Beauty: Nourish thirsty winter skin with a moisture-boosting cream

1 Emergency response SOS Rescue Me Face & Body Cream £9.95, Barefoot Botanicals (www. barefoot-botanicals.com). This is specifically formulated to help with eczema and psoriasis, but is steroid-free so can be used by anyone seeking to turn the consistency of their skin from flaky grey to supple and smooth. It's great as a foot cream, and on elbows and knees, without leaving skin oily as some dry skin creams can.

2 Moisture burst Ultra Hydrating Cream 22, Trilogy, at John Lewis (www.johnlewis.com). This is a luxurious cream that isn't too thick, but gives great coverage without being greasy. A beautiful smell from the manuka honey and lavender. Great for sensitive skin, our tester's face and neck still felt wonderfully moisturised hours later.

3 Sweet dreams Evening Primrose Balancing Facial Oil 35, Cowshed (www.cowshedonline.com).

With its lemony fragrance and litsea may chang essential oil, organic evening primrose formula drops on to the skin from a pipette and is probably best applied before going to bed or your make-up will slide off. With moisturiser applied on top, it got to work overnight and next day the tester's face felt smooth and moist. Free from parabens, petrochemicals and any artificial colours or fragrances, this is ideal for vegans and fans of organic products.

4 Thirsty work TLC radiance cream 40, Eve Lom, at SpaceNK (www.spacenk.co.uk). This rich, rose-scented cream was eagerly devoured by our tester, a longtime fan of Eve Lom, and its lifting effects were pretty impressive. But it wasn't nearly nourishing enough for her parched skin and the promised radiance failed to emerge.

5 To the rescue Mayday Mayday Rescue Balm 20, REN (0845 2255600, www.renskincare. com). This thick, gorgeously scented balm, which has the texture of lip salve, is a lifesaver in this weather. For very dry, chapped or peeling skin, it's ostensibly for areas such as elbows, knees and lips but our tester smothered it all over her face before bed and woke up with her skin feeling more smooth and quenched than it has since summer. Chamomile and pink violet help to calm redness. A wonder product to carry around during the cold snap.

6 High five Concentrated Hand Cream 3.69 for 50ml, Norwegian Formula (0845 601 5789). The glycerin-enriched formula soaks quickly and easily into the skin leaving no stickiness, just very soft hands – and it lasts.

7 Quick fix Super Rich Repair 50, Dermalogica (0800 591 818). This stuff does exactly what it says on the tin. With a texture like the extra thick cream you dollop on your mince pies at Christmas, and with a slightly clinical scent, it initially leaves the skin shiny and sticky but is quickly absorbed to leave it smooth and ultra moisturised, with no discernible smell.

• This article was first published in Scotland on Sunday on 24 January, 2010