TRIED AND TESTED | Top 5 natural winter skincare combos

Beautywoome.com contributor Julia Rebaudo gets her skin armed and ready for the winter weather to come. Check out her top picks to from natural brands for the best moisture boost this cold season.

WINTER SKIN needs a little extra TLC to protect against the cold weather and dry indoor heat. What a better (and simple) plan of attack is there than to double up the hydrating routine? I’m already a big fan of layering on a facial oil or serum before moisturising – nothing beats it for day-long hydration and happy skin. I’ve been testing what’s on offer to give me this one-two hydration punch from the natural skincare brands, and here are the best of the bunch.

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TRAVEL TALES | Products you're not packing in your makeup bag but should be!

 

I'VE FILLED two passports with stamps over the last two years (My TV is from 1994, so, no, not rich. Just different priorities). That's a lot of travel. At first, I was shamelessly carting around bags of beauty crap. Multiple items of the same product, things I never even opened, full bottles of cheap shampoo I could just as easily pick up wherever I landed. What a waste! And so onerous. I was forced to be static by my heavy luggage, was constantly worried and a huge target (girl struggling up stairs of a station with two huge bags? Like a sitting duck). So, I've learned and honed and now have a makeup bag that's no bigger than a pencil case when I travel. I pick up cheap, bulky items (like shampoo/conditioner) when I arrive since I like raiding the local chemists anyway. And what's the point of carrying something that takes up 30% of your luggage real estate but costs so little? Doesn't add up. While this isn't my definitive list, it's one that I highly suggest for anyone who cares about what they like and feel like on the road.

SwissDent Pure Mouth Spray (£9.50)-- It's anti-bacterial so won't just cover bad travel breath (no, yours doesn't smell good after sleeping -- mouth dangled open -- in economy class for six hours either) but help prevent the reason for it. The tiny bottle is no bigger than a tube of lip balm but all you need is one spray for minty (tho not unnecessarily sweet), bacteria-free breath. Essential when on-the-go and meeting with people, drinking multiple coffees, all day long.

Deborah Lippman The Stripper To Go ($10 for a box of 6 mitts) -- Soon to be available at the new House of Fraser Apothecary concept boutique. Deborah Lippman has created a genius little finger mitt that fits over the tip of one of your fingers with enough non-drying remover to take off even dark varnish on all ten nails, without leaving stains. Plus the lavender scent is nicer than the usual Acetone odor. One or two of these tiny mitts take up no space in your luggage, weigh nothing and there's no chance of remover opening and spilling all over the contents of your case.

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FROM THE FRONT | Nip & Fab launched by Rodial

IT LOOKS like we have another Marcia Kilgore on our hands. Maybe. Because the Nip & Fab range is created by Rodial founder Maria Hatzistefanis. Although I have yet to find a Rodial product, despite all the hype, that I really like (or get amazing results from). That said, Rodial is a successful brand (somehow... sorry, I couldn't help it) and it looks like Nip & Fab will be too. American readers, you'll have to order it through the Boots website.

Commissioned by Boots to create an accesible yet luxury brand for them, Nip & Fab has launched into Boots and Harvey Nichols. It's tag line? That ever product does what it says on the front. Every product is a 'fix' so to speak -- tummy fix, cellulite fix, dry leg fix, etc. The website lists just a few of the key ingredients for each product. The Harvey Nichols website has much better descriptions.

The price point? Much less than the hefty pricetag on many of the Rodial products, all 11 SKUs ranging from £7.95 to £18.95. The Nip & Fab Multi-Fix Oil has won a Pure Beauty award for Best Bodycare Launch of 2010 already and the Tummy Fix has sold out (though is now back in stock).

But, Nip & Fab isn't the first brand in this trend. For the past few years, stores have been commissioning slicker, higher-end brands to create ranges for them.

Our favourites:

• Good Works by This Works
• Sophyto for Sam's Club