The "I hate winter" shopping guide to help you brave the cold
10 essentials will be your wall against the winter that is coming…
A mention of cold weather makes you think of winter shopping for cozy jumpers, steaming hot chocolate, and reading a book by the bonfire. Well, sorry to burst your snow globe-like bubble, but you my friend are wrong. If you haven’t experienced and lived through winter year after year, you can’t really empathise with the flip side.
After cosy evenings spent barbecuing come early mornings of pulling yourself away from the warmth of your velvet rajai and sitting down on a frozen toilet seat, then getting into the shower only to realise that you forgot to turn the geyser on. It comes with your mother attacking you from behind to apply a fourth layer of Vaseline on your face.
To everyone who has not lived through winters, you must know that along with Instagrammable photographs of snowfall comes gulping down bitter shots of kadha twice a day.
I grew up in Jaipur, but fled to Mumbai years ago, merrily escaping the cold. Then came the pandemic, and I found myself back in my hometown, waiting for winter to strike, feeling more unprepared than ever. Naturally, I started stocking up on winter essentials frenetically.
If you are a fellow winter hater, who dreads the season of chapped lips, levitating hair thanks to wool-induced static, and the pain of having to make do with half a balti of hot water on shampoo days, then this winter shopping list is for you.
The “I hate winter” shopping guide
Photo credit: Nykaa.com
Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream
The first sign of winter approaching is waking up with skin as flakey and dry as the khari biscuit your parents like to munch on with their evening chai.
But don’t worry, we are not going to make you uncoil from the foetal position you’ve assumed under your blanket fortress. Just get your hands on this jar of Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream.
Glacial glycoprotein, one of the key ingredients, is extremely hydrating, and works especially well in extreme climates. It also contains squalene, which is a moisturising oil extracted from olives, known to restore the skin’s moisture barrier.
Apply the facial cream twice a day to ensure that it’s only khari biscuits leaving behind trails of crumbs and not your skin.
Spice Market candle from The Faraway Tree
Thanks to the pandemic, and winter, we’re stuck indoors, but it just means more time spent in bed, surrounded by all things warm — add a cosy glow with a cinnamon-scented candle that will remind you of mulled wine, the Christmas markets you loved to get lost in, and nani‘s kitchen where she was always rustling up some divine-smelling treat.
Our pick for this nostalgic trip to a place of warmth, love and joy is the Tweak Spice Market candle.
The fact that it looks good enough to eat sure doesn’t hurt. Price: ₹ 850
Photo credit: Uniqlo
Fleece jacket from Uniqlo
The one good thing about winters is how your four-legged fur balls suddenly want all the cuddles in the world. But what happens when you’re living away from home and are at the receiving end of a flood of photographs of your little buddy cheating on you?
You reach for your phone and add this fleece jacket to your winter shopping list. It makes you feel like you’re being cuddled by an army of tiny puppies.
The neckline on this snuggly jacket is also designed not to graze or irritate your face.
Photo credit: Shop.le15.com/
Belgian hot chocolate mix from Le 15
What even is the point of winters if you can’t sit by the window, staring into nothingness (actual nothingness because the fog seems to have blanketed everything), while sipping on hot chocolate?
We bring to you a mouth-watering hot chocolate mix that will take you back to the quaint cafes you used to visit in a pre-pandemic world. Le 15’s Belgian hot chocolate is rich, sinful, and oh-so-easy to stir up, every time you need a pick-me-up.
Photo credit: Zara.com
Knitted co-ord set from Zara
I look at people who dress up during winters with the same amazement and disgust as those who think it’s acceptable to eat ketchup with rice (Are you okay? Do you need to talk?).
“Why?” you may ask, amused at my strong emotions towards those who merely want to look presentable. I will break it down for you.
Changing clothes means getting out from under your pile of blankets. It involves stepping on floors so cold that it could even make the always pleasant Pinky masi turn icy, and it requires you to take off your cosy pyjamas.
So, unless you have a loving partner, parent, or roommate, who will iron the clothes right before you put them on, add this knitted co-ord set to your winter shopping list. It is baggy enough to lounge in, and presentable enough to not have to change when you go bhaji shopping.
Price: ₹ 2,990 for joggers, and ₹ 2,990 for sweater
Photo credit: Nykaa.com
Himalaya moisturising lip balm
“Why do you look so grumpy?” is a question all winter Grinches frequently get. But every time you attempt to smile, your cracked lips threaten to rip apart.
Invest in this sasta, sundar, and tikaoo lip balm by Himalaya, packed with castor, coconut, wheat germ, carrots and the extracts of sweet indrajao, which help keep your lips soft and supple through the winter.
Also, it’s cost effective enough to fuel your obsession with applying lip balm every seven minutes.
Photo credit: Amazon.com
Wearable fleece blanket
Ensuring that your shoulders and feet are securely tucked into your rajai at the same time as working on your laptop requires more planning, brainstorming, and making of blueprints than the time you first decided to bunk tuitions.
But we have the solution – add a blanket with sleeves to your winter shopping list. This genius invention will help you keep your job without losing sensation in your arms.
Photo credit: Hm.com
Touchscreen gloves from H&M
Imagine treading through snow, feeling grateful for the warm gloves you invested in, and for how toasty your hands feel stuffed in your pockets. Just when you’re almost inspired enough to pen down a love song for gloves, your phone rings, and after 20 swipe attempts, you have to take off your gloves to answer your phone.
This one phone call leads to you dethroning gloves as your favourite winter accessory.
But gloves have decided to fight back. This pair from H&M is made using touchscreen-compatible material, and will help you continue being an Instagram influencer without having to encounter influenza.
Photo credit: Tatacliq.com
Morphy Richards oil-filled room heater
Heaters are your best friends if you’re not one for winters — but they might be contributing to your skin feeling like freshly roasted papad.
But oil-filled heaters take care of that because they don’t reduce the humidity of the room, which can cause dryness in eyes, make the room feel stuffy, and dry out the skin too.
Also, oil filled heaters are entirely noise-free, and are power efficient too – power is used to heat the oil, which in turn passes the heat to the metal walls of the heater, so even if you switch the heater off, the oil acts as a heat reservoir and continues to heat the room.
Photo credit: Marksandspencer.in
Sparkle thermal from Marks & Spencer
When layering became a fashion trend, we laughed for days, because our winter lewks could in no way be paraded down runways — and it’s impossible to expect someone to walk gracefully while looking like a blimp.
“Layers can never be sleek,” we scoffed, and that’s when we were introduced to these slinky thermals.
Throw on a cardigan, and some jeans with these sparkle thermals to make for the perfect outfit for a dinner date, or layer it up with a jumper and a coat without the risk of looking like Santa’s substitute – this purchase has to feature in your winter shopping list to ensure that you have a fashionable holiday season and stay warm thanks to the thermal’s Heatgen™ technology.