Winter is here. That's a fact. And that means colder, drier weather, which also means, drier, parched skin. I honestly have a different skincare routine for every season, it changes with the weather because skin changes with its environment. I talked about
my Favorite Fall Skincare back in September, and this collection is my favorite winter skincare. I am pretty dry to begin with, but in the winter months, I just CANNOT get enough hydration and moisture into my skin. Drinking plenty of water definitely helps, but these products give me the much needed moisture boost required in winter.
Beauty oils have been all the rage in the last year or so since Josie Maran introduced us to Argan Oil. I have tried a number of them, and this is my all around favorite, especially as my already dry skin gets drier in the winter. I like to put this on at night, after I wash my face, and before my moisturizer. Oil is actually meant to be applied by pressing it into the skin, not rubbing it like you would naturally do. I put a few drops in my fingertips and press them all over my face so that it really gets absorbed. Regardless of which moisturizer I use over it, my skin always feel softer and smoother in the morning if this was underneath it.
I love everything First Aid Beauty makes, and so does my sensitive skin. I talked about how much I love their 5 in 1 Face Cream in my
Products I've Hit Pan On earlier, and I still love that as my daytime moisturizer, especially because it has SPF in it. This stuff is similar, but with even more amped up moisture. This is great for nighttime or daytime, and can be used not just on your face, but hands, elbows, anywhere you are experiencing dry patches. It is so thick and creamy, it feels so luxurious when you put it on, and it really works to cure those dry, flaky patches (which no one wants to apply makeup over).
Hope in a Jar has been a cult favorite for years. I do like it, but I never found it moisturizing enough for my dry skin. I was intrigued to try a product with Alpha Hydroxy as I had always heard what a great moisturizer it is, but I was scared to put it on my sensitive skin. After a lot of research, I decided to give this formula a try, and I fell in love! Instantly. This is one thick night cream, and when you wash your face in the morning, you have seriously never felt silkier, smoother skin. You won't be able to stop touching your face because it will be unbelievably soft. It also causes absolutely no irritation to my skin, which most things bother. My favorite nighttime combination is the Fresh Seaberry Oil under this, and in the morning, oh my god...amazing. The only thing I would change about it is the smell. It is pretty subtle, but what is there smells kind of chemical-ish.
I mentioned how much I love the C.O. Bigelow Chapped Hand Remedy in my
Favorite Fall Skincare, and I still use that one this time of year, but Hand Food is definitely my winter staple. It is so thick, so silky, sooooo hydrating, and yet doesn't feel sticky or greasy. Your hands just feel instantly soft and restored. My hands get super flaky in the winter, and this keeps them from practically peeling. It actually keeps them really, really soft. I keep one everywhere, on my desk, my end table, in my purse, everywhere and just keep applying. The scent is also really nice and refreshing. It is the Soap and Glory Signature Pink scent, which a lot of people love. It's not very strong, and it's just crisp and clean. They also have a great
holiday set of three mini bottles, one in the Original Pink scent, one in Fruitigo, a slightly tropical scent, and one in Sugar Crush, a warm, sweet, but not bakery smelling scent.
In my
Favorite Fall Skincare I also mentioned the Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Mask, which is still great, but like I said, the more moisture the better in the winter. This one has Tsubaki Oil in it, which is another beauty oil, and very moisturizing. This one feels only slightly creamier than the Clinique, which feels more like a gel, when you apply it, but I find that it is definitely more moisturizing. You use it the same way, apply a thick layer before bed (which you can do over your beauty oil, and I like to) and let it soak in overnight while you sleep. It sounds weird, but it really doesn't get all over the place and your pillow. I'm not sure how, but it doesn't, it just leaves you with very hydrated skin in the morning. boscia actually released a whole line of Tsubaki oil products, including a cleansing oil-gel and a beauty oil. I really like both of those too, but this one was definitely my favorite of the three, and I am in love with sleeping masks in general.
