Beauty - The Best Products for Winter Weary Skin

It's snowing. We know. Blah blah, beauty blah. While blathering on about how skin, feet and lips have become the consistency of sandpaper I thought I'd share my top beauty picks for the season. While the usual suspects of the season appear on most magazine pages, I've included beauty products that are mostly chemical free, gentle on the bod and not as well known on the drugstore.

How to Fix Winter-Weary Skin (as featured on The Kit).

1. For fresh feet
Tired of paying for pricey pedicures? The Solevation mat sticks in a shower and gives tired, rough feet an easy way to exfoliate. It’s hands-free and provides the same experience of a loofah, with personal pressure from standing up. With a few weeks of use, your feet will already feel like you’ve been walking on a beach. Minus the sunburn.

2. For tired skin
Looking for a cream for parched winter skin? The Cherlyn Bio-Restore Cream, which contains a concentration of five botanical extracts (bilberry, sugar cane, sugar maple, orange, lemon) leaves skin feeling smooth and fresh, without any chemicals. The company is also 100% Canadian, and the cream works to restore the skin’s own power to heal over time.

3. For a winter glow
While the weather outside is frightful, that oh-so-gorgeous glow can become dim from the outside. Tata Harper’s Replenishing Nutrient Complex provides antioxidants to the skin in the form of face oil. A swipe on the forehead, cheekbones and chin gives an outer glow for thirsty skin.

4. For a smoother pucker
Sure, lip scrubs have made their comeback this year but Lush’s Popcorn sugar and salt scrub is the best solution for dry chapped lips. The scrub is natural enough that with one lick of the tongue, you wont feel guilty slurping up salt. Think kettlecorn rather than butter popcorn.

5. For a softer shake
While gloves and mitts can protect frigid hands from the frost, there will always be a need for a luxurious moisturizer in the winter. L’Occitane’s limited edition Date Bouquet hand cream provides a super high concentration of Shea butter to condition the hands, while the slightly sweet scent of dates can trigger memories of nutty desserts. The 30 ml bottle is also perfect for slipping in a clutch for a night out.

New Year - Great Expectations

My last days of 2012 have been spent in the city that changed me this year. 

It only seemed fitting that I came back to New York, or more specifically Brooklyn for the end. I created the above illustration while waiting at the airport for a few hours of weather delays. When I reflect on another year gone, I believe that there was a slight alteration of my inner self (as hokey as that sounds) for many different reasons. Nonetheless, I feel different from the girl who began this year 365 days ago. 

When I think of 2013, the only word that comes to mind right now is disruption. Breaking apart routines. Carving something new. Repeat adventures. Forceful discipline from laziness. Growth. 

The first day of a year brings with it the hope that this time, anything can happen. Wait, everything can happen. Last night, I sat with my friends in our old apartment and we ordered Chinese food and watched Great Expectations. Before the movie even started, I thought about what a great expectation entails. Anything great, any sort of expectation can generally lead to disappointment. Yet, I still believe it's best to think towards greatness than to lower your standards to prevent heartache. 

This year, take what you dream and perhaps make it something bigger than "lose weight in 2013." (Although if that's important to you, that's okay. But try for one extra non-physical addition to your list) 

Happy New Year from Not A Model! Thank you for reading & hope it's the best one yet. x