My Must-Have Winter Skincare and Beauty Products

The timing of this blog post couldn’t be more appropriate with the crazy Polar Vortex and winter storms we have been experiencing! I don’t know about you, but between the cold, dry, and frigid air outside to the warm, stuffy, and dry air from the heat inside, my whole body reacts to the weather. It’s amazing how my skin and hair change with the weather. What I’m experiencing now in January is completely different than my July skin and hair!

I have had combination skin for years, and as I get older, I notice my combination skin more and more. The one difference I notice is my dry skin (and that it is now present most of the time—even in the humid air of the summer) and how severe it can be this time of the year. I’ve also noticed my hair getting drier this time of year too. I think that’s always been the case, but I’m not really sure I understood why my hair was the way it was in the winter until now! Lastly, my lips are almost always chapped, and certain lip products dry them out. And my hands are always dry, as i’m constantly washing or sanitizing them with everyone being sick! This all gets worse in the winter.

With my skin and hair the way it is, I’m generally considering the following things when I’m searching for a new product:

Since I have combination skin, I can break out and have a tendency to get oily (even when my skin is super dry—sometimes. it is worse!). I need products that are oil free and do not make me break out (non-comedogenic and non-acnegenic). I need moisture, but I also do not want to be an oil slick.
The more moisture in my hand and lip moisturizers though, the better!
Something at a decent price point. I’m not opposed to shelling out money if the product is REALLY worth it (and there are some); however, I think there are some things you can find that work at a decent price point—especially some of this winter skin care!

So, with the skin changes I’ve experience and the extreme weather we get here in CLE, I decided to highlight THREE skincare products I found (or resurrected) this season!

GOLD BOND ULTIMATE OVERNIGHT DEEP MOISTURIZING SKIN THERAPY LOTION

I was pleasantly surprised to have received an Influenster box FULL of awesome items at the beginning of this month! I never know what I’m going to get to try and experience. At times, I wonder if I will like the products. I was pleasantly surprised to find several products that I KNOW I will love, and one that has been added to my night time rotation (this is absolutely true). I will be honest—I will post photos of items I receive, but if I don’t love it, I will not write about it or really promote it. But, I am LOVING this lotion, as my skin has become super smooth after wearing it.

Gold Bond Ultimate Overnight Deep Moisturizing Skin Therapy Lotion has been BY FAR one of the best moisturizers I’ve used for super dry skin. I have been using this mostly on my hands before bed, and I wake up with super soft and moisturized hands that are reminiscent of my skin in the summer—and are even better! This is a true example of how you don’t have to shell out a TON of money for a great product—you can find this at CVS or Wal-Mart!

Sometimes I find that the best moisturizing body lotions and lip care products are those that were made for those outdoors and are not into super expensive beauty products. This is less than $9! At the time of this post, it was cheapest at Target for $7.99. Shop it below!

CLINIQUE MOISTURE SURGE 72 HOUR AUTO-REPLENISHING HYDRATOR

As I mentioned above, I have always struggled to find a great moisturizer for my combination skin that doesn’t lead to oily skin or breakouts. For a long time, I had used the Neutrogena Oil-Free Daily Moisturizer. This is STILL a great moisturizer, and if you have combination skin like me, this may be a great product for you. I may end up going back to using this in the spring and summer when I may not be so dry, but I discovered it just wasn’t doing the trick for my super dry skin this season. As a result, I went on a Google search for a great non-comedogenic, non-acnegenic super moisturizing moisturizer for combination skin. One result that popped up was the Clinique Moisture Surge 72 Hour Auto-Replenishing Hydrator. I was a little concerned it would not meet my skin’s needs, but after a little research, it was like the product I had been searching for forever! Plus, it is also hypoallergenic with no fragrance. I was about to order it when I remembered that I had received a Clinique Bonus Gift with same samples. Lo and behold, there was a small sample of this product.

After my initial use, I noticed 1 80 from where my skin was at prior to its use. After several days of using it, I found my skin was soft and smooth yet was not oily. And there were no breakouts!

This has been a fabulous product, and it deserves the accolades it gets online. I’ve been using this faithfully. Time will tell if I decide to keep it in the rotation for when my skin changes in the spring and summer, but it is an old faithful in my routine at this point.

O’KEEFE’S LIP REPAIR

Through my years of battling dry lips, I’ve tried so many lip care products. I’ve found great ones, ok ones, and ones that do not work at all from all beauty lines and all price points. Often, since I am a blogger, I have gotten lots of samples that I’ve used for the years. They may have done the trick at the time, but they weren’t anything to write home about OR I just didn’t think they were worth shelling out the money after using up the free trial.

As winter approached, I found that I was running out of my samples or did not have a product I loved that really worked. A couple winters ago, I saw a TV ad for the O’Keefe’s Lip Repair and made a mental note to myself that I needed to try it out. After standing in line at Walgreen’s, I saw it in line. I picked it up and still think it is one of the top lip protectants that I have ever used.

I decided to order a four pack of these from Amazon and am so glad I did. They aren’t ALWAYS a miracle worker, but if I do apply it regularly, my lips tend to stay moisturized. I also always put lip balm on prior to any lipstick, especially matte lips.

Again, here is another great example of finding a cost effective option that WORKS!

What are your favorite winter beauty products? I’m always looking for new things to try!