Winter Facial Skin Care Routine for Dry Skin

Hello!

This is a follow up to my previous post about how I look after the skin on my body during winter time.  I also change up my facial skin care routine a little.  Last winter I bought The Body Shop's Vitamin C Skin Reviver.  I was looking primarily for a serum and came across this on my search.  It has the consistency more similar to a primer in my opinion but with a very silky feel to it.  It is also quite shimmery looking but once it's spread out over the skin you can't really see the shimmer.  I was originally using this for the the glow effect it claims to have but I started to realise that when I was putting this on and then going out in the cold my skin felt much more protected than usual and less dried out by the cold weather.

Where I live temperatures can get down to -30 degrees celcius in the winter so when I say cold weather I really mean cold!  I have to take extra special care of the skin on my face because it can get dry very easily and the dry patches can turn in to eczema.  The Skin Reviver serum had the most noticeable protective effect when the temperatures were below zero.  This was actually what gave me the idea of using two different moisturisers on my skin elsewhere in the winter weather.  One to sink in to the skin and a heavier one on top to seal in the moisture.
Now that the weather is getting colder again I'm re-introducing this product back in to my make-up routine.  Every morning I use The Body Shop's Vitamin C Daily Moisturiser which is my favourite, particularly because it has SPF 30.  Then putting the Skin Reviver serum on top locks in the moisturiser and prevents the cold winds from reaching my sensitive skin underneath.  It's my perfect winter duo.
When I use the Skin Reviver I do feel the need to step up my face washing routine as well as the extra product on my skin can clog a few pores if I'm not careful.  I will use a face wash with salicylic acid in it and make sure my skin is properly clean and has a chance to breathe over night.
Do you step up your skin care in winter?

Till next time

Twirlybirdie :)

October Beauty Favourites

Hello!  It's November already, I can't believe it!  (Well actually I can because it's so flippin' dark outside).  October seemed to go by so fast I can hardly remember it.  I do remember enough about it though to write a little post on my beauty favourites from that month.  Something that nearly got totally wrecked thanks to a performance hairstyle I had to wear which needed back combing every day (eek!) was my hair.  I had had the Garnier Fructis Goodbye Damage Deep Repair mask in my cabinent but not really needed it that desperately.... until now.
I started putting this on the mid length to end of my ratty locks probably about 3 times a week and it really did make a difference.  I could finally comb through my hair again!  It only needs to be left on for 3 minutes and I spread it on quite liberally because I was desperate and the hair needed it.  Once on I combed through it gently with my finger tips.  Well thankfully it did the trick.  My hair survived.

I've blogged about my latest purchase from TheBalm, the Hot Mama Blush, quite a few times already since I purchased it.  It definitely stood out as something I used frequently this month.  I particularly like the gold shimmer in it and that the colour is quite bright.  Just one quick sweep across my cheeks is more than enough!
Brown eye shadow used to seriously bore me, but lately I've been coming round to the way it can define eyes without looking too obvious or unnatural.  The Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze is a great example of this as the colour isn't too dark and adds a nice sheen to the eye lids.  It's very wearable for day time and although it does tend to slide around a bit on my eyelids eventually, it's something I've been reaching for quite a lot.  It's super quick to apply and a little goes a long way.
So those are my favourites for last month.  Definitely with an emphasis on time saving.  It was a busy month!

Till next time :)

Twirlybirdie

Life lately: Coffee, Tea and Candles

Hello!

I hope you are having a good week.  I can't believe it's already going to be Friday tomorrow!  I'm really looking forward to the weekend.  I have to work on Sunday next weekend so I'm going to enjoy having two days off as much as possible.
Life lately has been busy thanks to work.  Taking photographs in daylight has been tricky as since the clocks changed it's getting dark before I get home.  My fiancé has just bought a new device called an LED ring flash which might help with photo taking in dark light so watch this space!  For now I've been continuing on my obsession with candles to banish away the gloom.

I love putting tea lights in these pretty glass star shaped candle holders which I got from a friend who was getting rid of some things.

