My Winter Beauty Essentials

As much as I love snow days, romantic nights by the fire and curling up with a good book, winter can take a toll on my skin. Around the holidays cold weather is nice but post-New Year, I’m ready for spring. We’ve got at least a couple months before it starts to get warm again so in the mean time I thought I’d share my winter beauty essentials. From a new soothing eye gel to a hybrid texturizing and dry shampoo hairspray, I’ve rounded up my skin, makeup and hair products that I can’t live without this season.

Eyes:
Benefit unveiled a new product, Puff Off! (they always come up with such clever names!), a soothing eye gel that de-puffs tired eyes. I’ve been using this with my Bobbi Brown Tinted Eye Brightener instantly brightens my under eye area every morning, not to mention hides my dark circles. My once massive mascara wardrobe has dwindled down to two lash stunners: CoverGirl Clump Crusher Extensions and Lancome Grandiose Mascara. The Lancome one definitely adds drama to my limp lashes at night but it is a little clumpy. I don’t care though—it looks like I have babydoll lashes when I use this wand.

Lips:
My lips have been deprived of color this season, probably because I’m too focused on exfoliating and hydrating. Once every other week I exfoliate my lips with Bite Beauty Whipped Cherry Lip Scrub and I hydrate with a bevy of different balms, depending on my mood. During the day I prime my lips with Glossier Balm Dotcom and at night I apply Aquaphor Lip Repair to keep them moisturized overnight. Bobbi Brown Almost Nude Lip Gloss is my favorite non-sticky gloss at the moment. And when I’m feeling fancy, Lipstick Queen in Metallic Wine does the trick.

Face:
Glossier Priming Moisturizer is still a part of my skin routine and I can’t get enough of it. You can read my full review on that product here. The more I use this moisturizer, the less I want to apply makeup; but when I do, I stick with NARS Tinted Moisturizer. For special occasions when I need a little more coverage, I use Estee Lauder Perfectionist Youth Infusing Makeup SPF 25—it feels incredibly lightweight for a foundation. I have yet to leave the house without dusting Dolce & Gabbana The Illuminator Collector’s Edition in Eva on my cheek bones for a pearlescent glow. When I’m in the mood for a little sparkle, I use The Body Shop Frosted Cranberry Sparkler and spritz it lightly on the back of my hands. At night I’ve been applying Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream, another re-discovered old favorite that locks in moisture all night. It’s an ultra thick cream but it does the job.

Hair:
Towards the end of 2014, I wanted to update my look, so I took a trip to Karma by Erwin Gomez for a much-needed cut and color with stylist Peggy Ioakim. She gave me beautiful copper red tresses that I am still getting compliments on to this day. You can read more about how awesome Peggy is here.

In terms of products, I’m religiously using Oribe Gold Lust Repair & Restore Shampoo and Conditioner. It smells so good. I used to cocktail a bunch of different products but I’ve come to the conclusion that less is definitely more when it comes to hair. I just apply a small dab of Living Proof Perfect Hair Day 5-in-1 Styling Treatment and comb through from root to tips for a smooth blowdry. Caviar Anti-Aging Perfect Texture Finishing Spray is like the perfect mix of dry shampoo and hairspray. It holds my loose curls in place and refreshes my roots so I can rock one more day of (semi) dirty hair.

I’d love to hear what products have topped your winter beauty essentials list. Please share in the comments!

Photography by Kate Ann