photo: a woman's face with a snowy background

Scandinavian Skin

In northern Europe, winters are full of enchantment. Whether you're sleeping over in Sweden's Ice Hotel or steeping in Iceland's Blue Lagoon - or even if you're braving the blistering cold in your hometown - the best new way to wipe out windburn and moisturize your mug this winter is by taking tips from those who know cold best: the Scandinavians.

Wipe out windburn and moisturize your mug this winter.

Under the solemn watch of sleeping volcanoes, visitors come from far and wide to steep in Iceland's mineral-rich geothermal and glacial waters. Thanks to the magic of the beauty industry, you can bring all the water's natural healing properties into your home. Skyn Iceland products, formulated with Iceland's unspoiled, pristine glacial waters, can either be used together or integrated into your existing skin-care regimen. For instant, soothing relief from itchy and irritated skin, spritz on their Arctic Face Mist and for a moment, you'll think you're in a lovely June sun shower.

In the enchanted land of the midnight sun - a.k.a. Finland - temperatures in January never quite straggle above the zero mark. It's no wonder then that Finns know a thing or two about having a great-looking face no matter what the thermometer says. Their Lumene skin-care products contain concentrated ingredients derived from the cloudberries (a Scandinavian fruit known as "the Arctic orange"). For a true indulgence, lather on some of Lumene's vitamin C and berry oil-filled Vitamin+ Radiant C-Energy cream (available stateside at CVS).

Products from the holistic Swedish skincare line Själ contain over 50 ingredients that, working together, help to nourish, treat, and repair the skin. So if you've already booked your room at the legendary Ice Hotel, be sure to take along Själ's intensely healing night cream, Kura Intuitif. It reduces the appearance of under-eye circles and broken capillaries which will be a blessing after a long night of throwing back vodka-on-the-rocks in the hotel's ice bar. Used continuously, the emollient cream saves your face, reduces splotchiness, and helps even skin tone in the long run, which means you might find yourself drawn to it even when the icicles on eyelashes are a mere memory.

Posted on January 30, 2006