While winter is a great time to enjoy a hot drink by the fire in your favourite dressing gown, as well as carb load to compensate for our lack of vitamin D (well, that’s what we keep telling ourselves), the chilly months aren’t always so kind to our beauty routines.
Think dry skin, frizzy hair, heightened mood swings and just no will to put in any effort when it comes to our looks.
Never fear though – there are plenty of ways to combat the winter blues. To get us through this cold spell, we have rounded up the must-have products you need at your fingertips, along with some winter consumer trends from seasoned experts to keep an eye out for.
Make sure to click on the brand names to learn more and to download hi-res imagery.
SKIN & BODY
“This year the big focus is on the Glazed Donut look – a trend we'll be seeing on body and face for the next few years,” said Recreation Beauty founder, Nedahl Stelio. “It's been building and building, but now everyone is obsessed with getting as much dew on their skin as they can – real or however you can fake it.”
The best way to get the glow, according to Stelio, is to prep and hydrate the skin thoroughly. You can do this by:
- Using a gua sha every morning to detoxify and increase blood circulation near the top of the skin, which increases glow naturally.
- Always using a face oil or body oil, along with moisturiser in winter. The brand's VIBRANT SKIN face oil sinks into your face beautifully and makes a great glowy base for under makeup. Use it either before or after moisturiser (depending on how heavy your moisturiser is) and before SPF.
Recreation Beauty’s GLOW QUEEN GLOW body + hair oil also leaves a beautiful sheen when used in the mornings on the body and really makes a difference to winter skin with sea greens and loads of nourishing oils.
BD also recommends:
A'kin Hydrating Antioxidant Day Cream - A day cream that provides daily hydration to boost and replenish skin’s moisture levels.
Biopelle Tensage Advanced Cream Moisturiser - A highly emollient, richly textured moisturising cream with growth factor benefits as well as vitamin E to help address signs of ageing and skin damage.
QV Skin Lotion - A lotion designed to soothe and repair dry skin.
L'Oréal Paris Revitalift Filler Eye Serum with 2.5% Hyaluronic Acid & Caffeine - An eye serum formulated with a powerful concentration of hyaluronic acid and caffeine.
mesoestetic hydravital mask - A face mask that re-establishes moisture levels in dry, dehydrated and/or devitalised skin.
Medik8 Hydr8 B5™ Intense - A super charged serum that amplifies skin’s natural hyaluronic acid levels and helps prevent its breakdown.
DU'IT Tough Body - A lightweight probiotic body lotion and daily body moisturiser that rejuvenates, re-firms and moisturises dry skin on the body.
CALECIM® Professional Restorative Hydration Cream - A cream that helps treat dry skin, targeting signs of premature ageing.
Hemptuary Hemp Infused Moisturiser - A nourishing moisturiser that features the natural benefits of hemp, combined with nurturing arnica, manuka oil, beeswax and lanolin, as well as lemongrass.
John Plunkett’s Psor-Asist Cream - A cream that helps treat the irritating and unsightly symptoms of psoriasis.
BOOST LAB Vitamin C Brightening Serum - A brightening facial serum that helps create bright, glowing and radiant skin.
Arbonne HydrateMe 48H Dewy Gel Cream with 0.7% Edulis Cellular Water - A vegan pudding-like cream that is your soothing hydration solution.
HAIR
Glossy, smooth hair is also big right now, added Stelio. However, as we all know, it isn’t easy to achieve this look in winter. In fact, the biting wind, cold air and unpredictable weather conditions have been known to wreak havoc on just about every look imaginable.
“To tame frizz, we use GLOW QUEEN GLOW body + hair oil as a deep conditioning treatment,” said Stelio. “Put a handful through dry hair and really massage into the scalp for a gorgeous dry scalp treatment. Wait 20 minutes, then wash out in the shower, shampoo and condition and style as normal. It makes hair incredibly smooth and is the perfect pre-blow dry tonic. We also add a few drops into ends after blow drying for extra gloss.
Smooth, glossy locks have always been big but the difference is the lack of volume in this year's hair trend. Soft waves cascade straight down from the head, there's no big Victoria's Secret volume happening. It's much more achievable as long as you can tame the frizz, which is where hair oil comes in.”
Another hair trend to watch out for this winter is slick updos, according to Essano’s international brand manager, Jennifer Gilbert. And with hair pulled back so tight, especially during winter, it’s never been more important to ensure you have a healthy scalp.
"We have been seeing the importance of scalp care on the rise over the past year, but especially recently as the colder weather sets in,” said Gilbert. “Cold weather has been shown to exacerbate a dry and itchy scalp and contribute to brittle hair. Make sure you grab yourself a scalp serum, like our newly launched Scalp Refresh Concentrated Serum to help hydrate and soothe, as well as a hair mask or leave-in conditioner to help maintain moisture and treat those brittle ends.”
