My Top Five: Winter Skin Essentials

Whilst I love being able to wear cosy scarves and jumpers during the cold winter months, I don't appreciate it when the climate wreaks havoc with my skin. Right now my beauty routine is limited to say the least but there are five products I find myself reaching for regularly to combat dry skin, hands and chapped lips.

Clarins Hand & Nails Treatment Cream

£19

This is my all-time favourite hand cream because it does exactly what it claims to; it moisturises my hands when the skin is feeling a bit dry and 'tight'. I love the light, slightly fruity scent and I appreciate the fact this sinks into the skin fairly quickly. I've only got a little bit left in this tube so I've been using it at night before bed. This is definitely going to be on my Christmas list. 

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant

£21.25

I posted about this wonder product recently; I'm convinced everyone needs to own a tube of this funny smelling orange balm. During the winter months I'll use it as an all over face mask before bed to keep my skin looking and feeling soft. It also works well as a lip balm or on any dry patches of skin. A little goes a very long way with this product so whilst £20+ might seem a bit steep initially, it's an investment!

The Body Shop Body Butter

£13

The body butter in the photo is from last year's Christmas collection but any scent will do; there are loads to choose from. I'd recommend going for one of the dry skin formulas because I find I need to use less product for each application. I'd fallen out of love with my body butters during the summer months but now that the cold weather has set in, the love affair has been rekindled. You can usually find selected scents on sale - I've never paid full price for a tub.

Clarins Extra-Firming Lip & Contour Gentle Exfoliator

£19

This is one of those little products that deserves more attention, I think. It's expensive for a lip scrub but it's the best one I've tried because it's so gentle but still very effective. I work a small amount into my lips before wiping it off with a tissue. I do this a couple of times a week and that, in conjunction with the next product I'm going to talk about, keeps my lips smooth and prepped for whichever lip product I fancy wearing.

NUXE Reve de Meil Lip Balm

£9.50

My first impressions of this lip balm weren't great but I've really warmed to it recently. The matte texture is a bit weird at first but I'm used to it now and I've yet to find a lip balm which stays on my lips as well as this. I put some on before going outside and it helps protect my lips from the cold weather. I also pop some on before bed. This has surprisingly become my lip balm of choice!

What are your winter skin essentials?

Stace xx