Getting My Winter Glow On (Inside And Out) | AD

This is a paid advertorial with Sanctuary Spa

While the rest of the UK pees their pants about Christmas cups, German markets and cosy nights in, I’m among the pocket of society who dreads the colder months. Dark nights, visible-breath mornings and a distinct lack of beer garden frolicking make Dee a dull girl, and I have to work hard every year to avoid shrivelling into a sad, flaky-skinned little ball of negative energy the moment the first firework is lit on 5th of November.

I’ll never be a cold weather person. I’ve written about how much I don’t love winter before, but every year I promise myself I won’t let it get me down. And so, I’ve devised a master plan for battling the winter blues this year. I’ll be embracing the warm, inner glow that everyone else seems to draw from the winter months – but at the same time, tricking my body and mind into thinking everything’s still sunshine and roses. Winter’s not gonna get me down this time around, noooo sirree.

My Winter Glow-To

1. Keeping things rose-tinted

It can be easy to skip your usual self-care practices when it’s too nippy to be standing in your knickers with your nips out every evening. In previous years, I’ve let my rigourous full body moisturising session slip, but this year I’m taking the time to nourish my skin post-shower or soak.

Enter, the Sanctuary Spa Rose Gold Radiance range. It’s a beautiful set of two bath products and two moisturisers, all available at Boots. The Exquisite Bath Salts, Liquid Gold Bath Elixir, Precious Glow Body Oil and Shimmer Luxe Body Butter are all seriously luxurious, with a beautiful golden tint that makes your skin look absolutely scrumptious.

Now, I’ve loved Sanctuary products ever since I was gifted a set one Christmas in my teens. The distinctive scent takes me back to pamper nights in my mum’s house, treating myself to a scoop from the jar in the bathroom cabinet that lasted surprisingly long. The smell fills the room and clings to your skin, so you don’t even have to bother with perfume.

I know from experience that this would make the perfect gift for someone this Christmas – or why not treat yourself?

I haven’t bothered much with fake tan for the past few years because I have neither the time, energy or inclination to stand in a freezing cold bathroom waiting for it to dry, only to scrub it all off a few days later and start the whole process all over again. But nothing tricks my mind into thinking I could be off to aperitivo hour in Italia than having a healthy glow, and the Rose Gold range delivers a lovely, subtle sheen that makes your skin look the picture of health – minus the trials that come with false tan. All the glamour of having a tan without the actual tanning process: it’s a Christmas miracle!

My hero product is the oil, slicked down shins and across my collar bone before a big night out to give me an ethereal look. It struck me recently that we’re all labouring over getting our cheekbone highlighter on fleek then stepping out with matte limbs – where’s the sense in that? I wanna be a rose gold goddess, all over.

2. Slowing down

Over the summer, things were a bit crazy work-wise so I’m doing my best to slow down and be more considerate about what I say yes to. One of the big reasons I’ve worked so hard to become self-employed is because I wanted to be more in control of my days, but what I didn’t realise is that it’s not always possible to be picky about work, especially towards the beginning of your freelance life. Yeah, that was a fun realisation…

So yes. Slowing down, and making sure I take time to enjoy the non-work related pastimes that bring me joy.

I’ve always been a massive bookworm but don’t get the time to read as much as I’d like. In winter though, it’s easier to use the bad weather as an excuse to stay in, wrapped in a blanket with a big slab of chocolate at your side, getting lost in the pages of a good book. I’ve just started Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts, a novel about the Bombay underworld, so I shall report back. Hey, if I’m not off exploring the world in person, at least I can go on vicarious adventures through travel-themed books!

3. Planning trips

If there’s one cure for winter blues, it’s knowing you’ve got a holiday to look forward to. Tom and I are going to Saint Lucia at Christmas, and I cannot wait. It’s somewhere I’ve wanted to go ever since I read that you could make your own chocolate bar there in a travel article years ago. Trust me to base my travel plans on my belly…

To be honest, I’ve had so much going on that I haven’t had a chance to get excited about it until now – but you can bet I’ll be scrolling TripAdvisor reading reviews of our hotel to get me through shivering at the bus stop. Does anyone else love reading reviews, even the bad ones, just so you can get excited about an upcoming trip?

This is my recipe for surviving winter, like a beautiful shimmery hedgehog who no longer needs to hibernate. Making myself feel good with divine products that genuinely give me a glow, taking advantage of nights in to rediscover my passions and trawling the internet for cheap flights to anywhere.

How are you preparing for winter?