Top Three Things You NEED This Winter!

Today December has started, advent calendars have been opened (although I still need to open mine) and Winter has officially begun. Although the cold isn't new it's nice to think about a few things we might all need now that the coldest time of the year has arrived.

1. A COZY HAT
Who doesn't want (need) a cute hat? Keeps your ears toasty and warm as well as looking cute. Bobblehats and beanies are obviously a must for the Winter. Mine has ears on it like a cat - what could be better?

2. HAND CREAM, LIP BALM ETC
Sometimes in Winter you find your skin getting particularly dry. A lot of people get chapped lips but my main problem is my hands. It's important to have something to make sure your skin remains intact in the cold weather. If you're in need of hand cream I would highly recommend the Body Shop, works better than the prescription strength I've had in the past.

3. A CHRISTMASSY CANDLE
Christmas is coming up (obviously) and nice, spice-scented candles are one of the most important things. Candles add both a lovely smell and a nice ambiance - perfect for this time of year. The candle pictured is the 'Xmas Spice' candle from Sainsbury's. Yankee candles may be a better option, though.

I'm so sorry that I haven't really posted in the last week - definitely hoping to get my blogging mojo back in the next few days! Feels like forever since I've actually sat down to write a post. If anyone has any suggestions for posts they'd like to see let me know - I'm totally open to ideas.

Thanks for reading,
Eleanor xx

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Soft Skin Essentials

Having soft skin always make me feel so much nicer so I love trying out things that will help make my skin feel great. In this post I'm just going to go over a few products I've been using recently to keep my skin feeling super soft.

L-R: Soap&Glory Scrub, Zoella Body Lotion, Body Shop Hand Cream

Soap & Glory Smoothie Star Breakfast Scrub; Boots; £8; 300ml

Ever since I first used this scrub I've been wanting to write about it on my blog. I absolutely love the smell of this, it's quite unusual - a bit like a blend between maple syrup and coffee but I personally really enjoy it. The scent is a bit hit and miss though as I've found that only about half of the people who I got to smell it liked it. Soap & Glory do scrubs in other scents though (I'm fairly certain you can get a Sugar Crush scrub) so if this smell isn't really for you there's no need to miss out on the benefits!
I use this in the shower just after I've used shower gel or soap as you are supposed to use it on damp skin. All you need to do is rub it between your palms and then scrub it on your skin before letting it get washed away by the water. I really don't like the feeling of using scrub but since using it the difference in the softness of my skin has been significant so I would highly recommend it if you haven't already tried it.

Zoella Beauty Creamy Madly Dreamy Body Lotion; Superdrug; £5; 160ml

If you go back through my recent posts I'm sure you'll quickly find the post I did about the Zoella Beauty products I had purchased. Although I absolutely loved the smell of the Fizz Bar I didn't think it actually had that much of a smell when in the bath unfortunately (next time I'll pop in four blocks instead of two and see if it makes it stronger) but I have really been enjoying the body lotion. It's got a very different smell to the scrub but one which I also really like.
I use the lotion just after I get out of the shower or bath and I find it just helps to add a little extra moisture to my skin and keeps it nice and soft. I tend to use a small amount so that it sinks in quickly and have found that a little bit actually goes quite a long way.

The Body Shop Hand Cream; The Body Shop; £3.50; 30ml

Although this is a hand product rather than a body product I decided to include it because I know that it's going to be my dry hand saviour this winter. If you get dry hands in the colder months I would stock up on these as soon as possible. A few scents come in 100ml as well as 30ml but I personally love the small handbag size of the 30ml tubes.
Most years by October the skin on my hands starts to become very dry and to crack. By the coldest time of the year my hands are typically so badly cracked that it hurts to put creams on them and they're a horrible red colour (or slightly blue when I'm outside). So far this year using these hand creams my hands are not dry in the slightest and are extremely soft - so soft that any time anyone touches my hand they actually comment on how soft they are. This hand cream is genuinely more effective than the prescription hand cream that I have used in previous years and hopefully will continue to keep my hands soft (or at least not awful) into the Winter months. So basically, if you struggle with dry hands at all purchase this immediately. I'm almost certain that you will not regret it.

