february favourites

since i've been contributing to grazia's beauty pages, i've been even more inundated with products to research than ever before. my room looks like something from one of those hoarder tv shows - expect it's floor-to-ceiling skincare, make up and hair products. i've tried some less than impressive stuff this month, but these products have all shone out for me as saviours. all these products made a different from the first use, and continued to do so for me - i'm very skeptical these days as to lots of big beauty claims, and speak fluent "back of the bottle" but i was pretty floored by some of these. before using these, i'd say both my skin and hair were feeling a little dry and lacklustre, and are now packing the wow factor. first up is origins night-a-mins oil free night cream - my skin for some reason is sensitive only to moisturisers, and so many make my face go bright red and painfully tingly. even at night, thick formulations are too sticky for me (hello, tacky pillowcases) but this one is perfect. beautifully light, with an almost gel texture, it's perfect for sensitive skin like mine and makes me looks like i've had hours more sleep. i'll be buying this again. rodial's dragon's blood hylarunoic acid mask is next - i love a good clay mask, but my skin cries out for a moisture injection once a week, and this is my current favourite. i tend to leave it on overnight as it's light texture doesn't ruin my bedding, and being clear, it's perfect for frequent flyers. i wake up to plumped-up skin that's baby soft and ready to be frozen by the winter winds again. bumble and bumble's brilliantine is incredible for wavy-ish hair like mine - the tiniest pump defines curls, erases frizz and gives a slept-in, sexy look. jurlique's herbal recovery eye gel is beautifully cooling for tired eyes - the perfect concealer primer, and great for de-puffing after sleepless nights (i'm looking at you, arrested development on netflix). i have colour and heat treated hair, but the nicky clarke moisture shampoo and conditioner make it look like i've never gone near my head with bleach or a blow dry. i used to use any shampoo, not realising it could make a difference, but this duo vanishes split ends and so vastly improves my hair texture, i can't imagine using anything else. a must-have in my shower. finally, sarah macnamara's miracle skin transformer - possibly the best primer i've ever used. its balm-like texture erases slackened pores and fine lines, mattifies shine, moisturisers AND has an spf of 20. it's the perfect partner to my tinted moisturiser and gives me super healthy skin. what have you been loving lately?