My husband and I recently went to Disney's Epcot. It was the first time I have been there as an adult. And boy is Disney a different experience.  We had an amazing time visiting all the countries represented.  And I had an amazing time shopping. It is not all just Mickey Mouse ears - there are some really high end stores now that make an adult Disney day so fun!

One of my favorite finds that has been my inspriation for gift giving this Christmas was the personalized perfume bottles by Dior. I got three gifts for friends and of course one for me.  You can have things like a name, flowers, a saying, or an eiffel tower engraved!  I had names, flowers, and eiffel towers done because the two perfumes shown above are Dior - linked here (gold shorter bottle) and here (pink larger bottle).  J'adore perfume is a classic but the golden color is more of a winter/evening fragrance and the blush color is more of a daytime/everyday wear perfume in my opinion.  You can never go wrong with either one though as a gift for a friend, sister, or mom.

I love the special touch that engraving adds to a gift. It makes the user feel so special. And now, you don't have to go all the way to Epcot in Disneyworld to do it (although I totally recommend it).  I have found an online engraver that will engrave over 100 different bottles of perfumes - including Dior, Givenchy, Gucci and more! Just click here. Can you say Valentine's Day done?

From our winter expert Mandy
​
I am religious about using sunscreen daily for health and vanity reasons. Now that I no longer have 98% humidity to help combat aging even more, I changed my sunscreen. Keeping in mind I have sensitive, acne prone skin, I started branching out into other formulas besides "oil free."

​Sun Bum products are another go-to in our household--safe for sensitive skin, very effective, mid-priced, and they smell like Chunky Monkey ice cream. I hike up to 6500 feet in the hills around my house and use this so I don't get sunburn. It's awesome in the winter too since it's moisturizing. I usually get Sun Bum products when Ulta has a sale.  

Linked here for SPF 50 and here for SPF 70 (both $16).   We also like the small travel size for your purse and for travel - its in stick form (no liquid) here for $10 so you can always have it on the go without taking up precious "liquid" space in your travel bag.

To keeping those sun spots at bay and protecting our skin all year long!

So what saves our lips and skin from this dry, winter weather? We have the best picks from our winter, desert expert Mandy.

She says....

Lipstick, lip gloss, chapstick... I love them all and have tubes everywhere.

Upon arriving in the desert and drying out like a lizard, healing chapped lips was the easiest issue to take care of in all honesty.

Good ole fashioned Aquaphor  (available in boxes of 2  little tubes now) comforts chapped lips and cracked skin like no other. It's cheap ($5 or less), scentless, colorless and everybody in the house uses it.

Onto my skin....

Living in H-Town most of my life, I never ever ever thought I'd put OIL on my face. Then I experienced a dry climate and real winter (seriously, 5° is not even funny) and figured out oil can be great if you find the right product for your skin.

After getting a freebie sample from Sephora, I was sold on Josie Maran's argan oil. The photo shows the original formulation but I also use the Josie Maran Argan Oil Light. I like the original formula during the winter and the light formula during the summer or if I travel back home where there's some humidity. Neither product has ever broken me out or caused any irritation. Although it's a bit spendy, I love the quality and appreciate an ethical company that supports women.  MEL is also a fan of all things Josie Maran and swears by the Intense Hydryating Treatment (even when living in humid Houston).

Just in case you need a cute hat, the lovely cashmere hat is from COS and here in three colors.

Stay warm and hydrated out there!