Sometimes in the process of renewing your skin, as you wipe away dead cells and get down to fresher, newer more vibrant skin, you can experience what feels like a dryness around your eyes and nose.   While this may seem like a bad thing, it’s actually not.  In fact what has happened is  that because you’ve successfully exfoliated away dead, flaky skin your skin is now more exposed to the elements.  Those same dead cells that dull your skin also act as an odd sort of protective insulation.  Winter temperatures, lack of humidity and the thinner” skin barrier allow for your skin to feel drier.

Because you are down to the “baby’s skin” – beautiful fresh skin that needs a little more TLC, you need to take a little more care of your skin. Cut back on cleansers and increase your use of moisturizers.    By increasing your usage of moisturizers you’ll better protect your skin against the harsh winter temperatures.

Holiday travel presents some challenges for your skin -Dry airplane cabin air can dehydrate your skin and going from one climate to another can dramatically change the environmental exposure.  With everything else that is going on, you don’t want to worry about how to keep looking your best!  So here are some easy tips:

1.  Be sure to stay hydrated.  Drink plenty of water and avoid salty foods.

2.  Make sure you are using a moisturizer such as NuGlow Daytime Moisturizer.  If you normally use a moisturizer only at bedtime, try using it in the morning under your make-up as well for extra protection.  In addition, on longer flights, moisturize before and during the flight and so your final make-up before landing (or leaving the airport).  It’s a double bonus – your skin will be hydrated and your make-up will be fresh when you get to your destination.

3.  Add a deep penetrating serum such as NuGlow Copper Peptide Serum with MD₃ Copper as a first layer to give additional antioxidants and age-defying ingredients in a quick absorbing moisture surge and then add a layer of moisturizer to seal it in.

4.  Static Guard – always a life saver in extra dry weather to keep your clothes cling-free!

5.  Be sure to schedule a little extra time for yourself – an extra hour of sleep, a quiet cup of tea, a walk in the fall leaves – it helps keep stress down and you will feel and look relaxed!

How to apply your moisturizer for the best effect:

If you have applied a serum as a priming treatment, wait a few minutes to allow it to fully absorb.

• Using your fingertips, dot moisturizer lightly all over the face.
• Press the fingers of both hands into the center of the forehead and work the cream slowly outwards.
• Then work the cream around the jaw line, chin and mount with medium circular motions.
• Gently massage the cream over the throat with alternating hands, using upwards strokes from collarbone to shine – your throat and décolletage need special care, too.

Any cream left on your hands? Rub them together and treat them to a little indulgence, too!

How to apply eye cream for the best effect:

Using your ring finger, gently pat eye cream around the bone area of your eye (don’t get product in your eye).

Gently blend it in using a small circular motion. This helps improve circulation and helps rid dark circles.

How to apply your serum for the best effect:

Serums are aqueous based products, full of skin nourishing actives that are the first layer of your personal regimen.

• Pump out a small amount of serum in the palm of your hand with your fingertips apply to your face and neck with a sweeping motion, concentrating on areas of concern.
• For sensitive skin, if you are a “hot water washer” or if you are using NuGlow Brightening Serum – wait 10-20 minutes after cleansing to allow pores to normalize before serum application.

A word about cleansing your skin:

Some people love the feel of HOT water on their skin when they wash. Very hot water can be harsh on your skin and can cause your capillaries to become more noticeable. We recommend cleansing with warm water. A washcloth is a wonderful exfoliator – a little rub helps remove flaking skin – just remember to be gentle! Remember, facial sponges are particularly susceptible to bacteria and germs, so repeat use may not be a good idea.

Welcome to the Carnival of Skincare! Skin Care Voice is proud to be your host this week as we check out the many links sent to us by people who, like you, care about their health, well-being, and, well, their skin!

Over at Dermatalk, there is an excellent post about sunless tanning products. Everybody, it seems, wants to look sun-kissed, but nobody wants to be sun-burned or, far worse, develop skin cancers from sun exposure. The suggestions on Dermatalk’s post might just contain the solution you’ve been looking for!

Health begins and ends with nutrition, and over on Every Nutrient you’ll discover a genuinely informative post about pretty much any and every aspect of nutrition you could think of!

If you want your skin to stay healthy, you need to make sure that everything that touches your skin is clean and free from contamination.  Do It Yourself: Natural Hair & Skin Care shows us how to keep our makeup brushes clean and safe to use.

Are you a 100% natural woman? Are you sure?

The Skin Care and Beauty Blog wants to know if we buy cosmetics because they are useful or because they make us feel good. . . .

Here’s a simple recipe for an all-natural facial mask from the Beautiful Skin Blog.

SkinCareRx is talking about Mosquito Madness!

Beauty Secrets Revealed: The Organic Skin Care Blog, shares a secret with us:  Cinnamon tea will make your complexion glow!

Skin Care Voice reminds us that the sun is not our friend.

Neutrogena has partnered with the Nature Conservancy and with the Forest Stewardship Council!

Avon is proud of its Renew skincare products!

L’oreal reminds us all that we are all beautiful at every age, but that as we get older, our skincare needs do change.

How to become a natural beauty!

