Brace yourselves, winter is coming. Oh no…it’s here!
Corny (and terrible, I know) jokes set aside, it is winter for many around the world. Or at least in the northern hemisphere. That means snow, lots of layers, red noses, and dry skin.
A little bit of background about my skin: my skin is super dry and peely, especially in the winter. I struggle with eczema, and it’s a bit of an embarassing problem at times.

Example: last week the face on one of my tattoos legitimately had an eczema patch. I felt a bit bad for her. Even more worrying though, I am very careful with the way my skin looks on my tattoos, because constantly peeling skin can result in faded colors in tattoos, and I want my tattoos to always look fresh and bright.

That’s the subject for another post though.

I live in Tennessee, so I know the winters here are not as harsh as they are up north. However, I think we can all agree that winter is a bad time for almost everyone’s skin. The heat we run tends to dry our faces out, and seasonal depression affects many of us as well and sometimes self care is put on the back burner.

So today I just wanted to share a few of my personal winter favorites that are quick (and inexpensive…most of them) and can help your skin out a little, if needed.

1. Vaseline Creme Brulee Lip Treatment If I recall correctly, these range between $1-2 at most drugstores. These little tubs of glory have been life savers for my lips. On top of having eczema problems, I also have asthma, and that means during the winter I breathe out of my mouth way more often, resulting in very chapped lips. Like painfully chapped some days. This can be a huge damper for someone like me that loves lipstick, so I make sure to try and take care of my lips before they get chapped. This product helps me with that. I slather this stuff on before bed most nights, and it’s still holding strong when I wake up. It’s an amazing product, and I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone.

2. Blistex Lip Medex I’m probably going to have a lot of lip products in this post, but that’s you all love me, right? I will just keep telling myself that. Anyway, I use this product when my lips are really really chapped and I need a quick fix. I think I bought this by recommendation from Dani from CoffeebreakwithDani (look her up, she’s so funny and genuine) for about $2 at cvs. Warning: this stuff is strong, and feels (and smells) like straight medicine going on your lips. However, it works wonders. I reach for this when I need quick relief on days when my lips are chapped from the cold wind.

3. Sonia Kashuk Body Oil This was a recent discovery. I foung this on clearance for $5 at Target (hollaaaa) and decided to pick it up and try it out. I have “Red Promisa” which has sandlewood, jasmine, and vanilla, and this oil is heavenly. It feels luxurious without the luxury price tag. It smells like a floral paradise (my favorite) and it hydrates my skin very well. If you see this at your Target on clearance, grab it. It’s worth every penny. I would have paid full price for it though.

4. First Aid Ultra Repair Cream This is probably the one thing out of everything in this post that I absolutely cannot live without. This lotion does it all. No joke. It can be used all over the body, including the face. It’s sensitive skin friendly, and it helps with eczema. This lotion has been my saving grace this winter. I use it once at night, and again when I wake up and my skin feels so supple and hydrated and ready for makeup. It’s also cleared up the eczema patches on my arms. I think this is $12 at sephora for 2 ozs, which sounds pricey, but it is so worth it. I can’t live without this stuff now, and I will probably take the plunge and buy the bigger one once I run out. A little goes a long way with this product though.

5. Laura Mercier Hydrating Primer Okay, I lied about all of these products being inexpensive. In my defense, I have tried so many primers and none compare to this one, in my opinion. It does what it says. It’s a hydrating primer. If you have very dry skin, in the winter time it’s best to avoid mattifying primers because they’ll dry your face out even more. This primer is more like a moisturizer, and gives your skin an extra boost before you apply makeup. I just bought this primer this year, and my makeup has never looked better in the winter. I know there are other hydrating primers like from Too Faced and such, but if anyone has a nice drugstore primer that’s hydrating, let me know.

6. Malin and Goetz Mojito Lip Balm I received this product in my January Ipsy bag, and I have not been able to stop using it since I got it. It has a really nice lime scent to it, and it’s thick so it really hydrates and protects my lips from winter wind damage. It’s very thick, so if you don’t like thick balms on your lips this won’t be for you, but I like to use this particular balm at night. I can put a layer on before bed and wake up and it’s still there. That’s pretty amazing considering I am a well known snorer and nighttime mouth breather (thanks, asthma).

Those are a few of my personal winter must haves. What are some of yours? Comment and let me know, I may try out some of your suggestions!