(Pictured left) 1.) Simple kind to skin replenishing rich moisturiser. (Pictured right) 2.) Bourjois healthy mix foundation. (Center, top to bottom) 3.) Norweigan formula nourishing body balm with nordic berry, 4.) MAC Mineralize charged water moisture gel, 5.) Nivea Daily essential express hydration primer.
It's reached that time of year where everyone with dry skin dreads as the cold sets in and your skin becomes what seems like 1000x drier than it's been all year. I've always had dry skin, and in the winter it often feels like my skin can become dry to the point where it's pointless even putting on makeup because it's inevitable it will cling to the abundance of dry patches I have on my face. I've always struggled to find products that work as well as they say they will and the money I spent trying to find 'holy grail' products over time must have added up to a fair amount. In hindes sight very few or these products actually lived up to my expectations and I've only found around 2 handfuls worths of products that I was impressed with enough to repurchase again. Overtime I've came to realise that the thing that works best for me is exfoliating only once a week and using minimal skincare products on my face in-between exfoliating.
I've used simple skin care products from the age of around 12 yet I've only been using this moisturiser for the past year. I guess I kind of overlooked it but since using it I've noticed my skin to be a lot less dry. A lot of moisturisers I find will work well for me in the hotter months an be ineffective during winter but both this one and MAC's mineralised charged water gel have proven to be effective throughout the year. I particularly enjoy the smooth feel the charged water gel gives me skin after using it so I tend to prefer applying that before makeup in the morning, then I'll apply my simple moisturiser to quench my face before bed. Although I've always been a firm favourite of the body shops body butters recently I tried out Norweigan Formula's body balm and I've really been enjoying it - arguably more so. The one I purchased was for dry to very dry skin and I noticed within a few days of using it how much more moisturised my skin felt. Again I enjoyed using it because unlike many other body moisturisers it didn't feel greasy and soaked into the skin relatively quickly. When my skin starts to become extremely dry I find myself to be limited in the primers I can use, as many of them are silicone based and they end up drying out my face even more if I use them on a daily basis however the Nivea essentials daily express hydration primer isn't so it's became a winter favourite of mine. It's affordability was what initially drew me to it as even some of the lower end primers (i.e L'oreal) can be around the £10 margin so I thought £5 was an excellent price to be paying for a primer in itself let alone one specifically for dry skin that delivers on this. The primer adds moisture to the skin as well as priming and I find it leaves my skin with a glow that helps give the foundation on top of it a dewy finish. Finally although this post is mainly skin care related I wanted to add a foundation that lets me down the least when my skin tends to be at it's driest. I'm pretty reluctant during the winter to spend money on and wear high end foundations because the condition of my skin prevents the application from looking as flawless as I want and I end up feeling like I've wasted both my money and product, but this foundation I feel is pretty much the one I reach for the most throughout winter. I can't sit and explain what it is about this product that makes it cling to dry patches less and give my skin that glowing dewy finish that I crave when it's at it's worst because I really don't have a clue, but I just find that this foundation seems to do this for me. A drawback is that it's not a matte in the slightest so if you don't like dewy foundations this wouldn't be for you at all. Again the lasting power isn't as good as some of the other foundations I own, but I find many of these to not apply to my skin as well during winter, so for the finish it gives my skin and my dependability upon it during winter, these are worthwhile compromises for me.