As the weather gets colder this January the one part of me that suffers the most is my skin. I found over December my skin routine went completely out of the window and with a mixture of late nights and my own laziness I resorted to the good old pack of baby wipes as my evening make up cleanser. And that was it. Then in the morning just a face wash would do, and a cheeky bit of moisturiser, hardly a refreshing routine.
So I decided this new year I would treat myself, I would try out a new team of products and see what difference this could make to my tired, and a little drained face. The shop I knew I needed to visit was my all time favourite – The Body Shop. My skin is terribly sensitive, and in the winter months my psoriasis flares up and this means I use A LOT of natural moisturisers to combat the areas of dryness and soreness. This can make my skin really greasy which causes a lot of blemishes, it’s a frustrating cycle that I find myself battling every year.
So first things first, a new everyday routine. A good face wash, toner and spot target, all at a not too bank breaking £13. I opted for the tea tree range, a refreshing and awakening smell with (rumour has it) ground breaking results. So I thought I’d give it ago. I don’t know about anyone else but I am terrible for routine, when I’m tired or feeling a bit lazy, all routine goes out of the window. So for the past few weeks I’ve really tried to be strict with myself, making sure I use all three products, but sometimes it is just the face wash that gets used twice daily. The face wash is self explanatory to use, and with the cleanser, I apply it to a cotton pad and ensure I cleanse all round my neck and forehead, and rinse. Then for those niggly little spots I target them with the tea tree oil.
Also this time of year as well as my skin feeling worse for wear, so do my lips. There is nothing more annoying than chapped lips in winter so I also picked up a vitamin E lip balm. Adding this to my routine has made a massive difference. It’s so moisturising that I only apply it twice a day and I know that my lips wont crack up, it lives in my handbag and is ideal for these chilly days.
As well as this easy to follow routine I treated myself to two facemasks that I already knew work for me, which is the aloe moisturising mask and the seaweed clay mask. The seaweed one smells incredible and sets so quickly, I usually wash it off after about ten minutes when my face starts to feel stiff! It really cleanses the skin and feels so refreshing when I’ve washed it off. Whereas the aloe one is completely different, it’s creamy texture looks similar to a more dodgy kind of facial, but its moisturising qualities are wonderful. I like to use these two masks around twice a week on alternating days and it really does feel like the ultimate pamper party for my skin, especially when paired with a wonderful bubbly bath.
I’ve been using all of these products in routine for around three weeks now and the results have been surprisingly good! I am fully aware that I am no beauty expert, but I just really wanted to share my views on some of my new favourite finds. My skin will never be flawless due to the fact that I do wear make up most days and I do have lazy days where only a face wash will do. But this is the one new years resolution that I will try to keep up. The Body Shop is definitely one of my favourite brands for skincare. For me having the reassurance that all the products are animal cruelty free and are all natural really puts my mind and my sensitive skin at ease.
One of my favourite things about shopping at The Body Shop is their loyalty card, the love your body card. Every time you spend, you collect points. If you’re like me they add up so quickly and once you hit 500 points, you’ve got £5 to spend, and around your birthday you also get a little present of £5! You can shop online for all body shop products at ease or if you’re like me and you love a good natter the staff have so much product knowledge they can talk you through pretty much any product you’re after. They are also amazing at suggesting what goes well with what skin type, the tea tree range works so well for my blemished and oily skin, but everyone is so individual so try and take some time for yourself. Have a chat with a lovely assistant at The Body Shop and treat the skin you’re in.
I’ve linked all of the products below with their prices if you fancy trying any or just taking a look. Also have a look through their winter sale there’s some lovely little bargains on there! As well I would like to add that I am literally writing about these products because I simply love them. So let me know what you think, have you tried the tea tree range? Or is there any other products that you love, let me know in the comments.