The Dove Campaign has taught us all many important lessons.  Check out these three videos about the beauty industry, self-esteem, the magic of photoshop, and, most important of all, the impact on our daughters.

Master science teacher Steve Spangler shows us how to use UV beads to check out the sun’s rays!  (These are excellent for helping us know when to re-apply sunscreen!)

BlogHer’s “Own Your Beauty” campaign is chock-full of awesome links  about . . .bringing women together to change the conversation about what beauty means.

This is not exactly a change of topic, but how do you think your skincare products get to the shops, and ultimately to you?

Yvonne takes this health thing very seriously – so seriously, she signed up for an Extreme Fitness Boot Camp!  Read and enjoy.

Our teens might rebel, but honestly?  They are watching everything we do and imitating us when we don’t even realize they’re doing it.  This is all the more reason why we need to model good, healthy, safe practices, and keeping ourselves healthy is one of them.

That’s it for this edition of the Carnival of Skincare.  Skin Care Voice hopes you enjoyed clicking through the links!

The next Carnival of Skincare is in a “to be announced” mode right now, but we’ll post the link for post submissions as soon as we find out more.

Stay out of the sun!

I explored the Macy’s cosmetics and skincare  counter this afternoon, checking out samples and comparing prices.  I left the store smelling great, but not convinced I was seeing these skincare products with the same eye someone else might have, because I thought many of them were overpriced and overhyped.  The lovely perfumed clerks with their perfect makeup and hair were just a little overly eager to sell me something, too; that always puts me off.

I guess I have the kind of face that screams “Give me a makeover, QUICK, before it’s too late!”

I didn’t have time for a makeover, though; at least, not the kind that would have made any difference.    This seemed to annoy the staff, too.  Must have been a slow day, or else they just loved a challenge. . . .

When I got home, I fired up my laptop and spent an hour or so surfing the ‘net, pricing various skincare products – most of them the same brands that were being sold in the story earlier today.  The really good ones are pretty pricey, aren’t they!  We’re not talking about the 5 dollar tube you can pick up at the drugstore, but genuinely fine skincare products that do exactly what they promise to do.

Yeah, we’re talking some serious money, aren’t we. Most of them were a little less expensive online than they were in the store, but even so.

I guess I’m wondering why someone would shell out hundreds of dollars for good skincare products when she can get absolutely awesome skincare products for WAY less.

I’m serious.  You’ll get the same great results with NuGlow that you’ll get with those other skincare products that cost a LOT more.

I mean, with NuGlow, you get wonderful products that deliver fantastic results, not just cosmetically, but scientifically! You can “join the club” and save beaucoups of money, and get your products delivered right to your door.

No more trolling the department store counters, and your skin will look and feel healthy, hydrated, and wonderful because it will actually BE healthy, hydrated, and wonderful.

NuGlow is also odorless, which means it will not only not compete with your perfume, but it will not attract insects.

I live in the country – that’s a big deal!  Insects love fragrances, so whenever I can find products that are not perfumed, I’m happy.

It’s no use telling people to stay completely out of the sun; whether it be winter or summer, when the sun’s out, so are the people!

People are better at using sunscreen when they’re outside, but even those who wouldn’t step out of the house without sunscreen don’t always cover all their exposed skin.

Before you go out in the sun, be sure our face and neck are protected with NuGlow’s Daytime Therapy – it’s got an SPF of 15, which will protect your face well. As for the rest of your body, be sure you get an SPF of 30 – that’s the most protection your skin can get. Sure, you can buy SPF’s of more than 30, but you’re wasting your money if you do.

The important thing here is that you need to be very sure you’ve slathered the sunscreen on all exposed skin – skip a spot and you’ll know it!

You might have someone else apply sunscreen to those hard-to-reach spots on your body, such as your back and shoulders.

Reapply your NuGlow and regular sunscreen after an hour or so, and more frequently if you’re in and out of the water. Remember, too, that the water will reflect the UV rays back at you, so you can burn badly even while you’re in the water!

NuGlow wants you to be safe in the sun, and we also want your skin to be nourished, hydrated, and enhanced while you enjoy the summer sun!

I love my NuGlow products for many reasons, one of which is the fact that they are not even remotely greasy.

Most skincare products are, you know. I’ve tried products that had me rubbing and rubbing for several minutes, trying to get my skin to “soak up” lotions and creams that just seemed to smear and not go anywhere. I’ve tried products that, even after they were finally rubbed in, gave my skin a sticky, greasy feeling – I didn’t even feel clean after using them.

With NuGlow products, I’ve only experienced positive things, including results. After using a NuGlow product, my skin feels clean and smooth, not greasy or oily.

Whether I’m using the products in the morning or at night, my skin ends up feeling wonderful. I seldom use makeup these days; I don’t have blotches to hide now! And at night? The sensation of my NuGlow face on my nice clean pillow case is so wonderful, I find myself looking forward to it all day.

Speaking of my nice clean pillow cases? NuGlow doesn’t rub off on them. My nice clean pillow cases stay clean.

NuGlow’s total lack of “greasiness” is especially noticeable in this hot, humid weather. Somehow, the healthy feeling NuGlow gives my skin lasts a long time, and during the worst heat of the afternoon, my skin still feels good.