At 11 p.m., I was startled by the dryness of winter on my fingertips.

Before going to bed, I absentmindedly glanced at my hands, and noticed that the grayish hangnails next to my nails kept getting caught on my sleeve. I glanced at the clock: it was already 11:19. Looking in the mirror late at night, my skin was even more dire. Perhaps it was the cold winter wind, but seeing my entire face flaky and cracked all the way down to my fingertips made me feel anxious. I figured I'd forget again tomorrow if I didn't write it down quickly, so I hurriedly opened my skin care journal. Today, my skin feels particularly tight, and I'm seeing white, dead skin cells around my butterfly zone. I should have calmed down, but I was so anxious that I squirted a generous amount of cream on my skin before I could even gather my wits. I thoroughly applied a balm to my rough knuckles, and layered several layers of the moisturizing ampoule I'd recently started using on my face. It's a hassle, but checking my skin every night by recording my condition really makes me realize the need for skin care. I regret not picking at my hangnails and bleeding, but instead applying some oil beforehand. I just hope I wake up tomorrow morning with even more moisturized and smoother skin than I did today. Now that I've thoroughly applied the cream and recorded the results, I really need to get some sleep.