Have Beautiful (and Moisturized!) Skin This Winter
I live in Chicago. It’s freezing, snowing, or windy 9 out of 10 times that I step out my door between the months of November and March. I love the city—great night life, pretty sights, fabulous shopping—but shudder at what the city winter weather does to my skin. The cold weather sucks all of the moisture of out my skin, making my makeup look chalky! No!!!
Over the years, I’ve learned a few tips and tricks to help my skin stay moisturized in the cold. Some are obvious, some are secrets, but I think skincare tips are always worth sharing.
My first tip is to wash your face. Some people think that by washing their face, they’re washing away the oils in their skin. Maybe you are, but you’re also washing off dirt, bad oils, and other things that can clog your pores (good luck trying to moisturize your skin with clogged pores). If you’re worried about stripping away oils from your face, pick up a face cleanser that is for sensitive or dry skin.
The Body Shop’s Vitamin E Gentle Facial Wash is perfect for washing your face and restoring the moisture at the same time. If you also use a toner on your face, the Vitamin E Hydrating Toner would be a good choice.
Another thing you should do at least two times a week in the winter is exfoliate your skin. Some skincare products tell you to exfoliate before you cleanse your face, some tell you after. I found that, either way, it does the same thing. Personally, I tend to exfoliate, cleanse, apply a toner sometimes, and then moisturize—but the other way around works too. When you exfoliate though, the point is to remove dead skin, not rub so hard you make your face raw. Be gentle with your skin.
My absolute favorite exfoliator is the Glamglow Youthmud Tinglexfoliate Treatment. The color isn’t very pretty, but your skin will be thanking you in the end. My favorite thing about this product is that it doubles as a mask too. I exfoliate my face with this, leave it on while I brush my teeth, then wash it off with cool water.
Buying a good moisturizer may seem like an obvious way to keep your face nourished, but sometimes you can’t get yourself to spend the $30 on a face lotion. But let me tell you a secret: it’s worth it. Think about it, you’ve probably bought (and thrown out) 5 different types of face lotions from Target that cost about $6 anyway. By the time you’ve spent all that time trying different cheap lotions, you’ve also spent the same amount of money as a good moisturizer costs anyway.
My favorite moisturizer for the winter (and the rest of the year too!) is the Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion. It feels light on your skin, but still moisturizes it like no other!
My last secret is something I notice a lot of people forgetting about: using a face mask. Face masks aren’t just for acne or looking chic at the spa. There are plenty of face masks out there that are made to moisturize your skin!
My favorite moisturizing masks are from the Sephora Collection—for only $6 each! I use the Honey Mask and the Rose Mask. The best part about these masks is that you don’t even need to wash your face after you apply them.
