Do you like cold weather? Lots of people do, but I’m not one of them! No matter how many warm coats, gloves, hats and scarves I wear, I always feel chilly. And worse, my skin feels dry all Winter long from dry heat, or chapped from the wind and other out-of-doors elements. Dry, itchy skin is flaky and dull, and it can be irritated and uncomfortable. With a huge blizzard about to descend upon us, fortunately, there is an arsenal of hydrating products that can send dry skin, scurrying! I have picked half a dozen for this feature that may or may not have been on your radar screen, but you may want to hurry to buy or order them, and banish the “dry.”
The Nutri-Rich Moisturizing Body Satin from BeautiControl $34,00 4.4 fl oz. caught my eye for a number of reasons, the first being that it comes in a spray can. I love this! Spraying it means you get great coverage without having to stick your hands in a jar of cream, and you don’t have to get it on your hands at all unless you’re smoothing it in your skin (optional, but recommended), More importantly, this product contains a combo of Vitamin E3, Apricot Kernel Oil, Carrot Oil , and other antioxidants that instantly relieve that dry, flaky look on your skin, and helps to retain the moisture in your skin, so your skin looks more radiant and feels smoother and softer. I guess you could call this a sort of hybrid dry oil body moisturizer, but it is completely non greasy, safe for all skin types, and allergy-tested. The scent offers a burst of sweet and fruity but it doesn’t linger so you can add your own fragrance almost immediately. If you are the type of person who wants to moisturize your body but you don’t like heavy creams and lotions, and you don’t like to get it all over your hands, this is the perfect product for your Winter skincare woes. It is available now at beauticontrol.com and through your favorite BeautiControl representative.
At a recent Beautypress editor’s event I discovered Huile de Princesses,($35.00) a new French aromatherapy line that features all natural oils for face, body, hair and massage,e achy in a spray bottle with an attractive label. It was challenging to choose just one to try, but I selected the ENERGY RITUAL Vitality Elixir with ingredients of Apricot, cranberry and manketti vegetable seed oil & Jasmine essential oil. (60ml 25,00 €). This dry oil is a multi-purpose one good for all skin types. What I like about it is that it smoothes and brightens, repair hair and leave it soft and shiny. But you can use it as a massage oil, or simply pour a bit into a bath to make it smell nice and moisturize your skin. Jasmine is not my personal favorite scent, but it’s prominent and authentic in this product. the others feature different essential oils such orange and tangerine, almond, papaya, raspberry, cranberry, macadamia,etc. For those who follow the teachings, Huile des Princesses highlights the main chakras; purple, blue, green, yellow and pink, chakra coronal for confidence and positivism, sacral chakra for inner balance and wisdom, heart chakra that gives generosity and courage, solar plexus chakra that opens overall energy and serenity, chakra kundalini for its virtual flow. This is a beautiful way to start 2015 with good karma, great scents, hydrated skin, and shiny hair (and what could be bad about this)?! Get more information on the Huile Des Princesses Web Site: http://www.huiledesprincesses.com/ (shipping is free) or purchase them at Crafting Boutique
I’m a big fan of CC creams, especially when the SPF protection is SPF 30 or higher. So the Anti-Aging Collagen Peptide Broad Spectrum SPF 30 CC cream Matte Light Coverage $130.00 4 oz.) from Nordic Beauty enticed me. Alas, the first thing I didn’t like about it is that it arrives in a screw top jar, which you already know is a garden of contamination. *the FAQ on the website specifically says the product has a shelf line for 12 months and that the products are preserved with a combination of natural preservatives delivered from vegetable, olives and soy–and their cetearyl alcohol is delivered from grape seed.
It’s not very elegant to look at, and frankly, the unattractive brown color of the cream is not terribly pleasant. But once it is on your skin, it’s a good CC cream that provides a non-greasy, anti-aging, matte and natural coverage (for light skin only) broad spectrum UVA & UVB protection using a natural form of zinc oxide.
