With winter weather comes snow-topped mountains, glistening frozen ponds, and rosy cheeks. But unfortunately, not everything about winter is wonderful – namely, what the punishing weather does to our skin, lips, eyes, and hair. Here are 5 careful selections of winter’s best beauty tricks.
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Photo via Bigstock
We all love lipstick. But sometimes, it seems like too much of a pain to reapply constantly throughout the day. That’s why beauty expert Gerry put together this tutorial. She explains exactly how to keep your pout perfect all day long, with just a few extra steps. These few extra steps will be well worthwhile when you hit your 3:00 coffee break and realize you haven’t reapplied all day.
- Exfoliate: This will get rid of any extra skin cells that might catch on your lipstick. It’ll also make your lips feel silky smooth.
- Prime: Using a primer will help smooth our your natural lip colour and will also help the lipstick stick.
- Line: A common concern for lipliner is having to buy a different liner for every lipstick. If you have a large lipstick collection, this can seem daunting. Instead, try buying a nude liner. Rather than line on top of your lip line, you’ll line just outside the lip line. This is also super handy for after the lipstick application – you can clean up the line if you accidentally add colour outside the lines.
- Apply: The hard part is choosing your colour – pink? red? cherry? magenta? – so once you’ve decided, apply the lipstick over your entire lips, and press your lips together to evenly distribute the colour.
- Tidy: If necessary, now’s the time to tidy up those edges with your nude lip liner.
- Powder: To set the lipstick, you’ll need a finishing powder, a large makeup brush, and a tissue. (If it’s a double layered tissue, feel free to separate the two layers for a thinner piece. Press the tissue against your lips and lightly brush the powder over your lips.
- Reapply: If you can see the powder on your lips, feel free to add another light layer of lipstick to your pout.
[More at YouTube]
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Photo via Chatelaine
Wool sweaters, high collars, and dry winter air combine each year to create static electricity that looks more like a science experiment than a blow-out. Here’s how to manage fly-aways and keep your hair healthy through winter.
- Use moisturizing hair products: It’s important to keep your hair as hydrated during the winter. Use shampoos and conditioners with built-in moisturizing agents. You can also use a weekly hair masque, or use prep products with Moroccan oil to keep your locks smooth and shiny.
- Avoid static-inducing materials: Using plastic combs and brushes may encourage static in your hair, so try to avoid them as much as possible during the winter months. If your hair is susceptible to static, you should also avoid synthetic fabrics – especially polyester.
- Use Static Guard or hairspray: If your hair is still standing on end, try spraying Static Guard or hairspray onto your hairbrush and run it through your hair. (Remember, Static Guard has a nasty smell, so maybe save it for the last resort!)
- Never underestimate the value of dryer sheets: When you’re on-the-go, it’s tough to anticipate static. If your hair or clothing becomes more clingy than that pesky ex-boyfriend, a dryer sheet will remove the static. Keep a few in your purse for those static emergencies.
[More at Chatelaine]
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Photo via Flickr user Gonzalo Díaz Fornaro
For someone who works at a computer all day, dry eye is nothing new. However, the harsh winter weather tends to turn a dry eye into a complete dehydrated one. To compensate, here are three tips.
- Use eye drops: You can use non-medicated eye drops as liberally as you want, especially in the wintertime. Just make sure to always wash your hands before touching your eyes and face.
- Moisturize your face: Applying a gentle eye cream will also help with dryness. Check the label and make sure to avoid anything with alpha hydroxy acids, because they could cause irritation.
- Wear sunglasses: For extra cool-factor, always wear sunglasses when out and about. They will protect your eyes from the wind, sun, and glare off the snow (gulp!), so make sure to get some with UVA & UVB protection.
[More at Real Simple]
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Image via Flickr user bluesbby
You scrub, moisturize, scrape, and pick, but your dry and cracked heels just don’t improve. Once winter hits, it can be difficult to maintain footcare (who wants to spend money on a spa pedicure in the winter?). However, this remedy is easy, cheap, and actually works. First, before bed, give your feet a scrub as you normally would and remove as much dry skin as you can. Then, coat your feet with coconut oil, slip on a pair of clean white socks, and tuck into bed. (Coconut oil works great because it’s solid at room temperature and is richer than other natural oils.) By morning, your feet will be silky smooth – and as an added bonus, they’ll smell delicious!
[More at Lifehacker]
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Image via Flickr user Rocky Sun
Why are your lips so dry? The winter season brings a plethora of beauty-related issues, but the dry lips is the worst. Here’s what you’re doing wrong, and how to improve your habits to encourage healthy, soft, kissable lips.
- Protect them: Your lips are exposed to the elements all winter long – they need protection from the wind and the cold. Use a lip balm or lip ointment (or in drastic cases, Vaseline) to seal in moisture, and don’t forget to reapply. You should also cover your mouth as much as possible in the cold by wrapping up in a cozy scarf. Just like your hands and ears, your lips deserve protection too!
- Hydrate them: Though it may seem counter-intuitive, licking your lips when they’re dry actually makes their condition worse. Avoid that bad habit, and make sure to drink lots of water too. A humidifier is also a great way to keep your lips and skin hydrated in the winter months. If you don’t have one, try boiling a pot of water on the stove, or setting a tin can of water on top of your register to up the humidity in your home. (You can also dry rubbing a cucumber on your lips – it’ll make them soft and plump.)
- Leave them alone: We all do it – the season turns and suddenly you can’t stop biting and picking at your dry lips. Leaving them alone is the first step to healing.
[More at WebMD]
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