How to Take Care of Your Skin in Fall/Winter

By Amra B. 

Most of my friends think that adding foundation or bronzer to their skin and covering up any imperfections with a concelear in enough for their skin to look good. Unfortunately, these friends also start looking REALLY old way ahead of their time. 

My skin in Miami: pale (even with the bronzer on my face)

My skin

Victoria Beckham stays away from tanning these days (right)

Here is a true story: one of my girlfriends was an absolute beauty; the whole city was mesmerized with her. However, by the time she was 25 she looked 40 (not an over exaguration, I wish I could share a before and after picture, but that would be just rude). I remember going to a tanning bed with her (IDIOTIC teenage habit I use to have), and she would BAKE for the maximum effect. I later developed a suspicious mole on my leg that my dermatologist thought was cancer (needless to say, I stopped using tanning beds right afterwards: I quit almost entirely by the time I was 19). 

Okay, back to my friend: It was middle of the winter and she would wear summer dresses underneath coats to go clubbing and show of her intense tan that way. A result of this habit, along with her partying ways (alcohol dehydrates your skin IMMENSLEY and don't even get me started on drugs), made her beauty SIGNIFICANTLY fade in just couple of years. Her skin became swollen (she had developed puffy bags under her eyes, literally), discolored (with dark sun spots over her cheeks), and wrinkled (she had lines around her eyes that made her look 15 + years older).

Pippa Middleton shows signs of early wrinkles (left) and Pamela Anderson's skin was damaged from prolonged sun exposure 

So, why don't people take care of their skin? They don't understand the basic biology behind skin: 1. it THINS out in the sun (sun breaks collagen that we have in our skin), 2. it shrivels up when we don't drink water, and 3. in colder weather it dries out due to the lack of moisture in the air. 

Problem: As the weather gets cold, we use heaters in our home. Heaters dry out moisture in the air and, consequently, our skin as well. Combine this with not drinking enough water and harsh cold wind outside, and our skin starts to look lifeless and wrinkled. 

Solution: keep your skin looking perfect from within and help it combat external factors. We can keep help our skin look plump, wrinkle free, and radiant by drinking enough water. Also, our diet makes our skin look drastically different (eat crap food and you will have crap skin, and vice-versa). Here is my ultimate list for "OMG" skin:

1. DRINK as much water as you CAN! Adriana Lima was quoted saying that she drinks a gallon a day (it shows, her skin looks amazing). I drink put some fruit juice in my water if I am going to the gym to give it a little flavor. I also drink TEA so much, especially when it gets cold in the fall and winter.

Adriana Lima's amazing skin: no makeup

2. MOISTURIZE with a cream that hydrates your skin. I use serums and a 24 hour moisturizing cream in winter. If I am sitting around, I look like a grease ball, I use oils and creams (over the oil). By the time I leave my house and wash my face, my skin looks plump. 

Moisturize your face and body after each wash 

3. Buy a HUMIDIFIER! I discovered humidifiers two years ago, and they really help especially if you are in a smaller space that is heated. Since then, my skin stopped itching and looked plumped in the winter. 

Simple, small humidifier 

4. EAT good food! So simple: your diet doesn't have enough vitamins and minerals (aka you eat FRIED and not FRESH food), you start looking not just physically fat, but also swollen, red, tired, and may break out (adult or teenage acne). 

Choose FRESH! 

Avacado is great for skin 

5. MOVE you behind! After a workout (especially outside), my skin glows. Not sure if it is a rush of OXYGEN or endorphins, but my skin looks like someone lit a lamp from within (TIP: splash cold water over your skin after a workout for an EXTRA glow)!

Me before my morning run

This girl is on a mission!

6. Wear SUNSCREEN! I wear sunscreen 12 months out of the year! In winter, I wear at least spf15 with or without my foundation. In summer, I wear SPF50. If you are going skiing, wear SPF 50 (snow reflects the sun and can be really harsh on our skin). 

XOXO