Winter Essentials

Everything You Need To Survive This Winter

For many of you Winter has already arrived and if it hasn't it's right around the corner. Here in West Virginia we happen to be having a very late winter and have yet to have received any snow. The state seems mostly divided because of this with half the people happy not to have to deal with it and the other half wanting a white Christmas. I personally love the snow and get very grumpy when I'm too hot, something that's happening a lot lately as everyone already has their heat on despite the temperatures staying in the 50s and 60s. I know the snow is coming though so I've started to think about my Winter Essentials list and thought I'd share it with you. I tried to include things to keep cozy and warm inside and a few things for if you do have to venture out into the cold.

For starters tea is always an essential in this house. I am a firm believer in tea fixing just about anything and have a huge collection of over 50 different teas myself. This winter I've been really loving all of the Christmasy flavors. A few old favorites being Celestial Seasonings Nutcracker Sweet and Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride and a few new favorites being Bigelow's Peppermint Bark and Salted Caramel. I have mine with a little bit of coconut sugar and a biscotti!

I am a huge bookworm and I find nothing cozier than curling up with a good book in front of the fire. Right now I'm enjoying My True Love Gave to me by various authors. It includes twelve Christmas stories so I've been reading one each day leading up to Christmas.

If you do have to go out into the cold for a job or to run errands or whatever reason a scarf is an absolute necessity. I like big chunky knit scarves I can bury my face into or pull up around my ears if the wind is bad. I have two favorites currently a chunky arm knitted infinity scarf made by one of my sister in laws and a beautiful bubble knit cowl made by the other one! Pair it with a great pair of sunglasses to keep the snow glare away and you're set!

Speaking of knitting I think it's great to have a relaxing hobby in the winter. Sometimes it's nice to have something to do while you watch movies or spend time with your loved ones. If your like me in those situations you need something to do with your hands. I think knitting, or in my case, crocheting is a great winter hobby. It's not crazy expensive, it's easy, and you can make gifts or even donate your creations to charities.

While you're sitting in front of the fire reading your book and sipping your tea you need a great pair of socks to keep those toes-ies toasty! My feet seem to always be cold and I'm a sucker for a cute pair of knee highs. My current faves are from Cato.

If you do have to venture out in the cold and are a make up fanatic like me, but don't necessarily want to do a full face of makeup, there are a few things I find perfect for harsh winter weather.  A dark berry lip is very in this season and I find it perfect for this type of weather. It's striking and bold so you don't need a lot of other makeup. If you've got the skin for it I'm a huge fan of just a little mascara, maybe some blush, and a nice bold lip. The cold will do a nice job of giving your cheeks a wonderful glow on it's own but adding just a bit of highlighting cream to your cheekbones and cupids bow can give you a great dewy sparkle without much effort.

Finding the perfect winter scent can definitely improve your mood when having to venture out and deal with the weather and other people in the winter. I like to keep little sample size perfumes in my handbag and car to spot on if I need it. And if your stuck at home or all the lipstick and kissing under the mistletoe has given you dry lips, I always keep a lip balm at hand. I swear I have one in every room of the house plus my purse and car!

I don't know about you but I love to have a wide array of scents for every season. I have a ton of candles and a wax melt burner so my options are endless. Bath and Body Works always has a great range of seasonal candles and I love Better Homes and Gardens for their wax melts. One thing I love to do is get the Balsam or Pine scented candles and burn them within safe vicinity of my fake Christmas tree for a "real tree" experience.

And finally lotion lotion lotion. All winter long. Your skin will thank you. I have hand creams for after dishes and before bed, a body lotion for after my bath or shower, and number one cannot stress it enough is a facial moisturizer with an SPF. Just because it isn't summer doesn't mean you can't get burnt and the sun reflecting off the white snow is very harsh on your skin.  Hydrate that skin and thank me later!

I hope this post will help you survive this winter, let me know some of your winter must-haves down in the comments!