I'm a huge fan of sheet masks. My dry, dehydrated face loves them. But little did I know, there's some for hands as well! Beauty Pro came out with Hand Therapy, a collagen infused anti-age treatment that also promises soft, supple and rehydrated skin in no more than twenty minutes. My hands always feel like sandpaper during the winter time unless I'm applying hand cream 24/7, so who better to test them out, right?

As far as application goes, it's really convenient. You get two sheet-mask-like gloves with removable tips, which make it super easy to go about your day. I hate having to sit around, doing nothing while waiting for my masks to do their thing, so this is the perfect solution for me. Then, after 20 minutes, you just remove them and massage the rest of the product into your hands.

To see the actual results, I decided not to apply any hand cream for a week prior and in the following few days after the treatment, and I have to say, it did a pretty solid job. Right after, my hands felt soft and hydrated, and the results ended up lasting for two days before my hands went back to being their old dry selves. I can't talk about any long-lasting results, as I've only tried it once, but I think it's the kind of product you would use for a bit of a pamper every now and again for extra nourishment. I'm all for it!

I bought my first konjac sponge in 2012. Back then it was super hard to get them in Europe, so I ordered it on ebay for a couple of bucks and excitedly waited for it to arrive. For about a month, as you do. Unfortunately, my initial excitement soon got replaced with the 'face with rolling eyes' emoji expression, as the 'next big thing in beauty' did NOTHING to my skin. I was so disappointed I refused to try any others, but when The Konjac Sponge Company got in touch with me a couple of months ago, offering to send me one, I thought why the hell not, and finally gave it another go. They say everyone deserves a second chance after all. 

My expectations weren't high this time around, as you can imagine, but I'm happy to report this one turned out to be a winner. I went with the red french clay version, which is supposed to be perfect for dry, damaged and mature skin, as well as skin problems such as eczema and rosacea. I've been using it either once or twice a day along with my La Roche-Posay Cleansing Cream over the last few months and one thing I've noticed is that it really helps to keep my dry patches at bay. I haven't had any problems with dry skin recently, all thanks to its awesome exfoliating properties. I used to use the slightly abrasive Cattier White Clay Scrub at least twice a week to scrub away my flaky skin, but I haven't had to use it once since this konjac sponge came into my life. I still love that scrub and will probably have to start using it again with winter coming in, but for now, the konjac sponge is doing the job better than expected. It's very gentle in comparison and always leaves my skin silky soft. Double yay! Are you using konjac sponges? What are your thoughts on this Korean phenomenon?

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

It's slowly but surely getting freezing cold where I live, so I've started changing up my skincare routine, adding warmer pieces to my closet, and cozyfying my room. Winter is not my favourite time of the year, because I'm not fond of cold weather and lack of daylight, but there are a few things that help me go through the season. I thought I would share these items with you today, so if you want to know what my winter essentials are, keep on reading. :)

1) My hands are the first to show consequences of cold winter weather. They get really dry, so I always carry a tube of hand cream in my bag. There are a few good ones on the market, but my absolute favourite is Soap & Glory's Hand Food. It does the job, smells super girly, and doesn't leave that annoying thick feeling on your hands after you use it, because it sinks in instantly. Unfortuantelly we can't get it in my country, so whenever I go to London, I always buy enough tubes to last me for at least a year.

2) I discovered the beauty and practicality of circle scarves two years ago and ever since then, we have been best friends. Last year I was wearing a black one (probably too much, since it almost fell apart at the end of the season), and this year I'm smitten with the burgundy scarf that is really similar to this one from Peter Hahn. As soon as the temperatures dropped below 15°C, it became one with my neck every time I leave my house. I can do without gloves  and hats unless it's really freezing, but I can't live without my scarf.

3) My hands are not the only ones suffering during the winter. My face is too. Well, to be totally honest, I have trouble with dry skin all year round, but especially during the cold time of the year. I'm constantly trying out new face creams for dry skin and so far, this La Roche Posay one has performed the best. I just ran out of it, so I need to go get a new one. Unless you have any other suggestions for me?

4) Another fashion winter essential for me are UGG-style boots. Some people love em', some people hate em'. I belong to the first category. I'm not gonna lie, I hated the look of these when they first became popular, but I think that was because I mostly saw them in photos of celebrities, who wore them during warmer months combined with jeans shorts. I still don't understand that phenomenon. Having said that, my opinion changed as soon as I tried them on myself when I was visiting Australia, which is where these shoes originate from. Let me just say that those people who are judgmental towards these shoes, definitely haven't had them on their feet yet. I feel like I'm walking on clouds when I wear them! Not to mention they are SUPER warm. They saved my toes from freezing countless of times. I have them in that exact dark brown colour, which I think is the prettiest. The shoes you can see above are actually from the company called Emu. Unlike UGG boots most people know and wear, these are actually made in Australia, have proper insoles and are apparently even waterproof. I now know which ones to get when mine fall apart. I'm predicting they will only last me one more season. Well, at least I can say I got a lot of wear out of them!

