Beautiful Tips for Soft, Moisturized Skin

This time of year is brutal for our skin. Dry central heating, with freezing temperatures outside can leave us with rough, dry, itchy skin. Moisturizing has long been an obsession of mine- I’ve been known to hold my daughters down and apply lotion if I thought their skin looked dry.  The knees! The hands! The elbows! Ah those poor girls… I moisturize in the morning, and at night, and pretty much  at any time I can. Like the main rule of real estate is Location, Location, Location, the rule for great skin is Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize.  Inspired by the brilliant Janine Falcon at Beautygeeks I’ve decided to share my favourite products to scrub, polish, and saturate our skin til its plump, dewy and glowy.

First of all, we must exfoliate our skin. Applying moisturizing potions to dry flaky skin is painting over chipped peeling paint without scraping and sanding first.  It’s a waste of product and the skin that needs the nourishment won’t get it. There are two ways to exfoliate, manually, with a granular or “scrub” cosmetic product or brush/loofah/mitt product. This is best done is the shower unless you want to vacuum or sweep up the by products of this process…which is dead skin. Ew.

My favourite exfoliants are the scrubs. These usually contain rough granules that help smooth the skin. I like high and low versions of these products, as long as they get the job done.  For low, I’ve used the basic  St Ives Apricot Scrub. I use the original formula is intended for the face but the granules are nice and fine and work miracles when used head to toe in the shower. I also enjoy the scrubs that heat up. St Ives Fresh Skin Warming Scrub is a facial version that I have used head to toe & find it quite cozy and comforting after a day in the cold. The St Ives Mineral Therapy Body Polish is also quite good but I’ve been equally happy with all of these. Extra attention given to knees and feet and especially any area that gets, ahem, sat on all day. Another exfoliating option is via a vitamin A or alpha hydroxy or chemical exfoliant. I have recently been using Derma E Vitamin A Retinyl Palmitate Wrinkle Treatment Gel. It is for the face, but I didn't know that! It comes in a large bottle for under $15 and I have been using it all over my body at bedtime. It is barely scented with a mild cucumber scent and I love its smoothing effect.

My higher end faves include my latest love, Caudalie Merlot Friction Scrub. It comes in a lovely pot, smells divine and makes my skin smooth as silk. I adore the Caudalie line and their Beauty Elixir is an HG product I adore. The Nuxe Tonific Exfoliation is a kinder, gentler scrub that also smells and feels luxurious but is perfect for a more sensitive skin. The Clinique Sparkle Skin Exfoliator is another one I love. Well, except for the name. Are you naming your products for 6 year old girls Clinique? Anyways, I have been known to use the Clinique 7 Day Scrub on my body as well- it smells amazing and sometimes I prefer the smaller size “scrubbers” that come in the facial formulas.

I have never been a big fan of the cloths or brushes that exfoliate as I tend to like products- the scent, the luxurious feel of a body product just appeals to me more. However after reading Beautygeeks raves for the Dermalogica Buffing Cloth I think I might have to get one. I adore Dermalogica and find their products have integrity and purpose so this cloth sounds perfect!

Kiehls makes an oil wash as part of their Argan line- Superbly Restorative Argan Body Cleansing Oil. This stuff is genius and somehow manages to cleanse and lightly resurface at the same time. Again, I have only tried samples of this but plan to get my hot little hands on a bottle. Soon.

Ok. So now that we have scrubbed, buffed and polished ourselves to a shine, its time to moisturize! I am a big fan of body oils, and I especially love to combine them with lotions and creams for extra oomph. I am almost through a bottle of Weleda Wild Rose Body Oil and while I quite liked it, I am keen to try some others before buying another bottle. The Wild Buckthorn Oil Janine mentioned sounds wonderful, as does the latest Weleda Oil, Pomegranate.  The Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse has been a long time favourite of mine- it smells like soft sweet honey and just soaks into the skin. Neutrogena Sesame Body Oil is a classic as well. This is perfect for right after the shower and the scent is soft and lovely, as well as nostalgic as I recall using this as a teenager. Has anyone tried the Kiehls Argan Dry Oil? This stuff is magic and while I have only used samples, a bottle of this stuff is on my hit list.

