"Snooki on Ice", Snow Bunnies and a Cold Shower

Ready or not...here it comes!!!

What?! Noooo! I'm not ready! The calendar doesn't say it's winter yet?! But as we know, only in New England do we go from sunshine and 60 degrees to an inch of snow and 20 degrees in a matter of hours. I admit, I actually wore flip flops into the gym tonight. And yes, it was snowing at the time. I need to get over it.

Mother Nature may give us a run for our money this time of year but my goal is to help you stay a beautiful snow bunny even if you are freezing your tuckus off.

So, what kind of effect does winter have on your beauty routine? For today, let's talk about your hair and skin. In the next couple of blogs I'll talk about how to change your makeup for the winter and then what my favorite products are for the winter months.

For your skin, here's what you need to know...

Taking a long hot shower
I know in the winter, when you're freezing, this seems like a great idea. Unfortunately, it's not a great idea for your skin. After about 15 minutes, you make it so that your skin loses its ability to hold moisture. So either take a cooler or shorter shower.

Dry skin
Are you guilty of the long hot showers? Plus rough feet and dry hands are common issues too. Use a body lotion as soon as you get out of the shower. At night, before you go to bed, slap on some foot cream and then put on thick cotton socks. For your hands, remember to use a rich cream as often as you can. I also rub my moisturizer into my hands after I put it on my face.

Chapped lips
It's almost impossible to not get chapped lips in the winter. I am a bit of a lip balm junkie. I have them everywhere. The important thing to remember is you want one that is rich but not waxy. Also, if it is a menthol type, it can actually make it worse, which means you use more, which makes your lips more chapped and so on and so on. Vicious cycle. Avoid ones that have artificial flavors if yours are really bad. My favorite is actually made by Aquaphor. If your lips are really chapped, rub them with a warm wet washcloth to exfoliate them and then slather on the lip balm.

Bronzed beauty
Go easy on bronzer and self tanner in the winter. "Snooki on Ice" is not the look you want. Use a lotion with a gradual tanner in it if you must. Especially since sunless tanner really needs to be on moisturized skin or you'll like like a gator.

Frizzy, static-y hair
Cold air, heat, hat head and wind don't make for a great hair day. Try using hydrating and smoothing shampoo and conditioner. Also, a silicone based smoothing product works great too. Static is a huge issue for me. I've actually taken my radio station off air before from a big zap! I'll spray a brush or my hands with Static Guard or hairspray to tame unruly pieces and to keep it under control.

Summer hair needs to hibernate
Think about adjusting your hair color for the colder months. Looking sun bleached can seem a little off when there's 2 ft of snow on the ground. It's a great chance to add some richer tones to your hair or maybe low lights. Even if they are just temporary. Whether you're blonde, brunette or a red head, remember that you aren't as tan in the winter so being too light or too one dimensional can make your skin look pasty.


Those are just a few tips. Tomorrow I will let you know how to adjust your makeup routine. I'm going to go and put all of my flip flops away now and dig out the winter boots. Wait...what? It snowed tonight but it's going to be 60 this weekend. Typical. Maybe I'll keep one pair out. Just in case.

Have a beautiful and warm night!
xo
Bethany