Why I hate winter and how I am going to survive the next few months

Winter is the worst time of the whole year, no questions asked. I hate it more than I hate seafood. I hate it more than I hate Priceline sales when I have no money. I hate it even more than maths tests first thing on a Monday morning. It is the worst.

I do quite enjoy the occasional whinge though, so I thought I should compile a list of all the reasons winter should not exist.

1. There is nothing cool (pun intended) about having fingers practically frostbitten 90% of the time
2. The sky is meant to be blue, not grey.
3. The cold and darkness of winter is miserable.
4. Taking blog photos of products is impossible when there is no sun.
5. It should never be pitch black by 6pm.
6. Putting on ten kilos from coming out of the shower to having put on my clothes is ridiculous. I hate resembling and overweight eskimo with all the stupid layers of clothing I have to wear to prevent turning into an iceblock.
7. All my winter clothes are not nearly as pretty or as enjoyable to wear as my summer ones.
8. As much as we all love a bit of winter themed makeup, there is only so much you can take before you need to bust out with a bit of bronzer or pastel polish.
9. Getting out of bed on a freezing winter morning for work/school is what I truly reckon hell would be like. Multiply the trauma by 10 if it is a Monday morning.
10. Ice creams and lemonade go into hibernation, replaced by soup and roasts which are not at all adequate compensation.

So, in short, winter sucks. It is horrible and I hate it.

But, I have no option to make a temporary move to the other side of the world so I have to deal with it. Here are some products that I tend to get out upon winter's arrival that help make it that little bit more tolerable!

- Australis Nudist Eyeshadow Palette
- Arbonne Eyeshadow in Smoke
- Face of Australia Liquid Liner in Black
- The Body Shop Strawberry Body Butter
- Savvy by DB Blush in Rose
- Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Smitten
- Revlon Colourstay Ultimate Suede Lipstick in Finale
- Maybelline Shinesensational lipgloss in Tempting Toffee

And to complete this incredibly, painfully whiny post - I had SO much trouble photographing these products with the stupid sun going into hiding, in addition to practically freezing my toes off because I was too lazy to put on shoes and socks. The things I do for this blog...

Moisturiser obsession - the FIVE moisturisers I use!

Lately my skin has been painfully dry, I'm talking peeling off and flaking kind of dry. I tried to convince myself that I was just like a snake, and that shedding my skin was a natural and healthy process, but I was unsuccessful at fooling myself - it's just disgusting and something needs to be done about it immediately!

I have no idea as to what might be the cause of this sudden dryness, especially because it is skin all over my body, not just my face or hands. Anyhow, back to the point of this post, such dry skin has meant that I have really been getting into my moisturisers. These are the ones I apply day and night:

The Body Shop Strawberry body butter - I use this on my feet and elbows because that is the driest part of my body and this is the hardcore stuff (being a 'body butter and all). I love this product, the scent especially, but it is perfect for such dry skin.

Garnier Body Intensive 7 days hydrating lotion -  I use this on my arms and legs, and I love this stuff. It has a refreshing smell, soaks right into the skin leaving it moisturised and soft but not greasy, and is cheap (I'm talking $5 cheap!)

Daisy Eau So Fresh by Marc Jacobs Radiant body lotion - I only just started getting into this, and I use it on my hands. It feels so lovely and smells divine, this is the perfect hand cream for me.

Clean and Clear essentials moisturiser - I am a huge fan of this moisturiser because it suits my skin very well. It is non greasy but is packed full of moisture, which is important because my face can never decide whether it wants to be oily, dry, or a combination of the two.

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream - I use this moisturiser on the dry parts of my face that really need that extra boost. I find that this is quite a greasy moisturiser and that it doesn't soak in all that well, which is why I only use it on the driest areas.

So this is what I use morning and night in my somewhat elaborate routine. I think that it is quite crazy that I use five different moisturisers, but I think most beauty fanatics would understand where I am coming from when I say that they all have different properties suitable for different needs!

Body Shop Lip balm - Cranberry Joy

I found this little product the other day, sealed and stashed away in the deep dark black hole of my makeup drawer.

I found it to be a very exciting discovery - even more so when I found out that a) it was a different flavour to any other lipbalm I own (who would have thought it could be possible!) and b) the packaging is amazingly adorable.

It comes in a little tin with a pull-off lid. It's a lovely bright red and has a sweet little pattern circling the rim of the lid. As soon as you take the lid off there is an overwhelmingly strong fruity/berry scent that I am yet to decide if I like or not. I am a fan of the actual scent itself, but the strength of it is headache inducing. Nevertheless, once on the lips it tones down a little, and is a pleasant hint of berry.

The little pot is really quite huge and contains a heck of a lot of product (15ml or 13g to be exact). As it is a pot, it requires a bit of finger-dipping for application which could turn you off the product depending on your tolerance for this kind of lip balm application.