5) And we're back to dry skin problems. Of course, chapped lips also make regular appearances throughout winter. I'm good with any lip balm during most part of the year, but once my lips get chapped, there are only a few lip balms I can count on out there. One of them is this honey lip balm from Avon. Unfortunatelly, I used it up recently and since it's nowhere to be found anymore, I'll have to find a new dry lips saviour. Which one is your fave?

6) Now, my sister already scolded me for putting a candle on my 'essentials' list - apparently, I could only include food , warmth and love -  but you know what, I can't imagine any winter without candles. Who doesn't want her room to smell good and cozy, right? I feel like they make my winter depression a little bit more bearable, and you know what? Even my dad grew fond of them, haha. This is what happenes when you live with three females... :D

So, these are my main winter essentials. I would love to know what yours are, so make sure you tell me about them in the comments below. 

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation is probably the most raved about foundation of this summer. Every review that I have read was positive, and when I noticed that people describe it as dewy and great for dry skin, I knew that I had to try it.

The foundation comes in a sturdy glass packaging with a pump, which is definitely welcoming. I still don't know why some companies keep coming out with foundations without pumps. It makes the application extremely messy and the amount of product that gets poured out is ridiculous.

My favourite thing about the Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation is that it feels extremely light on my skin, but still offers a decent amount of coverage, which I would describe as medium and buildable. When you observe the foundation in the bottle, you can see that it contains tiny shimmers, but once you apply it, the shimmers are not visible at all. Your face does look quite dewy, though, so I think this is where the invisible shimmers do their magic. In terms of durability, the foundation stays on my dry skin all day long. However, I do have to powder my T-zone if I'm going out in the sun, because the foundations starts to melt off there once my skin gets oily. And now one last thing - dry patches. Dry patches are definitely my main skin problem and I cannot seem to find a foundation that wouldn't cling to them. This one is no different. But I did figure out what I need to do to minimize this problem. I need to stay away from brushes and apply my foundation with a wet sponge.

Just to give you an idea how the foundation looks on my skin, I decided to show you the before and after photos. On the left, you can see my makeupless face, and on the right, you can see me wearing the Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation. All in all, I think that this is the best foundation I've tried so far. It is very similar to the Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation, which I was using before, but slightly better. Unfortunatelly, the shade selection is rather poor and on a darker side. I have mine in 'Ivory', which I think is the lightest shade. Right now it is perfect for my yellow toned and slightly tanned skin, but once my tan starts to fade off, I don't think I'll be able to wear it anymore...

Today I have a very exciting product to show you! I can't believe I haven't talked about it here yet, because it is one of my favorite skincare products and a definite winter essential. I'm taking about Soap & Glory's Hand Food. I totally agree with the statement on the packaging. It really is the most astonishing hand cream ever! It's the best one I've tried so far and I have no intention of looking for another one, because it pretty much has everything I'm looking for in a hand creme. 

First of all, it does its job. My hands usually get really dry during the winter, and I'm happy to say that this year I had zero dry patches thanks to the Hand Food. Apart from the hydrating aspect, the creme also smells amazing, makes your hands super smooth and it is not greasy! I hate greasy hand cremes with a passion, so this is a very important fact! :D

P.S. The L'Occitane hand cremes are also good when it comes to battling with dry skin, but I find them a bit too greasy for my liking and also very expensive for the small amount of product you get. 

During the colder months, I get some really dry patches on my cheeks, which  tend to look even worse when I apply foundation. I've been using Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua for more than a year now, but it unfortunately just doesn't work for me right now, so I've asked girls on twitter which foundation do they think would work best for my dry skin. Most girls sugested me the Bourjous Healthy Mix foundation and all I can say is THANK YOU! All of the drugstore foundations I've tried before were rubbish, so my expectations weren't too high, but holy crap! This foundation is awesome!

The best thing about it is that it doesn't cling to my dry patches, of course. But this is not everything. It also beautifully evens out my skin, gives it a healthy glow and blends perfectly. It's not even noticable that you're wearing it. Even my hair stylist said the other day that my skin looked gorgeous and I don't think she was aware of me having foundation on, haha. Anyway, I would say the foundation gives you medium coverage without looking cakey and stays on throughout the whole day. Oh, and the bottle also has a pump and therefore makes the application mess-free. Overall, I think this foundation is perfect for dry skin. I would definitely recommend it to you, as it's great value for money!

P.S. In case anyone's wondering, I have it in the shade 52 Vanilla, which works really well for my skin with a slight yellow undertone. You can see how it looks on me in my latest 'outfit of the day' post.