Winter skincare: my travel essentials


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the body shop l'occitane farmacy supergoop

If you follow me on Instagram and watch my Stories, you know that I was in the Canadian province of Alberta last week. This trip was my first real experience of winter weather since I moved to Southern California almost 6 years ago. I left 75+ degree weather (23 degrees C) to face sub-zero temperatures - it went down to minus 19 the last day (-28 C)! But I came prepared, and despite spending a whole afternoon dog sledding on a snowy day at -6 (-20 C), my skin never felt dry or irritated. Want to know how I survived the Arctic blast? Keep reading to see the skincare products that saved my skin!



Living in Southern California I obviously don't need much protection against the cold. Winter? What winter? But I do keep a few travel-sizes of rich, highly nourishing skincare products around the house, just in case. And boy was I happy to have those in hand for my trip to Canada! My entire face would probably have flaked off if it wasn't for these heavy duty protective and replenishing treatments. Here's what really saved the day in the harsh cold weather:




THE BODY SHOP COCONUT BODY BUTTER

We've all used the popular The Body Shop body butters in their round jars at some point. They have a ton of different scents, and the texture varies depending on the fragrance. The Coconut butter is the richest, most nourishing and comforting I've found in their range for severely dry skin. It's a bit thick but it sinks in well without leaving my parched legs feeling sticky. When a body butter is not enough, I also wash with shower oils (here are my favorites), and apply a dry body oil before the moisturizer, like this one.


L'OCCITANE SHEA GENTLE TONER, ULTRA RICH FACE CREAM & IMMORTELLE DIVINE YOUTH OIL

This trio of L'Occitane products work so well together to fight dry skin in cold weather! First, the Shea Toner: I honestly didn't think before trying it that a toner could actually moisturize. But this one truly does. If I spray it on when my face feels tight I get immediate relief. I would use the toner right after washing my face (with a gentle cleansing oil like this), then continue with the Ultra Rich Face Cream. It contains 25% shea butter, and it's surprisingly lightweight for such a nourishing moisturizer. My skin never felt oily or sticky, and the thick cream was absorbed really quickly. This is so comforting for dry skin! After the cream, I would finish with the Immortelle Divine Youth Oil to lock in the moisture. In very cold weather the natural oils on the surface of our skin that usually trap moisture in tend to disappear, so it's important to use heavier moisturizers or an oil to replace the lipids and restore the protective layer. This oil doesn't feel too greasy, it just leaves a healthy, dewy finish on my skin and it really helps keep dry patches at bay.


MAKE MARINE SALVE

L'occitane immortelle divine youth oil make beauty marine salve

This little tube is the ultimate cure for severely chapped lips. I have dry lips year round, so you can imagine the flaky mess they turn into in sub-zero temperatures... But when I use this Marine Salve at night, I always wake up with soft, healthy lips. It repairs and nourishes them better than any other treatment I've tried. The number one ingredient is petrolatum - not sexy but perfect to create a protective layer on top of the lips - but there's a ton of more exciting botanical extracts in this balm as well, such as shea, olive oil, grape, cocoa butter...


SUPERGOOP ACAI FUSION LIP BALM WITH SPF30

The cold is not the only enemy of healthy lips in the winter, you have to think about the sun as well. In the snow especially, harmful UV rays are extremely intense because of the reverberation of sunlight on the white environment. Do you know how hard it is to find a lip balm with high SPF that doesn't taste disgusting? Well, it's hard. I like this Supergoop Balm because it's just a balm, not tinted, so it's perfect for outdoor activities. Like snowshoeing in Canada or running along the beach in San Diego.


FARMACY HONEY SAVIOR

farmacy honey savior repair salve

This repair salve is the real deal when fighting cold weather. The Honey Savior feels like an ointment, with a heavier texture that's a bit waxy and oily. But if you have very dry, flaky, rough skin anywhere on your face or body, it will repair it overnight. I used it on my hands that were getting terribly damaged by the combination of freezing temperatures and the friction in my gloves. It avoided cracks and by the morning my skin was baby soft and smooth. It contains a cocktail of plant oils and waxes as well as honey, known to help heal irritated skin, and it smells really good.

banff outdoor pool hot springs
Enjoying an outdoor hot springs water pool in Banff


What are your must-have skincare products during the winter? Do you live in a region where the weather gets very cold?


Some of the products mentioned in this post were received as free samples provided by brands for consideration. I received no monetary compensation to write this post, which only reflects my personal opinion. This post contains affiliate links. I receive a very small commission when you click on those links, and the money generated covers a small portion of my expenses to purchase products for review. Clicking on those links helps ensure that Beaumiroir continues to publish reviews of new and exciting high end French products - at no cost to you!


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