The Essentials of Winter Care

Essentials of winter care help to protect and pamper care and maintenance.

winter-weather-chart

Bitter cold conditions aren’t only uncomfortable to deal with, they  wreak havoc with our skin.

We seek shelter in the warmth of our home only to have the dryness from indoor heat sources deny the skin of essential moisture.

Insult, meet injury.

This scenario reminds me of my trips to Las Vegas.

At first, the dry heat is tolerable.

Three days in and my skin is screaming for the humidity Louisiana is known for.

In order to win the war against dry skin, you must be armed for battle.

winter-essentials-skin-care-products

My show and tell beauty regimen to defeat dry skin delivers soothing results and moisture rich relief without leaving an oily residue on the face, hands, body and feet.

Here is my list of the essentials of winter care.

essentials of winter care

Options make the world go round, so the new go-to hand lotions making my essentials of winter care list is Love Beauty and Planet Rose Hand Cream for daytime use, and Burt’s Bees Almond and Milk Hand Cream for nighttime.

Love Beauty and Planet Rose Hand Cream smells so good, and the coverage is just right for day.

Burt’s Bees Almond and Milk Hand Cream is a bit heavier and perfect for conditioning winter hands.

Comfort, coverage, staying power, excellent price point, and protection with the added bonus of a pleasing scent.  Sold!

After trying all the rest I now have found the best foot cream in Gold Bond Softening Foot Cream.

For roughly (ha!) $6 you too can crack the code of dry, cracked feet.

Night of Olay Firming Cream is both my night and day cream.   It’s that good.

shea-butter-ultra-rich-body-cream

L’Occitane Ultra Rich Body Cream.  Love the scent, the feel, the results.
This is one of only a few beauty products I have no problem splurging on.

Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm is a year round must have for chapped, dry lips.

artichoke.wood.cabinets

Jacobean Style Cabinets Designed and Made by Artichoke

Always aware of the importance of staying true to the all things house that make a home topic, let’s look at ways to pamper and protect wood furniture, wood cabinets, and wood doors from drying out due to dry indoor air.

wood-conditionerHoward Feed-N-Wax  

Oil-based wood conditioners are the essentials for winter care needed for protecting wood furniture, wood cabinets, and wood doors from drying out.

Applying a furniture oil such as Howard Feed-N-Wax or a quality lemon oil for fine wood penetrates wood and helps to retain moisture.

I do not suggest using an oil soap, wax or furniture polish that contains silicone.

Silicone based products promote build up and yellow discoloration, and therefore are not recommended.

Placement is also a consideration in preventing drying and fading.

Although often unavoidable due to design and space constraints, it is best not to place furniture near heating vents (drying) or in direct sunlight (drying and fading).

leather-chair

Interior Designer Ninou Etienne of FusionD as featured by Design to Inspire

Don’t forget about pampering and protecting your leather home furnishings.

Leather is a natural product.

In order to maintain the natural beauty of the hide, I condition leather furnishings with leather conditioner at the start of winter.

Using a good leather conditioner will keep the leather soft and supple and the natural beauty of the  patina.

Leather Honey Leather Conditioner is my number one choice of leather conditioners.  It is non toxic, water repellent, controls mildew and leaves no oily residue.

I do recommend consulting the furnishings care label before using any conditioning product.

leather-honey-leather-conditioner

Leather Honey Leather Conditioner

Winter is beautiful, but can be brutal.

Pamper and protect with the essentials of winter care.

love your style

Holiday Drama: Home Decor Statement Pieces

Home decor statement pieces aren’t expressly exclusive to holiday fashions.

Decoristas never need an excuse to home decor accent and accessorize, nor do they shy from reminding Santa it’s perfectly fine to add home decor statement pieces to his list.

At this most festive and stylish time of year, home is the star of the meeting, greeting and eating holiday show.

There’s no time like the present to add a few home decor statement pieces to your holiday wishlist.

I connected the dots to this Christmas wishlist conclusion as I sketched out a potential design alternative for a client.

kitchen-sketch1

The homeowner wants several items that will stretch the budget tighter than tight, and realizing that fact commented, “I guess I could always ask for it as a Christmas present.”

 Christmas bells went off and the Elves got busy dropping hints.

Accent chests offer superb storage and style options for dining rooms as well as kitchens and breakfast areas.

Known as the hub of the home, the kitchen especially is the center of attention at the holiday time of year.

Reason number one why I love to “decorate” my kitchen for the holidays.

Lyndon Kitchen Island

Lyndon Kitchen Island

The polar opposite of boring-done to death-everybody else is doing it, mixing periods and styles is being embraced more and more as the new kid on the block in design style.

Salento 6-light Chandelier

Salento 6-light Chandelier

The proof of the point hangs with this experimental pairing of an old-world charm of this Parisian white chandelier framed with two sleek and modern Hicks pendants in bronze and black.   

HC-4BJA_mz

We’re considering hanging this lighting trio over the island area.

kitchen-breakfast-area

barbara-westbrook-home-entertaining-dining-area

Architectural Digest

Leora Modern Glam Tufted Velvet Wingback Loveseat

Leora Modern Glam Tufted Velvet Wingback Loveseat

Alisa Grey Upholstered Settee Bench Loveseat

Alisa Grey Upholstered Settee Bench Loveseat

Ebanista-adesso-chair

Adesso High Back Chair by Ebanista

Toddman Light Beige Fabric High Back Accent Chair

Toddman Light Beige Fabric High Back Accent Chair

Dear Santa:

 Love your style!

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