I love living in London. I really, really do.
From the Christmas lights in Covent Garden through to the simple pleasure of sitting a taxi at night, driving by Park Lane and sighing at how beautiful the city of London really is.
I know that I sound smitten, but I really do appear to have fallen for London this year. I'm head over heels, but I think there may be trouble in paradise- London, you're messing up my skin something rotten.
I have never for one second thought of myself as having great skin but, trust me, it is at an all time low right about now... It is really rather dire: dry in parts, shiny in others, spots all over the shop and a serious lack of a glow, and London underground, I blame you.
But, why?
CLEANSING
The underground poses all sorts of threats to the skin, but, first and foremost, it's all rather dirty! I am sure we are all a little bit guilty of not cleansing our face and neck as much as we should do, and living in London this is something of a cardinal sin. As Rodial expert Hana told me, face wipes just wont cut it, you need to invest in a really great cleanser which will work to cleanse deeply and remove all of those horrible little germs that plague the tube. By all means, use wipes to remove make-up, but all that 3-in-1 talk is just not on... When living in London, or any major city, cleansing is key. See below for my pick of peachy clean cleansers.
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| 1. Rodial Glamtox Cleanser £50 2. Bioré Ice Cleanser £3.49 3. Soap and Glory Face Soap and Clarity £6.99 4. Bliss Triple Oxygen Cleansing Foam £24 5. Eve Lom Cleanser £40 |
MOISTURISING
In terms of temperature, the underground is a little bit of a nightmare. This isn't just darn inconvenient, but it is also rather detrimental to your skin. It's ridiculously warm one minute and bitterly cold the next, which has a drying effect on the skin. Of course, the obvious thing to do is to moisturise, moisturise, moisturise. Check out my lovely enriching picks below.
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| 1. Elemis Fresh Skin Super Boost £18 2. Decléor Hydra Floral Moisturising Cream £39.80 3. Rodial Dragon's Bloody Hyaluronic Moisturiser £45 4. Estelle & Thild Neroli Face Cream £29.50 5. NIP + FAB Moisture Fix (my pick!) £18.50 |
PRIMING
The underground also has a charming tendency to completely destroy my make-up. I find myself constantly reapplying after long tube journeys, mainly due to the environmental factors. The secret is... A good primer! It really does make such a difference.
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| 1. Revlon Photo Ready Primer £11.99 2. Smashbox Photo Finish Primer £22 3. MAC Prep + Prime Skin £19.50 4. NIP + FAB Sheer Make-Up Fix £14.95 5. Benefit The POREfessional £23.50 |
TLC-ing
Finally, though, you've got to give yourself a little bit of pampering at the end of the day. Whether it's an everyday skin treat, or a weekly masque, London skin certainly needs a little bit of TLC.
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| 1. LUSH Catastrophe Cosmetic Mask £5.95/tub 2. Bioré Deep Cleansing Nose Strips £7.99 3. Rodial 5 Minute Facial £28 4. Malin + Goetz Detox Face Mask £29 5. NIP+FAB Scrub Fix £11.26 6. Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate £36 |
