Winter Weather Essentials

Thanks to Vaseline for sponsoring today’s post; all opinions are honestly my own. 

cowlpin

I don’t know what the weather has been like in your neck of the woods, but this winter has been especially brutal in Artsy Land! Although our snowfall totals are lower than usual, we’ve been having record-breaking cold temperatures, which combined with dry air and howling winds have made it no fun to be outside. Just walking from the car to the door is literally almost painful, and I know I’m not the only one dealing with dry skin. My hands have been raw and red, even cracking because of it, but I hadn’t found a lotion strong enough to combat the dry skin for good. That’s why I was so excited to get to try out a brand new product, Vaseline® Intensive Care™ Healing Serum, that brings the power of highly concentrated, healing ingredients to a moisturizing body care serum. Vaseline is known for providing advancedbenefits in face and hair care, now these serums are available for all-over body care to moisturize and heal dry, damaged skin.

Vaseline1

You know I love getting “happy mail,” {I mean, who doesn’t?!} so I was especially excited when this pretty box showed up at my door. Not only did it contain all three varieties of the new Vaseline® Intensive Care™ Healing Serum to try, it also had some yummy handmade treats from Magnolia Bakery in New York! Ten edible “X”s to remind me that these serums have 10X the healing power! I refuse to tell whether I shared them or not…

vaseline2

Once I unpacked my box, I took a closer look at the three types of serum so I could decide which one to try first. All of them contain three superior quality ingredients – PPAR Activators, Elastomers and Vaseline® Jelly – that work together to moisturize and heal dry skin. PPAR Activators begin healing by penetrating the surface skin to replenish lipids and moisturizes to boost skin’s natural renewal cycle. Next, micro-droplets of Vaseline Jelly form a protective layer on the surface of skin to prevent moisture loss. Elastomers are then added to deliver a luxurious silky, smooth feel. Together these three ingredients moisturize to provide an effective dry skin healing regimen perfect for everyday skin care.

vaseline1

My choices were: Advanced Relief {which moisturizes to heal and calm severely dry skin}, Radiance Restore {which moisturizes to heal and restore radiance to dry, dull skin}, and Deep Repair {which deeply moisturizes to heal rough cracked skin}. My skin wasn’t cracked too badly, but I was more concerned at the moment with healing it than restoring its radiance…I figured that could come after the healing happened! So, I tried the Advanced Relief formula. Applying it didn’t irritate my hands further, which sometimes happens, and within minutes, I found that my skin felt softer and much less dry. After using it for several days, the little cracks healed completely and the visible flakes of rough, dry skin were gone. Then, I switched to Radiance Restore {which smells deliciously like cocoa!} and am currently applying it daily to continue moisturizing and get my skin back to its normal appearance. Hubby, on the other hand, had a number of painful cracks in his skin, so he started with the Deep Repair formula, which helped them to heal in just a few days. Although each of the variants is designed to target something specific, I really don’t think you can go wrong using any of them. No matter which one you choose, your dry skin will thank you!

vaseline2

In the meantime, I had so much fun receiving my custom package with the serums and treats that I thought, “Why not make someone else’s day in the same way?” You know I’m no professional baker {I’ll leave that to our sweet treats contributor, Vanessa!} so I couldn’t really replicate my own gift, but I thought that given the freezing temperatures, a crochet cowl might be just what the doctor weatherman ordered! I grabbed some pretty, thick yarn I had in my stash and came up with this simple pattern that took me less than an hour to make. Paired with a tube of the new Vaseline® Intensive Care™ Healing Serum, it’s a thoughtful “Winter Weather Essentials” gift to warm a friend’s heart, don’t you think?

cowl3

Here’s the free pattern, so you can make your own for yourself and your friends:

Crochet Infinity Cowl

cowl2

Materials:
– 1 skein of thick yarn
– Crochet Hook, size K or 10.5

Stitches used:
ss {slip stitch}
ch {chain stitch}
dc {double crochet}
tr {treble/triple crochet}

Chain {ch} 80 You can chain more or less depending on what you want the circumference of your cowl to be. Without twisting the chain at all, join with a slip stitch {ss} to your first chain to form a circle.

Row 1: Ch 3, double crochet {dc} in first chain from hook and continue around the circle, dc in each ch. Join with ss to first dc.

Row 2: Ch 4, skip first dc, work treble crochet {tr} in next dc, ch 1, skip next dc, tr in next dc. Continue around the circle, working a tr in every other dc. Join with ss

Row 3: Ch 4, work tr in the ch 1 space of the previous row. Ch 1, tr in next ch 1 space. Repeat all the way around the circle and join with a ss.

Row 4: Repeat Row 3.

Row 5: Ch 3, dc in next tr, dc in ch 1 space; repeat around the circle working a dc in each tr and ch 1 space. Join with a ss, finish off, and tuck ends.

cowl4

You can totally personalize the gift by using your friend’s favorite color yarn, and pairing it with the serum you think she’d like best {or all three}! They’re available for just $7.99 each at food, drug and mass retailers nationwide. I know I, for one, get a little grumpy in the winter and could use a little “thinking of you” gift as a pick-me-up on a cold day…I bet you know someone who could too.

cowl5

What do you think? Do you have a friend who would appreciate receiving these Winter Weather essentials?

cowl6

Stay warm, friends!

Vaseline sponsored this blog post. The opinions and text are all mine.

Similar Posts

9 Comments

  1. Pingback: Pattern Blog
  2. Pingback: Panel Blog
  3. Pingback: Electronic Blog
  4. Pingback: Sewing Blog

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.