Fresh Skin for a Fresh Year!

I'm not going to do one of those cheesy New Year posts, because I am a firm believer that cringe like that should be kept internal or extremely filtered to the public to reduce any chance of vomiting. However I do like the idea of a fresh start, not because it's a New Year, but because any time is a good time for a fresh start if you feel like you need one! And at the minute I really, really do. So I'm putting it down to a happy coincidence, but will continue to stress that I am not in any way shape or form conforming to the "New Year new me" thing, I just fancy a bit of a freshen up on the existing me, thank you very much. SO with that in mind, I figured the best place to start would be skin! I've been testing quite a few products recently in an attempt to liven up my skin for the New Year, and after the harshness of this winter it's definitely called for, so here's a selection that I've been enjoying!

• NIP + FAB DEEP CLEANSING FIX

Might as well start with my absolute favourite. I'm going to be completely honest, I bought this because I liked the packaging, but I was on the hunt for an affordable and non time consuming skin treatment, which it fits the bill for perfectly. It's quite a thick cream, which you either apply to your face liberally for ten minutes then wash off, or you can leave a thin layer on overnight for a quick cleansing treatment with zero hassle. I found at first it had the same effect as many blurring primers and other products do, where your pores seem to disappear and your skin looks delightfully airbrushed. But later I appreciated the benefit of the product, as in how clean it felt the next day, and smooth, not dry at all. It's basically just an all in one product which is extremely versatile and perfect and easy to use. The only downside was the smell which reminded me very much of creams that doctors give you, it smelt very medicinal, but that's easy to overlook. I got this huge pot from Boots but the brand is also in Superdrug too, and it's not on the pricy side at all. Yay!

• SUPERDRUG FACE MASKS

I have a friend that works in Superdrug, so I feel inclined to try out their own brand products. They're pretty good though, they are against animal testing and are mostly all suitable for vegans, so I have a Lush-like faith in them. I got these two tubes of face masks, the Refreshing Cucumber Peel-Off Mask and the Purifying Witch Hazel Mud Mask, they were both on offer for 2 for £3 something.

As of yet I've only tried the Cucumber one, as I'm drawn to Peel-Off's for the ease of not having to scrub my face with a flannel for half an hour after having a face mask. My first impression was that it smelt like someone had been drinking vodka in a dentists office and had bottled the scent - not pleasant. When I applied it I found it very difficult, it was extremely fluid-y and difficult to place on exact areas of your face, causing a lot of hairline issues, and it didn't set in the ten minutes it advised, or peel off very easily at all. However that all being said, I was able to wash it off with just my hands in the shower, no flannel scrubbing needed, and it left my skin feeling really soft and fresh and lively, and cool as a cucumber. So overall the product was just okay, maybe I'll learn to love it a bit more, but for now it'll be a once-in-a-while occurrence. I'm excited to try out the mud mask, as they have a lot less potential to be wrong so I'm almost guaranteed to like it.

• THE BODY SHOP TEA TREE SKIN CLEARING TONER

I've never been a massive fan of toners, but my skin had a very unruly December with breakouts all over the place, so I had to take some drastic action. The lady assured me it would remove my blemishes after a week or so of incorporating it into my daily skin routine, and she was right! So I'm now a religious cleanse-tone-moisturise person. The toner is lovely, very light, easy to apply. The only thing is that you can REALLY feel it working, as in you get that slight stinging sensation, the one that makes you think "hmm not sure about this feeling but it must be doing me good". It's nothing too difficult to put up with though, and it does indeed smell brilliantly of tea tree goodness, and considerably removes blemishes like black heads and under the skin spots, yay for Body Shop!

 So with all of those combined I'm hoping to look healthy and glowing in the New Year, despite the lack of sleep and prolonged hangovers that December brought. Any other tips for lovely looking skin?

Bloglovin'

ALSO, just a quick note, I signed up to Bloglovin' just now. FOLLOW. If you want, like you don't have to. Also I'll leave a few links to songs I like with the word Follow included in the title. Enjoy!

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11405171/?claim=ktykw9f3pvn">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

I DIVIDE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObVAzxNMIZE

I was there, in that crowd, it was amazing.

WE ARE THE OCEAN: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-hN5sBtKYI

Also seen this live, again, amazing.

Winter Blues Favourites

So it's that time of year, where it's cold and damp and rainy, there's very few hours of daylight, and it's very easy to feel a bit down and blue. I've been feeling a bit sad recently for various different reasons but I've had small little seasonal things to cheer myself up, and thought I'd make a favourites list to share! These are things that made me a little jollier (if that's a word) or that I just really like at the minute - enjoy!

• NOVELTY MUGS

Hot chocolates, coffees and Lemsips are basically the only way I can survive the winter, and they're made so much more fun if you drink them out of a silly mug! They're great to give as presents too, I have one that says "Grumpy Old Woman" for a Secret Santa, but my favourite is this cute Santa with a cosy hat to keep your beverage warm!

• SCENTED CANDLES

They just plain make life better. I've become a bit obsessed actually, and have quite the collection building up. Lighting them just makes the room look cosy and smell good and it's nice to just make it look posh even if you're the only one seeing them, which I always am, people don't visit my room often. Things that smell nice are always a sure fire way to make me feel better, and ones that look pretty too are just a bonus. On the go at the minute I have Raspberry and Papaya from Urban Outfitters, which is a really strong smell but has such a pretty tin and is so fruity and lovely. A Cinnamon Apple massive one from Aromatic Home, which is lovely and Christmassy and lasts forever. An Orange Skittles scented one, which is just so cute and tangy. And a plain Vanilla scented one, which I've forgotten where I got it because it's been around for so long!

• HAIR CARE

It's a known fact that if your hair feels good, you feel good. So I've been taking a lot of care of mine recently, using Argan oils, deep conditioning treatments and lots of heat defines spray. My favourite product to use at the minute is the VO5 Hot Oil Nourish My Shine Natural Oil Treatments. Basically you heat the tube under your bath or shower for a minute, massage into the lengths of your hair, leave for a minute, then rinse and shampoo as normal once a week. They leave my hair feeling so soft and strong and healthy, and they're really affordable too!

• COSY ROOMS

It's Christmas, the only time when it's acceptable or normal to always have your rooms looking like the inside of a gingerbread house. So whack out the fairy lights and light the fire, because being all cosy inside on a cold night is just such a good feeling, especially in pyjamas with a good film on (Ahem ELF). It just looks so cute and cosy!

• WINTER WALKS

Even though it's freezing, the best kind of day in winter is when it's clear and crisp and sunny, and on these rare occasions it would be a waste of daylight not to go outside. So I like to wrap up warm and go for a walk by the river, just to get out of the house and have some fresh air, and to remember that the sky is, sometimes, a colour other than grey.

Sorry for the ramble, but it's a good idea to list things that make you a teensie bit happy even when you're feeling sad on a cold horrible day.