Blogmas, Day Three: Winter Skincare

So much for Blogmas, Day Two, guys! I'm so sorry. Yesterday was just such a crazy day for me. I was planning to actually write the post about what I did yesterday....only to not take a single picture of the entire day....so I'm sorry I missed it, BUT I won't do it again, I promise :). Without further ado or apology, here is Blogmas, Day Three, in which I talk about Winter skin care. 

I don't know about y'all, but I get some really dry skin when the cold weather hits and it isn't that it feels dry, it's dry dry. 

My skin will be going along, minding its own business and the second the temperature drops below 70, FLAKES! My lips peel, I get dry skin at the corners of my mouth that cracks (thanks for that one, Accutane), the skin on my hands gets ashy and I'm a WHITE girl already. And let me just say this: I'm in Northern California. By no means am I in extreme weather conditions, at all. The cold weather comes, my skin freaks out and as a result, I have to switch out some products to help out. 

I still use all of my regular Lush products. Those aren't going anywhere, anytime soon. My Coal Face soap is a godsend for my face and the Grease Lightning spot treatment is as well. I'm also still using my Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herb and Rosewater as a toner. It's the only thing I've found that my skin actually likes so I'm sticking with it. 

In winter skincare, with cold air and dry skin, you need to make sure you're exfoliating. Luckily, I bought a Clarisonic a few years ago and I use that two or three times a week to help deep clean my skin, exfoliate a bit, and get rid of the dead skin that tends to accumulate. I only really use my Clarisonic when I wash my hair (which is like 2-3 times a week) because 1. I don't want to over exfoliate my skin and 2. it makes it a special treat when I use my Clarisonic and my Burt's Bees Soap Bark and Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream. 

After cleaning my face, deep clean or otherwise, I need to moisturize. That's a big duh, but in winter, I have to switch my moisturizer from my typical Trader Joe's SPF 15 face lotion to a thicker, more emollient cream like Alba Botanica's Even Better Night Cream for night and Alba Botanica's Good & Healthy Oil-Free Radiance Cream during the day. 

As a rule, I do use a lot of more natural products on my skin. That's mostly because I find that my skin tends to respond better the more natural the products that I'm using on it are. 

Last, but not least, I just discovered Bath and Body Works' My Favorite Night Balm (which I use during the day too) for my lips. I have perpetually dry lips and while I had been using the Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask for a long time, the Night Balm is actually significantly cheaper and I've noticed better results using it than I ever did with my lip mask. 

So there you have it. Nothing too crazy, but definitely some added steps to combat the extra flakiness and dryness of winter skin.

See you guys tomorrow! Cheers!

Countdown to Blogmas: Christmas Movies All Around!

I'm tryin' something new this year and I'm going to jump on the Blogmas bandwagon and post every day from December 1st through the 25th with a different holiday post. We'll see how it works out, but  I'm definitely in the planning stages right now. It should be pretty cool. 

You know, this year I tried not to be one of those people who immediately skips from Pumpkin Spice to Peppermint, Jack O' Lanterns to Christmas lights, but I just couldn't help it. Halloween ended and the next day I watched Eloise at Christmastime, my favorite holiday movie....or one of them. I thought that if you were also in the Christmas spirit just a touch early this year, I would share my favorite Christmas movies (that I may...or may not have already watched so far this month).

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

While my mother loves the original, I am definitely partial to the Jim Carrey version of things. Loosely based on the original Grinch, this version relies much more on physical comedy and Carey's mastery of one-liners (who-venile delinquents, anyone?). For some reason, the version that I watch about a billion times online each year and the one ABCFamily uses for 25 Days of Christmas are a little different, so I get to enjoy both several times before the holidays are over.

Eloise at Christmastime

Oh, I absolutely love Eloise! This is, by far, one of my favorite movies, Christmas or otherwise, because I love Eloise. She's precocious and adorable and sees life as black and white (and sometimes, pink!): You love each other? Good, I'll make sure you end up together. If you're not as Disney obsessed as my family, you may not know that this premiered as part of the revival of Wonderful World of Disney over 10 years ago. Sophia Vassilieva plays Eloise and Julie Andrews plays her ever-patient Nanny in the duo of films that they produced in the Eloise series. It's such a sweet movie and I love how she plays the famous six year old.

Year Without a Santa Claus

If you don't love a good Rankin-Bass Christmas movie, you don't have a soul. These are what make Christmas in my eyes, and this particular movie is my absolute favorite of them all, probably because of Heatmiser and Snowmiser. The flamboyant duo who control the temperature of the world are what make this movie.

The Family Stone

I saw this in theaters when it came out (I was much too young to understand the movie) and liked it. Now that I watch it as an adult, there is something about this movie and this family that makes you fall in love with them. Despite their dysfunctionality and the craziness that ensues when they get together, at the end of the day, they love each other and everything turns out alright. I love it and will watch it again and again this season.

Arthur Christmas

Oh, the slippers in this movie! Written about Santa's youngest, most...well-meaning son, this movie shows what happens when three generations of Santa live under the same roof and how the meaning of Christmas is so individual. I love the animation and to be totally honest, the movie reminds me a lot of my childhood even though it came out three years ago.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Dear mainstream media and obnoxious parents, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is not promoting bullying. It's promoting acceptance of differences and dancing to the beat of your own drum. I can't believe that's become a topic of conversation. This is one of my Dad's favorites and I can't help but love it, too. After all, Rankin-Bass rules Christmas. Yukon Cornelius makes this movie for me. With his big, red beard and his can-do attitude, he kinda reminds me of Teddy Roosevelt. Between him and The Bumble, this movie really couldn't get any cuter.

It's a Wonderful Life

True Life: I love Jimmy Stewart. After I saw Harvey like 7 years ago, I fell in love and when I watched this movie for the first time as an adult last year, I just fell in love with him all over again. After all, who is more charming than Jimmy Stewart holding a bathrobe out to a naked woman hiding in a bush?

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Rank-Bass, man. This movie was my absolute favorite as a kid. I loved the Winter Warlock and the Burgermeister Meisterburger. It's just such a silly, feel-good movie and I watch it at least twice every holiday season because I love the music and the story of Santa and the explanation of Mrs. Claus. Plus, Santa's a ginge. Of course I'm gonna love the movie, duh!

Rise of the Guardians

Technically, this movie takes place around Easter, but I mean with the giant, Russian Santa and the elves and yetis running around, there's no way it's an Easter movie. I just love this movie. It's one of the funniest, freshest movies that has come out for Christmas in a while. None of the characters are trite, traditional Christmas characters and the way the movie talks about belief and finding out who you are is a great message for kids and adults alike. 

A Charlie Brown Christmas

I mean, the iconic, sad little tree. As a kid, I really wasn't into the Charlie Brown Holiday Specials, but as I've grown up, I've realized how good they are and how poignant and important the messages that they share with us each year are. Christmas isn't about getting a new PlayStation or finding the perfect present. It's about family and coming together to celebrate the feeling of this time of year.