Skincare, my sometimes enemy and other times best friend. I had a period earlier this year where I became extremely lazy with skincare and it showed. My skin was quite disgusting to put it mildly. I've been trying to make more of a conscious effort with skincare for many reasons and it is something I am interested in talking more about here on Nana Wintour so there's going to be a few posts on the topic this month.

Before I begin this post I'll just start by stating the obvious. I am by no means a seasoned skincare professional. My knowledge comes from trial and error, reading books on the subject and the words of wisdom that is Caroline Hirons' cheat sheets. Any products I recommend are suitable for me and my skin type, which is combination-oily typically. My skin can be sensitive though so what works for me, mightn't work for you, particularly if you have dry skin. Now we've got that out of the way, today I thought I'd do a post with five things skincare has taught me. Some of these will seem like common sense to some of you but I thought I'd throw them in anyway.

1: All natural doesn't necessarily mean all good. I feel like this will be a controversial statement for some of you because the allure of all-natural products does entice a lot of people. I'm not saying it is necessarily all a gimmick, although in some cases it may be. Just that I have tried and used products from brands that pride themselves on their all-natural ingredients and sometimes they've just exacerbated my skin's problem areas. By that I mean breakouts on my chin and jawline. I've also had to discard a natural eye cream because it irritated my eyes. Natural vs synthetic skincare is a bit of a double-edged sword. If you're ever unsure, try to acquire a sample or tester before you make the investment in a product. Even if you just patch test in store, that can sometimes be a decent indicator.

2: A good face mask is like a good friend. They're hard to come by but worth investing the time in once you find the one. Let's be real, there are a ton of face masks on the market and some of them just seem to do very little but the ones that do work are the best. My favourites that I've used and liked are: Glamglow Supermud, Skinfood Mud Masque, Aesop Parsley Seed Masque and Manuka Dr Peel Off Face Mask. 

3: I like the odd drink, but my skin hates alcohol-based skincare. I don't know what it is about skincare that contains concentrated alcohol as an ingredient but my skin absolutely hates it. I think it's used quite a bit in skincare because it's quite a cheap ingredient. For things like blemishes it will dry them out but then I find it often makes my skin extremely dry or it will just give me an extreme breakout situation. Not ideal. If you use a foaming cleanser be careful because it can be one of the main ingredients in products like that. 

4: Leading on from that, water is your best friend. I'm sure for many of us when we need a drink we go for the standard tea and coffee. Often water gets shoved aside and I know I am awful at remembering to drink enough water. Not only does water keep you hydrated but it also keeps your skin incredibly happy too. I always have a water bottle in the fridge or at my desk and try to always have a bottle with me whenever I go out. Drink all the water guys. All of it...

5: Make your skincare routine enjoyable so that it doesn't feel like a chore. Much like removing makeup after a long day, skincare can seem a bit tedious for people, myself included. I know if I am tired I'll just remove my makeup with a micellar water and then not do anything else. Extremely slack! Nowadays though I find I enjoy and look forward to doing my skincare routine each night. I keep it short and brief. You don't need to use loads of products. Just getting in the habit of doing it regularly will help your skin. 

-What has skincare taught you?

Unless you haven't visited a bookshop or seen a bestseller list in the last few years, you will have heard of Me Before You. The love story that gets people contemplating life and their stance on some of the world's injustices, has taken the world by storm. It's a book that sweeps readers off their feet, makes them laugh, makes them cry at five in the morning. Okay, that last point might be relevant to just me. I had an eight-hour shift approaching and knew I wouldn't make it through the work day not knowing what the outcomes were for Will Traynor and Louisa Clark. That's how invested you get in the characters. I love this book, I love this story. You get the gist.

Me Before You opens in cinemas here this week and you can bet I'll be at the cinema in my craziest, Lou-approved outfit with several boxes of tissues at hand. I can't wait to see how this story translates to film. To celebrate Me Before You's cinematic release and its film-tie in edition, I've partnered with Penguin* for a giveaway! I have two copies of the book to give away here on my blog and another copy over on Instagram. I'll pop the Terms & Conditions down below as well as the Rafflecopter link. This giveaway will close on Friday at 12pm and I will be in touch with the winners then. Good luck!

Terms & Conditions

-This giveaway is open to New Zealand and Australian residents only. 

-Entries open today, Monday 13th June and close at 12am on Friday the 17th of June. All winners will be contacted via social media/email and I'll put a post up on Facebook announcing the winners.

-You can enter via the Rafflecopter box as well as over on Instagram for an additional entry.

-Winners must have liked my Facebook page and be following Penguin NZ on Instagram. 

