I don't remember the last time I shared any beauty tips here, but believe you me, these are my staples for winter. These three are my absolute rocks for taking care of myself over the cold, harsh months and they're absolutely worth using. This is not a sponsored post.

The Body Shop Hemp Intensive Hand Butter was a recommendation from several people, the only one I recall being my hairdresser who swore by it. My hands are prone to suffering badly over winter and when I say suffering, I mean it. When I hear people complaining about how dry their hands get I can't help but smirk as they have no idea how much worse it gets than that. Over the years my hands have taken a beating over winters; the dry skin getting so bad it splits in a zillion places and bleeds. They scabbed over in tiny segments. Washing hands hurt but don't even get me started on antibacterial gel. I could clench my hand and could drip blood. Gruesome, but true-some. Previous years' attempts with hand cream had been frittered with lapses. I lost interest. I used products that didn't work. However, this year I wanted to look after myself better. I wanted to make the effort. In late summer/start of autumn I made sure I went into the Body Shop store and bought the hand cream designed for very dry skin. It's £12 for 100ml in a sturdy pot. I've conscientiously applied it to my hands and wrists every night; as I sit here and stroke my hands I can report that they're soft as silk and utterly beautiful. If you suffer from very dry hands then I would recommend this for you without question.

My second recommendation is the Tony & Guy Prep Leave In Conditioner which is £6.99 for 100ml online from Superdrug although I've always bought in in Boots for £9 for 2 tubes in store. I use a 2 in 1 shampoo/conditioner to wash my hair with, towel scrunch so that my hair is no longer dripping wet, apply half a walnut size blob of this stuff all over my hair then sometimes I then use up to a tennis ball size lump of fairly strong hold mousse before letting it air dry. This seems to work best for me. My hair has been coping with winter better than usual.

Last of all we have Burt's Bees Lip Balm. I have two from Holland and Barrett; Burt's Bees Lip Balm with honey and the variety with mango butter. Both are brilliant and I grab which ever is nearest to hand to reapply after a few hours. they're not tinted but leave a good strong protective layer on lips which stop them cracking and keep them feeling good. I've not really worn any lipstick this winter and instead stuck to balm. These are £3.69 each for 4.25g from Holland and Barrett but currently on a 'buy one get one half price on mix and match' offer. Well worth it.
Have you tried any of these? I love them!

Sophie

Just a quick post to share this beautiful nail polish with you. It's colour 300 'Spring Tulip' from the NYC In a minute quick dry nail poish range. If I ever feel the need to expand my collection of nail polishes then I always make the NYC stand at Superdrug my first port of call as they are, in my opinion, the best value. They are £1.79 online and by memory the same in store and the big seller for me is they are very quick to dry although I have now started using Seche Vite which is utterly brilliant.

I'll have to show you my nail polihes more often!

Sophie

My skin has never been a priority. I've never had a comprehensive skincare routine and if I'm honest I'm not entirely sure what I need to use and in what order. At the start of the year it dawned on me that as I'm due to turn 29 this year it's high time I started taking better care of my face as thing are only going to go downhill. Looking in the mirror I see huge dark streaks under my eyes that are mighty unsightly, although thankfully no significant lines as yet. I used to be really negative about what I saw in the mirror but I've loosened up now, in no small way down to you guys. Moisturiser is something I used to casually pop on before foundation on the days I'd wear makeup but since I've started using BB cream that has lapsed. After a recommendation from Jennie I decided to pick up the Eraser Eye from Maybelline in an attempt to mitigate my ever more tired looking eyes. Little old me was lucky enough to win the Simple day and night creams in a giveaway, which was jolly good timing.
Micellar solution is one I have been using for a little while to take up my makeup and freshen my skin of a morning (this could be the wrong use, but it's what I've been doing!). The first one I used was the Taaj one from a beauty box, then I moved on to the No7 one, which seemed fine but pricy, after that I bought the Vichy at a similar cost and finally I found the L'Oreal one for much less! 200ml for £3.99 or something is not too bad and I can't say I've noticed any difference between o them except I'm sure the Taaj one had a slightly spicy scent and the rest have none.
A hot cloth cleanser was a recent purchase which I plan to use twice a week. I bought the Superdrug own brand one as it was fairly cheap so it's no great loss if my skin goes wild, it does sometimes react to washes and scrubs. The eye brightening cream is the same brand and I've been applying this morning and night for a couple of weeks. There seems to be no visible difference as yet and I think perhaps I'll look out for a firming eye cream instead.
The picture is rubbish so you can't even tell but the blusher is a new shade for me, Beauty UK in 'rustic peach'. My relationship with makeup is pretty poor and I feel like a clown with anything but the most natural looking setting powder and blushes. I'm hoping the peach will be a pleasing alternative from my usual colour.
Ironically, the very morning I had a wobble over my aging face the Tesco delivery driver asked me, upon me opening the door, if my Mum or Dad were home. First time that's happened and I had to laugh. Good timing. I guess things aren't as bad as I first thought.
Do you have any advice for me? Or leave me links to any of your posts if you've written any that are particularly appropriate.
Sophie

It’s not often I talk beauty round here but I feel like sharing my current choice of lip colours this season with you so here goes. Even I can't resist a berry tone when Autumn comes around and these four are my favourites at the moment. I say favourite, I mean only. But I do love them!

From left to right:

• The 'Perrie' shade from the Collection Little Mix range at Superdrug (£2.99). This is the boldest colour I've bought to date, it's perhaps aimed at a younger audience but I rather like this one and the way it is quite different although most definitely not tarty. Plus I'm really not the type of person to rush out and buy a celebrity backed item makeup, it was definitely chosen on merit!
• The No 7 'Cranberry' shade was bought a year or two ago now in the Moisture Drench range (still available at £9.50) and is by far the most natural of my picks. It is very easy to wear and only emphasises my natural lip colour instead of changing it. Boots had one of their voucher deals going on when I bought this (I think) as I wouldn't usually spend so much on one lip product.
• The dark red shade called 'Prohibition' is from the Collection 2000 deluxe range and cost £3.99. I saw a review of another shade in this range and was going to buy that but I preferred this one instead. Reds aren't really for me usually and I most certainly never wear bright red (they make me feel very uncomfortable) and am deeply envious of all the ladies out there that look gorgeous in reds. The dark red shade is as close to vamp as I have erred and I rather like it!
• The final choice is from NYC Smooch proof lip stain in 'Berry long time' costing £3.99 and is downright brilliant. The application is dead easy, it's basically a felt tip pen. My worry is that it's just going to dry out in a short space of time, but I'll have to wait to ascertain the longevity. I'm hoping to pick up another couple of lipstains in some more colours in the coming months and most likely from NYC as I do rather like the brand: cheap and cheerful.

Do you have any recommendations? Have you tried any of these?