As the weather turns colder I’m sure you have all be donning your cosy hats & scarves and wrapping up all toasty and warm, ready to face the great and rather chilly outdoors. We had a lovely load of snow here last week and as well as being great fun, it served as a reminder to me that I need to remember look after my skin in this cold winter weather! In the winter we are constantly moving from warm buildings to the cold outdoors and our skin has a lot to battle against and that is before I even start on the diminished light levels (I mean, is it really necessary for it to get dark at 4pm, come on England! I need my Vitamin D!). It is so easy to neglect your skin at this time of year, especially with everyone rushing around sorting everything for Christmas, but this year I’m determined not to let that happen and today I am going to introduce you to some of the products I use in order to keep my skin in tip top condition during this very festive season.
Puriskin Nurse Aid Cream by Vanessa Blake Cosmetics is a winter lifesaver. It literally does exactly what it says on the tin and acts as a little nurse, protecting and healing any cracked or dry skin that winter has thrown at your poor hands. It is quite a thick, almost body butter consistency, however despite this it is quick to sink in and you don’t need much, which means this little tin has lasted me really well. Although it is for hands & nails, I mainly use it after I have had a cold to relieve the sore redness around my nose (probably tmi, but you know what I mean) and it also works wonders on nails that need a bit of tlc, as they so often do at this time of year. I would 100% recommend this little all purpose hand cream and I have just finished my sample tin so need to get online and order a bigger tub!
Sticking with hand cream, I have also really been loving The Body Shop “Moringa Hand Cream”. It is always useful to have a hand cream around at this time of year because, unless you have some pretty great gloves, your hands are one of the areas of your skin that are left most exposed to the elements. This is one of my particular favourites, not only because it leaves my hands feeling silky smooth and protected but because of its scent. A few years ago I took The Body Shop’s Moringa scented shampoo & shower gel on a trip to Uganda and so now every time I smell that scent it brings back such amazing memories of our adventure. So you might say that I am including this hand cream, not only because it is a must have to protect your skin this Winter, but because who doesn’t love a bit of nostalgia at Christmas, even if it is of a place with sunnier climes.
Now from hands to face. Stila Sheer Colour Tinted Moisturiser is my favourite winter layer and I use it as my ‘foundation’ pretty much every day. I have eczema and so it can be really hard to find a foundation that doesn’t completely dry out my skin, however the formulation of this is just brilliant. It is thin and as it says on the packet, goes onto the face as a very sheer layer. You wouldn’t think that it would be enough to protect your face, but whenever I take it off at the end of the day my skin always feels soft and moisturised, rather than just irritated and dry as it does with a lot of foundations. Another huge plus point is that it has SPF 20 protection, which is definitely better than nothing – you are actually supposed to wear some sort of SPF protection on your skin all year round, not just in the summer, making this the perfect product to moisturise & protect your skin this winter. Love it!
Underneath my foundation, I always use Egyptian Magic as my moisturiser. It is my number one product and no other moisturiser can replace it for any task, face or body. Now you all know that this is one of my holy grail items and I use it all year round. So, if your skin has been battling with the elements all day, of course I am going to recommend it. This is just what you need to rejuvenate your skin, slather it on all over before you got to bed and I can almost 100% guarantee that when you wake up in the morning your skin will feel velvety smooth. I never go away anywhere without it and as always if there was one product in the whole world that I suggest you use, then this is it. Enough raving, let’s move on!
From face to feet, odd transition but let’s roll with it. I often think that people forget to look after their “tootsies” in winter and just like everything else they definitely need some extra care at this time of year. Think of all the snow they have trudged through to get you where you are today and all the those times you forgot to wear thick socks with your wellies leaving them to freeze – I think they deserve a bit of pampering if you ask me. My favourite way to give back to my feet is to use Bliss Aloe Leaf & Peppermint Foot Patrol. I always take plenty of time to massage this thick moisturiser into my feet, letting it fully soak in; giving me time to take in it’s gorgeous (and rather strong) fresh minty scent! It leaves your feet feeling like brand new and the cool, crisp fragrance will leave you wanting to repeat the process again and again – and your feet will thank you!
So there you have it, the winter products that keep my skin protected from top to toe. I haven’t talked about haircare in the winter today and that is because, unfortunately, I am still on the look out for the ultimate hair protecting product. It’s a tricky one! If you know of, or use, any good ones then be sure to let me know down below!
Love Holly x