Supple Winter Skin? A Review and A Winter Giveaway!

Does your skin tend to look or feel dry, cracked, itchy, flaky or dull?

Winter skin is something all of us have to deal with. With colder temperatures come drier, duller looking skin. Because my skin is extremely dry, I’m always on the lookout for the products that help me seal in my skin’s moisture.

Recently, I got my hands on a new body wash product by Eucerin: Calming Body Wash. I had it for weeks before I even decided to try it. Why?  I am extremely selective about body wash. If you were to look in my shower you’ll see an extensive variety of body scrubs, bar soaps and bath salts. You will only find one to two bottles of body wash at any given point in time.

In fact, the only reason I used the Calming Body Wash was because my children used the last of my Dove body wash and did not say a word. Grrrrrrrr.

The product “combines soap-free cleansing with omega oils and other natural lipids to nourish and soothe.” In other words, it should clean my skin and leave it feeling smooth and supple–and surprisingly, it did!

My skin didn’t feel greasy, slippery or feel like it was caked in product. A nickle-sized dollop is enough to lather from head to toe. The soap-free cleanser is fragrance-free but does have a scent that could be likened to the smell of wheat.  The bonus? It’s gentle enough to use on sensitive skin especially skin with eczema.

“Jolly Holiday” Winter Giveaway

Do you have products or ways that you plan to keep your winter skin looking smooth and supple? Share your how-to’s or favorite go-to’s and you could win a Winter Prize Pack! Prizing includes make up bag and all of the following:

• Eucerin Calming Crème (8 oz.) Is a gentle, non-greasy formula that combines calming oatmeal and rich emollients to help relieve dry, itchy skin for softer, healthier-looking and more comfortable skin.
• Eucerin Plus Intensive Repair Hand Crème (2.7 oz.) Is a unique, non-greasy formula that intensively moisturizes and is enriched with buffered alpha hydroxy to gently exfoliate.
• Eucerin Plus Smoothing Essentials Fast Absorbing Body Lotion (16.9 fl. oz.) has a unique formula with buffered alpha hydroxy that gently smoothes and moisturizes to reveal healthier-looking, radiant skin.
• Eucerin Calming Body Wash (8.4 oz.), is a unique body wash formulation that combines soap-free cleansing with omega oils and other natural lipids to nourish and soothe.
• Eucerin Calming Itch-Relief (6.8 fl. oz.) is a non-greasy formula calms itchy skin flare-ups with cooling menthol and natural oatmeal for effective relief that lasts up to 8 hours.

ENTRY RULES

1. Head on over to Eucerin Facebook page and share your how-to’s or favorite go-to’s for smooth, supple winter skin. Share the URL in the comments below.
2. Share this post on Facebook or twitter (post the URL in the comments below)
3. Viola, you’re entered!

FTC Disclaimer: author is a participant in the Eucerin Skin First Network. Opinions expressed are 100 percent her own. 

Radiant Fall Skin and a Giveaway!

Photo by Flickr LakePlacidAdk

One of the things I love the most about Upstate New York is the foliage. Vibrant reds mixed with mustard yellows transform ordinary landscapes into a treasure trove of breath-taking scenery. It is certainly a wondrous portrayal of natural beauty at its finest.

Aside from being one of my favorite seasons, Fall is also the season when skin, hair and nails begin to take on a lackluster life all their own. Here’s what I do to help my skin thrive during the onslaught of drier, harsher climates.

1. Hydrate – in the summer months, I enjoy using all of my “cutesy” lotions which are very light in texture and don’t weigh heavily on my skin. For fall, however, I get out the big guns. Emollient rich, moisture rich and non-sticky lotions are ideal to help keep ash and dry skin at bay. This month’s favorite is the  Calming Creme by Eucerin – kept my dry skin from feeling itchy.
2. (Dual) Cleanse - for vibrant fall skin, I use cleansers infused with emollients or moisturizers. Sometimes, I’ll add a drop or two of avocado, coconut or argan oil to my favorite Dove body wash for a splendid glow.
3. Eat Healthy – I know most people tend to eat healthier in summer months–I’m not one of them. In fact, I tend to lose weight in the fall and winter months. I drink more water, eat more broth-based soups and exercise. The best foods  that seem to help maintain my skin’s radiance include: pumpkins, apple cider, a variety of black teas, spinach and coconut rice. Odd, yes I know but hey, it seems to work. Who am I to disagree?

What kind of skin regime do you use in the fall months? Share them and you could win!

Giveaway Entry

1. Follow the Eucerin Twitter handle @EucerinUS and share your tips on how to make November a calming month for your skin
2. Post your twitter URL in the comments, along with your skin care regime and viola you’re entered!

***The giveaway closes on October 24 at 11:59 pm, EST. Winners will be notified on October 26 and will have 2 days to respond to claim their prize***

PRIZE PACK

• Eucerin Plus Smoothing Essentials Body Lotion
• Eucerin Calming Crème
• Aromatique™ Pumpkin Spice candle (simply delicious and divine!)
• A holiday cookbook by Williams-Sonoma entitled Thanksgiving

FTC Disclaimer: Author is a participant in the Skin First Campaign with Eucerin. The opinions in this post are 100% her own.

Dear Calgon, You’re Fired!

Photo by: alancleaver_2000

Relax. Refresh. Re-You.

“Calgon, take me away,” pleaded the mother who had enough of her  tiresome, never-ending to do list. Then poof! She was relaxing in a tub full of bubbles, hair perfectly tucked away under a plush towel while everyone and everything else are left to fend for themselves. That leaves me with one question: when’s my turn?!!

You ever have those times when you wish Calgon could take you away? Work, children, school, home, sports, workouts, laundry, spouse and the list literally goes on and on. On just about any given day of the week, you can find yourself whipped into a frenzied concoction of insomnia, exhaustion or an awful case of the grumpies.

I found myself in that same predicament this month. When I grabbed a hold of my hair and sang the magic phrase, I swear I heard Calgon run past me laughing, saying “you’re on your own chick!”

Learning to relax and be refreshed is just that: a thing you have to learn. I wish it were as easy as spouting a line from a commercial–far from it. Learning to relax isn’t always something that comes natural. We have to practice winding down, calming our thoughts and learning to be still.  However, for some of us that’s simply a foreign concept. But learning to de-stress is important for several reasons.

• Stress can wreck havoc on your health and has been known to cause sickness
• Stress can do a number on your hair, skin and nails causing follicle loss, splotchy-ness or brittleness, respectively.
• Stress robs you of energy, joy and strength.

We all experience stress–that’s not going to change. But how we manage it is what matters most. Sometimes, I light candles all around my room and I just sit and listen to nature-inspired ambiance–think ocean waves or rushing water. At other times, it’s just me, my favorite book, a glass of wine and 4 scented candles. And if I’m really going all out, it’s pamper me time–facial, body scrub, and a head-to-toe moisture fest. HairRules Quench in the hair, StriVectin on the face/decollete  and  coco-mango scented Eucerin on the skin (my personal recipe).

The key is you’ve got to make time for your “calgon” moment. You’ve got to learn to relax, so you can be refreshed, so you can be you!

What kinds of things do you do to relax?