As we are heading into the winter, it's important more than ever to look after our skin. Even though my skin is usually oily during the summer, it remains like this during the winter, but also gets a little dry in areas, so I like to use a different combination of products for both my morning and evening routine. After being fed with endless amounts of knowledge at the Lush Lesson on skincare, I knew that I needed my routine to consist of Lush. Their products are fresh, handmade and 100% cruelty-free as well as 100% vegetarian, with over 80% being vegan too. What I love is that their products work with your skins natural functions, and they don't categories your skin to a type, and group you to certain products. I have sampled a lot of products, and some didn't work as well, but the best thing is to listen to your skin and know what it needs.

MORNING ROUTINE

When it comes to my morning routine, it's very quick and as simple as it can be. I just want to get into the bathroom, clean, get out, and get on with my day. Quick, simple, but still very effective. It's very important that you don't skip your morning skincare routine, as you're preparing your skin for a day of cold weather, pollution, sweat and a lot of other things that can damage it. My skin can get quite oily, (though it's not as prominent during the winter), so my morning routine is all about helping my skin stay matte and oil-free throughout the day.

CLEANSER

What I love most about Lush's fresh cleansers is because you add water to the cleanser yourself, you can add as much or as little to give the consistency you need. I like to use Herbalism with enough water to give my cleanser a thick (almost face mask like) paste, and work it into my skin in a circular motion. I keep adding water to my hands and continue working it in for a few minutes, and then rinse off with warm water. With the ground almonds, it gently exfoliates my skin, and then kaolin cleanses deep into the skin to draw out any of those impurities and dead skin cells from the surface. It's filled with nettles, rosemary and rice bran vinegar and these three are a great combination for spot-prone skin, which is perfect for me. There is nothing coarse in the cleanser, so it will never damage any spots, just work deep into the pores to clean out any dirt, plus you've also got chamomile oil in there to help calm the skin. The smell it quite earthy, slightly vinegary, but nothing too pungent. Herbalism leaves my skin feeling soft, oil-free but still really moisturised and not a tight feeling which a lot of deep cleansing cleansers usually do.

TONER

Toning is a stage a lot of people miss out, but I love that refreshing feeling it gives you! I use Eau Roma Water, which consists of rose and lavender water. The rose water helps to calm and soothe the skin, and the lavender water is also soothing but also hydrating. Both ingredients are gentle on the skin and helps me on those more sensitive days. I like to spray it straight onto my face and using a cotton pad, working it into my skin.

MOISTURISER

With a name like Vanishing Cream, do I really need to tell you what it's like on the skin? It has such a light formula that it sinks straight into the skin, and leaves a super soft, matte finish. Now don't get me wrong, just because it absorbs into the skin quickly, it doesn't mean you'll miss any of those moisturising qualities. The rose water helps to soothes and calm the skin (great if you have any redness), and the lavender honey water also soothes as well as hydrates the skin, which is what we all need in this cold weather. The smell is really subtle, a simple light floral scent, nothing overpowering, you barely notice it after a while. A little really goes a long way with this moisturiser, so I just dot it across 4 points on my face and blend in. A tip if you're a fan of the make-up range at Lush, they have a skin tint called Feeling Younger, if you mix a small amount into your moisturiser, you're left with, what I always call mermaid skin; an illuminating glow.

SCRUB

You might be thinking why is Aycan scrubbing her face at the end of her routine? Well, this scrub isn't for my face, but for my lips. I don't do this every day, but it's become a lot more frequent now the weather is prone to drying my lips. All you do is at the start of your lip routine, scoop a small amount on your fingers and scrub away all the dead skin, and then lick off. Yes, an actual Lush product you can eat. The ingredient are basically caster sugar and natural oils, so get scrubbing and licking away. I use both Bubblegum, which smells and tastes of candy floss, and Mint Julips, which smells of mint chocolate, and helps subtly plump the lips with the invigorating peppermint oil. I don't have a system of which of the two scrubs to use, just whichever I get my hands on first.

EVENING ROUTINE

Unlike my morning routine, I like to pamper myself and include a few extra products for the evening. The difference between the products compared to the morning is more about removing all the dirt that has built up during the day, and letting my skin breathe. There is honestly nothing better than having freshly washed skin which seriously feels like it's radiant and glowing. Other than the main necessities, I don't use all the products listed below during my routine, it's always a 'if this, then not that'.

