THE WINTER SKIN EDIT
Fight the cold complexion woes with our all-encompassing guide to revamping your rituals to include nourishing, enriching & ultra-hydrating products to bring supple radiance back into your skin. You deserve a glow to match the sparkle & glamor of the winter holiday seasons.
While the winter season does feel magical, there are definitely some downsides that can take a toll on our complexion, from head to toe. Humidity levels drop, colder temperatures rise, then add in some extra harsh winds and exposure to indoor heat… a recipe for skin that needs some extra TLC. During the winter season, we often experience drier skin, which leads to irritation, flakiness and overall uneven texture. To combat this, we have a dynamic solution that involves not only extra heavy creams, but a multilayered approach. Find out our top tips, tricks & strategy for achieving a glow all year long…
BUFF & POLISH YOUR WAY TO BABY SOFT SKIN… EXFOLIATION
Buffing away dead skin cells, surface level impurities & texture caused by dry, dehydrated skin is the first step in restoring your skin in the winter. Our skin cells die at an accelerated rate due to the dehydrating effects of the cold weather, harsh heater systems, hot water & overall environmental conditions. You’ll want to use either a physical or chemical exfoliate to remove these dead cells to reveal new, healthy cells that are able to resurface with ease.
An example of physical exfoliation is through a gommage or scrub that rubs against the skin to gently remove skin cells, with ingredients like pumice particles, sugars & salts. We absolutely love the Leahlani Honey Love Exfoliator. This is a really beautiful treatment that not only gives you the gommage effect with microdermabrasion crystals, but also gives you a serious boost of hydration with the antibacterial honey. This is also super gentle, so it’s perfect to use if you experience oily or blemish prone skin. The clays will help break up congestion under the skin and reveal that soft, fresh layer of skin underneath.
A chemical exfoliant is the process of polishing & refining the skin through ingredients such as AHA (alpha hydroxy acids) & BHAs (beta hydroxy acids), retinols & retinol alternatives. The Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask contains BHA from white willow bark and pomegranate enzymes to gently restore the skin’s surface. This is one of those masks where you see instant results, leaving you glowing afterwards.
LOCK IN THE MOISTURE
One of the most obvious and MOST important elements in winter skin replenishment is HYDRATION. Hydration is the motto around here…to not only opt for richer creams, but to introduce hydrating serums & moisturizing ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid, into your routine. If you’re looking to target dry patches & lackluster winter skin that just can’t seem to retain substantial moisture, you’re going to want to look out for serums that contain ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, squalane & antioxidants. Serums formulated with hyaluronic acid hold a dense molecular weight which gets absorbed into the dermal layer for a more enriching dose of lasting hydration. These ingredients are considered humectants, which draw in moisture from the air and infuse it into the skin, allowing them to seal in moisture and really replenish parched, dry skin. One of our top choices to quench your skin’s thirst and give you plump, hydrated results is, of course, the Kypris Antioxidant Dew serum - our number one best selling serum! It’s truly a staple to include in any skincare ritual, not only for the hydrating benefits, but for the protection that the antioxidants provide.
One of the techniques that is really beneficial to implement during the colder months is called sandwiching. This is the concept of strategically layering your skincare products to create a moisture barrier that helps retain moisture & prevent further dehydration of the skin. First, go in with your hydrating serum. Then you’ll want to follow up with your oil, we love the Agent Nateur holi(oil), a beautifully formulated oil serum that helps the skin retain moisture, protect against environmental stressors, repair the appearance of scarring and dark spots, all while restoring the skin’s natural elasticity. Hydrating rosehip oil, Calcium ketogluconate, nourishing rose and a gentle form of Vitamin C work together to smooth out fine lines, plump, sculpt and contour the skin. After the oil of your choice, you apply a moisturizer or a cream on top to seal it all in! This top layer creates an inclusive layer that retains water. Utilize this method during your winter nighttime skin ritual and you’ll wake up with super replenished, supple skin. You’ll really see a difference!
DON’T SKIMP ON THE BODY
We have the skincare routine set when it comes to our face this winter… but let’s not neglect our body care. From head to toe, our bodies experience the damaging effects of harsh winter weather & environmental conditions. From hot showers to itchy sweaters, our entire body needs to be indulged in a really nourishing ritual as well. Mirroring the techniques and methods we used on our face, we also want to start off by including a light form of exfoliation to remove any dead skin cells, which build up at a much quicker rate during the winter months. Agent Nateur just launched their new body products, and the new holi (wash) is the perfect lactic acid cleanse for the body. It gently resurfaces the skin with face-grade active ingredients to give you that total head to toe TLC… and it smells divine.
