Does winter have your skin feeling dry and tight? Ama Scriver gives us the lazy girl’s guide to smoother, supple skin.
As temperatures nosedive, so does your skin’s moisture level. As much as we love the beautiful snowfalls of the winter, the winter air can make your skin tight, dry and leave it with an uncomfortable feeling. Getting through the winter flake-free can be simple and easy, by taking some necessary precautions. The first is a good skincare regime that serves you from the inside out. If you’re a chill, low-fuss person like me, thinking, “But I don’t got time for that!” Don’t panic! In these four easy steps, you can take your skin from blah to flawless in no time flat.
1. … So Where Do I Even Start??
If I have to be honest, I’m terrible with my skin. I never know where to start or where to begin and I feel like I frankly just don’t have time to commit to a full skincare regime. I’ve always felt like trying to develop a skincare plan for myself would just be well, awful.
So I headed down to Shopper’s Drug Mart to meet with one of their Beauty Advisors. Like the big department stores, I booked a free appointment ahead and was matched with Beauty Advisor Ross Flowers. During our one-hour appointment, Ross helped me identify what some of my skin issues were and the target areas we needed to combat using these fascinating tools including a Moisture Checker and Video Microscope. To nobody’s surprise, my skin was super dehydrated. Cue me shaking my fist at mother nature. Ross was so super non-judgey and helped me create a skin care plan that I felt I could 100% follow through with, so bless him. With a price point in mind, we went product hunting!
2. How Do These Products Even Work??
Skincare can be intimidating for a lot of reasons: it’s scary and it’s a commitment. You want to make sure you’re using the right things for your face. Everyone’s chemistry is different – this is why starting with step one is so so important.
Beauty Advisor Ross sat me down and suggested seven products, but said if making a commitment to using all seven (at once) was too much, using these four were the most imperative for me:
1. Dr. Roebucks Hydrating Serum – 30mL bottle – $79.95
2. Darphin Intral Recovery Cream – 60mL bottle – $50.00
3. Vichy Double Peel Mask – 75mL – $26.99
4. Vichy Quenching Mineral Mask – 75mL – $26.99
Using these each and every single day would cleanse, tone and detoxify my face. It would add moisture and hydration back into the skin where it was missing. But most importantly, it would give my skin added life. Using these four products each and every single night would take anywhere from 20-30 minutes, which in reality doesn’t seem like too long at all. Ross even suggested leaving some of the products on for longer while chilling and watching Netflix, a wise choice – if I say so. Remember this is YOUR skincare regime. Have fun with it.
3. Don’t Forget a Good Moisturizer!
Throughout the winter, you’re going to come into contact with a lot of dryness caused by heat. These are what known as “skin aggressors” and while we can’t avoid them, what we can do is help our skin out. I cannot stress the importance of a good moisturizer! This will help keep your skin moist while you are at home or work. When heading outdoors, be sure to apply a good moisturizer and sunscreen before you step out into the cold.
While everyone has their own preference, I really love the No7 Beautiful Skin Dry Skin Rescue ($13.60) for its shea and cocoa butter smell and it’s multi-purpose function. Plus it’s small enough to fit into your purse. Score!
4. Food Helps Your Skin Glow, Too
Now that you’ve spent all this time trying to get that radiant glow back into your face and keep your skin all supple, smooth and soft all winter long – there is more than just skincare. Yeah, I know, but this one is awesome – it’s food! The fact is that your face cream or treatment can really only do so much, beautiful skin starts from within.
Introducing the correct balance of foods into your diet that will help your skin glow and stay soft, supple and blemish-free is essential. These include:
- nuts/seeds including almonds, hazelnuts and hemp seeds
- fatty fish including salmon, tuna, and trout
- foods rich in Vitamin E including avocado, vegetable oil, and wheat germ
- foods rich in Omega-3’s including chia seeds, hemp hearts, and flaxseeds
If you want to kick your morning off right, try this smoothie which is full of protein but also super good for your skin:
Ricotta Blueberry Smoothie
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup (250 mL) PC® Blue Menu Fortified Soy Beverage – Vanilla
- 1 cup (250 mL) PC® Organics™ Canadian Wild Blueberries
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) PC® Blue Menu Ricotta Whey Cheese
- 1 small ripe banana
DIRECTIONS
- In a blender, combine berries, soy beverage, ricotta. and banana. Blend at high speed for 30 seconds or until very smooth. Serve immediately.
Disclaimer: This post was created in partnership with President’s Choice and Shoppers Drug Mart, but all opinions are my own.
RELATED LINK: 7 Multi-Tasking Beauty Products that’ll Save You Time & Money
Do you have any other helpful winter skincare tips? Share them with us in the comment section or tweet us at @ViewtheVibe.