Winter Skincare 2017

Winter is a tough time of year for all skin types but I personally feel that dry skin gets the worst of it all. Flakey skin, painful skin, dull skin and so very itchy. So during the winter I bump things up a bit.

Chapped winter lips is the pits so I use this at night and I take it with me if I’m going to be outdoors for any extended period of time. And sunscreen! Cuz you can still get sunburns and get sun damage in the winter. 

I also switched up my masking situation. During the warmer months I tend to use more clay based masks to really deep clean my skin but during colder months clay is simply too drying for me to use consistently. So I picked up this little guy in a set and have been loving the Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Mask. The full size is quite pricey but after seeing the difference this product makes I think I might have to take the plunge. The set that this one came if I got from Ulta Beauty. Because it is an enzyme based mask it exfoliates on an acidic chemical level. It does feel quite active on the skin when you first put it on but it calms down after a couple minutes. There are also physical exfoliants in the mask that help scrub away dead skin and dirt as you wash the mask off. Right now I use this mask every couple weeks or so. 

Even though this product says it is a mask I use it as my night cream.....it’s so beautiful!!! Origins Drink-Up Intensive Mask isn’t intensive at all for me personally. This is super hydrating without clogging pores or causing too munch congestion in the T-zone. And it comes in different sizes at very reasonable prices so you don’t have to commit to too much product or spend too much money. This little guy cost $17 and I’ve been using it for a month not and there is still plenty more. I could actually see myself using this product year round. Such a beautiful and well balanced product.

I recently tested out a couple anti-aging eye creams and they were just too drying. So I came back to Juice Beauty Smoothing Eye Concentrate. I got this product in my summer fabfitfun box and I was using up other eye creams at the time. So after returning the products that did t work for me I remembered that I had this little guy and it’s so wonderful. I use it for nighttime and daytime. I’d still like to find a more anti-aging one but this has been performing beautifully in the meantime. 

I used up all of my Fresh Soy Face Wash and I enjoyed that product a lot but I’ve been hearing really good things about the Cera-Ve Hydrating Facial Cleanser and gosh darn they were right!!! This is great for my nightly second cleanse to get all my makeup off. So cleansing without overdrying...,you can’t ask for more out of a facial cleanser. Oh and it’s at the drugstore! Oh oh and it isn’t scented!! I even got the body wash, cuz my dry skin isn’t exclusive to my face. 

For toner I broke out my Aveda Skin Firming Toning Agent. This product has hyaluronic acid in it the draw forward the bit of natural moisture in the deep layers of skin. This is my FIRST STEP morning and night before applying any creams, lotions or oils 

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As my first cleanse I love this oil cleanser from Trader Joe's. A lot of oil cleansers leave a film on the skin that is really difficult to wash off and makes your eyes feel all funny....This one does not do that. This is a cleanser for mostly removing makeup, so if you don't wear makeup then you probably don't need this step. Oil cleansers are applied to dry skin and worked in, then water is added and your makeup is all dissolved. Magic baby, magic. 

When skin is extra dry if feels like there is a layer of dead skin cells just sitting on your skin all the time. And while chemical exfoliation is great for keeping skin fresh, I find that during the winter months I need to actually scrub my face at least once a week. This Dr. Brandt PoreDermabrasion came in one of my Boxycharm boxes and it has been wonderful. 

Chemical exfoliation is a year round must for this girl and The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + HA 2% has been my go to for a while now. I started out with the 5% and quickly got used to it and now regularly use the stronger option. This should be applied after toner and before moisturizer. Since this is a water based product it must be applied before moisturizer otherwise the oil will repel the acid and it wont work. 

I've talked about this oil a bunch on here and I'm still loving it so I'm talking about it again. Rose Hip Seed Oil is packed with vitamins that your skin needs to stay balanced. This always the last step in my skincare routine. And on days when I'm especially dry I use this as my makeup primer. A little bit goes a very very long way with this oil. 

Lastly for my day cream right now is Aveda's Tulasara Renew Morning Cream. This product has turmeric root which has some amazing properties that help increase cell turnover rates. So as your skin cells die there are fresh new skin cells ready to take their place faster. This keeps your skin healthy and plump. Love love love this stuff

And that's what I've been using as my winter/colder month skincare. Where I live in California Winter has been strangely warm but our nights still get cold and that still greatly affects my skin and how dry it gets. If you live in a colder area of the world then I you might need a heavier day cream, otherwise these are all great products. Thanks for looking and I hope you are all feeling as beautiful as you truly are.