Oh hello there Autumn Winter 2014! While we can't say we would traditionally welcome you as warmly as Spring Summer (geddit?), we have decided to turn our frowns at the impending chill upside-down and usher you in with happiness in our hearts, for the sake of a bangin' beauty routine even when it's cold outside.
So when it's time to cosy up when you hit town Autumn/Winter, we are thinking beauty masks will be a great place to start, and avoid common skin and hair hiccups for this time of the year. Here are our favourites...
Face masks for autumn should address one (or both) key complaints that typically plauge the complexions of lasses at this time of the year. #1 is dehydration and #2 is dullness, or a lack of radiance. Less time in the outdoors, more time inside and cranking up the heater will do these things to your dermis. How very dastardly! You can avoid however, by look to a few key products.
Firstly, for dehydration, seek out a mask that will nourish your skin, from the inside out. Best of all you don't have to break the bank to do so. We are big fans of the affordable and hard working Montage Jeunesse Dry Skin Mask.
It contains antioxidants from wintery fruits, like raspberries, blueberries and red grapes. Nom! Another single use mask, but of the cloth variety, is the LonVitalite C4 Coconut Milk Mask. Nourishing and hydrating, it is an instant boost of moisture to skin, helping to dash dehydration and dullness dead. No wonder it won a covetted Glosscar award this year!
Another way to rid yourself of dullness, is with a lifting mask, designed to rejuvinate skin. A bb fave is the Eslor Chlorophyll Lifting Mask- not only among staff, but also the bb community. This product was a sell out the first time it hit our online shop's shelves.
Don't jsut stop at skin however - another way autumnal weather can impact your beauty life, is with your hair. Moving into cooler months, you're much less likely to let hair air dry (too chilly) and this means stepping up the heat-styling tools, which in turn spells more potential damage to strands. All that indoor heating can also lead to a loss of the moisture in your locks, increasing frizz and static-y fly-aways. However, a good hair mask once a week will help you to avoid any 'do dramas.
A cult-sell out in the bb online shop for for years now is theOrofluido Beauty Mask, which literally is a beauty treatment for your hair. It contains a golden mixture of Argan oil, Linseed oil and Cyperus oil - rich in fatty acids which give natural protection against free radicals. Not just for your skin, these inclusions will see your strands become softer and smoother. Simply apply to damp locks after washing, and leave for 5 minutes before rinsing.
Another favourite is the Suigo Vital Nutrition Intensive Hair Repair Treatment. It contains deeply-penetrating nutrients like natural avocado essence to help bring back shiny, silky, manageable tresses to your crown, specifically after it's suffered some heat damage. Massage into damp hair for a few minutes, then hop out of the shower, and wrap a warm, damp towel around your head. Wait 20 minutes before rinsing thoroughly. You can apply sans towel if you want too (I have on my lazier days) and still get great results.
Not only are masks great at helping you to avoid that devilish duo of dehydration and dullness, they are also obviously a tip-top way to treat yourself once it's cooler outside and you're seeking refuge in your jimmy jams with Friends re-runs (oh Ross, good Sir - your jokes will never get old!) and a block of Cadbury Creations... or is that just me?
Have you tried any of these products? Or do you have a favourite beauty mask we should all know about? Sound off in the comments below. And please tell me I'm not alone in my autumn plans? Someone? ANYONE!?! - Lauren