You’ve broken out the giant parka that makes you look like a living, breathing Michelin (wo)man, you’ve armed yourself with gloves and a cozy scarf and fly and functional boots. You’ve even stocked your apartment with a grown-up stock of hot chocolate and mulled wine. Or if you’re in a warmer locale (lucky you!) maybe you’ve brought out a light sweater, so you’re ready to take on winter by storm, right?
Almost! Whatever side of the equator you land on, cold or warm, add these lip tips to your arsenal to ensure your pucker survives the winter.
Exfoliate
Flakes are good when they’re in the form of snow, but on your lips? Not so much. Keep lips smooth and mistletoe moment-ready by exfoliating. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing, so aim to do so about once to twice a week with a gentle sugar scrub like the Skinfood Black Sugar Strawberry Mask Wash-Off. Smells good enough to eat like a sweet strawberry jam (mmm!), but trust me—it’s much more delicious to smell than taste. You can also use a soft, damp washcloth or extra soft toothbrush. Whatever your preferred weapon of choice, use a light touch to massage over damp lips and finish with a lip moisturizer. If Skinfood’s Strawberry Scrub has you salivating, satisfy your sweet tooth with their adorable Honeypot Lip Balm.
Apply SPF
Guilty! We know we’re supposed to liberally apply sunscreen to prime areas like our nose, ears, and chest—anywhere skin is exposed, really. But sometimes we forget our lips, especially when sporting our favorite vampy Wicked Burgundy lippie. So lay down the foundation for keeping them smooth and burn-free. Before you apply the gloss or stick of your choice, slick on some SPF. Look for a lip product specially formulated for your lips, or use your normal sun block like the Neogen Day-Light Protection Sun Screen.
Protect Early & Often
I love cranking up the heat so I have a cozy nest as much as you probably do, but the warmth of your bedside radiator is not as innocent as it seems. Heat is a culprit behind dry lips, causing moisture to evaporate. Lips have the thinnest skin on the body, but unlike other skin, they don’t have their own oil glands to produce the lipids that typically protect your skin’s most outer layer. As such, lips need a little extra help to defend them from the elements, both indoors and out, so slather on a rich balm. Forget the Vaseline—you don’t have to walk around looking like you have a grease slick on your lips. Reach for something way more indulgent, like the Skinfood Tomato Jelly Tint Lip. It performs brilliantly as a moisturizer thanks to its tomato seed oil but gives a perfect kiss of cheery color as a gloss. Other ingredients to look out for? Glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and honey. These are skin care superstars, as good for your face as they are for your lips. They’re humectant ingredients, which means they help skin retain more moisture than it could on its own.
Face Products For Lips?
The things that you do to treat your face may also apply to your body and lips. Skin is skin, after all! However, depending on what area you’re treating, you’ll likely have to make adjustments. For lips in particular, remember how they’re extra thin and don’t come equipped with the gear to make sure they hold in moisture on their own? If you choose to use a moisturizing facial product like essence on your lips, I won’t judge (I believe you can use essence just as liberally as the Coneheads use Windex, possibly more so). Just be sure to lock it in with an emollient balm to get the most mileage out of both.
There you go—some of my favorite lip tips! Now curl up next to the radiator and enjoy a glass of mulled wine or two and pass on some good words: What do you like to do to pamper your pucker?
Cheers,
Sara
Necessities to survive the winter:
Down-filled parka, homemade scarf, and a good lip tip or two.
Sara Hayden is a lifelong storyteller. She’s worked with a variety of outlets including the San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, and New York Times bestselling author Lauren Myracle. Dim-sum is her comfort food. Follow her on Instagram @thewholehapa.
