how to live your best winter life

Over my many winters (all 19 of them), I've found a number of products / techniques that work for me in terms of beating dry skin, chapped lips & cold feet. 

I've taken the liberty of compiling them into a list for you, find it below :)

1. If you've got existing dry skin, like me - you want to make sure to go in with a super hydrating primer / moisturiser before putting your foundation on. One that I've found that wears really nicely under makeup is the Esteé Lauder DayWear moisturiser. Theres just something about it that leaves the skin supple, but not oily / greasy. I really like that! A good budget alternative is Sudocrem (yep, the baby bum cream) - when used in moderation, it holds makeup really well and does an excellent job of keeping the skin moisturised. Sudocrem isn't cheap, but the reason I call it a budget alternative is because a little goes a long way, so the tub's going to last and you'll get more bank for your buck. BUT, I will say: don't use Sudocrem unless you've got super, super dry skin. If you've got oily skin I would imagine it would be quite uncomfortable since seeing its rich & thick. 

2. Better yet, opt for a tinted moisturiser instead of a full coverage matte foundation.  There's a place in Sandton Mall called "Skins Cosmetics" that sells Laura Mercier here in South Africa. I recently found this out & picked up Laura's iconic tinted moisturiser. Best investment ever! Its got a bit of coverage, is super moisturising and leaves you with a glowy sheen. A budget alternative I can vouch for is the Garnier B.B Cream. I used this back in 2016 & remember it being great for the colder months. Since the tinted moisturiser obviously isn't full coverage, I'll go in with a concealer where I really need it. Like under my eyes, over breakouts etc.

3. Off topic, but I cant help but sleep with an electric blanket. I know it's super unhealthy but theres just something about getting into a toasty bed. Wow. If you're like me, make sure to drink water & invest in a humidifier for your bedroom so you don't wake up feeling like biltong.

 4. Finding a body moisturiser that keeps your skin supple & doesn't dry out in 2 hours has been a bit of a task. So far I've found The Body Shop's "Body Butter" to be the most hydrating & long lasting. And it's got this spreadable texture which I love. Usually super moisturising creams are thick and heavy - but this one is almost whipped & spreads + absorbs super quick & easy. Another goodie (especially if you're lazy, like me) is Lush's "Ro's Argan in shower body moisturiser" - smells heavenly! you smear it on in the shower, rinse it off and walk out with soft, smooth skin. Great stuff. 

5. Don't use vaseline /petroleum jelly on your lips. They work as occlusives - so all they do is create a barrier overtop your lips, they don't do anything for actually hydrating your lips. You want to find a waxy balm with the ingredient "lanolin" in it - lanolin is deeply hydrating & you won't have to apply it every 2 seconds for your lips to actually feel smooth & soft. There's a brand on instagram called "Kiki Beauty SA" and they sell a really god rose wax lip balm, try that ! A budget alternative is from a brand called "Beauty Treats LA" which can be found at dischem - and they've got a fantastic lip balm (with lanolin pretty high up on the ingredient list) for like under R20! a real steal.

6. look for night creams / moisturisers with Hyaluronic Acid in them. HA holds 6 times its weight in water which makes it a sensational ingredient for moisturising your skin. If you're willing to splurge, BioMedical Emporium ( a South African, female owned cosmeceutical startup ) makes a phenomenal night masque (which I use as a moisturiser) called "HA Contour Masque" 

7. sheetmasks are winter essentials - this is common knowledge. one of my favourite sheet masks that I would like to take this opportunity to recommend is the SkinRepublic oxygen bubble mask (can be found for under R90 at clicks / dischem)

It's so cheap, and so effective for hydrating the skin - I use at least 2 of these every month. It just gives you that glow! 

Thank you for reading! Now go live your best winter life :)

Rabia