Skip to main content

Ask the Expert: Winter Edition

If you are a regular reader, you probably know by now that Elizabeth is our resident make-up/beauty expert and that the Katies often go to her with all of their skincare questions. We decided to exploit her knowledge with a periodic "Ask the Expert" series on the blog. You may recall that the first edition of this series was posted back in November (if you missed the first edition, you can check it out HERE). 

Given that winter brings about a host of skincare issues, we decided that it was time we took advantage of Elizabeth's extensive knowledge and featured a new round of Ask the Expert questions.  Just like we did with Round 1, we take this opportunity to formally invite you to shoot a question either in the comments or on our Instagram (we should probably let you email us, but I don't think any of us have ever actually checked our blog's email) that you would like our expert to answer. Of course, we are experts in most things, but if you have some sort of beauty question, let Elizabeth be your guide!

Let's get started with the Katies' winter skincare questions!

(1) Winter really dries out my skin but I'm still acne prone. How to get moisture I need without excessive breakouts? 

Short answer: Exfoliate and moisturize. (Note: there will be a theme to today’s answers: exfoliation and moisturization). For me, the key to not having a dry flaky face in the winter is to gently exfoliate and then use a gel based moisturizer. I also add in moisturizing sheet masks such as Dr Jart Water Replenishment Cotton Sheet Mask  from time to time to give the skin an extra moisture boost. I keep a gentle daily scrub in the shower as well ( for more intense exfoliation, I’m fond of the Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intenstive Exfolizating Treatment, which I use maybe once a week). Breakouts start with all this dry dead skin mixing with dirt and oils clogging the pores, then adding a thick cream moisturizer makes a recipe for disaster. So once you clear away all the dead skin cells you’re ready to use something like Tatcha Water Cream. The gel formula is not going to clog your pores but delivers great moisture. If you really want a cream, I do like Drunk Elephant LaLa Retro Whipped Cream. 

(2) What lipsticks are super moisturizing? I need to combat winter chapped lips.

As mentioned in the winter funk post Bite Beauty with 12 edible oils and triple milled pigments is a great option. Most lipsticks, as long as we are not talking about liquid lips, are pretty moisturizing. But they are lipsticks, so they are not going to combat winter chapped lips. Additionally, if your lips are chapped then the lipstick is not going to look good as it emphasizes that your lips are not smooth.

Again, the key is exfoliation and moisturization. You want to prep your lips before lipstick enters the picture. A lip scrub will help slough off dead skin and smooth your lips. Follow that up with a lip balm. You can put the lip balm on when you start your makeup and then blot it off before you add your lipstick. There are also a couple of brands of balm that I particularly like because they are not greasy or slippy, so they go under other lip products well. I am a fan of Fresh Advanced Therapy  and I recently discovered Farmacy Honey Butter Beeswax lip balm which is more affordable and giving Fresh a run for its money. In multi-purpose news, L’Occitane 100 percent Pure Shea Butter can be used for your lips, elbows and feet, cuticles  there is also a limited edition apricot scented mini that I completely love. If you want to go heavy duty, I enjoy using Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask. At night before bed slather this on and wake up with smooth lips in the morning. Bonus: It smells great.

(3) Should I be changing my beauty routine/products in the winter? Why?

My opinion is that it is not really necessary. I switch up colors with the seasons a little. A deep berry lip doesn’t make much sense in the summer but is a great Fall/Winter look. I also use moisturizing masks and lip balms more in the winter than in the warm humid months. Similarly, I probably use more mattifying products in the Summer. Still, I don’t revamp my entire routine. I generally tweak my skincare routine according to what my skin is needing regardless of what the calendar says.
Unsolicited advice from Katie 1: I actually do change up my beauty routine a little bit in the winter months. I add a stronger nighttime moisturizer and switch out my normal shine control primer for something a little less drying.
So there you have the expert answers to our winter beauty questions.  Again, we'd love to hear your beauty questions so ask away in the comments or on our Instagram!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Workout Wednesday: Let's Discuss that NYT Article

By know we've all read (or read about) that New York Times  opinion piece shaming women for wearing anything other than sweatpants to the gym. We're not going to link to it here because we don't want to send additional traffic to the website; however, THIS article from Jezebel  sums the article up quite nicely (make sure to check out the comments, they're gold). In short, the author of the opinion piece wears sweatpants to the gym, doesn't see anyone else wearing them and then proceeds to shame women for (1) wanting to look nice in their workout clothing; and (2) wearing anything other than baggy sweats to the gym. The article also cultivates the very thing that the author claims the proliferation of the yoga pants culture seems to cultivate: it shames women for dressing how they want, when they want.  The overarching theme of women shaming aside (because we don't have the time to go into that), most of the points that the author makes in the article are jus...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mad for Plaid: An entire post dedicated to Black Watch Tartan

Confession: Katie 1 has a slight obsession w/ Black Watch Tartan. Why? First, because it’s a combination of her favorite colors.  Second, the Duchess of Cambridge.  Third, it has a pretty cool history which makes it even more fun to wear.  It’s fairly common knowledge that Black Watch tartan is named for the 43rd Royal Regiment, commonly known as the Black Watch.  Did you know that Black Watch tartan actually pre-dates the formation of the 43rd Royal Regiment?  In fact, one of the theories behind why the 43rd is called the Black Watch is because of the very dark appearance of their uniform tartan (which we now know as Black Watch tartan).  So how deep does Katie 1’s obsession go?  She could wear a different item of Black Watch tartan every day for more than a week obsessed.  Want proof? Here’s a list of all of the Black Watch items in her wardrobe. Blazer Work Dress Casual Dress Side Zip Ankle Pants Front Zip Ankle Pants Trousers Ski...
3 comments
Read more

Back to Basics: The Sheath Dress

We're back with the second post in our series of basic pieces that working women should have in their wardrobes. If you missed our first, go back and check it out . The goal is to show you those items we come back to time and time again and show you a few ways to wear them so you 1) get some mileage out of the pieces and 2) you don't look (or feel) as though you're wearing the same thing every day. The capsule wardrobe. Be honest- how many times have you pinned it? (Katie 1 would like you to know she's has NEVER pinned it. She has no desire whatsoever to create a capsule wardrobe thankyouverymuch.) Whether it's for vacation or every day, we search for those elusive few pieces that we can mix-and-match in a million different ways to create an entire month's worth of outfits with just seven pieces! We here at Not a Corporate Fashun Blog have no mastered the capsule wardrobe. We, just like you, wake up in the morning with a closet packed full of stuff and ...
Post a Comment
Read more