When I get cold, I get grumpy! Not the same level of grumpy as when I haven’t had enough coffee – because that’s really bad – but I don’t do well when I’m cold!

One solution is to turn the heating up, but that doesn’t always work when you’re going out in the cold, and in any event it’s nice to snuggle up under something Warm on an evening in.

So what else can you do to stay warm? Here are seven low-cost ideas:

1. Baths

I love baths. They make me slow down, stop doing things, and take some time out to relax and de-stress. I know some people get bored in the bath, but this is never a problem that I’ve had. It’s time for me to have only positive sensory input – no noise –just a warm place to spend some time and unwind.

There are so many amazing products to help with this – from bath soaks to bubble bars and oils or shower gels that nourish your skin while you soak.

Baths are also good for getting warm too – as long as you don’t set the temperature too hot, or your skin won’t thank you for it!

2. Wrapping up warm

I can’t have wool next to my skin, which means a lot of woolly jumpers, hats, and things like that are out for me. All I’d be able to think of is the how annoying it is to feel the wool against me and I’d never get anything else done! But there are loads of other options such as fleecy things, or synthetic materials that don’t feel the same as wool.

I found some gloves at a Christmas market a couple of weeks ago that are very warm, but have two holes – one for the thumb, and one for all the fingers. They’re then cut off where the fingers start – which is good for anyone who still wants to use their hands.

Even cotton scarves can be warm – sometimes just having something round your neck is enough. I have thicker woolly ones, velvet ones, one with Labrador puppies, and one that came as a gift a couple of years ago with an owl hanging from it. Most people think it’s a necklace, but it keeps me warm as well.

3. Snuggling under a blanket

Blankets don’t have to be wool either – you can get some really soft ones either to suit your colour scheme, or with a picture of something that you like. S bought us some warm blankets with wolves on last year – one for our bed and a smaller one for the sofa in my office.

4. Wear a coat when it’s cold

I don’t want to judge, but on Saturday there were people at the Christmas market in the cold and pouring rain with no coats on. People going out to Christmas parties, not wanting to put a coat on because it would ruin the outfit. You don’t have to keep it on all night, but at least give yourself the option of wearing one!

5. Keep the cold out

See if you have any places at home where the cold is getting in. Windows, keyholes, external doors. If you can illuminate the draughts, the house will feel warmer.

In a previous job, my desk was directly under the air con unit and the cold air always came straight down to where I was sitting. It was so uncomfortable until I persuaded someone to come and deal with it!

6. Keep moving

I have a job that involves sitting at a desk all day, but I try and build in some exercise too, because apart from the obvious health benefits, working out also gets your blood circulation going and helps you to feel warmer.

7. Hot chocolate

If it’s cold outside, it’s good to indulge now and again in a steaming mug of hot chocolate. I’ve been buying chocolate orange or chocolate mint recently, but there are so many varieties available now. And those little chocolate sets with a mug and chocolate also make a nice little gift.

Do you have any more tips to add?

Advent calendar unboxing

Throughout Blogmas I’ll be unboxing my two advent calendars from Glossybox and the Body Shop and giving a brief product review.

Body Shop – two products today, both from the Fuji green tea range. We have the purifying shampoo and the hydrating conditioner. I don’t think I’ve tried these, because I usually go for the banana or strawberry haircare products, so I look forward to trying these out.

Glossybox – a deluxe sample of the BareMinerals skinlongevity vital power infusion serum. I didn’t know this brand also did skincare – I thought it was just mineral make-up. We won’t dwell on the fact that the first time I heard of this brand I was looking for Bear Minerals! I used this serum in my skincare routine this morning and liked it. It promises to empower, renew, replenish and fortify, so let’s see!

Unseen Beauty Blogmas Giveaway

Today you have another chance to enter my Unseen Beauty Blogmas Giveaway. There will be a box with 10 prizes from the Glossybox and Body Shop advent calendars, and the prizes will be revealed throughout December. You can enter once on each Blogmas 2018 page, which means you have up to 24 chances of winning. You can enter at any time from when the page goes live to the end of December 2018.

Multiple entries on the same page will not be counted – I have a spreadsheet to log them!

Your answers to the questions will help me to get to know my readers and where they are based. Also, they prove that you’re a real person as I don’t use inaccessible widgets on my site.

The giveaway is international, but if postal restrictions prevent me from sending a product to your country, I will replace it with an alternative.

The form only goes to me.

What’s in the box?

1. Huda Beauty Winter solstice palate Featuring one pearlescent creamy formula and three icy pressed pearl powders.
2. Spa of the World® French grapeseed body scrub from the Body Shop.
3. Black eye liner pencil from the Body Shop
4. An eye make-up brush from the Body Shop something will be coming later to go with that!
5. Real Techniques expert face brush

Products 6-10 coming soon!

Giveaway entry form

Terms and conditions

1. The give-away is open until 23:59 on 31st December 2018, and I’ll draw the winner on 2nd January 2019.
2. I will give each entry a number and then draw the winner by asking Siri to generate a random number. I want to make it as easy and accessible as possible for people to enter.
3. Your email address is being collected solely for the purpose of contacting you if you win the prize. You are welcome to sign up to my newsletter at the same time, but this isn’t necessary to take part in the give-away. If you do not win the prize, your email address will only be stored if you have signed up to the newsletter or asked for your entry to be carried over to the next give-away.
4. I will email the winner on 2nd January to ask for their address so that I can send the prize. The winner will have 7 days in which to respond. If they haven’t responded after 7 days, I will draw a new winner.
5. No cash alternatives are available and the winner is responsible for checking product ingredients for any known allergens)

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