*This giveaway has been made possible thanks to Penguin New Zealand who have provided the books. This post is not sponsored and I have received no compensation for this giveaway. I wanted to do this for you guys because I love Me Before You and think it's a book worth talking about. 

It's been a while since I've taken things back to beauty around these parts, so this month I'm bringing it back in a big way. There's going to be a few skincare-specific posts so keep your eyes peeled. Today however it's all about the makeup. There's the palette I bought in a bit of a 'treat yo'self' moment, an eye brightener I'm sure Kim K would approve of, some subtle beauty bits for 'no makeup-makeup' days and the palette that's pushed me out of my comfort zone... 

-Charlotte Tilbury Instant Look in a Palette, limited edition: I feel like a bit of a troll showing you this product when it's no longer available. That Tilbury's such a tease. I've seen rumours floating around that it will be back and in additional colour-ways so all hope is not lost, yet. This was purchased when I got my final paycheck from my social media gig. Charlotte's makeup truly is a treat/special occasion purchase so I was quite gleeful when it did arrive. Inside you have everything you need to complete your makeup in five minutes or less. There's three eyeshadows, two blush shades and condensed versions of her Filmstar Bronze and Glow duo. It is rather beautiful and I love the eyeshadows and bronzer in particular. 

-Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat Slogan Edition* in 02, out now: Where has this gold-encased loveliness been all my life!? This brightener diminishes the appearance of dark circles like nothing else. It blends in so seamlessly and it works so, so well. You can also use it to brighten the high points of the face, Kim K style but I just use it under my eyes. If you have this, let me know how you use it. Truthfully I've not ever used a product like this before so if you know of other ways I can utilise it I'd love to know.

-MAC Pastel Times Nine* Palette: How cute are Mac's nine shadow palettes? They're perfect for travel as well. I wasn't expecting to get as much use out of this as I have because honestly these colours aren't the ones I'd typically reach for but they're surprisingly wearable. I get the most wear out of the purple row of eyeshadows but I love this palette. It's going to be perfect come Springtime. 

-L'Oreal Exclusive Pinks Lipstick in Naomi*: L'Oreal are bringing out a new collection of lipsticks in line with some of their ambassadors. They did reds last year and now it's time for the pinks to have their turn. Let me know if you'd like to see a post on these ones because I think I have most of them. Naomi Watts' shade is my favourite though. It's the perfect, your lips but better and slightly pinkier shade. I love the subtle rose scent as well, it reminds me of turkish delight chocolate.

-Rimmel Volume Colourist* Mascara, out now: There's a lot of budget-friendly mascaras out there but Rimmel's are easily some of my favourites. This one is designed to tint your lashes, which I'm not entirely convinced of but as a mascara it delivers. I wouldn't say this is the absolute best mascara I have tried but it's definitely one of my favourites from Rimmel.

-Have you tried any of these products before? What did you think of them?

*PR Sample

Ahh paper goods. I feel the way about them the way Donna feels about fine leather goods. Over the last few months I've acquired a few new bits and pieces so I thought I'd bundle them all together into one blog post so fellow stationery appreciators can swoon and become the embodiment of the heart-eyed emoji in one place. Enjoy...

Cat Coquillette-I'm sure you will have seen this designer's work appearing on Instagram and on the walls of rather snazzy homes. Kate and Anna are fans, as am I. The type combined with the flora and fauna elements just gets me. As you're about to learn I love a good pop culture reference; hence the Parks and Rec plus Mean Girls themed cards. She does some gorgeous prints featuring quotes as well which are worth checking out. I love that I can't even sticker as well. It speaks to me on so many levels.

Carmen Hui Art-Buzzfeed ran an article on Australian Etsy stores recently and Carmen Hui's work was featured. She does beautiful prints, again featuring flora and fauna as well as furry friends like this Koala+succulent drawing up above. How cute is it?? I'm looking forward to adding it to my pinboard sometime soon.

Kikki K-You all know by now how much I love Kikki K so I'll spare you my usual love-letter. I had a couple of discount vouchers/loyalty perks to take advantage of so I grabbed this inspiration book, these and then the notepad was a freebie. The adhesive dots may seem random but they're great for things like journalling, DIY's like cards and envelopes etc. Kikki K have a bunch of awesome, inspiration+motivational themed wares in store at the moment so you should go check them out if they sound like your kind of jam.

bestplayever-Pop culture paradise is the phrase I'd use to describe this online store. I spied their wares on Olivia's blog and was smitten. If you like Wes Anderson films, this is your kind of store. They also have some rather awesome Parks and Recreation themed pieces as well. I love that Grand Budapest Hotel notebook I picked up and Leslie's uber flattering card. I may just have to send that to the Ann Perkins equivalent in my life. 

-Which stationery/paper gems have you acquired lately? Any stores I should know about? Leave 'em below!