It’s All Fun & Games Until Winter F’s up Your Skin….
Dry, flakey, winter skin makes Shelli a pain-in-the-ass
So, last week Oliver and I were at the Montage in Park City, Utah for the week taking a little mini-vacay. Living in San Diego where it’s seriously like 70 degrees year round, I couldn’t wait to wear my brand-new Puffy Jacket (I call it my Snow Bunny look ;-)….. and bask in 25-degree Christmas weather. Snowing, cold as crap and so holiday – the little town, which used to be a silver-mining town was ripped from the pages of a Hallmark Christmas movie. SO picturesque, with the friendliest people everrrr, quaint little breakfast nooks and amazing dining – If you’ve never been, you must!
Main St. in Park City. The area is an old silver-mining town that’s quaint, picturesque with amazing dining!
I literally looked like the Crypt-Keeper
Less than 2 days in, my skin starts going nuts. Those of you living in areas that have seasons (like an actual winter) know exactly what I mean……Cold blustery outdoors, dry heated indoors, sitting by cozy crackly fires and taking (several) nice long, hot showers – everything we love doing in the winter, left my poor skin dry, itchy, moisture-zapped and looking dull and just not sparkly and radiant. Like even the skin on my legs was looking all crackly and crepe-y. Boo.
Let’s talk solutions shall we?
The sitch is this – we want gorgeous kick-ass skin year ‘round and for all of our holiday parties right? Winter is standing in the way of that. Let’s fix it. Here’s what to do….
It only took 36-hours for my skin to start looking visibly tighter & drier. Unfiltered / un-retouched pic below…
The 3-Step Formula for Pretty Winter Skin
Step #1 Use a Cream-Based Cleanser
A cream-based cleanser really helps with winter skin. It’ll help soothe, hydrate and add moisture back into your skin, leaving a thin layer of hydration behind. Exactly what we need to rehydrate dry winter skin! Here are my favorite finds – starting with EVE LOM, my #1 pick.
EVE LOM CLEANSER, $24 – $225
Not tested on animals. My personal favorite winter combo is the EVE LOM Cleanser followed by her Radiance Face Oil. It’s a total 1-2 punch that saved my skin last Christmas in NYC during a week of 30-degree, windy weather. Using this combo everyday soothed, calmed hydrated and added back in, radiance. I use the Radiance Oil year round, and massage it into my face & hands every night, to keep them soft and as line-free as possible!
What it Does & Why You’ll Love It
Eve’s cleanser (because you know, we’re tight like that) is a luxuriously melty balm that comes in a small tub and completely melts into skin soaking into every dry, crackly crevice. Ahhhh….. I can feel it right now. The smell is just amazingly calming and luxurious. It comes with her signature Muslin Cloths, that you immerse into warm water then gently wipe in circular motions over your face to exfoliate & promote blood circulation.
+ Cleanses
+ Adds moisture back into dry skin
+ Helps improve circulation
+ Open pores
+ Gently exfoliates
Heads-up, it’s a little bit pricey – but you can buy the smaller tub for $24, to see if you like it well enough to splurge. Warning – it’s addicting 😉
MURAD CREAM CLEANSER, $39
What it Does & Why You’ll Love It
Murad comes in a squishy upside-down tube which works well in the shower. Plus, I enjoy squishing things, so there’s that. It’s like popping those packing bubbles. It’s just satisfying. I digress. This particular cleanser works really well on sensitive skin. It’s creamy but not oily and rinses well without leaving that weird residue that some other cream cleansers leave. You know – where your face still feels dirty? Not with this one. Rinses clean & and leaves skin moisturized.
+ Cleanses
+ Gently exfoliates
+ Hydrates & Improves elasticity with starflower oils & apricot
+ Enhances radiance with Papaya enzymes & algae extract
KORRES GREEK YOGHURT FOAMING CLEANSER, $26
The thought of smoothing cooling yogurt on my face sounds both relaxing and totally 1950’s DIY all at once. Korres Foaming Cleanser is made with real Greek yogurt – a food that Greeks have used for centuries because of its soothing and strengthening properties, in both recipes and beauty remedies!
What it Does & Why You’ll Love It
A cleanser made with real Greek yogurt, which is naturally rich in proteins, vitamins and minerals. It starts off as a cream then turns into a gentle foam, cleansing away makeup and adding hydration back into the skin without irritating it.
+ Relieves dry skin
+ Helps eliminate redness
+ Amaranth seed Soothes skin
+ Honeysuckle calms skin & provides antibacterial benefits
Step #2 Face Oil
Face Oil is absolutely essential for hydration, smoothing and radiance year ‘round, but especially during winter months. After cleansing with your Cream-Based Cleanser, lightly blot skin leaving it slightly damp. Gently pat and massage the face oil into your skin to seal in moisture and add an extra layer of hydration and radiance.
Visiting NYC last year, my skin was so dry it was embarrassing. Tight, flaky, dull and agitated – it was driving me nuts. I went into Bergdorf’s to see about an extra-rich moisturizer and was instead introduced to the idea of a face oil by the Eve Lom associate.
