8 beauty essentials for when you’re feeling under the weather

It’s a bright sunny day as I’m sitting in bed writing this very blog post. I can hear the wind blowing softly outside and the faint hum of people going about their daily business – cars travelling along the road, the children playing outside on their school lunch break laughing and squealing. Lily is laid on the rug beside my bed, snoozing softly and carrying me away in her deep breaths as she falls further into her little dreamland. Alfie snoozing by the radiator just in my view, curled into a peaceful little fluffy ball looking so cosy.

It sounds like an idyllic day, doesn’t it? But there’s just one problem – I’m feeling so poorly that it’s hard to even see the letters properly as I type. I hadn’t suffered from Tonsillitis since I was a child back when my tonsils were swiftly removed (they’ve since grown back. I can hardly believe my luck either.) after several bad bouts over a short period of time. But last Sunday, Tonsillitis decided to pay me a visit and show me what I’d been avoiding for many years. To say I’ve felt in agony for the last few days is an understatement, the utter pain which was quickly accompanied by the flu and conjunctivitis (so lovely of you both to stop by!) is so debilitating that I’ve been bed-bound and hardly able to even speak. Much to the delight of my parents, I’m sure. You don’t get called “Rachael Anne the Rattle Can” for being quiet now, do you?

Anyway, in my hours of agony and unrest, I’ve done a lot of thinking and a heck of a lot of raiding my beauty stash in order to look for products to give me a little boost and stop me feeling quite so grotty. And it got me to thinking…perhaps I should pop a post together of my current favourite items that are making feeling poorly that little bit more bearable. So here it is. Here’s my list of beauty essentials that have been helping me through.

1. Bomb Cosmetics Love Junkie Bath Creamer
My mum bought me some beautiful Bomb Cosmetics goodies for Christmas, and they’ve really come in very handy over the last couple of days. Not only are they a gorgeous bath time treat, but they make me feel well cared for and pampered. Not to mention that they leave my skin feeling nourished and soft. The Love Junkie Bath Creamer is one of my absolute favourites. Girly, sweet and gorgeous! Just look at those little love hearts!

2. MONUspa Warming Ginger Bath and Body Oil
When you’re full of cold, anything that’s nourishing and warming is bound to be a huge hit. This gorgeous bath and body oil arrived in the latest lookfantastic Beauty Box (which I promise I will still film once I can speak without sounding like a mixture of Frank Butcher and Patti and Selma rolled into one) and couldn’t have come at a better time. I can’t tell you how comforting it felt to step into a warm bath lit by my Lavender and Chamomile candle to this gorgeously scented oil. Infused with Jojoba Seed Oil, Calendula and Vitamins A and E, and infused with Ginger and Lemongrass, it’s like receiving a huge, comforting hug in your hour of need. It also leaves the skin feeling so soft and moisturised and I love that it doesn’t leave my bath like an ice rink too.

3. Eve Lom Cleanser
I don’t know about you, but when I feel poorly, I take great pleasure in giving my skin a thorough, deep cleanse. I hate the whole grotty feeling that being unwell can leave you with and I find that spending a little time to really cleanse my face leaves me feeling much fresher. Since I’ve been unwell, I’ve been really enjoying using the Eve Lom Cleanser – a home spa delight that glides over the skin and gives you a delicious waft of aromatic plant oils (Clove, Eucalyptus, Hops and Egyptian Chamomile). It leaves my skin glowing, fresh and feeling comfortable. What I really love about the Eve Lom Cleanser is that it comes complete with a muslin cloth for you to remove the balm so you get the benefits of gentle exfoliation too.

4. Erno Laszlo Light Controlling Lotion
Another product that just arrived in the January lookfantastic Beauty Box and is an absolute Godsend. This is a beautiful toner that helps to tighten pores, diminish excess oil and leaves skin looking radiant. It’s so refreshing to use and makes me feel like I’m wiping that poorly feeling right off my face. The addition of antiseptic clove helps to eliminate blemish-causing bacteria and the toner also has anti-inflammatory properties to relieve irritation and stimulate tissue repair so it’s even more perfect for skin that’s suffering a little.

5. Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte’s Magic Cream
You may know from my past posts that I haven’t always been a huge fan of Charlotte’s Magic Cream – being an oily-skinned girl, the formula was way too rich for me and no matter how careful I was, the product always got too close to my eyes and stung like mad. Since taking Accutane and having my skin significantly change, I gave Magic Cream another go as an evening moisturiser and actually found myself beginning to enjoy it. I love to apply this on an evening in a thick layer, almost like a mask, and allow it to soak into my skin to hydrate and nourish my skin once again. The moisturiser contains a multi-tasking anti-age BioNymph Peptide Complex which stimulates collagen production along with Hyaluronic Acid to hydrate.

6. Merci Handy Hand Cleansing Gel
I never thought I’d be so excited about a hand gel, but the Merci Handy range is just absolutely beautiful. Not strictly  a beauty essential, but when you’re stuffed up with a contagious illness, it’s so important to make sure that you keep everything clean and sanitised. I’ve been using my Dettol Surface Spray like mad around the house whenever I’ve surfaced from my bed, but when it comes to my hands, Merci Handy is my number one choice. I’m currently using the Hello Sunshine scent in the house and have a bottle of the New Wave scent in the studio that I use before makeovers (which I might add I have not taken on any makeovers since being poorly as I wouldn’t risk passing this on to my lovely clients). These hand gels smell absolutely incredible! What I also love about them is that they contain emollient pearls that moisturise your hands as you use them, so you don’t have to worry about your hands drying out. I’ve just ordered two new bottles of the Lollipop scent hand gel from lookfantastic so I’m so looking forward to that arriving to give it a go.

7. The Bath House Rose Prosecco Lip Balm
When we’re poorly, our lips tend to dry out very quickly. It’s important to keep them hydrated so I’ve recently been using the very cutely packaged Rose Prosecco Lip Balm from The Bath House. Made with moisture-rich Shea and Cocoa Butter Balm with Vitamin E, it helps to keep lips soothed along with giving a lovely soft scent of Rose Prosecco (which I wish I could smell right now!) I tend to use my old faithful Blistex Relief Cream on a night, but for the day where I want to feel a little more pampered, this is my go-to.

8. Ted Baker Blush Pink Body Spray 
Not only does the Blush Pink Ted Baker Body Spray look divine on my dressing table, it also makes me feel fresh as a daisy and pampered all over again. Even when I’m stuck home in bed feeling rotten, I still like to make sure I smell nice as it lifts my mood and makes me feel better about myself. This spray has a gorgeous floral fragrance with cassis, sparkling grapefruit, mandarin, neroli, jasmine, tuberose, cyclamen, muguet, patchouli, sandalwood and powdery musk. Basically, it smells delicious!

So there you have it, my little list of beauty essentials that have been helping me through the very long days and nights. It’s hard to get the strength to keep up your skincare routine when you feel so poorly, but trust me, you’ll feel so much better for the little pamper. Now all that’s left to do is snuggle down in bed with the pooches and a hot cup of tea with Friends on Netflix to see me through.

Take care my beauties, my heart really goes out to you if you’re unwell whatever ailment you’re suffering and I hope you feel so much better soon. Love and hugs from my home to yours.

© Rachael Divers 2018.