The Sick Day Beauty Survival Kit

Oct 20

If you were fortunate enough to miss my sad pitiful tweets and Parks & Rec gif's about being sick last week, I had a cold. And naturally when you have a cold your complexion takes a beating and you don't look your best. Even when you try and hide it under makeup it often looks pretty terrible as you've developed dry patches in strange places and trying to buff foundation in with a streaming nose isn't an easy task. So here is a quick little beauty edit for the days you have to apply makeup and face the day but need to combat a cold-ridden complexion.

JURLIQUE CANDULA REDNESS RESCUE MOISTURISER*: I absolutely love this moisturiser for its amazing ability to reduce redness and give the skin a big boost of hydration. And those two factors makes this the perfect moisturiser when you have a cold. As it can distinguish the inevitable redness that appears around our nose from the constant use of tissues as well as perking up a tired sore complexion. For more everyday skin concerns this a great option for more blemish-prone complexions as dealing with the redness of spots is often half the battle. The calendula takes all the rouge sting out of them and the chamomile soothes and calms the skin. m.

CLARINS BEAUTY FLASH BALM*: This is a product that has a serious cult following in the beauty world. And it's only until now that I've truly understood why this is a can't go without staple for so many. It claims to instantly brighten skin as well as diminishing the appearance of fine lines. Whilst I can't say much about the fine line aspect as I still have very young skin it does an amazing job at brightening and making the complexion look full and healthy. The formulation means it feels like a moisturiser upon application and it instantly calms the skin when it's feeling inflamed and angry. It's one of those great products that can be worn alone for a fresh-faced look but when it's applied underneath makeup it has the same kind of benefits as a primer however it feels as kind and soothing as a skincare product does.

FRANK LIP SCRUB*: For some reason whenever I get a cold or even the sniffles I always seem to get a lot of build up around my lips and it's not a pretty sight. And it's not one of those things lip balm will aid either so a lip scrub is the only way to go. I've said it before and I'll say it again but you really don't need to buy a lip scrub, it's one of those things that you can easily DIY yourself. But they're really handy to have in your beauty stash as they're amazing for not only getting rid of any dry flakes of skin that are hanging around but generally making your lips look a little plumper.

STILA CONVERTIBLE COLOUR IN LILIUM: Any type of colour on the cheek is advisable when a cold has sucked all the life out of your skin. The Stila Convertible Colour Blush in Lilium is a product that I've had in my collection for a long time but it never fails to instantly add life back into the dullest of complexions. It's such a beautiful formulation, they look almost glossy on the cheeks but not so much that it makes the skin look greasy. In terms of application, they're a complete breeze which is ideal when you're not feeling well. You only need to dab a tiny amount on your cheeks with your finger and blend up onto the cheek with a stippling brush and voila you don't look like Dracula anymore.

LANOLIPS ROSE LIP OINTMENT*: When I say that I'm not a gloss lover, I mean it. Regular readers will know the only thing that could even be considered a gloss that I regularly use are the Lanolips Tinted Lip Ointments. They're a thick glossy balm that contain pigment so that they not only hydrate and nourish the lips but they deposit a pretty shade to the lips too. When you're not well and all the moisture has been sucked out of you the last thing you want to apply is something matte and drying. And these balms are the farthest thing away from that as they feel incredibly kind and comforting on the lips. Of course being a tinted balm they don't last for hours but they do wear evenly and don't gather around the edge of the lips in an unsightly manner.