After ages of being in a war with the dry patches that love to appear on my face especially during the colder months, I think I finally won the battle. I've tried a ridiculous amount of products over the past few years, and most of them sadly left me unimpressed. Having said that, 2014 seemed to be my lucky year, as I discovered quite a few gems I'm going to talk about today. If you're a fellow dry skin sufferer, look no further!

La Roche-Posay Nutritic Intense Riche: I call this cream a game changer. It was the first product that actually made a difference to my dry skin and the product that restored my faith in skincare. I put it on pretty much every night and it always does its magic. When I wake up, my skin feels soft and moisturized with no dry patches in sight. It also doesn't hurt that it smells absolutely lovely! Just to give you a heads up, this is a rather rich and thick cream that doesn't sink in right away, which is why I would only recommend you to use it before going to bed.

La Roche-Posay Hydreane Riche: Hydreane Riche is the newest addition to my skincare routine. I would describe it as a lighter version of Nutritic Intense Riche, perfect for every day. It moisturizes your skin, but since it isn't too heavy and sinks in super fast, it works great as a makeup base as well. I actually just did a full review on this one, so if you want to know the details (and possibly win a tube for yourself), make sure to check out this post.

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse: The best way to describe this multi-purpose dry oil is a miracle in a bottle. A deliciously smelling miracle in a bottle that is. You can use it on your face, body or hair. I mainly use it on my face as a substitute for my beforementioned night creme from time to time, when I feel like pampering myself. I was a bit hesinant to try it at first, because I thought having oil on my face for a longer period of time would clog my pores, but I'm glad I ended up giving it a go. My fears were completely unjustifiable. It's really lovely and not excessively greasy. After it sinks in, you're left with the silkiest skin!

Bioderma Solution Micellaire: Let's say a few words about cleansers/makeup removers. I still can't believe I've been using makeup remover wipes before switching to this holy grail of mine. What a difference! The solution does a great job at removing my makeup without stripping my skin of all moisture and leaving it 'tight'. I always buy a bunch of them when I go to France and currently have about six bottles waiting for me back home. I know, I'm obsessed. I either use the one for sensitive skin (pink cap) or the one for dry/dehydrated skin (blue cap). I don't notice any difference between the two to be honest.

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser: Once I remove my makeup with Bioderma, I follow up with Liz Earle's Cleanse & Polish to thoroughly cleanse my skin. I put it all over my face and then wipe it off with a muslin cloth soaked in hot water, which also helps to remove dead skin cells/dry patches. The product is very creamy and makes my skin squeeky clean, soft and bright.

Origins Drink-up Intensive Overnight Mask: I use this mask once a week, usually a night before washing my hair, because I leave it on over night and my hair tends to stick to it while I roll around in my sleep, haha. My skin literally drinks this product up and feels super moisturized once I wake up. Oh, and it smells like Haribo Frogs. I'm not even kidding.

That's it about the outstanding bunch suitable for dry and dehydrated skin that I have in my beauty drawer. I'm pretty content about my skincare routine right now, the only thing I'm still missing is a nice morning cleanser. I don't need any heavy-duty stuff, just something nice and creamy to remove the oily night residue. Any recommendations? And please let me know which product you use and love if you have dry/dehydrated skin yourself. There's always room for more amazing products! :D

I purchased Elizabeth Arden's award winning Eight Hour Cream back in January for my makeup artist kit, but I haven't used it up until now. For the past few weeks, my lips have been extremely chapped. I tried every single lip product under the sun I have in my house and not one helped me. Not even the famous Reve de Miel Balm. But more on that later. Eight Hour Cream was my last resort, and it is the product I have to thank for saving my lips. 

The cream comes in a tube and is very thick compared to other creams, so I can't imagine putting it all over my face. I actually wouldn't describe it as a cream, because nothing about this product screams cream to me. The colour is not white but peach, it is a bit sticky, greasy, and smells very unique. I've been thinking about how to desribe it for hours, but I honestly have no idea what it could be compared to. You'll just have to go smell it yourself. Keep in mind, there are two different formulas out there - the original one and the fragrance free one. I have the fragrance free one, so I have no idea how the original smells like. Having said that, mine still has a scent even though it's fragrance free. I hope this makes sense.

