Winter Skin Saviors

It's winter and you know what that means. Dry, irritated and possibly wind burnt skin from days skiing and hiking in the mountains.

With the change of seasons, a change in skincare is called for. Our skin condition changes given the weather, and in the winter, we're more prone to dryness, dehydration, and irritation – especially if you're living in a winter desert (hey Calgary). 

This winter, I bought a few new products, and returned to a few old goodies lying around in my cabinets unused that are perfect for the winter.

FACE BALMS

Avibon - The French beauty cult classic. This is thick, ointment like... cream? Balm? I dunno, but it's thick and feels like vaseline. It's chalk full of vitamin A (probably the most you can get in a product without going full retinoid), and moisturizing oils to fend off the dryness vitamin A likes to cause. And given it's thick texture, it's the perfect overnight mask when you're feeling particularly dry, or even just a bit wind burnt. I love it when my skin is irritated from too many drying products in the winter, but I don't use it everyday. 

You will need to warm it up in your hands a bit before smoothing it on your face, or else you'll find it impossible to spread. The thick texture feels like it might be a bit pore clogging (especially if you're oily and prone to clogged pores like moi) and I find little whiteheads after a few days of continuously using this. This is most likely a result from the vitamin A though, which can really purge your skin of all the gunk, and then those breakouts will stop. I'm too scared to find out though. Don't let me scare

 you though, as it truly is a great mask once a week!

Skinfood Avacodo Rich Eye Balm - Not a skin balm, as this is meant specifically for the eye area, but I'm putting in the same category. This stuff is nearly solid, but easily softens up to a spreadable texture when you rub it between your fingers. This is great for prepping my eyes for concealer in the winter, and it keeps things hydrated and thus, not cakey. Oh, and it doesn't cause creasing, so really, it's quite brilliant.

Innisfree Green Tea Deep Cream - This isn't quite a balm, but definitely thicker than any cream I've tried before, and is a part of my daily winter arsenal. This cream works best if you melt it a bit in your hands first, and then spread and pat into your face. Perfect for both the morning and night, this gives a wonderfully dewy look, but won't make you greasy. According to Innisfree, this cream helps your skin to retain moisture by improving your skin's moisture barrier. 

FACIAL OIL

Boscia Tsubaki Beauty Oil - My favourite facial oil that I've tried, this is lightweight, but highly moisturizing. It's great to use in it's own as a daytime moisturizer, to add extra moisture to your regular cream when you need, or layer on top of your creams and serums to seal everything in. I use three or four drops when I'm using it on it's own, and two or three to mix into my creams.

MASKS

Laneige Water Sleeping Pack - The tried and true, and the love of many a beauty blogger. This is a lightweight gel, that absorbs easily into the skin to supply much needed water to dehydrated skin. Personally, this isn't enough in the winter, so I add a drop or two of facial oil into it before applying. Also, I use a hefty portion, about a grape size, but hey, I wake up to dewy skin in the morning, so it's totally worth it, even if I use the entire container within a month. You can read the full review here.

LIPS

EOS Lip Balm - Another cult classic, this spherical lip balm is just too cute to not want to try. I originally purchased the EOS lip balms a year a go, and I was utterly unimpressed. I recently tried it again when my favourite Nivea was out of stock one day, and my mind was blown. The formula has definitely changed, and is no longer overly waxy. Instead it's moisturizing, and almost a tad oily – perfect for the winter. I stocked up at Costco, and now have about ten of these babies sitting on my counter. If you weren't impressed when they first came out, you might want to give them a second chance!