Top 5 Winter essentials

We've been in December for nearly two weeks and its flown by, yet we're still not officially in 

Winter. Winter starts December 22nd, despite how cold it's been lately. Every season I do an 

essentials post, so I wasn't about to give up that tradition. I try to switch up every year, and this 

year I've stripped it back to basics and the cult favourites that we all love and need in our life.

The number one essneitla for winter, and makeup essential is a red lip. There are so many classic red 

shades to go for but my personal favourites are; Jeffree x Shane velour liquid lipstick (Andrew are 

you filming?) and MAC matte lipstick (Ruby Woo). These both are true reds that have the perfect 

undertone to compliment all skin tones and making your teeth look even whiter. Both are super long 

lasting and they both apply evenly across the lips. Making sure you have the right red lip is perfect 

for all year, but especially throughout the winter seasons ... and Christmas.

There is no way that my skin is looking glowy, illuminated or hydrated in anyway during these 

months, which is why having a good highlighter is perfect. There are thousands to choose from but 

the one I recommend for winter and, especially as the party seasons are coming up, is the Urban 

Decay naked illuminated highlighter. This is smooth and soft, doesn't look thick or chunky on the 

skin and has the perfect amount of sheen and glitter to it. I especially love this when its applied over 

the chest, collar bones, down the arms, and even a little on the shoulders.

With it being so cold, a lip treatment is a must have. I apply the Dermalogica nightly lip treatment 

every night and use the Dr Paw Paw clear balm throughout the day to stay nourished. Both are thick 

and nourishing and perfect for keeping your lips hydrated all day. Since using these I haven't had dry 

or cracked lips at all. The Dermalogica lip treatment also helps to reduce the look of fine lines and 

wrinkles around the lip area, and the Dr Paw Paw balm can be used on multiple parts of the body.

Just like keeping your lips hydrated it's important to make sure your body is hydrated and nourished. 

I loving using the Soap and Glory the righteous butter. Most of the people I know in my life, both 

personally and online have either heard or tried this before. Either way they know that the hype 

around this is true. It's so thick that it adds all the nourishment and hydration back into your skin, but 

not so thick that it leaves your skin feeling oily or sticky. This applies smoothly and evenly and has a 

soft light scent that lasts all day with all whilst letting your skin feel silky smooth.

I've talked so much this year about reading and it was so important for me to include a winter read 

into this post. There are millions of books out there to read, but theres something extra special about 

finding that book thats a bit more wintery. This winter I've still got to read  Let it snow (John Green, 

Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle) and Twelve days of Dash and Lily (Rachel Cohn and David 

Levithan). These do also have a Christmas theme which is perfect for getting yourself in the mood 

and making you feel more festive. Check out my Goodreads to stay up to date with my reading.

xoxo

Lea-Mai