Need To Know: Olivia Falcon’s beauty tips and tricks for looking polished on the slopes.
“When will it snow Mummy”? My 5-year-old daughter has asked, pretty much every morning this year. When indeed I wonder? If like me you are braving London’s grey, artic chill or heading to the mountains and praying for fresh powder, I say get organised and chill proof your skin right now with some of my clever, cold weather beauty fixes.
Top of my list of winter woes is flaky skin. This can strike at any time but its especially mortifying if you’re stuck up a mountain in bright sunlight with nowhere to hide. Out this month, Skinceuticals new H.A. Intensifier is a genius serum that helps amplify the skin’s hyaluronic acid levels (that’s the stuff that attracts water to the surface of the skin for a pleasingly dewy look). Mix a few drops into your moisturizer or wear it under your make up for extra hydration without stickiness or shine.
Just in the same way you layer your clothes for cold weather, you need to do the same for your skin, so on top of my serum I wear Oxygenetix £45, a new breed of foundation that offers UV protection (SPF25) and brilliant coverage in one handy hit. So much more preferable to gloopy, pasty white sunscreens, there are 18 shades to choose from and its gel-like texture let’s skin breathe but it also incredibly durable and won’t run down you’re face if you get stuck in a snow storm. Also there’s no fear it will rub off on your favourite scarf or ski suit.
When it comes to make-up for the mountains I am a firm believer that less is more, so for a low maintenance polished look, it’s just a simple flick of Bobbi Brown Intensifying Long wear mascara which I road tested in blizzard conditions in the Bavarian Alps, (it wont budge, smudge or leave you with panda eyes) and a slick of Fresh Sugar Rose Tinted Lip treatment SPF 15 , a hydrating lip colour that keeps lips looking juicy even when there’s an icy wind blowing in your face .
Finally my top tip for keeping hat hair at bay is to pack some anti-static Bounce laundry drying sheets. Rub these over your pillow at night or directly onto your hair before you put on your hat and you’ll never have to worry about crazy looking flyaways again.
Olivia Falcon