8 Beauty Products To Help You Feel Your Best This Festive Season

Although I'm not a believer that you need to have a special occasion to go all out with your beauty routine there is no better time than the festive season for beauty in my opinion. And now it's December there is nothing wrong with talking all things Christmas beauty and I'm ready to fully embrace all the glitter. So here are a few of my favourite products that are a fail safe for making you feel fantastic this season.

FACE & BODY

BEARFACED BRIGHTENING MASK*: Anything that's brightening to the skin is probably going to be a staple part of anyone's festive beauty menu. I've been testing this brightening mask from Barefaced recently and it's one the best formulations I've tried for something that promises to add radiance to the complexion. It contains Japanese rice bran oil to brighten and help diminish the appearance of scarring and discolouration whilst the kaolin works to deep cleanse. It's a beautiful soft creamy formulation which doesn't dry down on the skin so it feels incredible on a parched winter complexion and upon removal, you can instantly feel the difference. So it would be perfect to use either in the morning or the evening before a big event.

THE BODY SHOP VANILLA CHAI BODY SCRUB*: It's unlikely that I'm going to be getting my limbs out this season but if I do then I want to make sure that they're as smooth as possible. The Body Shop has released this dreamy vanilla chai scent as part of their Christmas line this year and it's absolutely delicious. It has the sweetness of vanilla as well as the spiced notes from the chai which leaves you smelling like heaven as well as leaving your limbs silky smooth. It's one of those scrubs you can use in the bath as it's sticky enough to stay on your limbs and the soft sugar feels wonderfully kind on the skin as so often scrubs can leave your body feeling parched.

TED BAKER BODY SHIMMER BODY SOUFFLE*: Anything that's glittery or shimmery on my body isn't usually my kind of thing. Glittery tattoos aren't a good look in my opinion. However, this art deco inspired number from Ted Baker is different because it gives your skin a beautiful glow without the need for glitter or shimmer and it sinks in instantly leaving you feeling hydrated. It's something that I reserve for my arms and chest area to help them have a healthy glow but of course, you can use it wherever you see fit. I can imagine this being incredible in the summer months as it adds such a beautiful glow which would enhance tanned skin wonderfully but it still works on pale skins too.

FRAGRANCE

Aside from all the makeup and beauty products scent is something I find incredibly important in the A/W months and of course the festive period. I always have to switch my perfume up accordingly even though I love those fresh floral summer scents I need something a little deeper during A/W. There is just something so comforting about a more musky fragrance when it's cold and you're nestled in big scarves. The two options I have to share with you would make the perfect gift if you're looking to spoil someone with decadent fragrance this Christmas.

JO MALONE DARK AMBER & GINGER LILY*: If there is one scent that could sum up the season for me it's Jo Malone Dark Amber & Ginger Lily. It's replaced by beloved Blackberry & Bay and it takes something seriously special to knock that off the top spot. The beautiful deep amber notes are what makes this scent a festive option for me and the black orchid gives it that slightly woody almost masculine twist. It's from the cologne intense range at Jo Malone so it has an incredible wear time and you need to use much less which is perfect as it a high-end fragrance option and you'll want to get as much wear from it as possible.

ACQUA DI PARMA PEONIA NOBLE*: If you're someone who can't tear themselves away from a floral fragrance then this is one that's totally seasonally appropriate. The notes of peony in combination with amber and black pepper delivers the perfect winter floral. If you find that floral based fragrances can often be a little young and sickly then this is definitely one to check out as it's much more of a mature scent option. The wear time from Acqua Di Parma is nothing quite like I've experienced before. As I don't shower every day [think what you will] I could still smell it 24 hours after spritzing it on. So if you struggle with fragrance fading away then it's definitely a line to look into as I would say that's pretty incredible.

BEAUTY

CLINIQUE SUPERBALANCED SILK FOUNDATION*:I'm sure we can all relate to how difficult it can be to find a foundation that will work with our complex winter skin which is always hard to tackle. And that's the exact selling point of this somewhat new release to the Clinique Superbalanced line. It works well when my skin is in a true combination state and it doesn't quite know what's going on. This helps to keep oily patches controlled and at bay but somehow hydrates and feels comforting on dry and dehydrated patches. The formula is a dream to work with as it's a traditional liquid that blends with ease and it stays up throughout the day even though it feels relatively lightweight on the skin. The only downside to this base is the packaging, it doesn't come with a pump and seems oddly difficult to distribute and becomes very messy within a few uses.

ZOEVA STROBE GEL IN HALO*:It's not the festive season without some sort of glitter on the cheek, is it? Of course there are the standard go-to's like the MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft & Gentle and the Dr Perricone No Highlight Highlighter but lately, I've been reaching for the new Zoeva Stobe Gels. They're such a unique consistency [think jelly] which makes them incredibly easy to work with and apply to high points of the face. If you love a pretty glossy sheen to the skin rather than a stark powder then these are a beautiful option. I believe if you wanted to then you could also double them up as an eyeshadow and they would look stunning on the eye.

A RED LIPSTICK: Just like highlighter, no beauty fanatic can write a blog post all about festive beauty without giving a nod to the red lipstick. It's a classic go-to that works every time and in combination with a sculpting blusher and a glittery champagne eye, it's a truly beautiful look. I personally like to go for a matte when it comes to a red lip but not something that's drying and incredibly uncomfortable to wear throughout the day but it needs to stay put. From the high street I absolutely adore the Rimmel Only One Matte* lipsticks and on the more high-end side of the price scale, the Clinique Pop Lips* are wonderful.