Like most of the lip balms from the body shop, they are more like toned down glosses than moisturising balms, but a lot of fun and good at sucking you in anyway. When I first saw the product I was a little (okay a lot) concerned with the seemingly large amount of silver glitter dispersed through the product. I am not a fan of glittery products at the best of times, especially on your lips. You needn't worry though, because once applied on the lips it magically disappears.

It's slightly tinted and makes your lips looks a slightly darker tint of pink or red. It feels so wonderful on the lips, I spend all day smushing them together. It's not at all sticky which is wonderful. It has no taste, which is probably a good thing. After a while it does feel a little drying, but it lasts for a long time before it gets to that stage. After another application your lips feel as good as new.

So, if you are on the lookout for plump, glossy, slightly red lips then this product is the way to go. If you are looking for moisture then I wouldn't spend my money on this (it costs $9.95 by the way). I do like this product - it doesn't tick all the boxes and the application side of things is an absolute pain, but I'm pleased with my find (and I love looking at the packaging!)

I give this product 7 out of 10.

Body Shop Strawberry Body butter

I have been wanting this body butter from the Body shop my entire life. "So why didn't you get it you crazy person!" you must all be thinking. To be honest, there were a couple of factors involved.

The first was that I didn't like the price very much. Yes, I may be a little tight with my money, but here in Australia some of the things from the body shop are too over priced for my liking. Another factor was that I had heard some negative reviews about the product, mainly that it was greasy and felt awful on the skin. Some hated the fragrance too because they felt that it was much too overpowering. Yet another factor was that I am someone who quite likes just drooling over a product, dropping in to see it when I happen to be at the shops and talking about how wonderful it will be. More often than not, a product isn't nearly as good as you imagined it. It was a nice surprise to find that this one was even better!


I was given this with a couple of other things from a friend for Christmas. She had heard me talking about it and had a liking for body shop products herself, so she bought me one and one for herself!

I must begin the review with the smell. It is the most beautiful smelling body butter I have ever come across. The fragrance is incredibly strong which is exactly how I like it, and it is one that you will never, ever get sick of. It is very, very sweet and I do have to be very disciplined when I use it as I really, really want to eat it.

It is incredibly moisturising, I use it daily on even the driest skin areas and find that it works like magic. I know they have body butters where the tubs are divided, one side having the everyday body butter and the other having the  more intensive one for very dry skin. I don't think it is worth it as I found this to be perfectly fine.


It soaks into the skin very well and doesn't leave you with a horrible greasy feeling. Well, not too greasy, depending on your skin it can take a little time to soak in. I think that is the only problem that I have with it, and even then it is oh so slight.  Your skin feels soft for ages after use.


You do need a fair bit of product and so I found that I started to use it up very quickly which was rather frightening. If you think I'm crazy, all will be explained here.


I think the actual tub looks lovely, simple but so effective. Strawberry is definitely my favourite in the range, but if it is not your think I'm sure you could find something - there are soooo many different body butters to choose from!

I used this on mild sunburn and I swear that it actually help reduce it. I know it reduced the pain at least but I think it is secretly some magic product for sunburn (I could be imagining this but my sunburn was almost gone the next day after a good lathering of the body butter!)

Do I love this product? Yes I do, I shall be purchasing more should the end of the world come and I run out of it. I give this product 9 out of 10.

The Body Shop Born Lippy - Strawberry

Can you believe it? I finally got the lipbalm I have been drooling over for what feels like years. Every time I go to the shops I have to walk into the body shop and lather on all their body butters and smell all their lipbalms. But now I won't have to smell the lipbalms, because my gorgeous friend bought one for me. Yes, I am the proud owner of the Body Shop Born Lippy lipbalm in Strawberry.

I have been smelling it all day, except for the times that my friends were smelling it. It's so good. The smell is also rather long lasting on your lips, quite unlike a lot of other lipbalms that you can't even smell once it is applied. It's actually the most gorgeous colour in the pot too, not that that's got anything to do with anything...

I probably wouldn't call this a lipbalm, more of a gloss, but everyone I know refers to it as a lip balm. It has a super slight tint to it that enhances any colouring you naturally have in your lips, but doesn't change change your colouring otherwise.

It isn't sticky but gives you this lovely glossy finish to your lips. It smells amazing (have I already mentioned that!) but doesn't taste like anything. I love the consistency, it's like jelly. It could be considered to be a little greasy, but if you apply it lightly it is just perfect. I wouldn't carry this around in my handbag because when the heat increases it gets a little runny.

It isn't moisturising in the slightest (but it doesn't actually dry out your lips) which I why I think it is a gloss, but so many people I know use it as a balm. The only problem I have with this is that it is in the pot. It means you have to get your fingers in it. The consistency is too thick for a tube but too thin for a stick. The price here in Australia isn't all that wonderful either...

I really like this product and I shall continue to rave on about it to all who wants to listen. As sad as this sounds, I would buy it just for the smell, the fact that I can use it on my lips is a bonus!

I give this product 9 out of 10.