The air has resolved into a crisp, blustery whisper, the coldness of the night has slowly crept its way into the nooks and crannies of my apartment and between the cracks, some days it becomes increasingly more difficult to decipher whether my skin more resembles a leaf or vice versa.  Ah, yes – Winter in Los Angeles; it’s not for the faint of heart, nor for those who aren’t as versed with skin care remedies.  Between the sun, the smog and the cold, your skin needs to be prepared to combat all the elements – so I think it’s about time you were covered, both literally and figuratively.

Though there are definitely products that In life, there are a whole lot of things that I don’t mind in knock off form, but unless it’s a great deal or a stellar sale – skincare and hair care are two of the few corners in life that I refuse to cut.  Abraham Lincoln once joked ‘If I was two faced, would he really be wearing this one?’ Well the truth of it is, we really do only have one face and unless you’re in the business of Botox or more extreme treatments, you better be taking care of yourself.  As the largest organ that your body has, your skin deserves to have you treat yo’self.  And even though you can go all high end, your local CVS and Walgreens also have a whole host of products that are simply great for you, like Cetaphil, Clearasil, Dove and Vasoline brand. Balling on a budget, definitely;  feeling good and looking great in my natural skin – bitch, I might be.

For the Face

As a little pre-moisturizer ritual, I give my face, neck and chest a little dose of Murad’s Intensive Vitamin C Face Mask.   You leave it on for ten minutes and let the glycolic acid do the work – exfoliating your skin while leaving it feeling fresh and smooth.

Murad: $55

Also available through Sephora for the same price

For the best 24 hour moisturizer, I turn to Korres Wild Rose 24 Hour Moisturising and Brightening Cream.  For the better part of the last decade, it’s been part of my morning ritual and I can’t for the life of me see myself deviating from that anytime soon.

Korres Wild Rose Cream: $38

Since the time I was just a wee little girl my mother always told me the only face cleaning product I ever really needed was Cetaphil.  And now, almost 30 years later – I want to let you know: lady was right. Great for a simple face cleansing, and works effectively to take off makeup – not to mention, you can find it at your local drug store.  Win.

Cetaphil: $7.99

For the Lips

When I found out that my favorite line of chapstick was discontinued, I sunk into a pseudo depression.  Trust me, though I wasn’t full on sad the idea that I’d no longer be able to find a Pink Lemonade or Mango flavored Bonne Bel was more than I could handle for a period of time.  Yes, you read that right – 2015 was a monumental year….a year where Twinkies came back and Lip Smackers were discontinued. But thanks to the Evolution of Smooth (EOS), I’ve been having a ball with my lips and have barely looked back. Snag them at any of your local drugstores, or just load up online – my favorite flavors are Summer Fruit and Strawberry Sorbet.

EOS: $3.29

For the Body

I have loads of tips and tricks up my sleeve when it comes to buying beauty products (like I said, balling on a budget) – but one of the best is that you don’t need a fancy lotion to lavish over, what you need is tried and true.  And that means you go with Vaseline brand.  With my skin as succeptable as it is to the dull, dry months – I always go with the Intensive Care Total Moisture – and the Cocoa butter smell definitely helps!

Vaseline with Cocoa Butter: $4.19

For the Hands

Last, but most definitely not least – those ten little digits that rub on all that lotion could use a bit of love themselves.  Enter Bliss’ High Intensity Hand Cream.  With it’s tantalizing mix of macadamia oil and grapeseed extract, the lotion sinks deep into the skin – nourishing it from the base to the top, providing extra comfort in the dead of winter to dry, brittle skin.

Bliss Hand Cream: $9