Winter Skin Rescue

So how is your mid-winter skin doing?
For most of us January means dry, sensitive skin. Thanks to the colder weather, central heating and biting winds, the complexion gets dull and loses both luminosity and clarity.

Which means you need a strong game plan if you want to maintain or retrieve gorgeous skin.

I am a huge fan of Korean skin care and the concept of layering these amazing products. (Learn about it here: How To Layer Your Skin Care, Korean Style). Using these super high performance (and very inexpensive!) products has completely changed my skin. Depending on what is going on with my skin I can address it by changing just one product in the sequence, or adding in something new. 

The Essence

Korean women consider this to be the most important step. What it does is speed the cell turnover rate, which makes skin smoother and brighter. Essence provides multiple intensive ingredients in just a single drop, and takes them deep deep into the skin where they go to work. You apply essence before your moisturizer.

Innisfree Jeju Sparkling Mineral Essence

I just changed my essence to Innisfree Sparkling Jeju Essence
. This one is made with thermal water infused with minerals that heal the skin from the inside out. The mousse formulation is super rich in nutrients, keeping the skin hydrated and healthy, and is the perfect way to protect winter skin. 

The Ampoule

The Ampoule is like a super condensed version of the essence. You can use ampoules to target specific skin issues - dry skin, clogged pores, uneven skin tone, excess oil - whatever the condition you want to treat there is an Ampoule or serum for it.

Another thing I recently added in (which has been a lifesaver!) is 
the Propolis Light Ampoule by Cosrx

Propolis Light Ampule

Bee propolis is a natural antibiotic which gives extra hydration while it cures skin and soothes irritation. You will notice dryness disappears and skin gets radiant almost immediately.
You only use a small drop of the ampoule, and massage it into the skin after the essence and before the moisturizer. I've been using this one for a few months now and love it.

I order all my Korean skin care products through Memebox.com


Each time I place an order I order extra sheet masks. They are super inexpensive, and quick and easy to use.
I change them up based on what my skin needs. This time I ordered Botanical Mask Packs in Rose and in Aloe

Have you tried any Korean skin care products yet?

Tell me which products you have tried and if you loved them or not, in the comment section below.

xo

How To Brighten Winter Weary Faces Without Bronzer

 Beauty High.com asked me what I thought about using bronzer to brighten winter skin.
I gave them an emphatic no! Bronzer is to make you look like you've been out and about in the sunshine, to give you a golden summery glow, but on a winter skin it can look orange and streaky.
There are some great alternatives to using bronzer in the article below, and lots of quotes from me.
Check it out:

How To Brighten Winter Weary Faces Without Bronzer


 

We all want to keep that summer glow, but once winter hits, it’s in with the cold and out with the glow! Bronzer is great, but it’s also incredibly over-used. Bronzer’s role is to mimic the look of a mid-summer’s sun-kissed complexion, something that will look kind of ridiculous in the snow against pale winter skin. Luckily, there are plenty of tricks to incorporate into your cold-weather beauty routine that will help brighten your skin without the use of bronzer. There are lots of other awesome options out there—here are a few to try today.

Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize:
Staying hydrated is super important. “Many don’t know this, but moisturizing keeps your tan sealed in much longer than if you don’t!” says Rosa Fasolo, owner and makeup artist at RF BEAUTY ARTISTRY. Once that tan is long gone, keeping up with a simple regimen is key. Exfoliating once a week to keep your skin bright, clear, and to leave dead skin behind is important. Moisturizing is even more important in order to keep that fresh face look. Using a tinted moisturizer is great as well to give you just the right amount of glow, says Fasolo.

Concealer:
Dab concealer all the way from the inner corner of the eye, downward on the trough line under the eyes. Then, blend the concealer with small dabs, all the way down into the cheek area. This technique will give better coverage than just applying concealer only directly under the eyes, says Marian Rothschild, AICI FLC, certified personal image consultant and author of Look Good Now and Always.

Foundation:
Stay away from crushed mineral foundations—they make skin look dead and dry. Instead, opt for a silicone-based foundation like Makeup Forever HD or Face Atelier Ultra Foundation. Both of these will make the skin glow and look alive, says makeup artist Corinna Cooke. Make sure you choose a shade that matches your winter color, not the shade you may use in the summer. A foundation that is too dark will make your skin look muddy.

MORE: How to Tell When Good Beauty Products Go Bad

Highlight:
Using a sheer highlighter will help light catch your skin in the winter months, literally brightening up your face. Adding a golden champagne highlighter from the temples to the tops of your cheekbones will give you a natural-looking glow for fair and medium skin, says Grace Mahoney, owner of Blushing Brides. For darker skin, use a pearlescent bronze shade for the same effect.

Blush:
Swap out those bronze, gold, or orange tones from summer for rosy pink blushes. Apply blush to the apple of your cheeks to get a bit of sun-kissed color, says Fasolo.

Say No to Bronzer:
For those who think “bronzing” is the simple way to brighten, the look is often unnatural against winter skin and will actually detract from your glow if you don’t exfoliate, says Lyn Tackett of Genesis Studio Spa. Bronzing powder will collect on excess skin cells and make your skin look even drier.

Eyes:
Keep eyeshadow sheer and choose a shade opposite your eye color on the color wheel. This will brighten the eye and make your color spark. Pale eyes look great with pink and peachy tones, while every color looks great with a soft berry tone, explains Cooke. Add a little shimmer just on the eyelid itself, not all over the eye. Curl the lashes to wake the eye up and use several coats of a luscious, glossy mascara.

Lips:Use a bold, bright color on your lips, like a punchy fuchsia. Fuchsia is bright and fun and lights the face up. It also makes the teeth look whiter and will make pale eyes totally spark, bright, and alive, says Cooke.