Survive Winter Skin
It’s not officially winter yet but if you save your skin nurturing for when you’re already dry and flaky, it’s too late, ladies. What you need is a perky pre-emptive skin strike!
I recently returned from a trip to Cuba and I’m trying to hold on to the freckles I allowed myself to get (SPF 30 all week. I’m into wrinkle prevention!), while embellishing my colour and preventing peeling. You don’t need to be fresh from the beach to benefit from my new skincare routine. It will smooth and nourish any skin type while banishing dull complexions.
Infuse Your Body with Moisture
This is first and foremost. Don’t wait until you’re out of the bath or shower to slather on some lotion, bathe in it. Try Olay’s Body Wash plus Creme Ribbons in the shower. It’s the first body wash to add lotion into their formula. The thing I like about it (while possibly besides the point) is that when you first get the bottle, it looks like the marbleized pattern of body wash and moisture ribbons is printed on the package but as you use it, you realize that you’re actually seeing the lotion veins!
Try to take a bath and use a fragrant oil like Nuxe’s Huile Prodigieuse, a multi-purpose product that can also be applied directly onto the body, hair and even face. It moisturizes with six plant oils and vitamin E (plus it smells amazing and natural without being too earthy or overpowering).
Add More Moisture and Repeat
When you’ve stepped out of the shower, follow with a rich moisturizing cream. I was recently introduced to Palmer’s Cocoa Butter products. The vitamin E-infused lotion, concentrated cream and solid formula in a jar are multi-use products with a fabulous subtle chocolate scent. They all soften skin, smooth stretch marks and scars relieve dry, itchy skin, it’s just a matter of choosing the formula you like best.
Complement You Colour
I am all for moving away from brashly bronzed towards bright, healthy-looking complexions but I have to admit that I look good with a little bit of a tan. I love my freckles and a bit of colour hides so many sins. For instance dark circles after a late night are much less obvious when my skin isn’t translucent and grey. That’s why I’ve opened my arms (and my mind) to Neutrogena’s SUN FRESH Sunless Tanner. I’ve used many self tanners in the past with horrendous results including Psychedelic-patterned legs and orange wrists but SUN FRESH is subtle. It comes in two formulas in two shades: Lotion and Foam; Fair/Medium and Medium/Deep. If you’re a self-tanning newbie and have fairly fair skin, start with the Fair/Medium formula and build from there. It’s stronger than the daily moisturizers with a bit of colour but not so strong that you’ll end up looking like another ethnicity.
Written by: Vanessa Grant