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"      Marcia Kilgore is the brain behind not one, but two lovely skincare lines: Bliss and Soap &amp;amp;amp; Glory. So naturally, the beauty-minded Canadian was my go-to expert for winter skin tips! Here, her answers to all my pressing cold-weather questions...   \u2014Emily Hebert   Why is it important to take shorter showers and baths during winter months? Water is a winter wolf in sheep&amp;#039;s clothing. While you might think it&amp;#039;s hydrating, water topically can have a drying effect on your epidermis. In fact, the more water that hits your skin, the more it breaks down your NMF (natural moisturizing factor) which is a complex layer of naturally occurring lipids between and on top of your skin cells. Over-bathing or over-showering will make dry skin even drier, so do your dousing in small doses, and make sure you moisturize immediately afterward!   Any tips for battling chapped and flaky lips? Avoid menthol or camphor based lip balms. A lot of woman think that using medicated lip balm is the only way to treat their lips during the winter months, but while menthol and camphor might feel good at first, they create an addiction for your lips by drying them out even more, at which point you feel you have to apply even more product to reduce the dryness. It&amp;#039;s like a dry lip self-fulfilling prophecy. Look for lip balms or glosses with ingredients like Shea butter and beeswax, both of which coat your lips with a layer that helps reduce trans-epidermal water loss and chap.   Photo: courtesy of Target    Is there a trick to applying body moisturizer so that you don&amp;#039;t have excess residue and flakes? Good formulations (whether body or face moisturizer) should never leave a residue. &amp;quot;Residual solids&amp;quot; as they are known are a mistake made in cosmetic chemistry, but shouldn&amp;#039;t appear when you use a product. The best way to get the most from a body moisturizer is to scrub in the shower or bath before applying it, and apply it while your skin is still damp. That way, the humectants (which are active molecules included in the formulation in order to pull water into the skin) have a chance to work not only on the environmental water, but also on the water left on your skin&amp;#039;s surface. So when you get out of the shower or bath, just blot with a towel\u2014don&amp;#039;t totally dry off\u2014then apply your moisturizer.  How often should you exfoliate your face and body during the winter months?  Exfoliation should be a regular feature of your body and facial routine all year round. Incorporate a body exfoliator into your shower routine at least three times weekly to slough away dead skin cells quicker. Not only will it simultaneously stimulate circulation, your after-shower moisture lotions will sink in more readily. And by the way, just say no to loofahs. Once used, they are loaded with bacteria build-up. Try Soap &amp;amp;amp; Glory Sugar Crush, made with smashed brown sugar, sweet lime, almond oil and macadamia grains.  As for your face, it depends on your skin type but I would recommend exfoliating two to four times a week for oily skin and less often for dry/sensitive types. Remember to pay particular attention to blackheads, blocked pores, flaky foreheads and oily chins. Want to pump up your scrub? Squirt a little lemon juice into your favorite facial scrub to boost its natural brightening power and exfoliating action. (Lemon juice contains citric acid, one of the five alpha hydroxy acids that dissolve the glue that keeps dead cells stuck to your skin.)  What direction do you see Soap &amp;amp;amp; Glory going in the new year?  Soap &amp;amp;amp; Glory this year will continue to strengthen its core bath and body range with the addition of innovative, fabulously fragranced, entertaining products. However the key focus for us in 2009 will be the launch of Soap &amp;amp;amp; Glory Skincare, our new line of seriously effective skincare with a side order of sassy launching in May 2009 exclusively at Target. Editor&amp;#039;s note: Want a sneak peek at the new face-focused Soap &amp;amp;amp; Glory products? They&amp;#039;re currently available across the pond at boots.com. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.elle.com/beauty/makeup-skin-care/news/a1253/winter-skin-tips-from-marcia-kilgore-3232/>