The awesome four tea light holder came with the flat we are living in!  The white large candles are vanilla scented ones from my previous candle shopping trip I wrote about last week and the smaller ones on their own are sugar and spice scented.  Yummy!  Scented candles are such a good way to keep the flat smelling nice.

My new grey throw found it's way on to our sofa whilst the other sofa throws were in the wash.  It matched up well with this grey cushion I bought a few months ago.  I've been noticing how well grey goes with pretty much anything!

We went out for sushi and I drank tea seeing as I'm not allowed to drink coffee any more!  Of course I had to make do with taking pictures of my fiance's instead!

Despite missing drinking coffee I have found that not only is my skin less irritated but I've been feeling less anxious as well.

I had been fancying wearing some new hoop earrings so I made these with some green beads I've had lying around for a while.  I quite fancy making a few more in different colours!  I always seem to get in to hooped earrings more in winter.

Till next time :)

Twirlybirdie

Taking care of my eczema prone skin in the colder weather

Hi there!
I hope you guys are having a nice day!  I've been trying to rest up after quite a busy period at work.  After sleeping for 11 hours on Sunday night I'm feeling much better though!
As the weather has turned colder I've had to step up my skin care routine a notch or two.  The cold weather can exasperate my eczema if I'm not careful enough.  It's a combination of the icy-chill outside and the drying heating inside which seems to strip every last bit moisture from parts of my skin.  When I was 20 I finally discovered just how important moisturising my skin was in order to keep my eczema at bay although I'm sure this kind of routine could help anyone suffering from really dry skin.  Finding the right kind of moisturiser was also really important as the wrong kind can make the eczema worse.  I find something with natural ingredients (ideally 100%) and not heavily scented works best for me.  Sometimes this is just a case of trial and error, trying to find one that works for you and doesn't irritate/sting your skin.  I've been surprised by some 'sensitive' skin care brands that really stung my skin compared with ones that weren't advertising themselves as sensitive which have been fine.

Recently I've been getting in to a kind of three step routine.  After a bath or shower I pat myself dry with a towel and then as soon as possible (within the next 2 minutes) I apply my first layer of moisturiser.  It's usually a thinner one that absorbs well.  At the moment I'm using the Organic Shop's Organic Strawberry & Milk Body Mousse.  I apply it in a layer on the skin and then leave it to absorb whilst I apply it to the other areas.  For me the most important parts of my skin where I will get eczema if I'm not careful are the insides of my elbows, upper arms and lower back.
Once that has absorbed I'll gently rub in any excess and then follow up with a medium thickeness moisturiser such as Burt's Bees Sensitive Aloe and Buttermilk Lotion.  Once that has sunk in if I feel more is necessary I will cover the skin with a layer of something thicker like a rich body butter or a body oil. Right now I'm using Primavera Organic Sweet Almond Oil.
I only use this routine on the areas of my skin that are the driest/ most sensitive.  Every where else I will just apply one layer of moisturiser.  I've been finding this really helps as since the weather changed one layer of moisturiser just wasn't doing the trick.  Also sealing it all in with the thickest moisturiser or oil you have helps the effect of the moisturisers to last longer.
I still have to top up those areas of my skin with moisturiser during the day but I've noticed a real improvement to the skin since doing this.  It may seem crazy to people with normal skin but with sensitive skin prone to eczema prevention is better than cure and if I don't keep it under control it can very quickly escalate to a situation where a steroid cream is the only answer.  I hate having to use strong medication so I do everything I can to avoid letting my skin get to this stage.
This is just one of a few things I do to keep my eczema under control but it is a huge essential part of it.  If you suffer from eczema too I hope this may have been some use to you!

Till next time :)

Twirlybirdie

Leibster Award

Hello,

so I've been nominated to do this 3 times now, by Petite Robe Noir,  La Vie de Lizzy and LauraFrankieB.  So I thought I'd better get on it!

