Winter Beauty-Lushes Lips

As far as I am concerned winter is the best time of year. Snow beautifully dresses up the environment which makes for a picture perfect sight. Winter activities shine, and the lure of Hot Chocolate and mulled wine is enticing. Winter is a fairy tale come true, from tobogganing to ice skating, snow shoeing to dog sledding and of course my personal favorite Skiing/Snowboarding. Winter boredom is a myth, the activities are endless.

I grew up in Banff Canada and therefore with skis on. I spent the better part of my childhood ripping through tree lines in search of bumps. American Thanksgiving has traditionally been a time of the year in which I am thankful for because it means I can enjoy the mountains. Ski resorts open, and I'm pulled by an invisible force to occupy the chairlifts. 

Sunshine Village  in Banff Alberta, is my favorite. The snow is amazing, the mountain is huge, and the lifts are fast. I love cruising the resort, and playing in the terrain park. 

A minor irritation I have towards winter is, the curse of chapped lips. The cold air, dehydration, and outdoor activities do a number to my lips. I hate the feeling of stiff dry lips. Luckily with a few minor beauty adjustments you can prevent and avoid dry lips. Allowing you the freedom to flash a beautiful lushes smile all winter.

First: Ditch drying lip products such as matte and long wear lipsticks. If you need color to dress up your pout choose a tinted lip balm, and reapply often through out the day. If you go and enjoy the outdoors, remember to wear sunscreen and choose an SPF lip balm. The UV rays reflect of the snow and can hit skin with extra force. 

Second: Choose the right lip balm; you want  to fight and heal the cracking sensation. Choose lip care with ingredients like: shea butter, hyaluronic acids, dimethicone, and natural waxes.

Third: Add a soothing oil, oil can help restore moisture to dry skin. Try cocoa butter, beeswax, and Argan oil. Oil is rich in vitamin E and Fatty acids which help prevent skin dehydration.

Fourth: Avoid Fragrances!

Fifth: Eliminate Flakes by using a lip exfoliant or scrub. Lips need a more gentle exfoliant than your skin, so to avoid further irritation gently scrub lips and be sure to reapply lip balm and oil immediately after to help nourish the fresh skin. 

Winter skin solutions

The East Coast has already had their first snow storm of the season. Which means, it is only a matter of time before we in the West get gifted with beautiful snow. I love winter, I love snow, I love everything about the season except the extreme cold and painful dry skin winter can cause. In the winter months we combat the outside chill with dry furnace air. The combination of dry air and cold air zaps moisture. 

The most common winter skin problems and their remedies are: 

Not moisturizing enough: 

Winter cloths such as wool, can irritate the skin, mix that irritation with the dry furnace air and you  have a recipe for dry, flaky, and itchy skin. A once a day, post shower moisturizer might not be enough. Come winter you should aim to moisturize 3 times a day. My favourite winter luxury creams are Pretty Peaushun, and Johnson & Johnson Baby lotion. 

Over exfoliation: 

In the winter, when suffering from dry skin it is common to make the mistake of over exfoliation. Exfoliating removes dead skin cells to make the skin appear brighter. In the winter we want to over exfoliate instinctively because our skin appears dry. However, doing so can cause more harm. When we over exfoliate in the winter we strip our faces of the good oils that help keep our skin moisturized. Come winter, exfoliate only once or twice a week. 

Using to a Harsh a cleanser:

Anti blemish cleansers and heavy duty cleansers are too much for winter. In the winter we need to swap out our summer skin products for a more gentle variation, (a milk based cleanser). Wash with lukewarm water.  

Forgetting to wear sunscreen:

Sunscreen is a must all year. UV rays are not exclusive with summer; they hang out in the winter too. In fact they can be even more potent in the winter. The UV rays reflect off of snow and ice which hits us with twice the force. SUNSCREEN is a must all year long. Use a day moisturizer with a spf 15 or higher and keep it with you. In winter a moisturizing sunscreens is your best friends. 

Taking HOT showers and baths:

Yes it is cold outside, and yes a nice scolding hot bath or shower might sound like the perfect way to relax. While your muscles may thank you profusely for the soak your skin wont. Long hot baths and showers can worsen dry skin. Try to limit your soak to ten minutes max, and use water a little cooler than normal. If your skin is still in need of moisturizing; an air humidifier in the bedroom can help offset the dry furnace air.