BEAUTY HABITS TO FOLLOW IN THE COLD SEASON
The constant changes of temperature we deal with during the winter are nerve-wracking for most of the ones who consider cold to be one of their fiercest enemies – myself included. If the what-to-wear-today question gets at least a dozen stylish answers the moment we open the doors of our wardrobes – that mid-length beige cashmere coat waiting patiently on the hanger for you to pick it is ready to become your no.1 ally in the fight against the glacial temperatures – things tend to get strenuous when it comes to protecting our skin. Great, you switched to a richer-formula moisturizer and you hopefully didn’t forget to use the appropriate SPF protection even if the sun failed to show any sign of strength in the past few months…adding the once-a-week vitamin-packed masks, you’d say you did just about everything to keep your skin protected from the wave of cold wind set to strike your complexion every time you stick your nose out the front door. Still, putting back into the skin what’s missing in order to get back that luminous, healthy complexion you crave for, requires a few more steps for you to pass through: antioxidant-packed ingredients, skin-repairing products, winter proof makeup, all of the aforementioned contribute to the desired result. The stuff you need to regain your silk-soft skin, down-below.
WEAR SUNSCREEN
Using a board-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher – even if you can’t remember the last time you actually felt a warm ray of sun tickling your cheek – keeps you safe from the UV radiations that affect your skin in winter with the same intensity as during summer, producing irreparable damage.
MOISTURIZE MORE THAN TWICE A DAY
If you deal with dry and dull skin, try applying an antioxidant-packed moisturizer in the form of a cream, changing for combination skin and a toner for an oily complexion. Check its ingredients carefully: besides the aforementioned antioxidants, it should also contain anti-inflammatory ingredients, to help skin fight against cold-produced irritations. If you plan to spend more outdoors time in conditions of heavy wind or snow, you might need to reapply moisturizer every few hours.
CLEANSE YOUR COMPLEXION
Using an appropriate cleanser instead of soap is recommended as the latter tends to accentuate the skin’s dryness while the cleanser hydrates in the most gentle, possible way. Use a gentle formula, twice a day for best results.
EXFOLIATE
That’s a great way to prevent or treat dryness and dull skin: exfoliating helps skin replacing the top layer with newer cells, able to protect your complexion better, contributing to a softer, healthier look. Don’t turn to this procedure more than once a month; sometimes exfoliating can do more harm than good, amplifying the skin’s irritation.
USE PLANT OIL
Extra virgin olive oil, argan oil or any other type of non-fragranced oil you prefer would work wonders applied on the extra-dry areas of your face. Put a few drops in your night cream or apply it after you massaged your face with the appropriate moisturizer – you’ll be able to see the best results in a matter of days.
APPLY NATURAL MASKS
Rich in vitamins and minerals, natural masks help fighting against the dull skin, helping restore its elasticity and luminosity. My favorites are the home made honey-avocado ones, packed with essentials vitamins like A, B, C, D, K, with magnesium and calcium, helping the skin look silky-smooth.
KEEP YOUR LIPS HYDRATED
Dealing with cracked lips feels as unpleasant as it looks and unfortunately heavy wind produces this undesired effect in the first few minutes we step out in the cold. Stay away from matte lipsticks, they tend to accentuate the dryness of the lips. Use a high-hydrating lip balm, which will help restoring their natural beauty. If you can’t stay away from colors, use a lipstick with a creamy texture in shades of burgundy, beige, rusty red or dusty pink.
GO FOR A WINTER-APPROPRIATE FOUNDATION
While during summer it’s more than ok to showcase your flawless tan wearing no foundation at all, the winter months specifically require wearing a cold-appropriate foundation. Why? Because it provides buildable coverage, protecting the skin from looking flaky and dry, maintaining a dewy finish the whole day. My faves are the non-greasy fluid ones. This way you’ll keep hydrated without losing half of your makeup between 9 and 5.
ROSY CHEEKS
As I mentioned before, during winter skin inevitably loses its luminosity and its natural healthy color. To recreate that healthy, rosy-cheek effect we crave for in the cold season, and to achieve that cheekbone sculpted effect so “in” these days, there’s nothing easier than to apply a bit of blush in a creamy texture, that, besides the beauty-related properties will also help keep your complexion hydrated.
WATERPROOF MASCARA
No one looks good with panda eyes – except the actual pandas, of course. Unfortunately not only once was I one moment too late in realizing the mascara produced the aforementioned on my complexion. The best thing to do is go for a waterproof mascara or, if you are not a fan, try one that can’t be removed as easily as the basic mascaras.