If you experience dry patches, irritation or any texture issues, you’re going to want to take the buffing of the body even further with either a polishing body scrub or an exfoliating treatment. Tata Harper has the most decadent line of body care products that are formulated with active ingredients that are face-grade, so you know you are treating your entire vessel with the best of the best. Her Smoothing Body Scrub buffs and micro-polishes your skin to give you baby soft & smooth skin. After you hop out of the shower, apply her Revitalizing Body Oil, a really luxurious & decadent product that will give you a fresh, silky glow. As with our skincare, we suggest sandwiching by following up with the Tata Harper Body Balm. This is your super rich and potent hydration cream that not only delivers intense hydration, but helps to firm the body. Your body deserves all the special treatment; she does so much for you so don’t forget to give her a little bit of luxury. Self care routines such as these also double as self love rituals so make it a ceremony & make it sacred.
In addition to nourishing your body with major TLC received from nurturing body washes & refining body serums, to intimate products & body beauty tools… MOVEMENT is one tip that I find to be incredibly key as I get older. Moving your body IS the fountain of youth. Movement is the KEY to cellular regeneration & ageless beauty. From walking to pilates to lifting weights, you take your pick. All of them are equally important in their own way, but my personal fave is a dedicated yoga practice. In particular, Kundalini yoga.
Practicing Kundalini yoga activates the holy trinity… the mind, body & soul in sacred connection. So, not only are you combining movement & breath within the body, you are also signaling the mind, which gives you access to your inner world… connecting you to your spirit. Kundalini is rooted in deep, ancient roots that draw upon science, energetics & spirituality to awaken our DNA, heal the body by utilizing the body itself & elevating our arc line… an extension of who we are, also a part of your aura. Your auric field & arc line is the way you project yourself into the world. It’s your radiance and how you are perceived on an energetic level. Kundalini helps to purify, strengthen & enhance your auric field & your energy. This not only empowers you, but gives you a sacred sense of influence, allowing your true inner beauty… which is stemmed from love… to shine through & have a profound effect on those around you. This is what eternal beauty is all about.
If you haven’t dipped your toes into Kundalini, or yoga, I suggest starting with some simple YouTube videos and seeing how it resonates with you and taking it from there. There are so many beautiful online & in-person resources to guide you on your journey. I have really found that Kundalini deeply resonates with me & I look forward to integrating this side of myself with the Citrine community more, as it relates to beauty & overall wellness.
HYDRATION FROM THE INSIDE OUT
In addition to curating a really nourishing, hydrating skincare routine during the winter months, just as equally important is the hydration you are consuming. At the root of beautiful, supple, glowing skin is a deeply hydrated & quenched body. During the winter months not only do our skin cells lose water at a quicker rate, but so does each cell in our body. Maintain optimal hydration throughout the day by drinking enough water… but listen to your intuition, as our modern culture has placed such a heavy emphasis on drinking water. You CAN overdo it if you’re not listening to your body. Too much water dilutes the kidneys, leading to low levels of sodium, brain fog & other issues. Instead, it is far more important to eat your water. What does this mean? Consuming foods with high water content is going to give you the proper nutrients & the hydration from fruits & vegetables actually goes towards replenishing cellular water. The slow absorption from eating these foods allows the hydration to stay trapped in our cells longer.
One of our favorite ways to give our bodies an internal boost of luxe hydration is with the Agent Nateur holi (mane) hair, skin & nails supplement. This is actually one of our best selling products and is a tasteless formulation of just two potent ingredients, salt water pearl and marine collagen. Not only does pearl powder have a laundry list of beautifying properties that enhance our radiance, but the marine collagen is the all-star when it comes to hydration from within. If you want to learn more about the luxurious benefits of pearls and how it’s so healing & magical for your skin, you can read more here on the blog.
In terms of collagen, there is a randomized, double-blinded study done that shows low-molecular-weight collagen peptides improve the hydration, elasticity and wrinkling in human skin. “The study also shows a profound effect of collagen peptides on skin hydration through the stimulation of hyaluronic acid production” (1). To find out more about the science behind holi (mane), head over to the Agent Nateur blog where they do a detailed deep-dive on how this miracle powder works to give you your most glowing, luminous skin, lustrous hair & strongest nails. We suggest that you consume it consistently every day for optimal results. You can add yours to your morning matcha or coffee & turn it into a sacred beauty & wellness ritual.
AGENT NATEUR
