My Winter Essentials

This Winter has been especially harsh for me.  I'm not sure if it's because the weather is colder and drier than the previous year, or because I'm cranking up the heat too much, or simply because my skin is starting to age (shit).  Hopefully, it's not the latter. Though, it's likely to be the all of the above option.

Since the beginning of late Autumn, the following have been my essentials...




Beauty Essentials:


Nuxe rêve de miel lip balm (my review)
I bought this in July 2012, when there was a 20% off promotion.  It was at the peak of its hype that Summer, so I figured I would see what was generating so much fuss.
At first, I didn't get the hype.  I felt like it was just an expensive lip balm (I got it for $18 CAD)... and then, Winter hit me, and now I cannot live without it.  It's still an expensive lip balm -- Unfortunately, I like it enough.
I use it as a matte lip balm underneath lipstick, an everyday lip balm (that doesn't disappear or dry out after 30 minutes of cold weather), a lip scrub, and an overnight lip treatment.

Josie Maran argan oil (my review)
As every other one of my recent posts have been talking about this product, it's needless to say that I am obsessed with it, haha.
It's great to use all year round, but especially in the peak of Summer or Winter.  I've been using this on my hair, elbows, and knees.

L'Occitane cherry princess hand cream
Unfortunately, this scent was a limited edition release last Summer.  It's a sweet and fruity variation of their best seller, cherry blossom, which remains my all-time favourite.
I love my L'Occitane hand creams!  They feel super rich in application, but don't just coat your hands in a film.  The product quickly sinks into skin, without residue.  What I really enjoy is that a hint of the scent lasts all day -- You can smell it when you wash your hands later, but your hands don't feel slippery as if you're washing it off.

Top:  Single swipe
Bottom:  Two swipes

Chanel rouge coco shine (61 bonheur)
My skin gets super pale during the colder months, and this colour is great against my complexion.
In my swatches, you can see that it looks like a deep pink.  On my pigmented lips, it wears as a semi-sheer, medium pink plum with a bit of shimmer.  It's super easy to apply without a mirror.  I find that I can get about four hours of wear out of it and it doesn't seem to dry out my lips.
It's quite expensive, and I'm sure there's a dupe of it within the recent Revlon or L'Oreal collections, but I feel so classy when I take out the precious black and gold tube, hahaha.

Origins drink up intensive overnight mask

I cannot believe I haven't written an individual review post on this product yet!
It's a thick white cream that applies clear on the skin.  I'm not a big fan of the scent, but I can live with it.  It's a sweet peach scent that seems kinda artificial.
During the Summer, I was using this face mask once every two weeks, and now, in Winter, I've been using this once every week.  I apply it all over my face before bed, and wake up to super plump and brightened skin.  Also, I've been noticing a lot less dry spots, especially around my mouth and chin.

Estée Lauder advanced night repair eye cream

The skin underneath my eyes have been feeling especially dry, so I've been applying this every night to mitigate any fine lines.  This dries into my skin almost instantly (I am not sure if that's because the skin is that dry or just the nature of the product), and my skin feels immediately better.  I really like that it doesn't just sit on top of my skin and stay tacky.
Remember to apply eye cream in your 20s, before you start getting fine lines!  And, always use your ring finger around your eyes -- It has the most gentle touch.

Organix renewing moroccan argan oil hair treatment (my review)
I've been using this once every one to two weeks, and my hair is looking a lot healthier and moisturized.  What I like about this product is that you can apply it from root to end.  Often, I feel like the roots don't get any lovin' from most hair products because of oil-control issues.

It has a light lotion-like texture and is lightly floral scented.

Non-Beauty Essentials:

Bath and Body Works Slatin & Co. merry mistletoe candle

I'm not a fan of the traditional holiday scents that revolve around food.  My ideal holiday scent is the smell of christmas trees.

This candle smells like I'm eating candy in a forest.  On the BBW website, it's described as Celebrate under the sweet scent of blue spruce, frosted cranberry and a kiss of citrus.

Leather gloves

I don't know the brand.  I stole these gloves from my mom at least ten years ago, and I'm pretty sure she's had them since forever.

I love these gloves!  They're waterproof and super warm without being suffocating.  Best thing is they fit my hands perfectly in all of the fingers and the palm.  I have abnormally small hands, so it's super hard to find gloves that fit me.

Tory Burch julian 30mm riding boot in black
Sorry about the quality -- I took the picture with my iPhone4.

I got these leather boots from the TB flagship store on my last trip to Downtown Portland.  I got them at a complete steal!  They were marked down to $346.50 USD from their regular price of $495 USD, and at the time, there was an additional 25% off.  Plus, Oregon has no sales tax -- I got these amazing boots for $260 USD!
Everything about the boots is so me.  It's a classic, feminine design.  Black with gold detailing.  The leather is textured slightly and has a natural gloss.  I love that it has a gold zipper along the full length of the inside -- Boots with any zippers less than full length look so halfassed.  The TB logo on the outside is small and subtle.  I'm about 5'3 (163 cm) and the boot fits me just underneath my knees.  These boots are incredibly flattering -- They lengthen my legs and make my calves look super slim. 

Thank goodness for these essentials!

- M