BD also recommends:
Wella Professionals EIMI Flowing Form Anti Frizz Hair Balm - A professional smoothening balm that provides luxurious smoothness and flexible control to the hair.
John Frieda Frizz Ease® Miraculous Recovery® Repairing Conditioner - A conditioner for dry, damaged and frizzy hair in need of repair.
Goldwell Dualsenses Just Smooth Taming 60 Sec Treatment - A hair treatment that instantly regenerates hair for frizz control and increased manageability.
Andalou Exotic Marula Oil Silky Smooth Taming Creme - A taming creme formulated with hydrating shea butter, marula oil and argan oil.
Keracolor Keep It Tame Blowout Cream - A keratin-infused blow-dry cream which rebuilds hair from the inside out.
De Lorenzo Defence Argan Oil - A hair oil that replenishes dry, brittle hair and eliminates frizz.
AROMATHERAPY
When we think of winter, our minds may not automatically land on the topic of aromatherapy, but did you know an aromatherapy diffuser could be the perfect way to improve your wellbeing during the colder months? In fact, it can be used to help you relax, focus, reduce stress, improve respiratory health and much more.
Research tells us that many people actually feel more depressed in winter. This is because seasonal depression is an actual mood disorder that usually develops in autumn and winter, then disappears in spring and summer. The disorder is thought to be caused by changes to the body’s circadian rhythms at certain times of the year. It may also happen because in winter the body produces less of the hormones melatonin and serotonin, which affect sleep and mood.
If you’re also noticing the air is a bit dryer, a Lively Living diffuser will help to add a bit of humidity to your space.
“Winter is typically dry and you'll notice this in the static when you brush your hair or when you get zapped by touching a metal door knob or window frame,” Lively Living said. “If you really want to go for the serious equipment, an organic essential oil bundle will provide sufficient comfort.”
Everything from the design to the function of the Diffuser sets it apart from other diffusers and vaporisers in the natural way it gently circulates your favourite essential oils. The large liquid capacity means diffusers can be used for hours to infuse the air at your home or work with scents to inspire, soothe and revitalise.
“Air temperature has a major effect on humidity levels – cold air holds much less water than warm air," the brand added. "This is why humidifiers are so popular during the cooler seasons. Since cold air holds less moisture, the water in our bodies evaporates more quickly, resulting in chapped lips and dry skin.
When you use your home’s heaters to battle the cold weather outside, the heater pulls in the outdoor air and warms it. However, since that outdoor air is cold, it’s also very dry. When your heater blows it into your house as hot air, it’s still the same dry air. It’s no surprise that dry air symptoms seem to become especially noticeable during the cold season."
Humidifiers are especially popular in cooler months and may also help reduce some of the potential effects of dry air, including sore throats, chronic runny nose, nose bleeds, asthma flare ups, sinus congestion and even snoring.
BD also recommends:
Natio Ambient Essential Oil Diffuser - An essential oil diffuser that creates a soothing ambience in the home.
Natio 100% Pure Natural Essential Oil - Geranium - A geranium essential oil with a blossoming floral scent.
The Body Shop Breathe Essential Oil Blend - An essential oil blend that helps you stop and catch your breath when you’ve maxed out your bandwidth.
Arbonne Rescue & Renew Pure Essential Oil – Lavender - A pure essential oil from lavender leaf with a calming and relaxing scent.
FRAGRANCE
Winter doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom: fragrance is arguably at its best this time of the year. In fact, a spritz of cosy, sensual notes is enough to have you embracing chilly temperatures rather than shunning them.
One great winter perfume is the Yves Saint Laurent Belle D’Opium Eau de Parfum Spray, which has an oriental fragrance featuring notes of casablanca lily, incense and jasmine absolute.
Fragrance isn’t all about perfumes, either. Tying back into aromatherapy – but in a slightly different category of their own – are candles and reed diffusers. Glasshouse Fragrances in particular is known to boast an enchanting portfolio of products with divine scents.
The brand’s A Tahaa Affair Devotion Soy Candle comes to life through its wax and vessels. The candles are presented in gold foil-covered boxes, and the scent features the signature lusciousness of butterscotch and caramel, plus vanilla orchid, Tahitian foliage and sun-dried driftwood. A complexity comes from coconut water, a sparkling sea accord and sultry sheer white musk.
BD also recommends:
Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Orchid - A fragrance that pairs orchid and vanilla accords – a voluptuous, rich ruby orchid flower accord and an intensely sensual and surprisingly opulent red foxy vanilla bean accord.
Sisley Paris Izia La Nuit - A fragrance that pays homage to a unique and mysterious rose that grows in the co founder of Sisley's garden and only blooms fleetingly once a year.
MOR Silver Tip Tea Reed Diffuser - A delectable fragrant diffuser with a burst of citrus and lemon that unfolds into an invigorating and clean fragrance.
