Last week I saw the first signs of winter when I woke to a snow-covered lawn. Immediately I turned the sprinkler system off (a frozen, busted pipe is not fun—or cheap!) and then headed inside to find my favorite winter skin remedies before my lips dry up and my heels crack off.

During the dry months of winter, I am never without hand cream, foot cream and lip balm. If one or all of these areas begin to feel parched I start to panic. My chest gets tight, my breath turns shallow and I frantically search for moisture relief.

These days, I can’t get enough of the new Carmex Moisture Plus. I love the new tube packaging—no messy finger to wipe off after application—and the moisturizing benefits are as good as the old standby. My only issue? The rest of my family can’t keep their hands off it! I’ve had to replace my “borrowed” tube THREE TIMES.

Clinique is introducing a new hand cream this month called Deep Comfort Hand and Cuticle Cream. This hand cream is super emollient, conditioning cuticles and nails while moisturizing dry hands. I love that the formula is fragrance free and doesn’t compete with my perfume and leaves my hands feeling moisturized for hours.

Dry, scratchy heels are just not acceptable here at Makeup Bag headquarters. To keep my feet feeling soft I keep several foot creams in my nightstand but I keep reaching for Curel Targeted Therapy Deep-Penetrating Foot Cream. With shea butter, coconut milk and vitamin E, this thick, rich cream penetrates cracked heels and leaves skin soft and smooth. I buy this at CVS by the armloads for $5.99 each.

Tell me, what are your tried and true winter skin remedies?

Thanks to Carmex Moisture Plus Ultra Hydrating Lip Balm, I have 5 Carmex Moisture Plus samples to give away to randomly selected commenters on Friday, November 6th at noon.

Good luck and thank you to sponsor, Carmex Moisture Plus!

For more chances to win, visit DivineCaroline.com. There, women are sharing their five favorite beauty products for a chance to win a $250 gift card. Check it out!

Over the summer I told you about 5 of my favorite behind-the-scenes beauty essentials and now I’m sharing 5 more.

My original five still stand but there are additions to this list that are equally essential and I just can’t let you go another day without knowing what they are. What can I say, I aim to please.

Latisse

Don’t hate me because I have brown eyes and can use Latisse with abandon! Let me tell you, I am having a love affair with this lash enhancer and it’s not ending anytime soon. I’ve managed to stretch out one $140 bottle to last nearly 3 months (once my long lashes were established, I started to use Latisse only 3 times per week—so far my lashes have remained long and full!).

Carmex Moisture Plus

If you know anything about me, you probably know that 1) I tie up my teenage daughters and force them to watch The Discovery Channel when they steal my tweezers, and 2) I’m never without lip balm. Recently I re-discovered an old favorite: Carmex. This new incarnation is much different that the original yellow jar (and better, in my opinion!) as it comes housed in a tube. The formula has all the greatness of the original Carmex with a little less menthol and a lot more sun protection. Genius!

Solar Oil

You’re sick of hearing me sing the Solar Oil praises, right? I’M SORRY. I can’t help myself. This is just one of those essentials that will never find its way off my list. The almond scent is just icing on the cake that moisturizes my cuticles and makes my 5-day-old manicure look brand new.

AmLactin Lotion

This is a no-frills formula recommended to me by my dermatologist when a few patches of dry skin popped up on my torso and would not go away. With 12% lactic acid, AmLactin works to exfoliate dead skin cells and restores dry skin to a natural, healthy state. It’s kind of pricey for lotion (I paid about $25 at Walgreens for 14 oz.) but it’s so worth it. My dry patches were gone within 3 weeks. Now I use it on my feet to keep my heels as soft as Janey’s butt. Ha!

Tweezerman Nail Files

As much as my husband likes to make fun of me, I can’t stand to have a snagged nail. I will go crazy until I can smooth down a rough edge and my favorite Tweezerman Nail Files help to make sure that never happens. The world has enough crazy without my assistance. These files have a super-fine edge that I love and come in a pretty protective case.

Now here’s some good news: Thanks to Carmex Moisture Plus Ultra Hydrating Lip Balm, I’m giving away a $25 gift card and some Carmex Moisture Plus samples!

To enter this giveaway, please leave a comment by Monday, October 19th at noon and tell me one of your favorite behind-the-scenes beauty essentials.

Good luck and thank you to Carmex Moisture Plus for sponsoring the giveaway!

For more chances to win, visit DivineCaroline.com. There, women are sharing their five favorite beauty products for a chance to win a $250 gift card. Check it out!

UPDATE: This Contest is now closed. Congratulations to RUBY for winning a $25 gift card and samples of Carmex Moisture Plus!