London Hates My Skin

Okay, I hate to admit it, but once again, my Mother was right.

She warned me as I packed for my trip to Europe that it was going to be dry and advised me to bring tons of moisturizer. That I did. But my coolly hydrating Biotherm moisturizers that more than do the trick and treat me oh-so-right in humid Asia just fell dramatically short of the task over here. And I realized very quickly that I needed something much richer.

I arrived about 3 weeks ago in Zurich to visit my boyfriend after finally landing a job, and negotiating a start date for after New Year’s, freeing up some time to relax and spend quality moments with the BF and fam before I start. During week one in Zurich, my skin started protesting, but ultimately tolerated the dryness with the help of my regular products.

BUT THEN, I spent week two in London and arrived at one conclusion: London hates my skin.

Between the dryness of winter (to which my Southeast Asia-acclimated skin was not used to begin with) and the intensified dryness indoors generated by excessive, yet still necessary, artificial heat, my skin rebelled.

Hence, my resulting reliance on a few key products, a.k.a. my skin’s saving grace, during my week and half-long stay in not-so-skin-friendly London:

For my chapped lips
Vaseline “Rosy Lips” Lip Therapy Pot with Rose and Almond Oil Vaseline

For my hands
Cath Kidston Rose Hand Cream

For my body (in-shower)
L’Occitane Firming and Softening “Supple Skin Oil” with Almond Oil

For my body (post-shower)
Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula “Moisturizing Body Oil” with Vitamin E for shower and bath (Stealthily swiped from my cousin – thanks Christie!!)

Make-up
Bobbi Brown Tinted Moisturizing Balm in Light – Medium

Face
No new products, just my standard go-to Aqua Source Non-Stop moisturizer in exaggerated amounts

Of course, I always welcome an excuse to try new products, and in my upcoming posts I’ll tell you a little more about how I’m enjoying my new purchases/trials. So far, one thing is for certain, I’ve managed to temporarily appease my skin. Take that London!