BEAUTY Cosmetics Hair Nails Skin

Winter Beauty Woes

Written by Ashley

Due to my ‘vanity’ gloves that look fab without keeping my hands warm, and my refusal to give up closed-toe platforms for day & my newly brunette hair, sans hat, getting whipped & stripped from the brisk wind, I’ve been having a rough time getting into the whole ‘winter’ thing.  What’s even more rough? My poor hands, hair & feet.  Some pampering is in order.

Skyy Hadley, owner of As U Wish Nail Spa suggests these important tips to get your hands in tip top, winter proof shape:

The best way to ensure hydration is to exfoliate the hands and condition the cuticles to keep them soft. I recommend softening cuticles before you get in shower: load your hands with a cuticle oil, face oil or Vaseline and then rub in when you get in to the shower. The steam will help penetrate the oil/Vaseline into dry and cracked nails and skin.  (Even lip balm works as well when you’re in a pinch). Do not use a loofah as the product will get lost within the holes, be sure to use hand-on-hand action that way you utilize the product thoroughly.  Always focus on cuticle around the nails and gently massage in – those who are in a rush for time can apply dot by dot by dot.

Follow Skyy’s expert advice with these tried & true recommendations to keep your hands, nails & feet golden & soft this winter [clockwise from upper left]:

completely bare spa’s Completely Buff: As Skyy said, exfoliation is key to soften cuticles, but this can work all over the bod. This mini-microderm-maven in a bottle can be sprinkled into any gel or cream cleanser to reveal smooth, renewed skin, just ready to drink in whatever moisture is coming its way. [$32 CompletelyBare.com]

CND A.H.A. Cuticle Eraser: Contains moisturizers & glycolic, malic, lactic, and citric AHAs derived from natural sugar cane to effectively slough away cuticle build-up to reveal tight, healthy tissue and prevent hangnails. [$11 CND.com]

The Body Shop Rainforest Moisture Hair Butter: The use of organic & fair trade ingredients like olive oil & honey help to enrich the hair from the inside out. Slather it on, free of silicones, parabens and colorants, after shampooing, leave in for 2-3 minutes and rinse clean for hair protected from the winter elements. [$8-$14 TheBodyShop-USA.com]

Yes to Carrots Lip Butters: Personally, I’m a mint gal,  but coming in flavors like berry, citrus, melon & their infamous carrot, these lip butters are the perfect cold weather solution to fix dry lips, cuticles, hands & everything else! [$2.99 each YesToCarrots.com]

Vaseline Rich Conditioning Petroleum Jelly with Cocoa Butter: As if Vaseline wasn’t already nourishing, moisturizing & protecting enough, they had to go and add cocoa butter to formulate the ULTRA cracked heel blaster. Stock up on this for the winter, keep smaller sizes in your purse & desk for quick fixes, and a huge jar beside your bed to apply with big socks before bed. [ $3.49 ]

EBoost 5 Calorie Daily Health Booster: Skip your morning coffee & pop this 5 calorie caffeinated pack into some warm water for a citrus-y treat that will boost your immune system with vitamin C, B6, B12, Zinc, Green Tea Extract and more for the cold winter months. [$28 for pack of 24 EBOOST.com]

Disclosure: All products were provided for review. No monetary compensation was received for this review. All opinions belong to the author.

About the author

Ashley

a fun-loving, twenty-something living in Brooklyn. She spends most of her time absorbing all the life, tofu and whiskey that NYC has to offer. Her current obsessions? BDG High-waisted leggings, vintage boot shopping in Williamsburg, Katherine Kwei's sling bag and Melanie Marie's two-finger horn ring.

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