Baby It's Cold Outside!

Needless to say the much dreaded cold is upon us (at least in most of the northern hemisphere!) Tis the season for chapped lips, cracked hands and dry skin! But it doesn't have to be! With the right products, we can all look and feel as good as we did in the warmer months. One of my biggest winter pet peeves is that my hands dry and crack like there is no tomorrow. My lips handle cold better but they do inevitably chap. I feel like I have an overall dryness, yuck! Chicago cold getting to brutal and unbelievable lows doesn't help much. Here are some of the products I use to battle with effects of cold weather :)

Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturizing Lotion


This lotion does an amazing job moisturizing super dry areas on my body such as elbows and knees. I do have an occasional itchiness, due to dryness, on my elbows and it really helps soothe them. It has a thicker consistency than most lotions, absorbs pretty fast and cools on contact as it's formulated with menthol. Besides menthol another soothing ingredient in this lotion is colloidal oatmeal. I personally despise the menthol smell but this lotion definitely doesn't have an overpowering scent (nothing like that of Bengay no worries!), it's actually really faint so it doesn't bother me. I love products that come with pumps (which you can't see oops!) and this is no exception! :)

Neutrogena Hand Cream


I've been using this hand cream for years! This hand cream comes in this small tube and it also has a thicker consistency, a bit Vaseline-like. It is however nothing greasy like Vaseline, dries quickly and leaves hands super soft. Packaging reads "just a dab heals dry skin" and this is no gimmick.You do not need a lot of it for a good amount of moisture. I use this few times during the day as I remember as well as when I'm going to bed.

Bio-Oil


I bought Bio-oil to use it solely on two scars I got on my left hand as a result of breaking a tall rectangular glass while washing it (ouch!). I have seen improvement on these scars since I started using it. Scars have lightened up since using this oil. I then started using it on my face at night back in February after my face was became noticeably dry and had that stretched feeling to it. I started applying a thin coat of Bio-Oil few nights a week half an hour before going to bed and I have really benefited from it. Now that the weather is freezing again, I am back to this routine. I am not really a fan of using oils or oil-based products on my face but using this, I definitely feel like my skin is way more hydrated.

Vaseline


Vaseline comes in really handy for cracked heels. I have no idea why heels are even an issue in winter months as they are in socks and boots all day everyday. Maybe that's why? What I do is, generously apply Vaseline on my heels and balls of my feet, put on some socks and go to sleep! I hate even the idea of wearing socks when sleeping but this seems to work so I do it couple times a week :)

Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub


If my lips aren't that chapped, I use this scrub to gently exfoliate them. If they are really chapped, I skip the exfoliation step because it'll hurt! In mild cases, this lip scrub does a great job removing that dry and dead layer of skin from lips.

Lipbalms


There are hundreds of lip balms out there and I'm sure I have tried at least half of them, threw away half the ones I tried and have the half of other half sitting somewhere in my house. In my lip balm experience, as funny as it sounds, I have discovered there are different types of lip balms that work for different problems. A lip balm is not 'just a lip balm' in my case. Crazy, I know!


In a really severe case of chapped, cracked, dry lips and cold sores I prefer to use menthol based lip balms.They provide more comfort, moisture and I believe them to heal lips faster. Carmex is a life-saver in this case. It's in a gel-like form which leaves very refreshing and cooling sensation on lips. Doesn't have the most pleasant of scents but it does work! Sharps Daily Prep Lip Stuff comes next. I first bought this lip balm 4 winters ago when I had a really bad case of cold sores. My lips were outlined by this nasty red dryness which looked like badly lip-lined lips. I worked close to an apothecary that sold high-end and rare brands and was recommended this Sharps one by a sales person there. She was spot on! My lips healed not exactly overnight but the redness vanished overnight! This is from a men's skincare line but too bad! :)

If it's not that severe of a case but my lips are still chapped, I use one of the following. These two pretty much serve the same purpose. I am just including all of them to show you guys variety.


Victoria's Secret Pink Lip Butter with Organic Shea Butter - I'm not even sure if they still make these. It has a very nice minty smell and is very refreshing. I feel like I have a mint tic tac in my mouth every time I use this :) Goes on smooth and clear but leaves lips glossy.

Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm -Stronger minty scent, goes on clear. I think everyone has used/will use this lip balm at one point in their lives, Burt's Bees products are generally very popular and they are usually 100% natural.

If my lips are fine but I still feel the need to moisturize them just for the sake of moisture, I use my EOS or Nivea lip balms. I always have a lip balm in my purse and am definitely one of those people who busts out her lip balm every now and again. Why not? I like keepin' it smooth! ;)


I do not have a special winter moisturizer for my face. I just continue with my regular facial care routine and use my my Origin's A Perfect World Moisturizer as it has SPF in it. I think many people may think they don't need SPF because it's winter. However the UVA/UVB rays are still there. Just because you don't see them doesn't mean they don't see you. It's a good idea to use SPF no matter what the season is. :)

What are your favorite winter life/skin-savers? 

Have a fabulous weekend!!! xoxo

7 comments:

  1. Bio oil and vaseline are great!
    I'm loving blistex for my lips atm! I really want to try Burt Bee's though!
    Lovely post :)

    - Sriya xx
    lipglossandleopardprint.blogspot.com

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  2. I have a Vaseline hand cream and don't love it too much, it takes it a lllonnng time to dry. Bleurgh. I love the Nivea Honey lip balm, had one too :X

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  3. @ Sriya Yep they are surely my faves for winter :) Hmm Blistex is a brand I missed out on! lol

    @ birminghamlady, I agree with the Vaseline hand cream, I tried it and didn't like it at all. I'm glad I found this Neutrogena hand cream because it works like a charm on my hands :) I am not worried about the Vaseline jelly version on my feet though :) Nivea honey lip balm was surely a hit, everyone seems to love it! :)

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  4. Hi :)

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    So that's why I'm a new follower :)

    Maybe you can follow me back and visit my blog and leave some comments? I would like that :)

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    Thanks and keep up the good work :)

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  5. Great post darling! I've noticed my skin getting drier as I've gotten older, I actually JUST picked up the Bio Oil, and I'm excited to use it.

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  6. Neutrogena Hand Cream is my favorite hand cream – I love it soooooo much.I’ve tried a bunch of hand creams, and I like how thick this one is, and it stays on my hands for hours without me needing to reapply it. Also, this might sound crazy, but I use this is a face cream sometimes too. Usually after putting it on my hands I’ll pat some extra cream on my face (I have dry skin). Or I’ll apply it as an eye cream – it goes on great under makeup and it doesn’t clog pores. I love it! Oh, and the version with fragrance smells sooooooooo horrible (they just changed the fragrance and it smells like cheap, nasty perfume).

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  7. Ah, I 'm with you on the lip balm thing, I too think there are different ones for different purposes... seems like there is no magic HG lipbalm that covers it all imo!

    xx

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