Beauty Barrage: Cold Weather Friends

Here in the tropics, cold weather is a rare thing. It comes suddenly and disappears just as quickly. We actually just had a spate of cold weather that started late December and lasted all throughout January. It's only starting to get warm now, but the evenings and early mornings still have a bit of a chill to them.

That short burst of cold weather was enough to wreak havoc on my skin though. Aside from being used to humid weather, my skin has always been very dry. A month-long cold spell made it feel tight and lifeless. It made my eyebrow and hairline area extremely flaky, my arms and legs were itchy, and even my elbows took a beating.

All throughout the month, I tried to salvage my skin with products I have always counted on, as well as a new product I tried out and liked. My skin is looking loads better now and definitely on the way to recovery. Spring is yet to come in many parts of the world, and weather experts say the chilly air in the country might stay until March, so I thought I'd post about my cold weather friends. Here's a rundown.

Baylis & Harding Lemon Blossom Body Cream, The Body Shop Vitamin E Nourishing Night Cream, Aveeno Smart Essentials Daily Nourishing Moisturizer, Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm

Baylis & Harding Lemon Blossom Body Cream
I have an admission to make. I hate lotion! I try to use it to keep my skin hydrated but a lot of times I skip it because I hate the thick, sticky feeling it gives. I usually just have a small bottle/tube of hand lotion in my bag for the times when my skin is breaking up into squares from dryness, but I usually skip lathering on body lotion. I've never stuck to using one until I started using this body cream.

Baylis & Harding is a UK brand, but a lot of their products are available at Rustan's. I was surprised at how much I liked the Lemon Blossom Body Cream from the Royale Bouquet collection! It's not sticky at all, and it gets absorbed into the skin almost immediately, leaving it instantly feeling smooth and silky. It has an amazing, delicate lemon fragrance too, which I like because strong-smelling lotions turn me off. I now use this after my shower in the morning and before bed at night.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Nourishing Night Cream

When my skin started drying up more than usual, I knew that I really needed to start using a night cream. I did my research and The Body Shop's Vitamin E Nourishing Night Cream was the one that really piqued my interest. Vitamin E is supposed to be really good for the skin, and this night cream had great reviews, so I got it. 

I've been using it for a few days now, and the results were immediate. The morning after I started using it, I noticed my skin was a lot less drier. All the dry patches on my face are getting better and better each night that I use it, so hopefully it's really as good as I hope it to be. I'll be posting a full review after a couple of weeks of use, but so far, I love it.

Aveeno Smart Essentials Daily Nourishing Moisturizer

Aveeno has been a favorite of mine since early last year, when I first found the brand at Pure Beauty Serendra and decided to try their moisturizer. It has SPF 30 and feels a bit thick, but it surprisingly gets absorbed into the skin quickly so I don't feel any stickiness on my face. It makes my skin look really healthy, and softens and hydrates it massively.  

Ever since using the Smart Essentials Daily Nourishing Moisturizer I haven't looked at any other day moisturizer. I've been using it for a year now, and I have no complaints. It's so hard to find though! Very few stores here carry Aveeno products and when they do, they don't have the moisturizers. It's worth finding it though, because it's really good! [Fun Fact: YouTube's MissGlamorazzi recently switched to this after using the Positively Radiant variant for a long time because it has higher SPF. That's expert validation for you, heh.]

Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm

Now this is one product I've been using for close to a decade. I started using it as a fresh grad I think, and it used to keep me awake during long writing days in the office because it has a wonderful peppermint taste and scent.  

No other lip balm has proven to be as hydrating for me as Burt's Bees lip balm. It's loaded with antioxidant Vitamin E goodness, and does a great job smoothing out my uneven lips. It soothes my lips when they are cracked and peeling from dryness too.

Has your skin suffered from the cold weather we've been having? What products are you using to combat dryness?