What Are The Winter Uglies – & How Do You Tackle Them?

That time of year has unfortunately rolled around once again. Our tan has long faded away, our glowing summer skin is suddenly a distant memory, and we are sitting in our beds for the sixth hour, scrolling through our camera roll at pictures of our alto ego, us during summer, like it’s an ex-relationship. And that can only mean one thing – the winter uglies are back *quietly cries*.

The only redeeming factor that winter uglies have, is that they seem to be a universal experience for so many women who sadly, finds themselves living in a day light savings zone. And if you are lucky enough to not even know what this article is about, please refrain from telling me, I am feeling extremely fragile, thanks!

However, our time for wallowing is over and this year we are going to tackle the winter uglies head on. We have compiled a list of ways to battle this feeling and become the best winter version of you, who is ready to take on all the Christmas shenanigans!

@farron__ And i just simply CBA having a glow up frankly @Olehenriksen hoping your eye cream will save me @Unaltered hoodie 🤍#winteruglies ♬ original sound – Nelly Furtado

What are the winter uglies?

If you are reading this section, and are genuinely curious about what winter uglies are, count yourself as the chosen one.

As we enter the colder months, we can feel ourselves becoming a little more blah – and that’s only natural! The sun is out for shorter periods of time which can have effects on our mental health as the shorter days often result in us crawling back to our couches and nestling in for the night at 4pm. As the days get duller, so does our skin, hair and our outlook on ourselves, and every bit of pamper routine we had, suddenly vanishes.

We naturally go into hibernation, because who really wants to be out in the pitch dark at 5pm?  We began to see less people, go to less social events and find ourselves binge watching a marathon of series all in one week – I can safely say that I watched all the new season of Selling Sunset in one night!

@itsjuliaxoxo_ About to hibernate- wake me up when it’s summer #winteruglies #glowup #selfcare ♬ after all seasons change – a.

As much as it’s ok to cozy up every few evenings by the fire, making it apart of your daily routine does no good for anyone and can have serious repercussions for our self-confidence and health. So, in hopes that this winter can finally be our win against the winter uglies, here at six ways that will hopefully bring your spark back.

Weekly pamper sesh

Having a set night of the week that you can fully pamper and revive yourself will do a world of good to battle the winter uglies. This pamper night will include having a full body shower, for you to exfoliate your skin, popping on a hair and face mask, painting your nails and having a little you time. Stick on your favourite podcast or comfort TV show while you do these self-care bits and have a little time of endless scrolling. This 2-hour time slot a week will have you feeling fresh and cleansed and ready to take on another week ahead and might be something to get you through the darker days.

Moisturise, moisturise, moisturise

With the days getting colder and drier, our skin also becomes drier and can lead us to feel crusty and all together quite blah. I cannot express enough how important it is to have a good moisturising routine as we head into winter. If it’s not already part of your daily routine, definitely add it and I can guarantee you that one simple step will make such a difference to how you feel. It’s not just about face moisturising either, it’s essential to invest in a good body one, and a little hand cream too. Lathering yourself up in a nourishing moisturiser before bed or early in the morning will have you skin glowing and your confidence glowing too.

@jorjasmith_ I love how ridiculous being a girl is wow #biodance_collagen_mask #everythingshower #candle #fyp @Eberjey ♬ take my breath away by berlin – 𓆩ᥫ᭡𓆪

A tanning routine

I know we are entering an era of pale skin love but there is a lot to be said about popping on a bit of self-tan in the winter. It makes you feel revived again and if a little bottle on tan can make me feel even a little bit better this winter, I will most certainly be rummaging through the tanning press again. It doesn’t necessarily have to be an ultra-dark tan, even a little gradual tinted one will do the job. Having a maintainable tanning routine throughout winter will put a bit of life back into your skin and have you feeling as confident as ever!

Slower mornings

This next tip does involve you getting up slighter earlier, and I know this is extremely hard to do especially as the mornings grow colder and the only place you want to be is your nice cosy bed, but I promise once you make it part of your routine you will be thankful. Having slower mornings means you almost romanticise the darker mornings. Making a breakfast that you really enjoy and having a few moments to chill with your coffee or tea will have you set up the tackle the day ahead. Getting a walk in too is great and allows you to fully maximise the sun light we have these short days. Days can often feel rushed with the sun setting at 4pm, so having this extra time in the morning lets you get the most out of your day and a bonus factor means that you can get into your bed earlier.

@jas.olivia spend a cosy morning at home with me 🤭🍂🔅🧣🕯️🛋️ 🛋️ slow morning, making my bed ☕️ morning coffee always, loving Allpress beans atm 📖 loving magazines for inspo atm! ✏️ always journal in the morning too! @Allpress Espresso UK @pigletinbed @Jellycat @Primark @Pooky Lighting @Blank Street #morningroutine #morningcoffee #morningjournal #autumnmorningroutine ♬ The Hardest Part – Olivia Dean

Making time to see friends and family

It may seem like a simple tip and something you plan on doing anyway throughout winter, but as we know this time of year can often become hectic at work and we find less time to meet up with friends and family. If you ensure that once or twice a week you have plans to do something with friends and family, it will bring some joy into your life and really will make your days brighter. This time of year, can be so isolating as the last thing we want to do after a busy day is go back out into the cold for a meet up. However, it doesn’t have to be anything major a quick catch up over coffee or a walk at the weekends will give you an excuse to leave the house and the belly laughs you have together will magically vanish all your worries and feelings of self-doubt!

Taking up a new hobby

Taking up a simple hobby for the winter months can be the perfect way to distract yourself from your winter uglies feeling and give some structure to your day. Now I’m not taking about becoming the next master chef overnight, or becoming a pro at pottery, but even taking up colouring, or following a simple knitting tutorial can refocus your brain on to something else and give you some motivating for your days. Even getting back into reading or setting yourself a reading goal can be a good way to get you through the days before Christmas.

Hopefully these few tips can have you winning against the winter uglies this year, and if there are some down days, just remember it will pass and we are all in it together!