Specifically, the Eve Lom Radiance Face Oil. I was skeptical – the last thing I wanted was dry flaky skin, that now looked dry, flaky and oily. She took out a luxurious frosted glass bottle filled with a goldeny-colored oil. She dispensed an eye-dropper full of the oil into my hands. As I rubbed my hands together the oil felt velvety, luxurious and soaked into my skin leaving it feeling silky, smooth and hydrated.
I bought the Cleanser & Face Oil, started using it that day – and what a difference. Within a few days, my skin was hydrated, radiant and balanced again. Love!
EVE LOM RADIANCE FACE OIL $80
What it Does & Why You’ll Love It
A lightweight hydrating oil that helps to nourish and add moisture back into our dull, lackluster winter skin! It conditions calms and smoothens skin plus it’s enriched with antioxidants to help fight free radicals. Works to prevent new lines and wrinkles from forming and it has an amazing light scent of rose. Good stuff!
LAVIDO FACE OIL, $59
What it Does & Why You’ll Love It
Super moisturizing and made using organic cold-pressed mandarin oil, pomegranate seed oil, plus plant-based acids and minerals. This refreshing serum will plump your skin with antioxidants while helping it to restore and retain moisture. Oh – and it’s vegan, gluten-free and has a clean, fresh scent.
ELEMIS FACE OIL, $72
What it Does & Why You’ll Love It
Cruelty Free. This is an ultra-lightweight oil that both soothes and smoothens the skin, giving a dewy look while diminishing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. I’ll take 2, please. As is the intention and purpose of a face oil – Elemis’ version also infuses hydration and radiance back into the skin. Light-weight enough to use year ‘round.
VITNER’S DAUGHTER ACTIVE BOTANICAL, $185
What it Does & Why You’ll Love It
Cruelty-free. Even though it’s on the pricier side, this face oil has a huge cult following due to its ability to add balance, smoother texture and radiance back into our skin! Infused with 22 nutrient-rich botanicals and essential oils, the formula sinks in, leaving skin smooth and glowy.
+ Helps stimulate cellular turnover
+ Maintains skin elasticity
+ Strengthens capillaries
+ Inhibits melanin production
Delivers oxygen to cells
Protects against free-radical damage
Step #3 Richer Moisturizer
The final basic step, in protecting skin from the effects of winter is a good moisturizer, that is a bit richer than what you would wear say, in summer or warmer months. A good moisturizer is the cherry on the sundae, sealing in all of the goodness you’ve delivered into skin with your Cream Cleanser and hydrating Face Oil. Now, seal-the-deal with a high-quality, effective moisturizer!
Candidly, moisturizer – nor any skin care product for that matter is a one-size-fits-all. What works for you, may not work for me, y’know? Factors such as your skin category…. are you oily, dry, acne-prone, combination? Do you live in an area with a lot of pollution or high up in the clear-air mountains? Active or sedentary? It all plays a role in the products that will work best for you – which is why I always showcase a variety of different brands. We need choices people!
My Top Picks for Moisturizers……
CHARLOTTE TILBURY, MAGIC CREAM, $24 – $255
And a Magic Cream it is! Flooding our skin with needed hydration and moisture, Tilbury’s formula of hyaluronic acid, rose-hip, camellia oil, vitamin E and peptides work to support our skin’s own natural collagen production, adding suppleness and reducing the appearance of wrinkles. It’s ideal for dehydrated, dull lackluster skin. I love that it comes in a variety of sizes, so for $24 you can try the smallest size, and see how you like it before going it deep with the pricier sizes.
DR. JART+ CERAMIDIN CREAM, $30
First, you gotta love the price point on this one. This is an intensive, yet lightweight moisturizing cream that works to improve irritated skin caused by cold weather, wind and pollution. Upon application, you’ll love the way it instantly sinks into your skin, giving moisture, hydration and the perfect foundation for applying makeup! Microcapsule ceramides hydrate the skin barrier from within, preventing water loss, plumping dry, rough skin right away! Time-released to last 12-hours.
DRUNK ELEPHANT PROTINI POLYPEPTIDE, $68
This protein moisturizer combines peptides, growth factors, amino acids and pygmy waterlily in order to deliver immediate improvement in the appearance of skin tone, texture and firmness. Note that the consistency is more like a serum vs a thick cream – but the proof’s in the pudding. It really works to prevent the breakdown of existing collagen. delivers younger, revived-looking skin, almost from the first application. Lines, wrinkles and signs of sun-damage appear reduced; depleted skin feels strengthened and moisturized.
Those are the 3 basics for helping to keep your skin healthy, hydrated and radiant during harsh winter months. I totally encourage you to integrate the face oil that works best for you, into your regular skincare routine year ’round. It makes such a difference in the overall dewiness, texture and smoothness of your skin.
During warmer months my T-zone usually feels oily, so I won’t use face oil in that area. Instead, I press it into my cheeks, under the eyes, neck and Décolleté…. oh, and always the hands!!! The hands tend to get ignored, but they’re one of the first areas that will tend to age – so be sure to include them in your skincare routine!
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