The cooler weather has arrived and it's time to get your winter clothes out of storage and snuggle up close to loved ones. To keep your beautiful self looking tip-top we've got a few essential winter tips to get you through the colder months and arise like a glorious chicken in spring. Or butterfly from chrysalis - whichever you prefer.

MOISTURISE – Winter is tough on skin. When you’re outside the air is drier and when you’re inside you’re often in front of heaters blowing warm air, adding to the loss of moisture in your skin. Skin can often feel tighter in winter and you may find your skin gets rough or itchy patches bought on by the colder weather.

To fight off this feeling and leave your skin feeling soft and fresh we recommend the use of a good organic moisturiser with natural ingredients – try to avoid chemicals, as in the long run these may dry your skin out more. Moisturise in the morning before makeup and in the evening after you’ve cleansed. Carry a hand moisturiser to use throughout the day to avoid irritated skin and have beautiful hands.

Tip: Use a mild soap on your skin to minimise loss of natural oils. Look for natural vegetable oil soaps and avoid chemicals.

LIP BALM – A good lip balm is essential in winter to avoid chapped lips. When lips dry out, it’s hard to avoid wanting to moisturise them by licking your lips and a good lip balm can help ease that dry feeling so you’re not tempted!

Skin is thinner on your face and lips don’t have oil producing glands that are found all over your body so they rely on external forces – you… with lip balm, to retain their moisture.

The best thing about lip balm is it adds a glossy sheen to your lips and you can choose from lots of different colours (and flavours!) to spice things up.

Tip: Avoid petroleum-based lip balms because putting a petrol type product on your lips just seems nasty – go natural like bees wax or hemp oil.

EXFOLIATE – So we know skin is much drier in winter conditions because the cooler air holds less moisture and our environment is often filled with heating devices which dry out the skin. A good way to keep your skin feeling fresh is by exfoliating twice a week. A good salt scrub will remove dead skin and leave you feeling rejuvenated. You can find excellent, natural scrubs with ingredients like coconut oil that will also help moisturise.

Tip: Minimise long hot showers in winter as this will exacerbate dry skin and remove natural, essential oils from the skins surface.

RED NAIL POLISH – Now we’ve got the basics sorted, it’s time to add some hot winter trends to that buffed, polished and moisturised body of yours. After the pastel trend we saw in summer, winter is full of bold, bright reds – and we’re loving it.

To create your best nails, make sure all your nails are kept at the same length. If you’ve got one or two long nails that you’re proud of, we’re sorry but they need to go. Push cuticles softly back with hand moisturiser and a cotton bud or cuticle tool. File nails so they are smooth and round.

Burgundy and deep reds are very popular this winter so get painting the town (your nails) red. Don’t forget to use an under coat and top coat for extra long wearing nails.

Tip: Look for a vegan nail polish as red nail polish is often made using the Carmine beetle.

BLACK EYELINER – Did it ever really go away? This stalwart of every woman’s (and some men's) beauty bag is a classic for a reason. But this season sees makeup artists ‘thinking outside the box’ or literally working outside the lash line.

We’ve seen some of these looks before – think cat’s eyes or Egyptian-style wings – but the trend is moving upward and outward. Now you can play with your pencil (like you wanted to with Mum’s makeup since you were four) and draw dark outlines over the top of the eyelid and well below the comfort of the lower eyelash. Get bold and definitive as this season is all about creating your own unique look.

Tip: There’s a great range of Australian based make up brands to choose from. Support local.