Here are the rules

-Acknowledge the blog who nominated you and display the award

-Answer the 11 questions given to you from the blogger

-Give 11 facts about yourself

-Nominate 11 blogs you think are deserving of the award (less than 200 followers)

-Let the bloggers know you have nominated them

-Give 11 questions to them to answer

Here are Lizzy's questions

1.What would you answer if a strangers asks you < Who are you? > ?

I would anwer, 'Who are you?'

2.What is your favorite post from your blog so far?

http://twirlybirdie.blogspot.com/2014/03/juliet-cap-veil-diy-update-1.html

3.Would you rather go out with messy hair and nice make-up or Nice hair and no make-up?

Probably nice make-up and messy hair

4.How old are you?

28

5.Do you ever dance even if theres no music playing?

All the time

6.Which movie do you watched lastly?

Gone Girl

7.Because Halloween is coming soon : When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for          Halloween?

Witch

8.Favorite song?

Right now Reverse by Somekindawonderful

9.Why do you blog?

Escapism

10.What is your dream job?

Something self-employed involving creativity and freedom

11.Are you happy ?

Mostly

Petite Robe Noire's questions

1.What would you prefer for a pet?

Cat

2.Name 3 places that you want to visit till the end of your life

Disney World Florida, Italy, Australia 

3.Whats your dream job?

As above

4.Whats more important for you?Family or friends,and why?

Family, friends may come and go

5.What is you worst habbit?

Worrying

6.What kind of books do you like to read?

A mixture of genres

7.Who do you think is the most beautiful woman, from celebrities?

Not sure actually... Keira Knightly?

8.How you would describe your dream boyfriend?

My fiancé!

9.When you go for shopping what do you shop more often?

Clothes

10.Whats you fav tv series?

Life On Mars

11.What is your fav food?

Chinese

Laura's questions

1.  What is the weirdest fact you know (no google, just from the top of your head)?

Stretching a muscle is most effective for the first 20 seconds

2. What's one dream you've had but never told anyone?

To blog for a living

3. What is your party trick?

I can do the splits

4. If you were forced to live in one place for the rest of your life, where would it be and why?

London because there's so much to do and so many places to go

5. What is the loveliest, most thoughtful gift you have received?

My engagement ring

6. If you had the opportunity to get one message across to a large group of people, what would the message be?

Be nice to each other

7. What is the funniest story that your family tells other people about you?

That people thought my Mum was my nanny because we look so different from one another.

8. If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you would do?

Hide it away safely then start taking care of people I care about.

9. If you were to write a book, what would it be about?

Probably a fiction romance novel semi based on my experiences

10. Who is your celebrity crush?

Benedict Cumberbatch

11.  What song would be the ending credits of a movie based on your life?

Impatient by We Are Scientists

Phew!  That was a lot of questions.  Now I have to give 11 facts about myself!

1.  I have three siblings

2. I've lived in three different countries

3. I'm a ballet dancer

4. I love summer

5. I get paranoid and anxious a lot

6. I have no idea where I'm going in life

7. I love pink

8. I will never buy something full price

9. I would like to study something at university one day

10. My dream is to own my own place

11. I have hayfever

Yay!  Now to nominate, I nominate

1.boatsbuoysandbroads

2 Hannah's World

3 Easy Peasy Elliegance

4 Jaanika

5. Beauty Bubble Blog

6. The Southener

7 .Lucie Loves

8. The Night Is Wild

9. Passion and Paranoia

10. The Beauty Notes

11.C'est La Vie She Said

Here are your 11 questions

1. What's your favourite colour?

2. What's your favourite city?

3. If you could be an animal what would you be and why?

4. Winter or Summer?

5. Do you prefer the city or the countryside?

6. What's your favourite music genre?

7. DIY or buy?

8. Lipstick or eyeshadow?

9. How do you relax?

10. What would be your perfect date?

11. Favourite Movie?

My night out make-up selection and outfit

Hello there!  We finally made it to the end of the busy week, finishing it off with the première of our new ballet.  One of the best things about premièring a new piece is dressing up to go to the after party.  These are the products I chose to bring with me to do my make-up with after the show.
As I was going to wear a black dress I decided I wanted to go with a bright red lip.  Perhaps that was also just another excuse to get out my new YSL glossy stain!