That said, 20% zinc oxide is great protection, but it isn’t going to work on deeper skin tones. If your skin is ivory to peachy however, it will work well and you can use it under makeup if you want to wear foundation, or if your skin is medium toned. I like the fact that it uses certified organic ingredients: marine collagen peptide, lingonberry seed extract, myrrh essential oil, sweet stem cell, and frankincense essential oil (the scent is very light, I barely noticed it) and natural Vitamin C and E. The product will protect your skin and help to moisturize it, but it also claims to increase cellular turnover with collagen peptides; reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles; help to create a radiant and glowing complexion; even skin tone and texture, and diminish the look of dark spots. Given the ingredients, this seems reasonable. Oh, and it’s good for all skin types and ages. It’s pricey but it does a lot, and works well under makeup as well as alone. If you want to try this and other products in this natural skincare line visit the Nordic Beauty Web Site
Multi-purpose oils are an easy and luxurious way to hydrate. One that is effective, pleasant and luxurious to use is Darphin Revitalizing Oil for Face Body and Hair ($50.00 1.7 oz.). This little bottle of golden goodness has four essential oils and 9 plant oils blended together to helps reinforce the skin’s delicate barrier but still powerfully hydrate and protect against future moisture loss. It also prevents hair breakage, adds shine to dull hair, and makes both skin and hair softer and silkier. Furthermore, this product has aromatherapy benefits thanks to the scent of ylang-ylang, plus rosewood, jasmine and lavender that relax and calm you. The scent is strong but dissipates so you can use your own fragrance whenever you feel ready. Use some of this (you don’t need much) before retiring for bed and you may have a more restful nights’ sleep as well as improved hair and skin in the morning! TIP: Warm a few drops from the pump top applicator in your hands before applying. If you apply some of this right after shower or bath, it will absorb even better! Beauty editors covet this product, and once you try it, you will, too. For more information visit the Darphin Web Site
Dermend Alpha+Beta Hydroxy Therapy Moisturizing Body Lotion($25.36 `12 oz. ) is a thick, rich moisturizer available as both a lotion and a cream . The lotion I am suggesting arrives in a plastic pump bottle, a ceramide-rich moisturizer for very, very dry skin, formulated with Glycolic Acid, Salicylic Acid, Urea and Ceramides to exfoliate and soothe severely dry, flaky skin. The thing that is remarkable about this product is that it doesn’t just hydrate although it does that with Dimethicone, oat kernel extract, and other soothing ingredients, but it also gently exfoliates with glycolic acid and salicylic acid at the same time. Why is this so important? Well, if you’ve ever removed your tights, jeans or socks, and noticed a sea of white flakes, that is your own dead skin cells! This productd will help you get smoother, softer, hydrated skin and get rid of that ugly, pesky shower of dead icky stuff at the same time. *I’m using this product right now and it’s working well. If you use an exfoliating product you are also removing the the top layer of your skin and exposing new skin to the sun’s damaging rays, so use sunscreen and limited your sun exposure (obviously if you are wearing pants and long sleeves you are covered but as a rule of thumb don’t exfoliate without using SPF afterwards for several weeks). Remember, the sun’s rays are out there even in the Winter when it isn’t that sunny! For more information visit the DerMend Web Site
Avocados and bananas are delicious, but they also are super hydrators Juara makes 100% vegetarian skincare that is also Dermatologist Tested, Free of fragrance, colorants, parabens, mineral oil, sulfates, gluten-free, phthalates artificial colorants and harsh chemicals. It is good for sensitive skin and all skin types and it’s not tested on animals. The company uses time-honored active botanicals. For those who insist upon vegetarian and natural skincare products, I recommend Juara skincare. But their Juara Avocado Banana Moisture Mask ($35.00 2.8 fl. oz.) is a pleasing, at home moisturizing treatment for everyone’s enjoyment even if you don’t care about all of the things I just told you. The mask is soothing and deeply hydrating–you don’t need a lot of it and you can use it whenver you feel your skin needs a dose of moisture it can’t get from your regular moisturizer, or if you have been traveling, or out in the cold and wind, etc. The mask goes on greenish and somewhat “wet” with a bit of an unexpected tingle, but within the allotted 10-15 minutes, most of it was absorbed. The mask won’t clog pores, adds lipids back to dry and dehydrated skin, and left my skin looking so much better, I didn’t mind it one bit. Tip: if you are traveling use this as a multi-tasking deep conditioner for hair – massage a bit into your wet hair and let it set 5-10 minutes, then rinse well. The flip top tube makes it a great option for travel (yes, definitely use it after a long airplane trip). Juara is a good option for everyone, but especially for those who want vegetarian and /or natural skincare products. For more information, visit the Juara Web Site
Share your thoughts about these products, or any tips you have to banishing dry skin, in my comments section of this post, along with your twitter handle, and I’ll re-tweet the tips you share, on social media @advicesisters
