Color Me Bonita - Cold Weather Skin Care

image via elle&blair

So, the cold is still very much on my mind. As I walked home in the "Feels Like -8" temperatures I got to thinking what that chill and wind was doing to my skin. After I thawed I spent the evening researching top winter skin care tips to share with you all.

In general the top advice I saw was to HYDRATE! Not only do the cold temperatures suck the moisture out of your body, the low humidity levels do too and the central heating (or radiator heat) pumping through your place is keeping your toes toasty but it is drying your skin out.

For your Face

1. Don't skip sunscreen! The sun might not be doing much to warm you up but it still doing damage to your skin.

2. Exfoliate Dry skin cells look dull and flaky making your complexion, well, icky. Exfoliating will remove those dead skin cells and refresh your face. The key is to use gentle and moisturizing exfoliation products. Avoid any with high levels of acid unless you have a product to battle acne specifically.

3. Moisturize This is the time of the year to use a night cream to help do some of the heavy lifting when it comes to repair. Overnight, with the help of a bunch of water, your skin naturally restores itself but if you have areas prone to dryness during spring, summer and fall an extra dab of night cream will help keep those areas soft.

4. Buff and Balm Take care of your lips by using a lip buffer and following with a untinted and moisturizing balm with SPF. If you wear lip color during the day avoid matte colors and any labeled "long lasting". While they may look the part and hang around all day they are drying your lips which will lead to cracking and peeling.

For your Nails

1. Hydrate with Cuticle Oil The Oil actually does better on your cuticles than your normal hand cream. Cuticle oil can penetrate your polish and get down to your nail to nourish them.

2. Nude Polish If you haven't noticed already the cold weather does a number on your polish's staying power. Add in all the extra hand washing to combat the flu and you'll need a new coat every few days. Nothing looks worse than your Lincoln Park After Dark being chipped off 7 of your 10 digits. One way to hide any chips is to wear a polish in a nude tone like Barefoot in Barcelona.

For your Bod

1. Exfoliate same as your face the dead skin cells sit on your skin making it look lackluster. Gently exfoliate in your shower using either an exfoliating body wash or your regular soap with exfoliating gloves.

2. Moisturize from head to toe giving special attention to elbows, knees and feet. Go ahead and use some of that cuticle oil on your toes too... they'll thank you.

3. Shave with a cream if you, like me, typically just quickly run your razor up and down your shins haphazardly you'll appreciate the protection that a shaving cream provides. Make sure too that the razor is new.

While I did this post based on internet research alone, our skin care pro Daniela is a great resource too. Send your current beauty routine to her at skin911@daniela.com and including the products you use anywhere on your body and any problems you're having and she'll let you know what to keep, ditch and what to replace it with. For example, she recently told a client that her jawline acne wasn't going away because of her hand cream. Who knew!

Plus use discount code "CMS" for 10% off your first purchase from her skincare store.

Stay warm everyone!!