I brought the Clarins Beauty Flash Balm with me because I felt like my skin would need a treat after all the work and heavy stage make-up!  My skin is quite good at the moment so that's all I used on my face other than the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer which I used under my eyes.  I used my Models Own shading brush to blend that in as it's my favourite to use with this creamy concealer at the moment.

 I used theBalm Hot Mama blush because it's quite a bright coral/peach shade which I thought would work well with the bright red gloss stain to help stop the red lip colour from making me look washed out.  I also thought the gold shimmer in it would work well for a glamorous evening look!  I used my Models Own Powder Brush to apply it as it's nice and soft and good size for sweeping over my cheeks.

Because I was going to be wearing such a bold lip I wanted to keep my eyes fairly subtle so I went with the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze.  It's quite glossy but not too dark and I also lined the top of my eye with the Bourjours Liner Feutre in Ultra Black to give them more definition.
I used my newest mascara, L'oreal's False Lash Telescopic Mascara in Magnetic Black on my lashes and the Lumene Eyebrow Shaping Wax to keep my eyebrows in place.
Of course I finished it off with my newest favourite lip stick, the YSL Glossy Stain in Shade no. 9, which is just a really nice bright and glossy long lasting lip colour which I got lots of compliments on!

I've been wearing my Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh for the performances so I wanted to switch it up for the evening do.  I went with my other favourite, Prada Candy.  To me it's a perfect rich, warm and sweet winter evening scent.

I wore this dress I got from ASOS a couple of years ago.  I've been really feeling black and lace since the weather turned and this dress is black, lace and velvet with some racy inserts cut out!  The front is actually see through but the lace is so busy it isn't too obvious.  I wore it with my favourite black Guess heels with a gold zip up back.

So that's my make-up and outfit selection.  I had a good night and felt very autumnal in my gothic glam dress and my red lips.  I've been having to chill out today to try to re-cooperate after one too many Bacardi raspberry and lemonades (my new favourite drink)!  One to many is basically two drinks for me as I'm a total lightweight!  I hope you've had a chilled cosy Sunday too :)

till next time

Twirlybirdie :)

Busy Week and cosy house treats

Hello!  As you can tell from the title my week has been busy.  In fact it has been so busy that the theatre have given us the morning off as they think otherwise we might not survive till the end of it (the première is on Saturday night)!  Excessive tiredness can mean the show looks worse and worse instead of better and better so a bit of rest will hopefully give the show the energy lift it needs.
Last weekend (the last chance I got to take any pictures) was grey and miserable (no change there then).  Naturally I cheered myself up with a mini shopping trip (no change there either)!  The main objective was to get things to make my home feel cosier.  I was actually only heading out for candles but managed to come back with leg warmers, fluffy booties and a throw as well!

My new lovely grey throw and some vanilla scented candles.  We went especially to a shopping centre out of town that sells these candles quite cheap, about 2 euros each.  So I wanted to go there to stock up before my candle obsession makes me poor!

These slipper booties are from Next.  They are actually for work (essential to have warm comfy footware for between rehearsals) but I couldn't wait to slip them on as soon as I got home.  They are so warm and comfy and have been serving me well at the theatre so far.

I couldn't wait to slip on these soft fluffy legwarmers either.  They are also for work and stretch to cover my whole leg.  Warm and comfy to warm up in for ballet class.

This isn't something I bought but these are the curtains in our bedroom which I think work really well with the grey throw I bought.

When we got back from the shops I snuggled up in my cosy throw on the bed with a cup of tea to watch episodes of our favourite TV shows on my fiancé's laptop.  The perfect way to beat the winter blues.
How are you beating the misery of the colder weather?  I cope much better if it's sunny outside!

Till next time :)

Twirlybirdie