Exfoliating is at least as important as moisturizing when skin is dry, if not more. Exfoliating is going to get rid of those dead, dry skin cells on the surface, and leave you with fresh, smoother skin to apply your other products to. I find a lot of exfoliating products can be really rough, which leave my skin really irritated, not to mention red. This one is a little finer grain, so it is more gentle, but still very effective. I have definitely also tried some where they are fine grain so they don't irritate my skin, but they don't really exfoliate much either. This one is a perfect balance of gentle and effective. It doesn't really have any scent either, just a minimal, clean scent, which I like in skincare. I don't like to feel like I'm rubbing perfume on my face.
Greek Yogurt is not only yummy, it's a great moisturizer. It does kind of look like yogurt in the jar, but when you think about it, a lot of moisturizers in a jar look like that, you just aren't thinking about it because they don't contain it. This feels so creamy and rich, but is still light enough to use under makeup without your makeup sliding everywhere. This is definitely not a nighttime moisturizer, it's not quite thick enough for that, but I love this in the drier months as my daytime moisturizer. And yes, I usually have a couple day and night moisturizers in each season's rotation. It again has a nice, clean, crisp scent that isn't overpowering. I struggle sometimes with finding something moisturizing enough, but not greasy, and this is definitely a winner.
I am in love with this lip balm. I raved about the Soothing Sorbet flavor in my
November Favorites, and I went and bought the non-tinted version now too. I always liked the original Baby Lips, but the Dr. Rescue line is amazing. I like medicated balms in the winter to really combat the dryness and prevent cracks. They also do a great, and fast, job of healing cracks that you still may get. However, some medicated ones bother my lips and make them almost burn. This does not, and it doesn't feel grainy like some medicated balms can. It also does not feel waxy, like some also can. It just feels super smooth and buttery and creamy and comforting. It also lasts forever. I put it on this morning and it lasted through two cups of coffee and then a few more hours before I even started to feel like I needed to reapply.
So in my
November Favorites I also mentioned that I love The Body Shop's Chamomile Cleansing Butter (go read why, it's amazing). And as you can probably tell, when I find a product I like, I stick to it. I just use the even more moisturizing product in that line for the winter. I use pretty much the same brands and lines all year round, I just use different levels of moisturization depending on the season. I LOVE cleansing oil. Washing your face with oil might sound like a contradiction, but it's not, it's amazing and it works for everyone! Oil combats oil, so even non-dry people can use this, and dry people will find it doesn't strip your face of the moisture you have like some cleansers can. This one smells so soothing, almost as soothing as it feels, and it's very gentle. It also does a really good job of breaking down makeup. Seriously, if you haven't tried a cleansing oil, go try one, you will love it!
I know no one likes to talk about feel, especially about how they can get flaky and cracked in the winter. Eew. But hey, it happens. I find a lot of foot butters can be just plain greasy, especially if you want to use them during the day. You apply them in the morning and your feet just slip around inside your sock or shoe all day long. Not this one, this one actually absorbs, but it is also thick enough that it actually moisturizes. I feel like I have tried so many foot creams and they all either leave you slip sliding away, or don't really do anything, I can never find a happy medium, and then I found this. The smell is...unique. It's kind of strong, and really hard to describe, but I like it. Not everyone will, but they do make some that are similar with different scents.
Like I said, this color will look good on every skintone. It is also a great color for everyone to experiment with, not matter how much or little color you like on yourself, because it can be used in a variety of very subtle to very pigmented products and looks. My favorite thing about 2015's Color of the Year though, is that is is great on every feature. Some of the colors of years past, such as 2013's Emerald, were only good on certain features like nails and eyes (I don't really see many people wanting to try Emerald cheeks or lips for example). 2014's Radiant Orchid was also good for nails, cheeks, lips, eyes, etc., but I can see Marsala being even more universal. Clearly I am excited about this color. Sephora's collaboration collection with Pantone will be out in January, and for the meantime, they have already lined up a list of products in Marsala to get you introduced. What do you guys think? Do you like this color? Do you plan to try it? On a side note, this color instantly made me think of a specific color everyone has been obsessed with recently, Kylie Jenner's lips, and I can't help but thinking that they may have inspired 2015's color of the year. This muted, yet still potentially bold shade definitely also reminds me of that 90's Supermodel look (which can be compared to Kylie's lips too), which I love. I am very excited to play with it, and to see what everyone else creates with it!
