Winter is one of the most wonderful seasons, it means holidays, snow, ice skating, hot chocolate and sitting by the fire…  There is a certain coziness and nostalgia about it.  However, it reeks havoc on our appearance. Going back and forth between the frigid temperatures outside and the intensely dry air from central heating is a nightmare for our delicate skin.  So, I decided to share with you some of my top winter beauty tips to get you through the frosty season.  Say good bye to itchy dry skin and stay radiant all year long!

1) WATER!  We all know that water is the number 1 best thing for our skin but I often find myself forgetting to drink it during the colder months when my skin needs it the most.  In summer time we drink more water because its hot and we crave it more but in the winter we tend to gravitate to warmer drinks which often contain caffeine which can actually dehydrate skin even more.  So make a conscious effort to drink more water!  The general rule of thumb is eight 8 ounce glasses of water a day.  What I find helpful is filling up a couple of bottles of water in the morning with that amount of water I should be drinking and knowing that I have to finish them during the day.  Whatever works for you – but think less caffeine and more H2O!

Brita pitcher $34.99

2) Don’t forget about your hands and feet! I have 3 dogs and a toddler – I think I wash my hands about 150 times a day – this is a KILLER on my poor hands.  They are dry, cracked and sore.  Our hands and feet suffer the harshest work and get the least amount of attention.  I rarely moisturize my hands because I don’t want to leave a sticky residue on everything I touch and my poor feet which carry me through life (occasionally in some ridiculous shoes) get barely any attention between pedicures.  However, during the winter months my hands get so bad I simply have to pay attention.  I use these little gloves (and there are little socks for the feet too – but you could just use your normal socks) and before bed I slather on some hand lotion or even just vaseline and put on the gloves and socks so that my skin can replenish over night.  Sure, my husband has a chuckle at my expense when I climb into bed in my little gloves, but a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do!  Lets not forget, there is plenty we can do to our face to look younger but hands are a tell tale sign – so don’t forget that they need attention too!

Spa Sister gloves $10.39

Spa Sister sock $7.35

Bliss spa gloves $48
*** these actually have moisturizers in them already and are good for up to 50 uses!

Vaseline $4.55

Jack Black industrial strength hand healer $15

Bliss hand cream $18

Revlon pumice stone $3.85 – don’t forget to scrub your calloused feet with a pumice stone between pedicures to keep them soft!

3) Cure those chapped lips.  We’ve got coats and boots, hats and gloves but our face is hard to keep covered up and often takes the brunt of the winter weather.  Particularly our lips!  I mean, I have chapstick in all of my bags and in every room in my house because that dry lip feeling is the worst!  So, don’t neglect your lips – exfoliate and moisturize them to keep them soft and lipstick ready!

Bliss lip scrub $18

Ilia lip exfoliator $24

Jack Black intense therapy lip balm with SPF $7.50

Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream $20
*** a must have – not just for lips but elbows, calluses – whatever needs a miracle. This product is in every makeup artist kit and in every fashion and beauty editor’s hand bag!

Dior addict lip polish $31

Ilia tinted lip conditioner $24
*** moisturize lip while adding color – comes in a tray of shades

4) The face.  Its what the world sees first and its also the most exposed to the elements.  The skin on our face takes a beating from sun, wind, heat and cold. Keeping our faces exfoliated and moisturized (and PS – always wearing sun block) is essential for looking younger and more radiant.  I am addicted to my Clarisonic which I use twice a day when washing my face – it just properly cleans my skin and helps take of the dead skin which can clog pours and ultimately lead to break outs.  I also try to use masks several times a week to exfoliate and rep are my damaged skin.  I don’t have time to go get facials – I have a child, a career, 3 dogs and a husband so I put a mask on while I brush my teeth, answer emails even eat breakfast…  We’re woman, we multi task and taking care of ourselves should be enough of a priority that its one of the many tasks we take on.  Finally, whether you wear make up or not – moisturizer and sun block are the most important things for our faces.  Protecting ourselves from sun damage – which can still happen in the cold of winter and replenishing the moisture that is stripped from our skin in winter are essential for healthier, younger looking skin!  I have to tell you that Creme de la Mer, is expensive but it is universally considered the BEST moisturizer on the market – working with countless celebrities and makeup artists it is truly the go-to miracle beauty treatment – but there are so many wonderful and effective products on the market – find what works best for you!

Clarisonic skin cleansing system $199

Dermalogica gentle cream exfoliant mask $39

Boots No7 exfoliator $8.49

Origins dink up mask $24

Dermalogica multi vitamin power recovery mask $48

Olay 7 in one moisturizer $17.99

Creme de la Mer moisturizing cream $155

Murad essential-C Day moisturizer and broad spectrum SPF $60

Olay Regenerist moisturizer $21.49

Neutrogena sunscreen $9.99

5) The body.  Just because your bundled up doesn’t mean your skin isn’t suffering.  The fluctuations from the dry heat inside and the frigid temperatures outside just destroy our skin and because we’re not showing much skin in the winter we tend to neglect it…  Just as with our face, exfoliation and moisturizing is key to keeping skin soft and supple.  PS – if you’re pregnant this is more important than ever because moisture is the best way to prevent stretch marks – and prevention is always better than cure!  Palmer’s cocoa butter has been around for ages because it works – use it, use a lot of it and use it often!  Summer time is around the corner so take care of your skin now so you can show it off then…

Fresh exfoliating soap $16.50

Dove moisturizing beauty bar (8 bars) $11.79

Sephora loofah $3

Origins body scrub $29

Josie Maran argan oil body butter $35

Aveeno daily moisturizer $10.90

Clinique deep comfort body butter $29

Aquaphor healing ointment $14.99
*** I didn’t know where to put this since its brilliant for lips, dry spots, hands, feet, face everything! it not only restores moisture but it also adds a layer of protection for the skin against environmental elements!

Palmer’s cocoa butter $4.99
** the best prevention for stretch marks!