I work at a company where people are constantly traveling for work, and aside from the stress that air travel places on your skin and body, I’ve seen a lot of questions of how to prepare for true winter. For those of you who don’t live in a place where the cold can make your face hurt, I’ve rounded up some products for the face, hair and body that have been saving my butt this winter.
Chicago winters are brutal and there is no moisture in the air outside, and heating appliances dry out the skin even more. This is further compounded if you’re traveling and flying in addition to all of the winter factors. Some products currently putting in work for me are as follows:
Face
Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask: ($27) This is my favorite intense hydration mask, used right before bed on clean skin. As it absorbs into your skin overnight, you wake up with baby-soft skin and no oily feeling. I find this to be more hydrating than Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Mask (mini size, $8), which wasn’t intense enough for my dehydrated, combination skin.
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream: (multiple sizes, starts from $12): One $12 tube of these lasted me almost two winters, and I just repurchased. It’s a heavy-duty moisturizer that I use after toner/lotion as a last step before bed, and again makes your skin super soft. For the days when the cold hurts your face and you feel like smiling will crack your skin open, this is a godsend. It’s unscented and I don’t love the way it smells (a little plasticky), but it dissipates rapidly and it comes in a vanilla citrus scented version too.
Fresh Sugar lip balm ($24): I like the Fresh balms because they include sunscreen and are a good texture without too much slip, and aren’t so waxy that they’re hard to spread. On the other hand, a full size will set you back $24, and most of the time I’m not trying to drop that kind of cash on lip balm. The tinted versions are really nice options without being too bold for a casual, quick makeup day.
Blistex Lip Medex ($1.69): I had the worst chapped lips of my life this past winter, and consistent use of Blistex Medex was the only thing that saved my lips despite all of my other lip balms. C.O. Bigelow, Kiehl’s, Jack Black, Labello, none of it worked and my lips peeled even more, until I went and got this. The best part? It’s under $2.
Body
Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub (in Brazilian Nut) $7: This is a scrub that I bought on whim but smells AMAZING, almost like coffee to me and sloughs off dead skin cells and makes you feel super smooth afterwards. It comes in a bunch of different scents and contains a huge amount of scrub (I’d use a quarter sized amount) that will last you awhile. I bought mine at Ulta, and am definitely going to get another soon.
Josie Maran Whipped Argan Oil Ultra Hydrating Body Butter ($35): This also comes in a mini size for $12, and is a truly amazing smelling product. It’s extremely moisturizing, and I bought it when it came out in a limited edition mango scent for the summer, which smells like legitimate mangos. All of their scents smell great, absorb quickly and don’t leave a sticky feeling. Would highly recommend you try a mini size.
Crabtree & Evelyn Hand Cream ($9): Their hand cream works well, and sinks in quickly which makes it perfect for use after washing your hands. It’s one of my stand-bys and comes in a bunch of different scents, in small enough sizes to throw in my purse or travel with.
Hair
Ouai Rose Hair & Body Oil ($32): This hair oil smells amazing and smooths out your hair and absorbs very quickly while reducing frizz. It’s easy to overdo it, so one pump for the ends of your hair or on your body works, and it often is in bundles that make the pricepoint a little less harsh.
OGX Argan Oil of Morocco: ($9): I love this hair oil even more than the Ouai one, and one bottle lasted me for 3 years using it twice a week. It makes my hair super soft, not frizzy, and super shiny. Use a dime-sized amount on the ends of your hair and it makes your hair stronger. Highly recommended.
around the world with becky 