As the sun begins to set earlier and the freezing temperature makes us want to head straight for hibernation rather than our tutorials, here is a list of a few crucial skincare items, food recipes, and just other useful stuff from one of our lifestyle editors: Maya Sargent! As a fourth year, she imparts her wisdom of surviving in this rainy, cold, and windy city through five essentials.
- Cetaphil’s Rich Night Cream For Sensitive Skin
For the winter, I am a huge fan of a really good moisturiser as my skin gets so dry, especially with the Scottish weather and the wind! I absolutely love Cetaphil’s Rich Night Cream For Sensitive Skin. It’s such a good formula, a thick consistency that sits really well on your face and doesn’t leave you greasy or oily. I swear by it and recommend it to everyone!
2. Turtleneck Jumpers
My absolute favourite staple item for the winter. I love them, I have them in most colours, but I would highly advise getting them in black, grey, white and brown as base colours to build your autumn outfits. The only way I survive in Edinburgh during the winter is through layering.
3. Uplands Roast Hot Chocolate
The ‘Proper Hot Chocolate’ from Uplands Roast is the best pick me up when you’ve been stuck at the library all day. With marshmallows, chocolate shards, and cinnamon dusted across the top, it’s honestly a cup of warming perfection. There’s also a vegan version of the hot chocolate as well that I opt for, and it looks and tastes exactly the same – there are even vegan marshmallows!
4. Sweet Potato, Vegetable and Tofu Curry
You will find me batch cooking curries during the winter. They are my favourite food to eat, they are warm, nourishing and comforting. They are easy to store, cheap to make and just absolutely delicious. When I have cold or flu symptoms, I eat this on repeat. My favourite one is this sweet potato, vegetable and tofu curry:
Recipe:
2 onions
Garlic
Thumb of Ginger (finely chopped)
3 tsp Cumin
3 tsp Curry Powder
2 tsp Garam Masala
2 tsp Turmeric
Salt
Pepper
1 Can of Coconut Milk
1 Tin of Lentils
1 Large Sweet Potato
Frozen/Fresh Veg of your choice (soak them first in hot water)
Block of Tofu (I usually roast this in soy sauce, maple syrup and nutritional yeast for 40 minutes before adding)
Sweat down the onions and garlic in some olive oil until translucent. Then add your ginger and all of your spices. Let those sit for a moment, deglazing the pan using some water if it all begins to stick. Add your lentils and let them fry for a minute before adding your coconut milk, vegetables, sweet potato and tofu. Let that simmer for about 20 minutes and enjoy! Serve with naan, rice or another carb of your choice, or even by itself – so perfect!
5. Hot Water Bottle
This one is extremely obvious, but I couldn’t write a list of my autumn/winter favourites without mentioning the one thing that keeps me sane throughout the colder months. I don’t think I truly understood the power of a hot water bottle until my move to Edinburgh, but wow, do I know it now!
BRB, getting everything that was listed on here from the nearest shop!