Awaken Your Skin for Spring! 

by Blake Herzog
It’s that time of year when we begin to emerge from our cocoons of parkas, gloves and knit caps, revealing our true shapes and sizes to the outside world. That’s what makes it such a good time to re-evaluate our skin care regimen, with all that implies. 
It starts year-round with great-for-you foods high in such nutrients as vitamin A, calcium and antioxidants, lots of water for hydration, plentiful physical activity and at least seven hours of serious
sleep every night. 
As for the weather, you won’t have to worry so much about the moisture-zapping wind and cold turning your skin leathery, but as your skin retains more oil you could end up seeing more breakouts, and skin or pollen allergies could become more severe and lead to redness or rashes. 
So you need to monitor your skin’s condition throughout the spring and adjust your skin care route as necessary. Here are a
few suggestions:
Exfoliate early and often — Dead skin cells do tend to pile up over the winter after you encounter all that adversity. So, if your skin can tolerate some use of an exfoliant or a chemical peel do it now so you’ll look extra healthy and youthful through the warm seasons to come. 
Use eye cream or gel — Along with a big pair of sunglasses to shield your eyes from UV rays, protect the delicate skin around your eyes with creams and gels with peptides and antioxidants, as well as vitamin C and hyaluronic acid to stop dark circles before they can take hold.
Less moisture, please — You’re not too likely to need the heavy, creamy moisturizer you were dependent on all winter. Look for something less greasy that won’t weigh you down and allows you to breathe. Try to get one with an SPF factor of at least 30 to save yourself the last step of applying sunscreen.
Cold comfort — A newer product gaining traction this year is the cold roller, similar to a jade roller but it goes into the freezer so you can get the benefits of an ice-water facial — less inflammation, better hydration and a heightened glow. This will feel great in
the summer!
Lighten your load — As you do your spring cleaning, sort through your skin care products and cosmetics and pitch those getting too out-of-date, either due to age or because you just can’t see yourself using them again. “Skinimalism” is also in as people try to pare down their routine to fewer layers products.
Keep it stylin’ — make sure the makeup
you keep and buy is in step with current trends. This spring’s include eyeliner, mascara and lipstick saturated with color, along with a hint of blush on the cheeks, all on dewy, natural skin.