I also adore Monoi Oil- it smells like gardenias and sunshine. I use the Yves Rocher Monoi Oil but have heard it has mineral oil…I have also used and loved The Body Shop Spa Wisdom Monoi Oil which does not list mineral oil anywhere but The Interwebs is crawling with Accusers saying it has mineral oil as well so if anyone knows of a readily available Monoi that is free of mineral oil let me know!

Lotions and creams are a must have in the fight to stay soft and moisturized. My ultimate high end product is Kiehls Crème de Corps- nothing soaks in like this product and when used regularly it does improve the texture of your skin. It has almost no scent which is great for use in the morning as it won’t interfere with my perfume.  My go-to daily moisturizer is Nivea Q10 which I’ve reviewed here. I used Palmers Cocoa Butter lotion forever but stopped recently as the scent became too overpowering for me. I have seen an unscented version on the web but have yet to stumble upon it in real life. If I do, I will buy a case as this is truly the BEST lotion I have ever used, and at $8 a bottle the value is unprecedented.

What are your faves? How do you stay soft, silky and glowy? Share!

Exuberance Beauty Believe Tangerine & Sugar Maple Toner- Beautiful

First, a little bit about Exuberance Beauty. Exuberance is an luxury organic skincare company based here in Ottawa and headed up by the most exuberant Jodi Fedor. Jodi is committed to providing top quality ingredients in the most luxurious formulas to treat our skin. Exuberance offers cutting edge, results driven and scientifically sound formulations created with the highest quality certified organic ingredients. This is no granola organic skincare from the health food store. This is obvious the moment you touch and smell these products – they feel rich and smell divine, and that alone takes your skincare to a whole other level. Exuberance Beauty has an amazing website that tells the story of the company and it’s founder. Trust me, Jodi really IS as lovely as she sounds.

I am a big fan of misting toners. I like to mist after cleansing, sometimes after moisturizing and after applying make up. I will mist halfway through the day to refresh my skin and when I fly it’s a must. I started with Caudalie and have not looked back. For a toner to work for me, it must DO something. I like to feel it on my skin, soothing and comforting. My skin is oily and sometimes acne prone, but I hate to dry it out with acne products. Natural products have proven most effective so I feel that “calming” my skin is the best way to control it. The “Believe” tonic has me sold on all levels. First of all let me tell you about the scent. It’s a lovely orange-y citrus scent, so gentle and soft, and I detect delicate floral notes as well. 

So that’s the beginning of the feel-good effect. If I like the way a product smells, we are halfway home. After cleansing my face, it sits on the skin for a few moments then soaks right in, leaving my skin feeling dewy and soft, not dry or tight. I feel a gentle tingle and notice a nice rosy glow as well which tells me the Vitamin C in Believe is doing its stuff- fighting those antioxidants and renewing myskin. 

The aloe vera in Believe is so soothing and gentle, it really feels like I am doing something nice for my skin, and for myself. Aloe is a mega moisturizer without being oily, and is also proven to heal skin. Perfect. Believe also contains Willow Bark, which is the original source of salicylic acid. Studies show it’s effective against acne and acts to detoxify and soothe irritated, inflamed skin. Which is just what I need. 

I then moisturize and, if I’m going to bed, I will add another spritz. If I’m starting my day, I will apply my make up and give a gentle spritz when I’m done. I feel like it sets my make up and eliminates any powdery residue that may look too make-up-y.

I have noticed a difference in my skin in the 7 days that I have been using Believe. My skin is less shiny and my pores are less congested. I definitely notice a glow and a slight plumping and smoothing effect on my fine lines. Exuberance Beauty Believe is a beautiful product. I am officially addicted. There is also a rose based Exuberance toner geared towards drier skin and fine lines….thinking I might need that one too! Stay tuned for reviews of more products in the Exuberance Beauty line.

Exuberance Beauty skincare can be purchased on their website, and select locations of The Bay. There is a comprehensive list of retailers here as well. You can find Exuberance on Facebook and follow them on Twitter as well.

Dislcosure: products reviewed from samples provided by Exuberance Beauty