All Made Up: Blustery Beauty

It is FREAKING COLD outside. Now that all the fun of the holidays is over (not counting Valentine’s Day cause, let’s be real, that’s not fun for most of us) the warm joyous feelings towards winter are gone and we’re left with nothing but bitter, bitter cold.

Living on a college campus makes it even worse. There’s no hopping in your heated car and driving to your heated destination. You are forced to put on your boots and puffy coat then trudge through wind chills and snow drifts to get from class to class. The result is insatiably dry skin, cracked lips and peeling cuticles. But there is hope! Here are some strategies to fight the battle against Jack Frost.

Non-Medicated Nighttime Lip Balm

Bedtime is the best time to restore the moisture that the cold weather steals from you during the day. Talking, eating and licking your lips means that lip products only stay on for a matter of minutes. Not enough time to make any real change, it only offers temporary relief. But while you sleep products have more time to moisturize. Avoid products with menthol or camphor (Like Carmex or Medicated Chapstick). The tingling cooling sensation is nice, but these ingredients are actually very drying. Any moisture gained is immediately lost again and you are back at square one.

Try Rosebud Salve ($6 sephora.com)

Bonus Tip: You can use this balm on your cuticles too!

Nighttime Face Cream and Gentle Cleansers

Just like with your lips, the best way to replenish the moisture to your face is an overnight treatment. Even if you tend to have oily skin the rest of the year, the cold weather can chap the surface layer of skin clogging pores and causing breakouts. That’s why you can seem to have dry skin and acne all at once. Also try limiting medicated cleansers. If you use a Benzoyl Peroxide or Salicylic Acid face wash (Like ProActiv or Neutrogena) try using it every other day and a substituting a milder cleanser on the other days. These ingredients are super drying and can be doing more harm than good during the harsh winter months.

Try Olay Regenerist Night Cream (about $20 in most drugstores) and Purity cleanser by Philosophy ($10-20 philosophy.com)

Overnight Hand and Foot Balm

Okay, are you getting the nighttime theme yet? Just like everything else, your cracked hands and feet need overnight help! You’ve probably heard the old tried and true method of putting a heavy moisturizer on your hands and feet under gloves and socks to really replenish. It may seem weird, but this actually works for super dry skin. Also try to keep a mini hand cream on you at all times and apply it several times a day. Putting it on after you wash your hands is an easy way to remember.

Try The Body Shop Arica Spa Body Balm ($25 thebodyshop.com) and Bliss High Intensity Hand Cream To Go ($8 sephora.com)