Let’s cut straight to the chase—winter presents some truly annoying skincare challenges, more so than any other season. The harsh conditions during this time of year can affect our skin in a way that causes a cascade of issues. It can be hard to know where to start when you’re trying to get your skin back on track. 

DRY CHAPPED LIPS

There’s nothing worse than going to apply a beautiful lipstick or tinted gloss,

only to realize it’s accentuating

chapped, dry & cracked lips.

Our lips are different from the rest of our skin because they don’t produce oil. Combine this with the fact that they experience a lot of wear and tear (talking, eating, kissing, drinking, etc.) and it can be a real challenge to keep them hydrated.

Here are a few skin tips that will have you on your way to smoother lips in no time:

• Look for lip products with occlusive ingredients like shea butter or dimethicone. These create a protective barrier over the lips to keep moisture in.

• So important! Protect your lips with SPF. Bright winter sun exposure can cause irritation and dryness. Be sure to wear a lip product of at least SPF20 daily!

• Do not pull off dry skin. It’s tempting, but this can make the lips bleed if you remove skin that is still attached to live skin cells. Ouch!

DRY FLAKY FACES

This has to be one of the most common skincare complaints I hear from clients during winter.

It’s not always easy to identify what’s causing dry, flaky skin on someone’s face, but the fact is, a damaged moisture barrier almost always comes into play! It can be really challenging to keep your skin’s natural moisture barrier intact during this unforgiving season.

Cold temperatures & low humidity cause the dry air to pull water out of your skin & will steal your natural moisture!  This damages your barrier causing tiny, invisible cracks allowing moisture to escape through these cracks making it even harder for your skin to retain it.

It’s truly a vicious cycle!

Skin tip:

1)   Apply products to keep moisture in:

• Skinfiniti: NOURISH & REPAIR
• Skinfiniti: HYDRATING SERUM
• AlumierMD: HYDRA RICH

2)    Get in a routine to gently exfoliate as part of your skin care, consider once per week:

• Skinfiniti: SMOOTHING RETINOL
• AlumierMD: LOTUS SCRUB
• DefenAge: REVEAL MASK

Exfoliating will lift off surface dryness so that your hydrating products can get straight to work instead of sitting on top of a layer of dead skin.  Be sure to use the correct exfoliant for your skin type, then follow immediately with a moisturizer. 

Without a doubt, it is imperative your skin care routine should be different

in the morning than at night – or at least for a few products.

The reason why different routines?

Because your skin has different needs during the day than when you are asleep.

By treating your skin with what it needs both morning & night, you are well on your way to

healthy and glowing skin! Allow me to help you build your skincare routines!!

MORNING - DAY:

Let me first share what’s going on during the day. Your skin is in a high level of stress and it’s exposed to makeup, excessive oil production, dirt, bacteria (from touching your skin all day with or without realizing it), UV exposure, pollutants, and other environmental elements.

Because of this stress, harmful free radicals are damaging your skin cells and causing wear and tear to your skin’s collagen and the cells’ DNA.

It is very important to use products that will provide proper defense to control the stress and help prevent damage to your skin!

WHAT SKIN NEEDS FOR THE DAY:

Step 1: Cleanse with with a mild, sulfate-free product to rid the skin of your previous nighttime skin care products.

Step 2:  Apply an antioxidant (Vitamin C) serum. Include your neck & chest area too!

Step 3: Apply a hydrating moisturizer.

Include your neck & chest area too!

Step 4: Apply a sunscreen ~ minimum SPF30.

To your face, neck, chest, ears & any other exposed areas.

Step 5: Optional: Apply mineral-based powder makeup to provide added sun-protection!

*If your eyes get dark & puffy in the morning, use a cooling eye gel. Drink water ~ Be sure to stay hydrated!!

EVENING - NIGHT:

At night, your skin is in its reparative state. While you sleep, your skin is at rest and is not being exposed to the environmental stressors that greatly contribute to visibly aging the skin.

I truly believe that by washing your skin at night and performing a nighttime specific routine, you can really help repair your skin and control how quickly your skin ages.

Since your skin is not exposed to the environment, the focus should be on providing hydration and nourishment to the skin cells to help keep your skin’s moisture barrier intact to retain proper moisture levels in the skin. 

WHAT YOUR SKIN NEEDS AT NIGHT:

Step 1: Cleanse with with a mild, sulfate-free product to remove the day’s dirt, oil, bacteria, and makeup.

Step 2: Use a nighttime specific anti-aging serums (i.e retinol) to the face, neck, and chest area to help "repair" the skin while at rest.

Step 3: Apply a nighttime moisturizer best suited to help hydrate & repair your skin cells.



Step 4: Apply a nourishing eye cream to provide essential hydration to the delicate skin around the eye.

* Sleep well!!