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I wanted to share some of my favorite winter beauty products with y’all to help get you through the rest of the winter. I don’t know about you, but I have to majorly switch things up during the winter months to compensate for all the dryness and chilly temps. As I put this post together, I realized that all of my recent favorite products fell into “tips” that I could easily communicate with you all – beauty related tips for getting through the bitter cold. So here we go! Let me know your thoughts!

These types of posts take me SO MUCH LONGER than my outfit posts, so I really do enjoy hearing form you and definitely take note when I can tell you’re enjoying the switch up in content!

Winter Beauty Products To Survive Winter

1. Treat dry lips with lip conditioner + chap stick

The dry air and chilly temps that so pleasantly accompany winter each year are quite the recipe for disaster when it comes to keeping our lips hydrated. Maybe you’re one of those lucky people that doesn’t get dry lips during winter, but if you’re like me then you’ve got your Burt’s Bees (and Aquafor) practically glued to you at all times.

And when it’s really cold outside, I’m usually also carrying Fresh Sugar Advanced Therapy Lip Treatment with me as well, which is actually a lip conditioner – different than chap stick or lip balm. This stuff was the first product that wasn’t drugstore chapstick on my lips and oh em gee – I was like, WHERE has this been all my life though?! I felt like I had been missing out because this stuff was like GOLD for my bitterly chapped lips.

Since then, I’ve explored oodles and oodles of amazing products that have been life changing as well but I’ll never forget being introduced to this stuff – and my reaction. I still use it to this day during November – February when my lips are extra dry!

2. Switch out your daily moisturizer for something a little heavier to avoid and treat winter dry and chapped skin

True Cream Moisturizing Bomb by Belif

I got this while I was in DC back in October at Sephora because I was desperate for something way more intense than the Clinique moisturizer I had been using. At first the sales guy suggested a moisturizer that was like $130, but after my facial expression when he told me the price, he went and found another option (ha!). Maybe one day I’ll feel comfortable spending that much on moisturizer – but umm NOT today.

As I mentioned above, I usually use Clinique dramatically different moisturizing gel and I love it. But recently I noticed that I was having to apply it multiple times a day because my skin felt so dry – especially before bed (it was SUPER dry after washing my face for some reason). So I figured I needed something a little stronger to keep my skin hydrated during the colder months – hence the story I just told :)

I actually didn’t know all the details until I did a little research on this product, but I found lots of information that I think is worth sharing. Maybe I live under a rock (wait, there’s no maybe about it – I 100% live under a rock), but I wasn’t aware that the Koreans were the masters of skincare. But hey, now I know. Anyway, Belif is actually a Korean brand and this product is super popular in Korea but hasn’t been available in the states until March of this past year (2015).

The product claims to offer up to 26 hours of moisture and I’d be willing to back that argument up because this is one of the only product that has actually left me feeling rejuvenated after putting it on. But this could also be because I’ve never really used a cream-based formula before. Regardless, it did wonders for my skin and made me feel like a whole new human. I felt like my skin actually retained the moisture without looking too oily or greasy after putting it on. I apply it morning AND night (but note that I think I have dryer skin than most people.)

On the downside, I also discovered that it contains a contentious ingredient called comfrey leaf that is actually a helpful herb in healing skin BUT apparently contains toxins (see comments on this article where people are freaking out about Refinery29 promoting a product with comfrey leaf in it). After seeing those comments, I tried to find more information but I wasn’t able to find much. Regardless, I am behind it and have really enjoyed using it! It has worked wonders for my skin!

Have you heard of comfrey leaf? If so, is it bad for your skin? I’ll be sad if it is because this moisturizer has been such a life saver for me these past few months!

3. Adopt a sunless tanning solution to maintain a healthy glow

St. Tropez Mousse is the ONLY stuff I use for tanning. I used to go and get spray tans when I had a big event coming up but lately this has been doing the job for me. It can be as intense as you want it, but I really just use it a little bit so that I have a touch more color in my skin during the winter. I also use the application mit so that my hands don’t get all orange and it works perfectly – so much better than using a lotion if you ask me.

As for the bronzing lotion for face, I find that it doesn’t work as well as the mouse for my face. But if you have sensitive skin, you might want to try this instead of putting the mousse on your face. I don’t actually think they recommend putting the mousse on your face, but it works for me and I like it (ha!). The only downside is that it gives me black heads a little bit, but honestly, I’d rather have black heads sometimes than have to wear a ton of bronzer. And plus, once I wash my face, it clears up.

