#DrySkinProblems | Body & Skincare

Hello! I'm a real sufferer of dry skin, especially in the transition between months. However, this winter has been a cold one and I think going between warm and cold - and simply just the cold weather - has really been harsh on my skin. Not only is my face suffering, but my scalp and around my hairline as well as all over my body, especially my legs. There's a couple of products which have been easing the itching and discomfort of my dry skin and as this is a reoccurring problem for me, probably meaning my skin has actually just become dry, I thought I would share my words of wisdom. And my products.

It all starts in the shower for me. T-Gel by Neutrogena is an absolute life saver and works from the very first application. It reminds me of my childhood because my mum used to sometimes use it on me and on herself. The smell is on the verge of medicated but if you're applying other products afterwards it is pretty easily masked and not a problem. I actually kind of like it. It suggests you use it for 6 weeks and I use it 2 times a week - so every other wash. I also use E45's Shower Cream which is kind of like Nivea's in shower moisturizer or Lush's body conditioner. Both of these are products which I haven't tried but will probably try out when I run out of this. It's just extra moisture! In the shower I also use Neutrogena's Grapefruit Face Scrub. I find that when I'm not using a scrub that my face gets really irritated as though I need to be buffing away the top layer to keep my skin fresh and new. However, I do find a lot of face scrubs harsh and am guilty of over exfoliating sometimes. With this I just gently buff it around my face, especially on my forehead and around my hairline. It makes the dryness less visible and ensures I don't have flakey looking skin. Apologies about the use of the word flakey.

After the shower I focus on my face straight away. I have started using my toner only around my nose and on my chin as these are the only places where I feel needs it and can handle it. My dryer skin doesn't cope with toner very well. I then apply La Roche Posay's Toleraine Ultra which is super rich and moisturizing. It sinks in so fast and is great under make up to make sure it doesn't start to look dry of cakey throughout the day (- despite what I said in my review!) Sometimes if I have let it all sink in and some areas are still feeling dry I'll add a little extra or mix it in with my foundation. I do actually find that with my dryer skin, using tinted moisturizers like the Garnier Miracle Cream is great, especially when it's cold and windy outside! On my lips I always use Nuxe Reve de Miel!

Finally to take off my make up I use La Roche Posay's Physiological Cleansing Gel followed by a little of Neutrogena's Cream Grapefruit Face Wash. I find this just ensures that my face is clean - esentially double cleansing - but without stripping my skin as I have incorporated in a creamier face wash. I do have my eye on the Body Shop's Cleansing Balm as I feel my skin would really benefit from a balm to keep it moisturized. I'll use the same moisturizer at night and sometimes I'll put on some of The Body Shop's Vitamin E Serum in Oil. When my skin first went really dry this is what I turned to and it really worked but my skin has just got increasingly more dry, expecially in this freezing cold weather!!!

Let me know what you do for your skin in winter for a little extra TLC!

Dry Skin Fix

Hello! Huge apology for not posting yesterday but have a super (not in a good way) amount of work at the moment that I still haven't completed for tomorrow. I really hate growing up! As mentioned in a few previous posts, I've had really dry skin at the moment, particularly on my face. I think I have put it down to not only the transition in the weather but the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum which I have stopped using for a while just to make sure. It's been so itchy it's painful and has completely changed the texture of my skin. This month I've been on a mission to add moisture and hydration back into my skin and this is what's working for me! I've gone kind of skin care crazy!

I use Nuxe's Aroma-Perfection Purifying Cleansing Gel every morning and evening at the moment after taking off the majority of my make up with L'Oreal's Skin Perfection 15 Second Miracle Cleansing Oil (I wish brands wouldn't name products after tongue twisters.) I find this gets off all the grime, dirt and make up from the day and leaves me with a clean but not stripped base. To my clean base I add La Roche Posay's Effaclar Duo + to my problematic areas and where I can feel spots coming up (TMI?) which I find soothes the area and prevents marks being left behind (review coming soon!) and to sooth the need to itch my dry patches I add E45 cream to the worst areas (my cheeks and forehead) before finishing my routine with Nuxe's Reve de Miel Lip Balm and a thin layer of Superdrug's Vitamin E moisturizer which I'm not actually a fan of as it leaves a film on my face but I'm giving it a go.

For a boost, I add a little extra moisture into my skin with two products that I love at the moment. Firstly, Lush's Oatafix Face Mask which I find intensely moisturizes and gently exfoliates my skin which doesn't irritate my dry skin. I've spoken about this before so I won't rave too much! I use this once a week, normally on a Sunday for an end of week pamper and top up for my skin! The newest edition to my routine is The Body Shop's Vitamin E Serum-in-Oil. This was suggested to me when I called on the #bbloggers of Twitter to help me with my dry skin dilemma. @VivelaVieBlogs suggested I use this and I'm so glad that I went and picked it up. I use 3 or 4 drops twice a week and it leaves my face feeling so smooth. It doesn't irritate my dry patches or make me break out so I think that really, this is to thank. I quite like putting oil products on my face as well because I find it really gives my skin an injection of moisture that I can't find in cream products. Thank god for The Body Shop.

Do you have anything you use when you have dry skin? What's in your skincare routine at the moment?