Fashion Salad

Winter is stressful for skin. Cold temperatures and winds outside combined with low humidity inside result in stressed, irritated, dehydrated skin. Here are 7 rules which will help you to "winter-proof" your skin.

1. Go easier on peeling/exfoliation and cleansing in your skin care routine
Winter weakens skin’s protective hydrolipid barrier which makes it hypersensitive and susceptible to free radicals and dehydration. Save your skin the additional stress and do not indulge into exfoliation procedures. Too much peeling strips your skin of protective lipids and weakens its ability to retain moisture.  Do peeling only twice per week during the winter period.
For your daily cleansing choose milder products that won’t be too stripping. For example, use hydrating cleansing milk instead of washing gel.
If you use mild cleansing products and do not do daily peeling but your skin is stressed and irritated anyway. Perhaps you are using a serum or moisturizer with peeling ingredients such as Retinol, AHAs, Vitamin C. If so, stop with those for winter.

2. Say No to alcohol!
Exclude toners with alcohol, they are too harsh and stripping for your skin and contribute to skin’s dryness.
Note, a couple glasses of wine or a cocktail also lead to skin’s dehydration. From time to time you might want to go with a soft drink with your dinner or make sure you drink plenty of water to counteract the dehydrating effect of alcohol.

3. Upgrade your moisturizer
Go with a richer moisturizer that will not only provide hydration but also help your skin to retain it. Look for moisturizers based on emollient ingredients such as shea butter, lanolin, squalene. Emollients soften, hydrate the skin and build a thin protective layer on its surface to prevent loss of moisture.

If you have an oily type of skin and use oil absorbing products, consider stopping for winter. In winter skin type often shifts so oily skin becomes normal and normal turns dry. By continuing using oil absorbing skin care products or makeup you may contribute to your skin’s dryness.

4. Take vitamins and antioxidants
In winter our skin and body lack vitamins and minerals. This can really reflect on your complexion and skin’s immune system. The following vitamins and minerals are vitally important for your skin’s beauty and health: Omega 3, 6, B Vitamins, Vitamin C, E, A, Zink and Magnesium.

5. Use UV protection
Sun in winter is not so intense but it does not mean that you can stop using UV protection. It is especially important on snowy days or when you go skiing in the mountains. In fact, sun reflects off the snow more intensively than off the sand on a beach in summer.

6. Take special care of lips and hands
Lips are very sensitive to colds and wind. To protect them and prevent from chapping apply a rich moisturizer with jojoba butter or avocado oil every time before going outside as well as before going to bed. Skin on the hands is thin and is always subject to “life’s hazards”, that is why hands are usually the first to show signs of aging. Apply haand moisturizer at least twice a day but ideallt every time you wash your hands. Treat your hands to a nourishing mask once or twice a week.

7. Humidify
Due to heating, air at home and office is very dry and causes skin to dehydrate. To balance humidity level you can either use a humidifier or just buy some house plants that are known to be able to balance humidity level in their environment.

Sources:

Winter Skin Care
Beauty Blog

A model displays a creation as part of Gianfranco Ferre’ Fall/Winter 2007/08 men’s collection.
Photo: Reuters

Lingerie Parties have become very popular again. At one time, people imagined that lingerie parties were wild events, held only at the playboy mansion or at a swingers club. But there are many flavors of lingerie parties from very tame to very wild. A lingerie party can be an event that even your mother can attend.

One way to hold a lingerie party is to invite a representative from a lingerie boutique to present their products to you and your friends. You simply organize your friends and the boutique representative will organize the rest. While you as the hostess will usually get a free gift or a discount on your lingerie purchase, your friends will likely be expected to buy lingerie. This may not be the best event if your friends are students on a low budget. But this kind of lingerie party is relatively tame.

Another type of lingerie party is where you and your friends organize the event and everyone either brings their favorite lingerie to show off or take turns modeling the lingerie for the group. This is obviously only going to be successful if you and your friends are not very shy and feel comfortable performing for the crowd.

Still another option, if you have the budget for it, is to hire some models to do a lingerie fashion show for the group. It does not have to be very expensive to hire models, depending on where you live. There are many amateur models that would be available for such work for $20-$30/hour. However, a word of caution, freelance amateur models can be unreliable. It would be a pity to have your party ruined because the model you hired does not show up. If you go this route, make sure you have signed a contract in advance with stiff penalties if the model does not arrive.

Whichever type of lingerie party you organize make sure you have plenty of games, prizes and snacks in the lingerie theme. There are many resources available where you can get information about how to organize a lingerie party, including this website appropriately named Lingerie Party.

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Here are some fashion highlights from the fashion blogosphere…

Wear Scarf Trends Like a Celeb ~ Couture in the City

The It Lists shares M.A.C.’s  Global “it” Glow

Luxury Brands Gone Wild! ~ Fab Sugar

Luxe Poncho ~  Omiru.

Couture in the City Clutch It with cute party purses.