If you have any tips for soft and moisturised skin please let me know as I am always looking for new things to try!
Thanks for reading,
Eleanor xx

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AUGUST FAVOURITES

August has just come to an end so I thought it might be time to make a post of the products I have been loving throughout the month. Favourites videos are common on YouTube but I see them quite often on blogs and thought I'd try my hand at it.
Because I'm trying to keep it fairly short and sweet so I don't bore anyone, I've only picked 5 of products to talk about.

Left to right: Body Shop Coconut Hand Cream, VO5 High Volume Hairspray, Bethany Mota Perfume, Models Own Fruit Pastel Nail Polishes, 17 Mirror Shine Lipstick in the colour Flirtini

Coconut Hand Cream; The Body Shop; £3.50; 30ml

As it was buy 1 get one half price on these hand creams I decided to get a couple (the other scent being strawberry) and I have really been enjoying them. Although I hate the taste of coconut it is definitely one of my favourite scents and this cream smells really strong as well as being moisturising on the hands. I use it everyday and will definitely repurchase when it runs out. Very good price, too!

VO5 High Volume Weather Resistant Hairspray; Boots; £3.29; 400ml

Hairspray - as well as hair in general - has always been a struggle for me. Most of the hairsprays I try make my hair extremely crunchy, sticky and/or completely flat and lifeless. With this one, however, I found it to be fairly soft as well as being fairly volumising. The volumising effects weren't quite as drastic as I'd like but it was more than I expected for the price. They also do one that does not offer high volume (which also comes in a more reasonably sized bottle - 400ml of hairspray takes up quite a lot of space. The hold is good so my hair stays in place well.

Bethany Mota Fragrance; Aeropostale; $25; 50ml

Popular YouTuber Bethany Mota recently released a fragrance to accompany her clothing line at Aeropostale. This Summer I was on holiday in the States and  picked it up while on a shopping spree. It has a sweet scent with a slight musky undertone and I love it to bits! The bottle is very cute - heart shaped, gold and glittery - and even has a little bow. It lasts a long time on the skin considering the price tag ($25 ~ £15, much cheaper than buying a high end perfume) and everyone who has smelled it really liked the scent too. I think it is available internationally from the Aeropostale website if any UK based people want to try it.

Seventeen Mirror Shine Lipstick (Flirtini); Boots; £4.79; ???

Every now and then I have a sort through my make up and find something that I haven't used or even seen in a while and instantly fall back in love with it. This lipstick in the shade 'flirtini' is a gorgeous shiny shimmery pink lipstick that gives a glossy effect on the lips. It could definitely be passed off as a fairly highly pigmented lipgloss or even a lipstick with lipgloss on top. It has quickly become my second favourite lipstick (after MAC's New York Apple) and stays on longer than many glossier lipsticks do. 17 is definitely one of my go to brands for cheaper lipsticks. I have another one of these lipsticks and I definitely enjoy that one too - it's a great formula. They are now in a different packaging (black with a small mirror inside) but the product and the colours are still the same. I would recommend this lipstick to anyone and is probably my favourite of the favourites in this post.

Models Own Fruit Pastel Nail Polishes (Banana Split, Apple Pie, Strawberry Tart); Superdrug; £5 each; 14ml each

I've always been sceptical of scented nail polishes and these are no different. I love the smells given off when scratching the top of the bottles (there's a scratch and sniff provided) but they are very faint on the nails and fade quickly. Despite this, I love the colours and there's no need for the scent anyway - very few people go around sniffing my hands! They aren't more expensive than the other polishes from Models Own and like I said, the colours are great. I love pastels and I think I will get wear out of these even in the winter (just because it's cold doesn't mean we have to be grey and miserable!). I have worn all three this month and currently have on the Banana Split colour, which so happens to be the one with the strongest scent. Apple Pie reminds me of an Essie colour I wanted but no longer really need - Mint Candy Apple - so I have been saved the £2.99 difference. I'm a big fan of the colours Models Own do and these are no different. I may even get other colours from the Fruit Pastel Collection.

These are all of my favourites for the month, I hope anyone who may be reading found it interesting and maybe even tries one or two of the products!