WINTER BEAUTY EDIT & WHY GUERLAIN IS MY FAVOURITE SKINCARE BRAND

This post comes later than I’d have liked, I wanted us to still be in the depths of winter to justify this post, but this is British winter I’m talking about! there’s still a good 2 months left right? and so because winter can seem to go on and on, I thought it’s still relevant that I bring you some of my favourite skincare products that are great for the winter months. Following on from my Mixa post, I am now a mega fan of this affordable but luxuriously rich cream, its soothes my dry sensitive skin and the balm is fantastic for winter weary hands, I really recommend it. I use it every day because when I find something that suits my skin, I’m as loyal as hell and Mixa soothes my ultra-sensitive itchy skin, it’s a brand that is known the world over for treating dry skin conditions and that’s good enough for me.

For something more special, for example if I’m not using a matching body lotion to my perfume, then LancomeNutrixRoyalBody is a body cream I use when I go out in the evening, it makes me feel so special being enveloped in this decadent cream and the scent is utterly gorgeous, but it doesn’t clash with my perfume which is great and perfect for winter-dry skin. Do you want to know what my signature “going out” scent is? I’ve been using it for nearly 8 years and I’m just as in love with it now as I was the first time I started wearing it, no, not telling you now, I’ll do a post on it soon.

Talking of perfume, who isn’t loving Chanel’s new Gabrielle? Named after Chanel whose proper name was Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel.  I’m a sucker for anything Chanel and I first came across this on my trip to Paris in August when it was first launched. Hanging around the Marias, we bumped into this giant Chanel sign through a little archway and directly opposite the road was a Chanel boutique where I sampled some.

I could have bought it there and then and been so smug “I’m the only one with Chanel’s new perfume” BUT I never buy perfume on a whim. Having said that, I loved it instantly, but Paris was sweltering that bank holiday as it was in London, I was sweating so much, Gabrielle had evaporated as quickly as I had sprayed it. Gabrielle was launching in London the following week but for one reason or another, I didn’t quite get round to buying it and it stayed on my wish list. Before you know it, it’s Christmas and guess what, it was one of my presents and I adore it.  The packaging is striking, stylish and so Chanel, thank you to my kids for pitching in and getting it for me. Hubby got me the most wonderful present, a lovely mini laptop for my solo trips to Paris, he says I can be banging away at it while enjoying coffee or in my case, champagne in a Parisian café! He always buys me the most useful presents and I love him for that.

Ooops, I’m diverting away from the subject, so I’ve talked about what I use on my body, what do I use on my face? Well, Guerlain is my favourite go-to semi-luxury brand, it’s what I buy 80% of the time but if it’s been a particularly tight month, I go back to Estee Lauder, it’s my affordable go-to and I did a post on that in the summer. Guerlain has long been a favourite of mine, from the packaging to the scent to the feel of the product, it oozes luxury and I love it.  They do of course have the off-the-scale mega expensive products that most companies have a range of, Guerlain’s is Orchidée Impériale but I’d be horrified to spend nearly £300 on a cream, the most I’ve spent is on Crème de la Mer which is my top-luxury choice along with Sisley.

When I buy Guerlain I usually go for either Abeille Royal or their Super Aqua-Crème Day in the rich formula which is perfect for my dry dehydrated skin (£83 for 50ml) and its corresponding eye serum, Super Aqua-Eye Serum (£65 for 15ml) which is dispensed one pump at a time which is enough for both eyes.  I also use the night cream/balm in the range (£95 for 50ml). There is a also a serum for the face to use beneath your cream, Intense Hydration Wrinkle Plumper (£110 for 50ml). I’m not entirely sure but I have a feeling this is a new product and so I’ve not used it but judging by everything else that I’ve used in the range, it’s sure to be good. Guerlain do a Super Aqua-Serum Light in this range which is great for the summer but it’s not rich enough for my skin (£79 for 50ml). This range is vast consisting of cleansers, toners and masks plus a body range.

