As we speak right now my poor fiancé (which is the douchiest worst word on earth and I want to punch myself in the baby maker every time I say it.) is laying in bed with a really bad cold, or the flu or something. Our little bulldog is watching him and wearing a face of deep concern. He is probably one of ten people I know right now with a cold or flu, so clearly winter needs to end because I’m over it.

With colds come many beauty concerns like dark circles and a general “waking dead” sort of appearance, but the most lingering is often the chapped nose that results from using your body weight in tissues. It seems like once it starts peeling it just never want to stop. Doesn’t really sound like that big a deal until you realize to cover the redness you have to apply makeup to it, and when you do it winds up looking like old onion skin. Which in turn gives your whole face of a makeup a dry and caked on appearance, which is not cute at all.

So here are a few tips on how to cover it and how to get rid of it.

Getting Rid Of It:

• Apply Balm - Just like chapped lips, a chapped nose needs a little more TLC than usual so your regular moisturizing routine may not be cutting it. Try using something on the chapped areas that is meant to be used or can be used to treat chapped lips. Some go-to options are Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream, Bag Balm, Neosporin Ointment (Not Cream) or even regular old medicated chapstick! Anything with a balmy consistency which will moisturize it and treat it will do the trick. Whatever you choose, apply it liberally and often until it starts feeling better.
• Don’t Skip Regular Moisturizer - While regular face moisturizers and creams may not cut it, they probably won’t hurt either. Getting as much moisture to the skin in the affected area as possible is the key. What I like to do it use my usual moisturizer first, and then a balm over it during my night time routine. The only type I would recommend skipping is anything that could cause more dryness or irritation like a cream that contains a retinol. I haven’t tried it on a chapped nose, but logic tells me it could be a disaster.
• Exfoliate Gently - Once The area is no longer inflamed, wait until after a shower when your skin is softened from the warm water, and then gently exfoliate some of the excess dry skin off. A good way to do a very gentle exfoliation on a small area is to use a warm, damp wash cloth. Just wrap it around one finger and gently rub the areas in circular motions. If it begins to feel irritated then stop, it’s not ready yet.

Covering It:

• Treat It First - Don’t even think about trying to cover it before you have at least done the first of the three steps listed above. If you need to apply makeup, you should apply a balm to the area about an hour before you start putting it on. Less time is ok too but giving the skin time to soften helps. You can apply as much as you need as many times as you like during this stage, but make sure to dab off the excess before you begin to apply your makeup.
• Choose Wisely - Choose a makeup that is moisturizing, and light. A BB Cream or a CC cream will be perfect for this. If the coverage is too heavy it will look flakey and caked on, so a full on foundation might not be a great idea. BB and CC cream are lighter coverage so they fit the bill, and they will moisturize a little too, so that will help the issue overall. A tinted moisturizer won’t hurt, but I don’t think it will provide enough coverage to even make a dent in the redness. If your chapped little nosey isn’t that red then maybe that will work for you. To make sure you use a light hand (remember, caking is the enemy) a damp sponge, like a beauty blender might be a wise tool to use for application.

Chapped noses suck, there I said it! But at least if you can make it look less gross you might feel a little better. 🙂