Baby, it’s cold outside…

When temperatures outside plummet to below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, I become a total weather wimp. No more three mile runs outside, I head to the cozy comfort of the warm fitness club conveniently located around the corner from my house! And while all that brisk winter air gives my cheeks a rosy hue (without blush!), winter is undeniably tough on skin. The air is cold and dry outside. The heat is on inside. Layers of itchy wool and mohair can itch and irritate. There’s wind and ice and snow. Uggh… book me a ticket to the tropics! Give me some of that warm, humid air.

Winter skin becomes seriously thirsty… dry, tight, flaky, ashy. And if you are over 35 (yes, I confess I am), your skin has probably begun to lose its ability to retain moisture. And if you have dry or sensitive skin, no matter what your age, your skin likely has moisture-retaining challenges. Add winter and…what’s a girl to do?

Here are spa-proven tips for keeping skin luscious, supple, moisture-filled:

1. after showering or bathing, apply body moisturizer while skin is still damp. This will help lock in moisture, which means your skin stays supple and hydrated for longer than 10 minutes! My current favorite is bliss naked body butter maximum moisture cream, because it provides long term moisturization and it is fragrance free. So I can wear my favorite perfume without scent clashing. What I like to do is mix bliss naked body butter with a spritz of my fragrance of choice lavanilla laboratories healthy fragrances in vanilla grapefruit and vanilla blossom are yummy), apply to my skin, then layer on another spritz of fragrance. If you enjoy scented body butter, lemon+sage, blood orange+white pepper, and vanilla+bergamot all deliver super hydration along with super scent-sations!

2. use a toner on your face after cleansing! Water, believe it or not, dries out your skin! A modern toner such as The Youth As We Know It Anti Aging Toner, or Daily Detoxifying Facial Toner will restore pH after cleansing and rehydrate your skin! Trust me on this – toning is not an optional step, especially in the winter. Or if you are over 30! A good toner makes your moisturizer work better too.

3. exfoliate away alligator skin! Sloughing away dead skin cells on face will leave your skin soft and smooth and prep the skin to soak up moisturizer! Laboratoire Remede Sweep for the face has gentle and effective exfoliating action which leaves complexion glowing. Bliss hot salt scrub de-flakes dry limbs and imparts a burst of soothing heat, a dose of hydration and a blast of invigorating rosemary and eucalyptus, all while relieving reptilian skin! Put a sign on the bathroom door “getting my bliss on” and scrub yourself silly.

4. moisturize! moisturize! moisturize! Go for a richer face moisturizer during winter. When skin layers lack moisture, skin is less able to repair optimally. Like it or not, we are all getting older and so we all need healthy repair function to fortify skin against (yikes) wrinkles! I enjoy
The Youth As We Know It moisture cream for day and Alchemy Premium Night Cream at night. If you want to help keep the world pretty (and firm and supple)…please moisturize! Your skin (and friends, neighbors, coworkers) will thank you!

And don’t forget to save the hands! Help for dry, winter ravaged hands and cuticles is easy with regular application of a luxurious hand cream. Bliss High Intensity Hand Cream is so good it is used in Bliss Spa Hot Cream manicures. A friend of mine calls it “steering wheel ready” because all the moisture penetrates without a slippery finish.

5. lush your lips! smoothe your smooch! Chapped lips are not pretty! Have you tried applying your fave lip gloss to flaky lips? NOT pretty! Fusion Beauty will get your puckers ready to smooching. Remember, Valentine’s Day is a winter holiday!

Bliss kisses!-Donna