart racing more than a great face mask! Or, indeed, an eye mask. Yet another gem from Skyn.

Pack these in your case and use on a weekend away. Bliss.

I've posted less this year, it's been very busy with work and house renovations. But I shall continue to post in 2016 because there is always that wonder product just around the corner. 

Thank you for reading and happy 2016!