Tips for Keeping Hydrated During Winter

A few of my favourite hydrating products.

The bane of my existence is how dry my skin, lips and hair get during winter. Dry skin, chapped lips and frizzy hair tells me that there's a 40% chance it's already snowing (just call me the Canadian Karen Smith).

In the hopes of dryness not being a problem for you too, Here are 3 tips for keeping hydrated during these cold months:

1. Moisturize. This sounds like common sense but it doesn't hurt to reiterate this point. Use heavy hand creams, intense moisturizers, hydrating body washes, deep-treatment conditioners; double down on every hydrating product you use for the next four months. The minutes of greasiness after initially applying the creams are worth not needing to scratch yourself, seeing dry patches and feeling tight for the rest of the day.

2. Use a humidifier while you sleep. This tip isn't so common sense. I used to save my humidifier for the nights I had a dry cough as it helps me sleep better. Recently I've started using it daily since I realized that it really helps my skin and lips too, not just my dry throat. Since the air is much drier during winter, I have to refill my humidifier every other day as a opposed to once a week during the summer, but it's worth it. I would recommend every house get one, if not for the cold dry months, for your poor dry throat.

3. Drink water. Another common sense one but it always is ignored. Water is probably the most effective way of beating dryness during winter. All the moisturizers in the world aren't half as great as a glass of water. I keep a Nalgene bottle (say no to plastic disposable bottles!) beside me at work and often end up drinking over 2 liters a day. I also keep a mug full on my bedside table and gulp some down before bed and soon as I wake. I would go so far as to say that there's no point doing anything else to hydrate your skin if you aren't going to drink water.

For my winter lip routine, check out this post! And my favourite hydrating hand products can be found here. Let me know if any of these tips work for your or if you have any tips to combat winter dryness!

Haiku for Argan Oil

What better way to start of December than with a little poetry:

Argan Oil, so pure

Good for hair, face, neck, hands, skin

Still on bandwagon.

If you couldn't tell by that awful haiku, I love Argan Oil. I was late to jump on that bandwagon and I still haven't gotten off. There are many uses for this magic oil. Some of the ways I use it are:

For My Eyes: I dab a tiny amount of Argan Oil underneath my eyes for maximum moisture without the burning feeling that my retinol eye cream gives me. It's not something that would give instant results but I feel that's the case for any anti-aging eye product: you'll only reap the rewards come your forties and fifties.

For My Neck: I apply this on my neck after a shower, again, for anti-aging purposes.

For My Face: Whenever my skin is particularly dry, a couple drops of this oil does the trick. Sometimes I mix it with a moisturizer so it's easier to apply. It absorbs beautifully overnight and doesn't feel greasy at all. 

For My Hair: I apply this to the ends of my damp hair and it makes my dry locks feel a lot more smooth and moisturized even after I blow dry/straighten it. It doesn't feel greasy for me since my hair is so dry but use it with caution if you have normal or fine hair. It can also be used as a hair mask before a shower.

Argan Oil is expensive, especially the Josie Maran vials from Sephora that cost the same as a kidney and/or other expendable organs. I buy 100% Pure Argan Oil from Loblaws for the same ingredient at a fraction of the cost.

What are your favourite multi-purpose products? Any natural oils that impress you?

Review: Neutrogena Night Cream

I love washing my face for the sole reason that it just makes me feel clean. Off comes the make up that seems to feel heavier as the day progresses and what I'm left with is fresh, clean, naked skin. But that happiness is fleeting as, mere minutes after, my skin feels tight, dry and itchy. I didn't understand why my skin would feel this way when it usually is combination oily. Truth be told, this was the one thing I hated about washing my face. (Note: was)

But along came Neutrogena Deep Moisture Night Cream (doesn't quite have the same ring to it as "Polly") and banished that feeling. This is all starting to sound very dramatic but that is how much I am in awe of this cream! This cream moisturizes my skin without leaving it feeling greasy or heavy. It has balanced my skin out and now, after washing my face, the horrid feeling of dry skin is gone (which is remarkable considering it's winter). 


I apply this bad boy after I've cleansed, toned and applied acne cream to my face. My skin soaks up that moisture and feels so hydrated - I have no complaints about this product. But I'm going to be honest with you (as I believe my reviews should be my genuine opinions and observations): I have noticed that my combination oily skin is now slightly oilier. Slightly! Not enough to make me stop using/wanting/needing/obsessing over this product. Overall, I recommend and would repurchase this product.

 Have you tried this product before? If so, did you like it? What are your favourite night creams and why?

Handcare for Winter

I don't know how many more posts I can start by talking about the cold, dark, winter months. But here's yet another one.

