My Fave Winter Skin Care Products

As a winter sports enthusiast, by the time December and January roll around, I'm ready to hit the slopes along with everyone else. While many snow sport fanatics, male and female, spend plenty of money on new gear: ski boots, ski jackets or snowboard pants few people stop to think about the importance of skin care. Our skin takes a beating every winter, especially if you spend a lot of time outdoors.
Dry, chapped or wind-burned skin is misery, especially when combined with the general "Winter Blues" feeling that sets in sometime around February. Check out these few products to help keep your skin in great shape all winter long:

Olay Complete Defense Daily Moisturizer with SPF 30: Once winter hits, many people make the mistake of shelving their sunscreen. Big mistake. Though the sun is elusive in winter, it sill shines. And, not only does it shine, but its reflection can be brutal. For someone outdoors often, sunscreen is an absolute must. The sunscreen moisturizer is especially great because it protects skin from the sun's rays and keeps it from drying out all at once. You can kill two birds with one stone: moisture and protection. It's also a good idea to wear a light coat of sunscreen at any time with a combination of snow and sunshine. Even if you're indoors, the sun's rays can still reflect off the snow and onto you. The Olay moisturizer is great for all skin types, especially those with sensitive skin. It's light and moist without being overly oily, which can be tough to pull off.
Neutrogena Ageless Essentials: A lot of times, we forget how convenient nighttime is for moisturizing. Without being exposed to outside elements, nighttime is the perfect opportunity to let the skin moisturize, recover and rejuvenate. Neutrogena's Ageless Essentials Continuous Hydration for Night Moisturizer features a time-released moisturizing system that keeps skin replenished and hydrated all night long. It's also infused with glycerin, which increases the skin's ability to rebuild itself and retain enough moisture for a healthy glow, without looking oily. You can use the product every night after washing your face thoroughly or even under make up throughout the day.(Update: This product is discontinued. Try this instead; it is also as effective: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Night Concentrate 50 ml )

With a few must-have skin care items that can do double-duty and even work overnight, your skin will make it through winter with resounding strength and a triumphant glow. Whether you're like me and need something to withstand the windy slopes or just something to keep your face feeling fresh at the office, these products are sure to please!

(Guest Post by Ashley)

Natural remedies for dark circles around your eyes

Dark circles around your eyes. How unsightly they look and even your best dress and layers of make-up sometimes does not quite succeed in concealing them! Blame it on your genes or your lifestyle, but, you cannot deny the fact that these are a blot on your beauty . And they become more prominent as you age. Let’s just debunk some of the myths as well as unearth some of the facts about the causes of these ‘ panda eyes ’. Dark circles under eyes usually are temporary and not a medical concern. You may be surprised to learn that fatigue usually isn't the cause of dark circles. Instead, the most common cause is nasal congestion. When your nose is congested, veins that usually drain from your eyes into your nose become widened (dilated) and darker.

The ache of acne (pimples)

Acne is often the bane of a pretty face. It is painful more emotionally than physically, for the scar that it leaves behind can last for a lifetime, adding to one’s miserable look & feeling. No doubt many expensive skin care clinics have mushroomed in ever nook & corner, offering to clear all the scars & blemishes on the face, but they are very expensive & charge exorbitant price for each sitting; not everyone can afford them. So why not try out this simple skin care regimen to minimize the damage caused by acne & as far as possible prevent its eruption.

Home remedies for common cold

Common cold is a very common malady which affects people during monsoons. (Also see the post Beauty and body care in monsoon for a monsoon beauty regimen.) It can be caused by any one of more than 200 viruses. Normally it is confined to the nose and throat although the virus can infect the larynx and lungs. It is said that there is no particular cure for colds, they are naturally relieved within a week. Treatment is just an attempt to relieve its symptoms such as headache, stuffy nose, sore-throat and congestion. Paracetamol tablets are generally taken to get relief from these symptoms.

Home remedies for sore throat

Sore throat is a common malady that each one of us faces sometime or the other in our lifetime. That scratchy, dry and abrasively painful feeling at the back of the throat that you experience is so very discomforting! There are many ways to relieve that scratchy and painful, infected throat. Sore throat home remedies are many and varied and range from the folk ones to the medically tested and proven ones. With this common recurring condition many sufferers have their own favourite sore throat treatments that seem to work for them. Sore throat is one of the ailments which responds very well to home based remedies, so there is no reason why one should hesitate to try out these invaluable tips which have been handed over to us by generations of yore. After all these remedies have negligible side-effects and so there is no harm in trying them. And you can always rush to a doctor if they don’t work for you.

Coconut oil for beauty

Coconut oil, due its high saturated fat content was branded as unhealthy and artery-clogging which could cause heart diseases. This claim has been widely disproved by the scientific community and it is now being hailed as one of world’s healthiest cooking oils. Though it may take time, perceptions are slowly changing as people are beginning to realize its tremendous benefits. Coconuts and coconut oil have always been a part of the cuisine in tropical countries like India (South) and Sri Lanka and even today coconut is indispensable in their diet. For now, let’s leave aside the health benefits and focus our attention on the beauty uses of this wonderful oil. South Indian women swear by it. They attribute their dense, long, raven black hair and a flawless , clear complexion to good genes and the liberal use of coconut oil in their diet and beauty regimen.