Lay it on thick

I don't know about you, but the minute the weather got cold, my skin drastically changed. I became instantly dry, red, flakey and sometimes itchy- not a glamorous combo. I've pretty much changed my entire skincare routine to incorporate more moisture (more on that later) and I've found a hydrating face mask is an extra boost of much-needed moisture to sooth and moisturize my skin. I've personally used all of the above masks, with the exception of the H2O+ mask (I used to work for them, like a million years ago, and their products are wonderful and I'm sure this is no different).  

1. GlamGlow ThirstyMud Hydrating Treatment is a cream-gel consistency and stays on the skin for 15-20 minutes. There's a slight cooling sensation and it leaves the skin plump and malleable. I pretty much love everything this company comes out with.


2. Sephora Collection Rose Face Mask is a gauze-like sheet mask that drapes over your face for 10+ minutes. One of the best parts of this mask is that there's no rinsing required when the mask is done- just rub in any extra serum and your skin will be super soft.


3. ~H2O+ Aqualibrium Hydrating Marine Moisture Mask uses a blend of marine botanicals to moisturize the skin, but the fact that it's oil-free will appeal to even acne skin folks who are experiencing surface dehydration but don't want to risk a breakout.


4. Fresh Rose Face Mask leaves your skin glowing, dewey and chunky. Wait, what? Ok, the mask is chunky, not your actual face. Fresh uses real rose hips and petals that are suspended in a gel, so when you apply it to your face, it's like your smearing a crushed rose all over it. It's pretty amazing.


5. Korres Nectarine Velvet Moisturizing Mask really lives up to its name. My skin actually did feel velvety soft after applying this! It's a cream mask that you slather on a thick application, and 15 minutes later most of the mask had absorbed into my skin (always a good sign).


What about your skin, does it change with the seasons? Any hydrating masks you've used and loved?

Perfecting your pout

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Thank you again Blog Better Boston for featuring this post (along with 7 other fab bloggers) for the {hub}links round-up about all things love.  

I don't know about you, but I love kissing and if you've got dry lips, you might have loved ones questioning whether they want to kiss you or not... and that should never happen. Because every day should be a kissable day, there's no excuse to have scaly, peeling lips. Also, if you like to wear a dramatic lip color, your dry lips become even more obvious- and then you go from wanting to look polished to looking like you stopped drinking water and moved to an arid climate.

If you've never exfoliated your lips, you're going to love it! The scrubbing action makes them feel slightly tingly and it's equally as nice removing that texture.

And then the magic happens. Once you apply a hydrating lip balm/ moisturizer your lips are truly buttah. They're like a slip n' slide of satiny perfection and you won't be able to stop rubbing them together. So here's the two step process for perfectly kissable lips:

Step 1: Exfoliate

Fresh sugar lip polish/ Lush popcorn lip scrub/ e.l.f. lip exfoliator/ tarte maracuja lip exfoliant/ Bite Beauty whipped cherry lip scrub

~ Just like exfoliating your face, you'll only need to exfoliate your lips 2-3x a week, at most. It's best to exfoliate your lips in the morning so your lips are soft all day. Just take a tiny amount of the lip scrub (half the size of a pea should work) and with your index finger, rub the scrub not only on your lips but the skin around your lips too. Rinse or tissue off any excess. Keep the lip scrub near your sink, or where you do your makeup, to act as a reminder. 

Step 2. Moisturize

EOS organic lip balm sphere/ Kiehl's lip balm #1/ Josie Maran argan lip treatment/
Sephora Collection super nourishing lip balm/ Jack Black intense therapy lip balm/ Neutrogena Norwegian formula lip moisturizer SPF 15/ Dior creme de rose smoothing plumping lip balm

~ Immediately after exfoliating, you'll apply the hydrating lip balm. For really dry lips (especially in the winter) have a stash of lip balms in all sorts of places- in your nightstand, purse, desk at work, car, diaper bag, etc. That way, you'll be able to maintain the benefits of your lip exfoliation. If you want to apply a lip color afterwards, just fold a tissue in half and "blot" or press your lips gently onto the tissue to remove some of the lip balm (don't rub it off though, that defeats the purpose).

You'll love how soft your lips feel, and hopefully, others will too!

winter hand care

My hands tend to run on the dry-side because I’m constantly washing them (a certain two-year old may have something to do with that). But then the winter hits and it’s a vicious combination of over-washing, cold & dry weather, forced heat and wearing gloves- they just zap any residual moisture right out of me.

When I worked in a spa, performing facials & body treatments, I paid very close attention to my hands. I mean, who wants a calming face massage by someone with calloused hands? No. No one does.

The good thing about doing all those treatments is that my hands were immersed in product all day. Not only was I exfoliating a client’s calves with a luxurious salt scrub, but my hands became silky soft too. And when I applied a collagen face mask my hands also benefited.

So you see, I’ve learned a few things along the way and here are 6 tips to keep your hands touchable-y soft all year long.

Beauty Fixation: November

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You guys, this is seriously a favorite of mine. The ~H2O+ hand and foot smoother has been my go-to foot cream for close to a decade (I typically buy 3-4 at a time to always have a stock-pile). It's got a blend of Alpha Hydroxy Acids so it actually exfoliates and hydrates. It's not too heavy for a foot cream, which helps it absorb really well.

top/ bottom (sorry for the graininess of the images)

Don't get me wrong, I still need to exfoliate my feet with a foot scrub and pedi file, but I don't need to do it that often- maybe once a month (more in the summer though). I put the foot cream on every day, after my shower. When your skin is slightly damp everything absorbs really well (same rule applies for your face & body) so apply right after the shower and it'll work even better! I am also a slipper fanatic (I currently have 3 in my everyday rotation- yes I just realized how much of a crazy person that makes me!) and I always reserve one pair for my foot cream (they never leave the bathroom). The slippers help keep the foot moisturizer from smearing all over the bathroom floor, keeping it on my feet instead!

Any foot products you've had success with?