Are You Winter-Ready? You'll be needing: Hand Cream, a Hydrating Creme for the Face, and Tea

Ella, the snow dog was found on Flickr. Photo by jpctalbot.

A number of my posts lately seemed to be about me getting into winter hibernation mode; candles and mittens and other goodies that seem all the more wonderful because it's cold outside- so I thought I might as well make it into a "thing." I love winter immensely- yes it gets unbearably cold sometimes but I love the crisp air, the snow, the family get-togethers, the lights, the trees, the coziness that wraps around you when you cuddle under a wooly blanket, the fireplaces and of course the occasional snow day that lets you take unexpected time off any official obligations you may have.

A friend got me the snowman from Pier 1 Imports

Albeit all these great things about it, winter is not a season to go into unprepared. So, here are some of the things that I feel grateful for having in my loot to prepare me for the cold weather.

1. Hand Cream: My current hand cream of choice is the MAC Naked Honey Hand & Body Cream. I find myself reaching for this a lot because it's creamy and moisturizing without being gooey/sticky (and I absolutely hate sticky hand lotions). Sometimes, when you wash your hands and apply a heavy hand cream, your hands end up feeling worse than before you washed them. Well, there's none of that here.
Plus, it smells like honey! It's not a sweet honey scent but I still like it because there's something authentic about it. Scent-wise it's similar to the L'Occitane Honey & Lemon Hand Cream, although there's something more clean about L'Occitane's scent. Both are great hand creams.

Some tips with hand cream: One: Do not apply hand cream right before you cook. It will affect any ingredients you touch and anyone eating can taste the lotion. yuck. Two: If you handle a lot of paperwork (I do), it's a good idea to not apply hand cream on the palm side of your hands- since the cream could transfer to the paper and leave a oily mark.

2. A Hydrating Creme for the Face: Next up, one definitely needs a good hydrating creme for the winter. It's easy to brush off this step of your skincare as insignificant especially if you're already using a moisturizer, but your skin will drink up the extra hydration and reward you with glowing winter skin provided you find the right creme for you. For me, that's the Dior Hydra Life Pro-Youth Sorbet Creme. I'll be realistic, it's not a miracle worker, this alone will not give you porcelain skin overnight but it boosts the effects of my regular skincare routine and relieves my cheek area of its, what seems like perpetual thirst for hydration.

I bought it as a set with the eye cream and serum.

Blue boxes always have the best goodies inside don't they?

3. Tea: Finally, I love drinking hot tea in the winter. I like tea in general but in warmer weather it's just so much easier to order a cool frappuccino as opposed to a steaming cup of tea. At home, I enjoy teas from Tazo (Passion is my favorite), Republic of Tea and Two Leaves and a Bud. Every once in a while I may get fancy with my tea ritual but I've been preoccupied with work lately so I can appreciate the convenience of these sachets.

I like the fact that these are visible loose leaves (and not powder) and that they come in a non-paper sachet. I've heard that the chemicals that end up on those paper tea bags can kill a small animal.

It's so important to hydrate yourself during the wintertime, not only by applying moisturizers on your skin but also by drinking lots of water! But drinking cup after cup of water can get a bit tedious and boring, so tea really helps make it a bit more fun (and more healthy while you're at it.)

I get these at Whole Foods. I'm unsure of where else they're available.

So that was my little Are You Winter Ready post :) Hope you got some inspiration as to what you'll prepare for the season. Stay healthy and hydrated!