Favorite Winter Time Fixes

When the weather outside is frightful, my favorite thing to do is cuddle up with hot cup of tea and have a cozy night in. But lets be real, Los Angeles weather is far from frightful. However I still like to pretend it's 5 degrees and snowy every now and again.

Regardless of where you live, chances are this winter season has got your skin feeling a bit dry. But I don't have time to religiously slather myself in moisturizer every morning and night. Here are a few of my favorite quick fixes to help that winter skin.

Favorite Winter Mask

 I am a fan girl for masks. I have a different mask for virtually every day of the week and every time of day. Although it's hard to choose, my favorite winter mask has got to be the Fresh Black Tea Firming Overnight Mask. It is incredibly hydrating and comfortable enough to wear overnight. In the morning my skin feels brand spanking new, it's plump, smooth and toned. If you struggle with flaky, dull skin this is the mask for you.

Favorite Winter Oil

If you're like me and have every skin issue imaginable, be it flakiness, redness, blemishes, fine lines, you name it, then listen up. Oils are your best friend. Before you scroll on because oils, "just aren't for you", WAIT. The Luna Sleeping Oil from Sunday Riley, might change your world. This oil tackles it all. It combats fine lines and wrinkles with a retinol ester, soothes and heals skin with chamomile, and tones and hydrates with avocado oil. After a bad skin day I apply this before going to bed and when I wake up my skin is significantly better. The texture is smoother, the redness is cut in half, my blemishes are smaller and my skin is hydrated. I swear by this stuff.

Favorite Winter Lip Balm

My lips aren't usually that dry, but when that winter weather hits they shrivel up without notice (it's fucking rude). My favorite fixes are thick balms. I like to be able to put on a lip balm before bed and wake up with it still on my lips. I cannot stress how much I hate it when lip balms disappear after 2 or 3 hours. There are worse things in life, but come on. The Kari Gran Lip Whip is beyond. It's soothing with a nice peppermint scent and it feels buttery soft on the lips. The best part, It stays on my lips for ages! It's a must.

Favorite Body Cream

I'm not a huge fan of super thick moisturizers for my body. I just hate the feeling of my clothing sticking to me. So I've been on the hunt for a thin moisturizer that still hydrates. I didn't expect much from the Nip + Fab Body Lotion, because Kylie Jenner is one of their brand ambassadors. No hate directed at Kylie but I suspected a flashy marketing tactic in place of a quality product. However it's actually an amazing product. It smells lovely, not too overpowering, and it hydrates with out being heavy. Plus it doesn't just leave a layer on the skin, even after it's absorbed I feel like my skin is hydrated. 

Stay cozy! 

My Updated Skin Care Routine!

It's time for an updated skin care routine! Below are the products that keep my skin clear and healthy. These are all products that are tried and true (some I've used for years). But first a bit about my skin:

1. I have combination skin, where my T-zone is oily and my cheeks are normal to dry.

2. I get the occasional beast of a pimple due to that lovely time of the month.

3. I have a good deal of hyper pigmentation and redness.

4. I am 23 years old, so I have very little signs of aging.

Okie dokie, let's jump into my routine!

In the morning I cleanse my skin with my CeraVe foaming cleanser for normal to oily skin. This cleanser is the best gentle cleanser I've ever used. It has ceramides and hyaluranic acid to maintain moisture levels and niacinamide which supports the natural ceramide levels in the skin and aids with skin elasticity.  

I follow up with my Perricone Blue Plasma Cleansing Treatment, which gently exfoliates, tones and moisturizes my skin.

For my day time moisturizer I mix two products. First I use the Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream. This is a gel-cream moisturizer that deeply hydrates my skin, BUT does not leave a greasy feeling. This moisturizers wears so nicely under makeup and smells of cucumbers, which is lovely. Secondly I use the Tarte Tarteguard Sunscreen SPF 30. This sunscreen doesn't break me out and it's super light weight!