As I have said, I use the product for my chapped lips, but apparently, it works for a whole list of other problems as well. To name a few, you can use it on your dry patches, cuticles, feet, sunburns, brows or just to add gloss to a model's lips/eyelids/cheekbones at a photoshoot. That's what I call a multi-purpose product! Also, did you know that this little miracle was created more that 80 years ago?! Amazing! Do you use it yourself?

I've been avoiding cream blushes like nobody's business, because I always had a feeling that they would go on patchy and too pigmented and that I wouldn't be able to blend them out nicely. But then I tried Essence's 'Run, run, Rudoplh!' blush stick from their Happy Holidays collection and all my fears vanished into thin air. 

This cream blush is seriously amazing. Even though it's super pigmented, it blends out like a dream. I am using Real Techniques' Stippling Brush to pick up the colour from the stick, and then I just dab it on my cheeks and blend it out. It goes on very smoothly and I don't experience any problems with patchiness. It is actually way better than my powder blushes and works beautifully on my dry skin. 

But the formula is not the only thing I love about this blush. The shade itself is pretty fabulous too. It looks very terrifying when you see it in the stick or swatch it on your arm, but once it is blended out, it looks perfect. Especially for this time of the year. I'd never thought red shade would suit me, but it somehow looks just right, and I always get compliments whenever I wear it. This particular blush also contains tiny glitters that add a beautiful shine to your face, so you don't even need to use a highlighter with this one. 

In case you want to see how it looks like on my face, you can check out any of my 'The Ultimate Christmas Tag' videos. I just love it! How about you? Do you like the look of it? Has it maybe made its way into your makeup collection as well? Ohh, and please let me know if you have any favourite cream blushes that you would recommend to me, because I'm hooked and would love to try out a few other ones now. I have my eyes on the Illamasqua cream blushes... I've heard they're pretty amazing. 

Maybelline Color Tattoos are one of my most used make-up products and serious candidates for 'My Favourite Beauty Products of 2013' video I'm planning to film at the end of the year. It all started with the shade On-and-on Bronze (review + swatches here), which has become a staple item in my daily make-up routine. I got it in November, when I went shopping to Austria, because back then these miraculous cream eyeshadows weren't sold in my country yet. We finally got them in April, which resulted in the purchase of another two shades - Pink Gold & Metallic Pomegranate (review and swatches here) - but unfortunatelly, my most lusted-after shade, Barely Branded, still hasn't hit our shelves.

However, I did manage to finally get my hands on it while I was in the States. It was the first item on my to-buy list and I'm glad there were a few jars left waiting for me. As you can see, 'Barely Branded' is a gorgeous light shimmery champagne shade. Because it is so light, it works amazing as a base for other neutral shades, but of course you can also wear it on its own. I like how it looks all over my lid paired with On-and-on Bronze in the crease.

In terms of consistency and durability, it is the same as other shades. It is super pigmented, applies like a dream, lasts all day long, does not crease and is easy to blend. Overall, your perfect cream eyeshadow. I really doubt there are any better ones out there. At least not for that kind of price. Are you also obsessed with Maybelline's Color Tattoos? Which shade is your favourite?

Maybelline's Color Tattoos have finally arrived to my country! I'm a big fan of the one I already own (review here), so I HAD TO go pick up a few more. The one that I was hoping to get the most - Barely Branded - is unfortunatelly not sold here, but I did manage to pick up 'Pink Gold' and 'Metallic Pomegranate'. The 'Pink Gold' turned out to be a little bit too pink for my liking, but I can still use it on my inner corners in combination with 'Metallic Pomegranate' or as a base. Otherwise, they are as amazing as I expected them to be. Just like my 'On And On Bronze' shade, these two are also very pigmented, long lasting, easy to blend and do not crease.