SCRUB

I love to exfoliate, and I literally scrub everything; my body, hair, lips and most importantly my face. When I was at the Lush Lesson on skincare, I learnt that every 28 days our skin sheds, and if you don't exfoliate, you won't remove the dead skin cells which can cause blockages leading to breakouts. The magical scrub I use is Ocean Salt, the self-preserving formula. In case you're not sure what self-preserving is, it's using completely no synthetic preservatives to keep the products fresh and from growing any bacteria, and instead, using natural ingredients to do the job. The sea salt gently exfoliates your skin removing any dead or dry skin. I know when I mention this product to people they always worry about it drying or being to intense on their skin, but with the avocado butter, mango butter, and extra virgin olive oil, your skin is moisturised, nourished and hydrated. Citrus oils and infusions are toning and rejuvenating, so with the lime oil and grapefruit infusion, your skin is not only smooth but brightened and fresh. This is definitely my favourite skincare product and will always be in my routine. I always use the scrub at the start of my routine on damp skin, and only twice a week as it's not necessary to use a scrub every day. Both the cleansers I use include ingredients which have an exfoliant in them.

CLEANSER

If you've been in a Lush store before, you know that a lot of the products smell good enough to eat, well Let The Good Times Roll is definitely on the top of my list! (This list is hypothetical, I don't actually voluntarily eat Lush products.) The ingredients combine to create this sweet comforting buttery scent and even includes actual popcorn. Unlike Herbalism, I add enough water to create a thick milk and again, work into my skin in a circular motion and rinse with warm water. It's packed with maize flour which gently exfoliates the skin, and helps give it its dough-like consistency, which is easier to work with than other cleansers *cough*Herbalism*cough*. The best thing for an oily complexion after a long day is talc, which is luckily in LTGTR. Talc is very absorbent and helps remove all of those unwanted oils and dirt. Corn oil is a great source of Vitamin E, and polenta is filled with properties such as phosphorus and iron, and together they help boost your skin and leave you glowing. LTGTR leaves my skin super soft and moisturised but unlike Herbalism, it doesn't feel matte, which for the evenings is exactly what I need.

MASK

The first skincare products I tried were a few samples of the fresh face masks and I was in love. I use two different masks depending on how my skin is feeling. If my skin is feeling oily or like it needs a good clean I like to use Cupcake, which smells and looks exactly like cupcake mix. The rhassoul mud is absorbent and draws out all the dirt and impurities from your skin, and leaves it feeling really clean. The fresh mint, spearmint oil and peppermint oil are invigorating, refreshing and cooling, which gives your skin a tingly feeling which I love. Now for days when I have breakouts or feel them coming on, I use Cosmetic Warrior. This is not the best smelling products, but it does wonders to my skin. The strong scent comes from the fresh garlic, which is deep cleansing and antibacterial, along with the honey and tea tree oil. I like to leave my mask on until it dries on my face and starts feeling tight. I use a damp face cloth and work it into my skin in circular motions so I can really get the most out of the exfoliants in the mask. I never use my face scrub and face mask on the same day as I never want to over pack my face with products.

TONER

Toners are really important especially post-face mask as they will help remove any of the product left over on your skin, and no matter how much you clean, there is always some somewhere. When using a face mask, I stick to my morning toner water of Eau Roma Water, (well on most nights actually) as it's easier to work with, but sometimes I like to treat myself to a Tea Tree toner tab. With a toner tab, you just drop it into a bowl of hot water, and as the tab is fizzing away, place your face over the top of the bowl with a towel over your head and let the steam absorb straight into your pores. The tea tree oil is antibacterial and antiseptic, so it's great for deep cleaning the bacteria from your pores, and the aloe vera is gentle on your skin. Once you have finished, you can put the water into a spray bottle and continue using it as toner water.

MOISTURISER

The majority of the products I use is about removing all oils and to be left feeling matte, so in the evenings it's important to be light on my skin and let all the natural oils do its work, so I use Enzymoin. It doesn't leave my skin looking shiny, but it feels a lot more moisturising compared to my day cream. Enzymoin is packed with freshly squeeze fruit such as papaya and lemon, and not only does it brighten, stimulate and degreases the skin, but the enzymes in the fresh fruit help remove dead skin too. There is also evening primrose oil which helps smooth the skin, and help to retain the moisture in your skin so it doesn't dry out. The smell is of course very circusy, and unlike with Vanishing Cream, I like to apply a generous amount to the skin.

I hope you have enjoyed delving into my very detailed winter skin routine. Let me know in the comments below what is your go-to winter skincare product, and any Lush skincare you love.