It’s been a dry winter this year in Florida and colder than usual although I suspect it’s usually much colder and drier than most of you in the winter. I’ve had a few skin care routines that I’ve been loving that I wanted to share to combat dry skin. I have choices in many price points.
Body Lotion and Creams
There are so many great body creams and lotions on the market but the scent is so picky that I feel like I’m missing out on a lot of great formulas. I tend to go for fragrance-free or mildly scented when it comes to body lotions. I also need something to feel smooth and non-sticky so anything “cool” tends to go nowhere for me.
My current favorite body cream is Herbivore Botanicals Cloud Milk Firming Body Cream ($40, at Herbivore, Sephora and Nordstrom). That’s what I wanted the Kopari Ultra Restore Body Butter ($36) to be which felt too thick and smelled too sweet for my taste. This one from Herbivore Botanicals has a soft cushiony velvety cream that melts into the skin. It has a coconut and vanilla scent but not too strong. It has a very moisturizing feel and absorbs well and is non-healing.
Naturium Bio-Lipid Restoring Body Lotion ($14.99) is a great budget-friendly option that’s fragrance-free, thick but doesn’t feel greasy. It takes a little work to fully massage into the skin but I love it. I brought a travel size on the trip.
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Body Cream ($30 – $65, also in this Duo Bundle Set) is one of the more expensive options I’ve tried. If you like Magic Face Cream I think you will like this one. I love them both. It has a sense of comfort and texture. There is a subtle scent like the facial version but it’s light and fresh. It has shea butter and is very soothing. And it has a smooth effect. I think it’s incredibly expensive but I think the formula is really good.
Prequel Barrier Therapy Skin Protectant Cream ($18) is a soothing body cream with 1% colloidal oatmeal. That’s what I wanted the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream to be in the form of a body lotion, although when I checked their website I just found out that they have an Ultra Repair Body Lotion ($38) that seems to be on special on their website. The Prequel Barrier Cream worked to help relieve the dry skin breakouts I’ve had this winter season. Some areas of my hands and arms were so dry that they started to crack and were so red and burned that I couldn’t even sleep. A mixture of Vaseline and Prequel cream helped soothe everything and restore moisture. On normal days I like this on the body alone.
Many of you have recommended Osea, especially the Anti-Aging Body Balm and Body Butter. I had a small sample of the Anti-Aging Body Balm to try and the formula is amazing! It’s on the cool side with some smoothness at the end so it doesn’t have much drying. I’m trying to decide if I can wear this even with a cool texture because it feels incredible but I don’t like it sticking to my clothes. I think I might order their Glow to Go Starter set ($32) to try a few more things.
Body Fat
I love a good body oil but this is another category where I am very picky about scents and textures. The thicker ones will probably help with the best hydration but I prefer ones that aren’t too thick or sticky.
Tata Harper Revitalizing Body Oil ($120, available at Tata Harper, Bluemercury, Nordstrom and Sephora) came highly recommended by more than a dozen of you in a poll I conducted over the holidays. It smells sweet but in a sweet way. It smells like a spa treatment – green, fresh and really refreshing. It absorbs well into the skin and hydrates. I plan to try the Resurfacing Body Serum or the Smoothing Scrub next.
Celine Huile Celeste ($195) was quite a splurge but I love it more because of the scent. It is one of the three new ingredients in the Celine perfume line in the Cologne Celeste fragrance. Beautiful fresh citrus, notes include ANGELICA, SWEET LEMON ESSENCE, PETITGRAIN, NEROLI ACCORD, AMBRETTE BUTTER AND ORRIS BUTTER. This is a pour-over style bottle and I wish it had a cap or a spray. I was able to find another top spritzer cap at the store although I don’t know how long it will last as it is designed for cologne. The scenery is dreamy and beautiful. Just as you would expect from a massage oil. I bought this for a very light scent compared to the cologne, but I really like it and will use every last drop. I don’t think I will repurchase because of the price but it was a good splurge.
Chanel L’Huile Vanille ($230) is another splurge that I think was 100% worth it. Chanel Body Massage Oils come in four scents at the moment and I would love to own them all but Vanille is my favourite. It smells like a very different Sublimage Skincare line. It has a very nice texture with a mild fragrance. I love the way it feels and absorbs into the skin. The only downside is the large glass package. It is very beautiful and very big but difficult to hold because of its size. The rest of the top has no stopper so it’s a pouring style so you have to be careful not to overspend. The formula is 10/10 though.
Shower Care
Bath and shower are three of my favorites lately. Saltair has a great range of affordable hair and body care products. I really loved the Golden Hour Nourishing Oil Body Wash ($15). It has a nice but not too sweet pineapple + coconut scent. It has a gel like body wash texture. The moisturizing level is medium, not as hydrating as an oil, but more than a normal shower gel. I really liked the texture and the formula.
Bioderma Atoderm Body Cleansing Oil ($29.99) is great for soft, hydrated skin. It works well on dry skin and leaves the skin feeling smooth. I wish the packaging was nicer but the formula is great. They also have it in a small travel size of 3.4 fl oz which is great to try before buying the full size.
Sol de Janeiro Brazilian 4 Play Shower Moisturizing Shower Cream-Gel ($26 to $56) is probably my most repurchased shower cream. It has a very strong scent but I like it. It is a cream shower product that moisturizes the skin well without leaving a film or residue. After going through this a lot we decided to start buying the Value Size 33.1 oz that comes with a pump. They do this again with a big refill pack now.
I love a good body scrub but I haven’t found anything that I really like right now. Most are too gritty or oil based scrubs leave the skin too oily if that makes sense. For now I’ve been using a nice washcloth to remove.
Hand and Cuticle Care
I’ve used a bunch of hand creams and cuticle oils over the past few months and right now I’ve been sticking to my tried and true. I like Chanel La Crème Main ($55) or Le Lift La Crème Main ($70) because they dry really well and aren’t sticky. For me they have the perfect amount of moisture.
For very dry hands/skin I think L’Occitane is the best. I just placed a refill order for the Shea Butter Hand Cream ($13, the new packaging looks great!) and the Cuticle Oil ($22).
For the cuticles I finished off with OPI ProSpa Cuticle Oil which I really liked. I will buy again. I am currently looking at my second bottle of Hermes Nail Oil which I really like but always run out of. Chanel’s L’Huile Camelia ($32) is another luxury option that’s quite a splurge but incredibly nourishing and effective. I bought the repackaged Dior Huile Abricot ($30). I really liked it, I still like it but not as much as OPI or Chanel because I don’t find it as hydrating.
Buy Posts
That wraps up my winter body care! We’d love to hear about your favorites or hot and misses!