November Monthly Favourites/Current Winter Staple Kit

How it is even the last month of the year now is beyond me. But I do love this coat season and the opportunity to pull the scarves and layers out. Are you hyped for Christmas? I am so-so but gift-wrapping a couple of presents over the weekend has got me in the spirit a bit! 🙂

This month’s favourites is a bit of a 2-in-1 post as it features products that have been saving my face, body and hair this winter! Are you ready for it? It is my current winter staple kit.

Featured in this post:

Nivea Creme Soft Shower Cream
Dove Purely Pampering Body Lotion
L’Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oils Shampoo
Simple Soothing Toner
Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask
Benefit Porefessional PRO Balm Primer

New shower favourite and now I have back-ups: 

I tried a LUSH shower gel some time ago (that will be in my Empties post soon) and honestly, I was sad to have spent money on that because I felt nothing special. (In case you didn’t know, LUSH is quite pricey nowadays.) The drugstore offers some great options and this one is currently at the top for me: Nivea Creme Soft Shower Cream. My mum bought this in Home Bargains actually and a bargain it is because a) it’s in a whopping 750ml size and b) it only costs £1.99!

This is seriously so creamy and foams up rather nicely! Fused with almond oil, my skin just feels moisturised (although that doesn’t mean you should skip your body moisturiser!). The foams are very soft and fluffy – not the type that runs a bit thin and feels underwhelming. I would 100% recommend this and I have since purchased 2 (huge) back-ups!

My skin is not afraid of winter anymore:

I confess that I’m very lazy when it comes to body care. And being someone who has suffered from horrific eczema, you’d think I’d have learnt my lesson by now. In all fairness though – this year is my most successful year in this step and I’m proud to share!

I raved about the LUSH Dream Cream in another favourites post, and whilst I still use that, I use it sparingly on the areas that really need that magic (such as elbows, any odd dry patches), otherwise I’d be paying a fortune to moisturise my body. For the larger surfaces of my body, I have been loving the Dove Purely Pampering Body Lotion. My legs have been the smoothest they’ve ever been and not once have they dried out this winter! I am even starting to like my legs a lot more now as I’m so used to them being quite porous (sorry, you probably didn’t need to know that…).

The lotion smells discreetly of cocoa (more specifically, it is warm vanilla) which I definitely prefer compared to the Palmer’s formula…the latter is too strong and sweet for me. I’m coming to the end of my current bottle but have another one as spare which I hope to use up these upcoming few months. 🙂

Good for the scalp, good for the hair:

I don’t know what it is but my scalp has been rather temperamental in the past two years. Perhaps it is my bad too for just using ‘any shampoo’ without disregard for its ingredients etc. prior to that. (I am so unbelievably low-maintenance with my hair, it is unreal!) So I am learning to be better now by choosing my shampoos carefully. FYI – I do not use any conditioners as I dislike the coating of it.

[I now know what it is! See: Why I Stopped Using Dry Shampoo]

Lately, I’ve been really enjoying the L’Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oils Shampoo. It’s a shampoo that doesn’t feel too chemical or plastic-y, most likely thanks to its infused-oils formula. It smells of oils too which is rather comforting and makes for such a change that I wish all shampoos smelt like this. It’s totally inoffensive. The shampoo leaves my hair moisturised but not stripped, and really cleans it from root to tip with zero residue.

Most-used toner:

I’ll make this one short and sweet: This is my favourite toner and one that I’ve gone back to all throughout these years. It is the Simple Soothing Toner. I gave it a rest to try out other toners for a couple of months and I’m happy to be back because nothing compares. It is what it says!

If you’re lazy to sheet-mask because it’s cold, use this:

The temperatures have really dropped in the last two weeks here. During this period, I am the worst when it comes to my skincare. Even worse when it comes to sheet-masking! The idea of having something cold on my face is just not appealing when it is cold. So what to do?

Recently, I dug out my Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask and it is a game-changer. I forgot how lovely the smell was. Origins as a brand creates some of the nicest scents that are not overpowering or pungent – just wondrous. The mask itself is extremely low-maintenance. There is no need to time and wash off! Instead, it doubles over as a night cream, hydrating the skin. I just apply after my moisturiser and I’m good for bed!

The only siliconed based product I’m willing to apply:

There was a lot of buzz surrounding this product a few years ago…probably around the time when primer was becoming a ‘thing’. It is the Benefit Porefessional PRO Balm Primer. Due to the buzz, I purchased this some time ago and to make the story funnier, the SA actually said to me that Rihanna uses a whole tube of this on her face (in one application) before she performs at her concert! 😂 Obviously I didn’t believe her but it’s good to go with the story sometimes. 😝

The primer is silicone-based but not of a silicone colour…it has more of a beige colour to it, but rubs in colourless. I’m not someone who particularly loves silicone primers but I do really like this one. It rubs in smooth but not greasy; and I find that it just prolongs my base makeup whilst controlling my oils too. I typically just use this on my T-zone and inner-cheeks. With the foundation on top, my base just looks great!

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I know this Favourites post for last month is late, but nevertheless here it is! As always, please let me know what you have been loving this season.

Stay warm!

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