4. Use a rich conditioning treatment to keep your hair healthy and strong  + fight static

I started using Moroccanoil Treatment about a year ago because my hair was getting frizzy in certain parts and I needed some kind of oil to add moisture. I’m assuming this is because I started dying my hair (a post coming up about my hair soon!) AND because I live in Dallas now which is much dryer than Houston and New Orleans (where I lived previously). I think the combination was a recipe for frizz – especially when my hair is used to humidity.

I use it a number of ways (it’s a super versatile product), but during the winter I specifically use it two ways:

Case One:  I apply it to my hair once it’s dry (usually after blow drying – I rarely ever let it air dry because I just don’t like the process of waiting for it to dry…) to add moisture or help with frizziness. I apply it to the ends of my hair mostly and then sometimes to certain wispys surrounding my face OR the shorter layers in the back (that are a little haywire or need some refining).  Basically, I use it as a finishing tool for styling.

Case Two: I use it when my hair is wet as sort of a leave in conditioner. I actually have no idea if this is a legit use of the product, but I’ll do this every once in a while as an extra conditioning treatment (and then I’ll blow dry it after).

Next I want to try those leave-in conditioners and hair wraps because I’ve heard great things. Hopefully I’ll be bale to report with some updates on my next beauty blog post!

5. Exfoliate dead skin with a body scrub

Bubble baths are my JAM (I should probably do a post JUST on all my fave bath things…) and I especially look forward to them during the winter months because – other than being bundled up in blankets or sitting directly in front of my space heater – a warm bath is one of the few times that I’m truly WARM. I know I sound like a diva since I live in Dallas, but I’m just a cold-natured person so I feel ALL the cold ALL the time – AND I live in a super old house so it’s always freezing.

Anyway, back to my point. I like baths and I’ve come to especially love special bath oils, salts and products that treat my skin. I’ve recently started exfoliating before shaving and now I won’t do one without the other. I’ve been using Fresh Brown Sugar Body Polish the past few months and absolutely LOVE it! I don’t really have anything to compare it to (since this is the first one that I bought), but I genuinely like it and will definitely let you know if I come across any others that I like more. It smells really good too!

6. Moisturize with a rich lotion after bathing each night

Currently, I’m using Fresh’s Hesperides Grapefruit Body Lotion and Archipelago Botanicals Oat Lotion Milk to keep my skin nice and moisturized. First let me talk about the ‘Fresh’ body lotion. Honestly, I don’t really think there’s anything super spectacular about it (hehe just sayin…), but it’s just what I’ve been using and I wanted to be honest in that.

When I’m not using that, I’m using Archipelago Botanicals Oat Lotion Milk because I like how thick it is + I like the way it smells (AND mostly, I like that it has a pump so it’s easy to use – #TRUTHbetold).

One thing I want to work on in 2016 is taking better care of my skin. It’s sad to admit it, but I actually JUST started using moisturizer within the last 6 months (I know – OMG) and I don’t even do it very regularly. I think moisturizing should be something we prioritize up there with brushing our teeth – maybe? But to be completely frank, I’m literally clueless when it comes to skin care – so what do I know?! For the record, I’m working on educating myself so I can be a better resource for you AND just for life in general.

7. Keep your hands moisturized with hand cream

I’ll forever be obsessed with hand creams – I just LOVE them and I feel like my hands literally crave it sometimes (if that’s even possible?). Maybe it’s a similar concept to the chapstick phenomenon where once you start wearing it you can’t stop. Who knows – regardless, I love a good hand cream and always have it on me!

Currently I’ve got Happ & Stahns Hand Cream in my purse; I stumbled upon it at Anthro just after running out of one of my faves: Lavender by L’Occitane. As for the Happ & Stahns (I’ve got the pink one), I love the way it smells and it keeps my hands nice and moisturized too :)

8. Supplement your winter beauty regime with facial oil to further fight dryness

I’ve only been using this NUDE skincare rescue oil for a little under a week, but so far I’m OBSESSED. I think it says to only use it once a day, but I’ve been using it twice a day because I love it SO much and it literally makes my skin glow – well, I think this is what’s doing that. I don’t feel like I have enough to say yet since I JUST started using it, but so far I can say that I like how light it is – I DON’T feel like I’m putting actual oil on my face. As soon as it hits my skin, it’s gone – maybe there’s another way to word that but basically my skin soaks it up super fast and it does NOT leave my skin feeling oily or even shiny for that matter. Have you tried this stuff? If so, what’s your experience with it? I’ll hopefully report back later with more details but for now I give it a thumbs (super) up!

PS: it’s 3 AM and I should proof read this but omg….going to sleep. sorry for the mistakes – I’ll fix it later lol