Guerlain’s Abeille Royal is an indulgent range using honey nectar with the repairing properties of bee products, it infuses the skin with essential nutrients to soothe and hydrate and it suits my skin completely. I love its smell and rich texture, it absorbs into my skin so well and doesn’t leave any heavy traces, it’s a pleasure to use. Some of the products I use is the day and night cream, Abeille Royal Day Cream (£91 for 50ml), Abeille Royal Night Cream (£108 for 50ml) and the eye cream which comes in a pot.  It’s slightly harder to measure out and quite easy to use too much but it has its own applicator so it’s a doddle to use, seriously rich, you don’t need a lot, this retails at £74 for 15ml. The serum in this range is Daily Repair Serum, droplets of cream appear to be suspended in rich fluid, this retails at £95 for 30ml. I love the packaging of Abeille Royal, it’s a vivid yellow resembling honey bees. New in the range is Abeille Royal Youth Watery Oil (£92 for 15ml) it’s not water, don’t let that put you off, it’s an oil which can be used as a serum either alone or under your usual serum, all these products complement each other. I’ve just bought it and its so luxurious, it sinks in straight away, there’s no residue and perfect for my dry skin.

Also, in the range is something called Honey Nectar Lotion which resembles a toner infused with all the bee essentials in the range, I’ve used Crème de la Mer’s version and it’s slightly thicker than a toner, more intense, Guerlain’s is the same, at £41 for 150ml, it’s affordable.  There’s an expensive product in this range, an Abeille Royal Skincare Treatment of pure concentrated royal jelly that’s cleverly preserved to stay as fresh as possible right up until the last minute delivering for you a unique treatment for one month. This would be a powerful and beneficial treatment for times of the year when skin is more stressed for instance after coming back from a holiday or illness.  It claims that skin is more revitalised radiant, glowing however, it’s pricey at £174 for 40ml.

Abeille Royal is slightly more expensive than the Super-Aqua range and it’s my personal favourite. Guerlain had a “buy two products and get a gift” offer which I hardly ever take advantage of but this time, I really needed a radiance balm, so I was lucky to grab this beautiful travel bag. Inside, super cute mini versions of Abeille Royal eye cream and serum which are handy for a weekend away and I look forward to taking them with me on my forthcoming trip to Paris in March, I also really like the make-up bag that they were in. The radiance balm is a 15ml tube of “My Super Tips Radiance in a Flash”. It’s a clever little product that I use over my moisturiser under my foundation or tinted cream that adds a dewy finish to my look.  “My Super Tips” range come in various other products in 15ml tubes that target specific needs and are only around £20 a tube.

I didn’t buy a lot of make-up this season, the stunning Rouge Dior Matte Liquid in 999 which is becoming my signature shade and an intense pinky red special edition nail varnish was enough to see me through the festive season but I’m really looking forward to seeing what the spring/summer collections will be this year.

Something that I added to my collection of lipsticks as if I don’t have enough is a new product from uber glam Tom Ford.  I’m in love with Tom Ford skincare and make-up, yes, they’re expensive but so gloriously luxurious, they’re worth the extra pounds. Lip Slicks aren’t a limited-edition product so I’m excited to see it in their permanent make-up collection and very hopeful that new shades will be joining the current four in the summer.  The four juicy shades out now are Red Nectar (the shade I bought) Spiked Cherry, Hibiscus Kiss and Bitten Berry. Do you remember the rollerball lip gloss you use to buy as a kid, these are just the same but on a more luxurious scale and because they’re oil based, you don’t get your hair sticking to your lips on a windswept day!! These are oil-based elixirs infused with jojoba and coconut oil providing glossy hues of colour with an ultra-high shine priced at £40.

These are just some of my favourite products that I use in the winter because they’re extra rich and comforting and the make-up is perfect for this time of year. Tom Ford Lip Slicks are fabulous any time of the year and I feel sure they’re going to be talked about a lot in the spring and summer.  Charlotte Tilbury is a brand mentioned a lot in the social media world by beauty and fashion bloggers and I want to see what all the fuss is about so I’ll be popping in to Selfridges soon to explore this brand.

Watch this space for new summer reviews, with a big summer holiday planned in August, I’ll be getting lots of amazing products and I’m excited to be sharing them with you, until next time!

Love Helen XxX

Gabrielle can be purchased at John Lewis here starting from £79.

The full range of Guerlain products can be purchased at John Lewis by clicking here.

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