Pages

16 July 2015

The Winter Shakeup

The winters in Pretoria are cold and extremely dry. I never used to swop out skincare products between summer and winter, but the more I read up on things and use them, the more I realise that it is necessary. In summer you can get by with a pair of shorts and a top or a short sundress, but in winter you need long-sleeved shirts and coats and boots. The same goes for your skin: in summer gel creams and light moisturisers are sufficient, but in winter your skin cries out for things that are richer and more nourishing. Seeing as we're halfway through winter I thought I'd share how I shake up my skincare and body care routine for this time of the year. On Monday I spoke about my five favourite lip balms which you can read here.

Skincare




I try to steer clear of foam cleansers, but now would especially be a good time to crank out the oils and balm cleansers. Favourite balm cleansers include Balm Balm's Frankincense Deep Cleansing Balm, The Body Shop's Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter, and Lush's Ultrabland Facial Cleanser. For oil cleansers I like the Melvita Milky Cleansing Oil as well as The Body Shop's Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil.



It's important to use a hydrating serum in winter to replenish the skin's moisture. The Body Shop's Vitamin E Moisture Serum and the Overnight Serum-in-oil are budget-friendly products that get the job done. I've been through about five of those pump bottle serums! For pricier options there are the Kiehl's Hydro-Plumping Re-Texturizing Serum Concentrate and the iconic Midnight Recovery Concentrate. These oils are a cross between an oil and a serum, and in my opinion, the best of both worlds. In terms of moisturisers I like using a cream in winter as I feel it nourishes my skin better. My favourite is the Clarins Multi-active Day Cream.





Face masks are very effective at giving your skin a boost, whether it be brightening, tightening, or hydrating. I always use either a clay mask or an exfoliating mask (or both) and then follow that up with a super hydrating mask. Some of my favourite hydrating masks are overnight masks, which provide maximum hydration as you don't wash them off until the next morning. Favourites include the Origins Drink-up Intensive Overnight Mask, Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Mask, and for a cheap-as-chips option, Freeman Honeydew & Camomile Sleeping Mask.


Body care




In winter I swap out my fruity "Wake me up" shower gels with thicker, more comforting shower creams. I don't do well with cold weather so I feel very sorry for myself when I have to go shower late at night or early morning. If I absolutely have to go shower, I at least want to be comforted by a nice warm scent. Soap & Glory do amazing shower and bath products and I'm currently loving their Whipped Clean Shower Butter that smells like nuts and cookies, amazing! Cheaper and more readily-available options include Dove and Nivea.



Body lotions are also swapped for body butters as I find that they moisturise my skin that much better. Body butters are too rich for summer and leave my skin sticky, but they are perfect for cold and dry winters. The Body Shop make the best body butters by far and some of my favourite scents are blueberry and honey. Body oils are also taken out of the closet at this time of year, and two favourite options are Beauty Factory's Pure & Simple Body Oil (it smells like clean linen) and Woolworths's Love Your Skin Extreme Moisture Dry Oil Spray.

I hope you enjoyed my little shakeup. Do you also shake up your skincare and body care routine this time of year? Let me know in the comments section.

Until next time!

Hildegarde
xoxo

2 comments:

  1. Great post. We sometimes forget there's so much we can do to up our game in winter. I feel to exfoliate more regularly in winter also helps the skin to better absorb all those body butters. Maybe it's in my head?! Lol xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're absolutely right, exfoliating does help the skin to better absorb body butters. I didn't include it in this post as it's something we really should be doing all year round. ;) Thanks for stopping by, Marné!

      Delete