Snow is predicted here in MN for later today. Oh joy! We're busy 'winterizing' our houses, cabins, cars, motorcycles, bikes, boats, water toys, lawnmowers, etc. In fact, I ran down to the office to ask John if we'd blown out the sprinkler system yet. (After 25 years of marriage, we have a his/hers unwritten list of maintenance items for spring and fall. The sprinklers are a 'his' item).
I got to thinking...what about 'winterizing' ourselves? There are a few products I use in the deep, dark, cold and dry winter months that take some of the discomfort away. I want to share them with you with the hope you will comment and share your favorite 'winterization' products as well. So many products...so little time (and money!), so we can help each other out :), and get through winter a little less scathed.
Dry peely lips? Try e.l.f. Studio Lip Exfolliator ($3). It's a sugar exfolliator stick infused with Vitamin E, Shea Butter, Avocado, Grape and Jojoba Oils to nourish and protect. How can you go wrong with all those natural ingredients and the price? Then I follow up with a favorite of my mom's: Mentholatum ($7.49 for 3 oz. at Walgreens). It's certainly not sexy, but I find it keeps my lips and nose from chapping. If you can't stand the taste/smell of menthol, another great option (with anti-aging benefits) is Clarins Extra Firming Lip & Contour Balm ($38). It contains Shea Butter, Raspberry Seed Oil and MaxiLip Complex that minimizes fine lines for smoother, fuller lips. Although it's not as price friendly as Mentholatum, you need very little. I've had my jar over 8 months.
Dry nose? My nose get super dry by January. And it's dry inside and out (sexy, I know). No matter how ladylike I try to be, my nose runs pretty much all winter long unless I'm in the Caribbean. As mentioned above, Mentholatum helps heal the outside at night and keep it looking good most of the day, but I can't stand it inside my nose. And I don't want to smell like I'm treating a cold during the day. So, I use Lancome's Nutrix Soothing Treatment Cream ($50 1.9 oz.) Thanks to a Lancome Coordinator I had years back, my sore, itchy winter nose and nose bleeds are a thing of the past. She showed me to put a dab of Nutrix on a Q-Tip and pop that baby right in my nostrils. Try it, it works!
Nutrix has an interesting history. It's the very first skincare product developed by Lancome in 1936. Lancome tried to discontinue it in the early 2000's and there was a mutiny from the masses. It's the ONLY product I've known Lancome to ever bring back from the discontinued list. It's still one of the most asked for classic products they have today.
Heading out into the tundra for some skiing/skating/snowshoeing? Skin/Wind protection is a must (second only to sun protection-which was covered ad nauseam here. Nutrix (as mentioned above) also makes a great barrier and protects against windburn when out in the elements. I also like Elizabeth Arden's 8 Hour Cream ($19.50 1.7 oz.). It gives the same great barrier that Nutrix does at less than half the price. It also seems to do a good job of healing minor cuts. 8 Hour Cream is orange in color though, so be careful if you have light colored clothing anywhere near it. The original 8 Hour Cream has quite a peculiar smell, but glory be, it now comes in fragrance free! In the future, I'll be buying the fragrance free version and using it instead of Nutrix for all my winter needs. I slather it all over my face (after sunscreen) when I head outdoors for winter fun (an oxymoron, but you know what I mean!) It's a bit shiny, but worth it to not be windburned for weeks.
Flaky eyelids? It defies me how my eyelids can still be oily in the crease, but dry and flaky underneath, and in, my eyebrows. Last winter, finally- no flaky anything thanks to Clarins Super Restorative Total Eye ($82 .5 oz). You can read more about the benefits of this eye cream here. Suffice it to say that last winter, I had no problems and got all the anti-aging benefits from this product. Before finding Total Eye, the only product that worked for me was Lancome's Progres Eye ($59 .5 oz.). We called it Crisco for the eyes. It's another classic product (classic means it's not featured on the counter units and it doesn't have any new technology) that women buy 2-3 at a time because it's so intensely moisturizing. I found the best way to use Progres was OVER makeup. I couldn't use it before makeup application- it was to greasy!
Super dry face? It's possibly more than dryness. It could very well be dehydration. Here's how to tell: Take your index and middle fingers and push gently up between your jawbone and cheekbone. If you get a bunch of baby lines on the surface of your skin, you're dehydrated. I know we drink a lot of water, but that's hydrating from the inside out. In a harsh environment (like winter and flying), we also need to hydrate from the outside in. Clarins Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil ($50 1 oz.) does an amazing job of hydrating our skin. Used as a night time moisturizer (you can use it as your day moisture as well, but pure plant oils don't make a great primer for makeup), it re-hydrates skin amazingly well. It's one of the first 3 original Clarins products developed in 1954. Only 3 drops, warmed up in your hands and applied by placing and pressing, will make a huge difference in the skin's hydration level. I used it all last winter and I still have half a bottle left, so it's quite a value. I use my anti-aging serum underneath at night to still get anti-aging benefits while I sleep.
Dry, itcy skin? Me too! I've found adding a drop or two of body oil to my body moisturizer helps the itching and extends my body cream. Neutrogena Body Oil ($15.99 16 oz.) does the trick. It comes scented and unscented. When I really want to treat myself, I get Clarins Tonic Body Treatment Oil ($56 3.3 oz.). It contains pure plant oils- rosemary, mint and geranium and smells SO GOOD! Our house smells like the spa when I've used this oil. A little bit goes a long way with this oil too.
Cracked, split skin on your fingertips? Here's a tip from my dermatologist: take clear nail polish and seal the crack. It hurts a lot initially, but it finally seals up the crack so it can heal. I've tried liquid band-aid, but it doesn't seem as resilient as good old clear polish and it's just as painful upon initial impact, so I'm sticking with polish.
Hit us up with your winter saving favorites. I sure would like to know about them!
Update: It's snowing as I'm putting the finishing touches on this tonight :(.
*I receive no compensation for writing this. If/when I do I will happily let you know.
lue Orchid Oil
Elizabeth Arden eight Hour cream
Progres/total eye
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