I finish my day time routine with a bit of eye cream. Currently I'm using the Benefit It's Potent! eye

cream. It is also a gel-cream texture which makes it ideal to wear under makeup.

While my day time routine is rock solid, my night time routine is where the real party is at.

I remove my makeup with my CeraVe cleanser. Then I'll either do a second cleanse with that same cleanser or, about 4 times a week, I'll use my Glam Glow SUPERCLEANSE Daily Clearing cleanser for a deeper cleanse. This cleanser is BOMB! It doesn't strip my skin, but it gets all that nasty shizz out of my pores!

If my skin is feeling a bit flakey, I'll use the Peter Thomas Roth FirmX Peeling Gel. This is a gentle exfoliating peel that uses fruit enzymes to lift dead skin, excess sebum and dirt from the pores. It might be one of my most used products and I frickin love it.

After I cleanse I use my Perricone Blue Plasma Cleansing Treatment again.

Then, as a preventative measure, I use the La Roche Pose Effaclar Duo Dual Acne Treatment. This product has 5.5% Benzoyl Peroxide to treat acne deep in the skin. This is another product that has seriously helped prevent acne from emerging onto my skin. Also, I lost the cap so excuse me.

I follow that up with a serum. Currently I am using the Sunday Riley Good Genes Treatment. This serum uses Lactic acid to help brighten and plump the skin. It does wonders for my uneven skin tone and helps smooth out texture, seemingly over night.

For my night time moisturizer I love the Murad Skin Perfecting Lotion. It tackles every skin concern imaginable.

For my eye cream I use the same, Benefit It's Potent!

I finish my night time routine by using the Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil. You guys. This. Product. Is. Life. Changing. It's basically an oil that houses a retinoid. Which is a cousin of a retinol, but it isn't irritating to the skin. If you need a product that does it all. You need this oil. It's a bit pricey, sitting at $105, but it's so worth it. At least do yourself a favor and run into Sephora for a sample.

Ok and after all that, we're done! I know it's a long routine, but I actually enjoy using the products I do and I've noticed such a huge difference in my skin. I've never before felt comfortable enough to go without makeup as often as I do now. It's an amazing feeling. I'll also be listing some masks I love below as well as my favorite peels!

Masks:

Freeman Feeling Beautiful Avocado and Oatmeal mask:

• Nourishing and purifying
• Good for spot treatments

Algenist Algae Brightening Mask:

• Brightening and firming
• Good for plumping and toning the skin

Peels:

Algenist Genius Ultimate Anti Aging Bi-Phase Peel

• Nourishing and plumping
• Good for fine lines, brightness and textural issues

Aww look, it's like a happy, little skin care family!

Update!

A few updates are in need of sharing. First off, I MOVED. Where to you might ask? I made the leap from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Los Angeles, California! I've been living here for a few months and so far so...O.K. I'm still settling in and getting used to my new surroundings and honestly it's been a bit of a culture shock. But I'm a creature of habit, so it's no surprise that I'm feeling a bit out of my comfort zone. I'm really missing the fall/winter weather and the cozy familiarity of home. But I'm proud of myself for trying something new and I'm keeping my head up! If you have any tips for homesickness, please leave them below and share your story with me, I would love to know!

Secondly I graduated college, woohoo! It's bittersweet for me, but cheers to new beginnings!

Lastly, since I've graduated college I've been having urges to start taking courses again...which is not the reaction I thought I'd be having. So I've enrolled myself in a CS50 class via edX,org. Which is an online computer science course through Harvard's free education program. I'm currently on the first lesson (Week 0), so if you are taking this course or would like to, please let me know in the comments! I would love to have some study partners! AND I was thinking of doing a weekly post on the lectures so we could have a discussion in the comment section. Kinda like our own little CS50 community.

Welp, that's all for now! I hope wherever you are, you're having a beautiful day. Love, from my screen to yours!