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.

The Tale of Grasshoppers, Ants & the January Push

Skating in Bryant Park NYC

One week into January!

How is everyone with those resolutions? Teeth flossed? Pounds sloughed off? Weekly trampoline lessons booked?

When the champagne bottles lay beside the recycling bin and the only upcoming holiday was imagined by a chubby angel with a personality disorder, things can feel bleak. Therefore, I decided that I'm going to spend my winter the way an ant spends its summer.

Remember the story of the grasshopper and the ant? The ant spends its summer toiling away to have food for winter and the grasshopper just lays around and then when winter comes the grasshopper has nothing to eat and is near close to starvation, and the ant's all like,

"Girlllllllllll, you should've prepped." (this is how ants talk)*

Yes, I know. This time of year feels like the best time to wear old Christmas socks, chomp on cheesy pizza and watch every single episode of Friday Night Lights. Sure, but I say, let's rebel. (Well not against FNL because I love Tim Riggins and that is not seasonal).

The hardcore winter (not that sparkly fake month December) is the best time to reflect. The winter allows a bit more time to work on things like health, hobbies, personal goals, reading and preparing for the latter part of the year.

Think of it as "beneficial hibernation."

Thus far I've signed up for a weekly screenwriting class (more on that to come), joined a 5K relay race with my coworkers in the spring (must start training), resolved to read the pile of books on my floor and will take a break from overbooking weeknight plans. I also find that my morning walk to work which is around 34 minutes (quicker if I've had a shot of espresso) has become a new highlight of my day. I bundle up like a kindergartner mother's dream at recess and set off.

The coldest morning air is like two strong hands that rest on my shoulders and shake me awake.

Yes, shake it up Grasshopper, it ain't spring yet.

*no insects were harmed in the writing of this post