Forget gossip and secrets, I’d rather have a friend share a current read, a recipe hack, or a recent Target find. Maybe that’s half the appeal of social media. Instead of reading US Weekly for white lies about our favorite celebrities, we scroll our feed for secret tips from our favorite curators and friends.

Here are 5 things I’m loving in the winter right now.

iNNBEAUTY 10 + 10 More-Sturizer

I spent a lot of the fall studying up on Vitamin C. WHY is it this powerhouse product that every brand swears will heal all? Ask any Dermatologist and they assure you that you just need to focus on Vitamin C, Retinol, and sunscreen. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, I had the pleasure of sitting over coffee with a few doctors about this topic right here and I learned that we do have to be careful with Vitamin C just as we do Retinol. Most forms are water-soluble meaning they don’t match the skin’s PH and while we may get brighter skin and faded sunspots, we sacrifice our skin’s moisture barrier. As the mom littles, I just keep thinking it’s an Ariel/Ursula situation. Trade voice for legs. Trade even skin tone for future damage with an irritated skin barrier- remember that keeps pollutants and irritants out long term.

Insert, iNNBEAUTY’s new moisturizer. I was thrilled to try because you all know I swear by the Slushy. This is their 10+10 More-Sturizer which claims to increase brightness, hydration, and firmness. It has a 10% Peptide Complex to plump the skin, a 10% Vitamin C Complex to even out skin tone, and ceramides to strengthen the skin’s moisture barrier.

So your next thought is why would this Vitamin C not irritate the skin at such a powerful level? It features two forms of stable, oil-soluble Vitamin C. Another issue with Vitamin C is that it is hard to keep it shelf-stable. This is why I’ve recommended getting the smaller version of Vitamin C serums before because sometimes it loses its potency before you use up the product. Most brands use a water-soluble form to keep it shelf-stable, but it doesn’t match the skin’s PH level, meaning the percentage of Vitamin C can then damage the skin barrier. You may get results quickly, but long-term not be happy that your skin can’t keep moisture in and irritants out. These oil-soluble forms match our skin’s PH so you’re given an effective form of Vitamin C that does NOT damage the skin. Forget bartering with Ursula, this is your Fairy Godmother of a Vitamin C moisturizer that doesn’t make you go home at midnight.

But it doesn’t just do that, let’s talk about the ceramides. This product has a 3:1:1 ratio of ceramides, CLA, and plant cholesterol. Why does that matter? You know how your grandmother probably swears by just using straight Vaseline or Aquaphor to prevent wrinkles and keep her skin perfect? Chances are you’ve tried it and woken up to a face of breakouts. {I have!} This ratio of 3:1:1 has independent studies showing that it gives the SAME benefits of using Vaseline to repair the moisture barrier without causing breakouts.

It just launched at Sephora and I’ve been using it throughout q4 last year and it plumps up your skin an insane amount. And the glow. The glow y’all! It is unreal. I even shot some blog photos without makeup and just this moisturizer because I felt like my skin was so good, who needed mascara? Honestly, someone should have been checking my pulse because you know I love mascara. You can try it here! I’ve played around with using it morning or night or both and notice it plumps the skin beautifully before makeup.

My kids are a little weary of chili. Maxi swears she doesn’t like beans and even if I promise it isn’t spicy, she claims it is. But with these temperature drops what is more comforting for dinner? I was on Facebook over the break and saw a grandmother swear by this “ketchup chili” hack that gets toddlers and preschoolers to eat chili. You take a ramekin or bowl and do equal parts ketchup, Worchester Sauce, and brown sugar. I probably do 1 TBS of each. Mix well with a fork. Add to your go-to chili recipe and then mix in 1 packet of ranch seasoning. It won’t make the chili taste like ranch, but it just blends those flavors nicely with your chili base. I made it this weekend for the kids and they devoured it! I also learned if I mix it over noodles for them they love it. Makes the native Texan in me cringe because that is not how we each chili, but hey, I’ll take it for them to eat! ha.

Does anyone else hate January? I just hate it each and every year. It’s dark. It’s filled with sickness. It’s the hardest month of the year to shoot with my blog for lighting. I’m not big on NYE or resolutions, so the whole “fresh start” doesn’t excite me. I was talking to a friend on the phone and we were griping about January and discussing how to enjoy it more. We both noted how the holidays are all-consuming and then we throw everything back up in the attic, vacuum the tinsel, and then move on. What if we let it linger a bit? So I’ve still been ordering seasonal coffees where they sell them. I’ve been reading Christmas books, just finished “Dear Santa” and currently reading “The Santa Suit.” I left our trees up until this past weekend and honestly, it’s made me dread this season a lot less. For the first time, I’m not dying to get to spring.

When it comes to beauty trends in 2022, ’90s blowouts and bouncy curls will be queen. I’ve been using velcro rollers since I was in college, so imagine my excitement for finally being on-trend. ha. This look was from blow drying my hair and then immediately setting in velcro rollers.

If it’s trending on Netflix, chances are I am not watching it. I prefer my tv shows from 2010 and my movies from 1955. ha. Everything is just so intense these days and I’m anxious all day- I want tv to wind me down. I’ve been on a Grace Kelly kick. On Saturday, I introduced Maxi to a favorite, High Society.  Sunday, Paul and I watched How to Catch a Thief. Monday, Rear View. Tuesday, The Swan. Last night, The Country Girl. You can sense a theme, I’m sure! ha. What are your favorite old movies?

Are there any things you’re loving to get through winter? I’d love to try. And in the meantime, here is a podcast I recorded last fall. It came out this week and I was honored to share a small part of my heart and “why” behind what I do.