One thing I hate about winter is how dry my hands get. Not only are my hands not as soft, but they feel tight and that annoys me beyond belief. Soon as it hits September, I double down on my hand moisturizers to minimize the effects of the harsh Canadian winters.

My day product is the Glysomed Hand Cream. It has a thick formula so a pea sized amount suffices in keeping my hands soft and moisturized for several hours and through a couple of washes. This cream is popular with my friends but I do know that the consistency of this cream is a bit odd at first. It is quite thick (which is what makes it work so well) but if you're used to thin, slippery creams, it takes a bit of time to get used to.



My night cream is by far the best thing I have ever laid my hands on (see what I did there?). It's the Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula. It's a solid formula so I rub my fingertips all over the solid cream and this melts it on my fingers. I then rub whatever is on my fingers onto my hands. I do this right before bed and this process takes one or two minutes but I've noticed a huge difference on my hands. I wear a wrist splint to bed (I have carpal tunnel) and this splint cuts into the skin between my thumb and index finger. I would wake up and my skin would be painful and chafed but, after using this cream, my skin there is much softer and less painful.


What do you do to take care of your hands during winter? Any changes in your hand creams?

My Autumn Hat

Random Note: I had the idea for this blog post weeks back and so I photographed my hat weeks ago. I sat down to write the post today and looked at the photos I'd shot and I've just now realized how ridiculous it was to use my bedside flowers as a model for this hat. So forgive the ridiculous pictures!

As soon as summer rolls around, I whip out my wide-brimmed straw hat that goes with practically anything. This is a favourite of mine because it's not only fashionable but functional too: it keeps the sun out of my eyes and keeps me cool. A lot of my sun- and heat-loving friends make fun of me for the sheer size of this hat but I love it anyway.

When I noticed the trend of wide-brimmed, soft, floppy hats for Fall, I couldn't help but get excited. One of my favourite trends was now almost year round! I immediately went on the hunt for a Fall hat and found a wine coloured one from Marshalls ($25) that I fell in love with. 



This hat originally had a black feather on it but I cut it off at the risk of looking like Yankee Doodle. I love the colour of this since it's bold but still goes with everything. I also love that it hides any greasy roots and protects my hair from rain! I love pairing it with neutral colours and generally opt for ivory or oatmeal tops when wearing this hat. 

I can't find this particular hat online but similar ones can be found here, here and here. 

Are you a hat person? What are your favourite fall accessories? 

Autumn/Winter Lips

I love the transition from summer to autumn - especially in terms makeup. Autumn calls for darker shades and bold colours - plenty of (badly executed) smokey eyes and dark lips for me. My favourite autumn lip colour is often paired with oatmeal coloured sweater and ivory blouses. I love mixing the dark make up with light colours just so I don't look too vampy. 

The lipstick is Covergirl and in the shade 360 Euphoria. It's applied over the Annabelle Waterproof Lipliner in Boisenberry which ensures me long lasting colour with minimal mess.  Boisenberry is a deep purple and Euphoria has more of a red tone - the combination gives way to beautiful berry lips.

I wanted a picture of the combination on my lips but I was having a bad selfie day and the lighting wasn't doing the colour any justice! 

What are your favourite lipsticks this season? Any lipliner/lipstick combinations you can recommend?

Autumn/Winter Lip Essentials

Being a full-lipped girl has its advantages and its drawbacks. While most lipsticks suit my lips, one shade too bright can easily have me looking a bit drag. Also a disadvantage of full lips: having bread crumbs stuck to it after eating a sandwich. Ugh.

As soon as the weather gets cooler, my lips are the first to show signs of dryness. Here are the products I use to keep these bad boys looking at its best.

My first step is brushing my lips: after I take off my make up, I brush my lips with a soft toothbrush to really take my lipstick off as well as any gross skin. I do step almost every day in fall and winter.

Once a week I use a sugar scrub: I'm not picky when it comes to this - I generally use whatever body scrub I've been using, my favourite being the Shea Moisture Argan Oil & Raw Shea Hand & Body Scrub. I prefer smaller grains to scrub my lips. I just put this on wet lips, scrub with my finger and wash it off.

My last and favourite step is using lip balm: after months of riding the EOS bandwagon, I realize that nothing hydrates my lips as much as Burt's Bees. I love the scent of the Refreshing Lip Balm with Pink Grapefruit and use it at least twice a day.

PSA: DON'T lick your lips! This just makes everything worse - though it provides temporary relief for dry lips, all it does is dry out your lips in the end. Just don't it, okay, promise? (Anyone get that reference?)

What are your favourite autumn/winter lip products?