The parties are coming. And who doesn't want to look as glowing as Rudolph's nose when she shows up at a holiday event?

But the time of holiday parties is also the time of skin-looks-dry-and-dull because days get shorter and colder, and heaters turn on. In these conditions, skin — my skin, anyway — dries out faster than the leaves crunching underfoot. It's right about now that I start dreaming about spending a week on a balmy island.

Alas, there's no tropical getaway in my immediate future. But tropical-fruit infused beauty products offer some consolation, and this year they're going to make me look like I got back from Burmuda just in time for the holiday fêtes.

Mangoes, coconut milk, cocoa beans, papaya, avocado, passion fruit and citrus are just some of the natural ingredients that are turning up in many heavy-duty winter moisturizers. According to Web MD, dermatologists recommend that we slather on more moisturizers as one way to protect our skin in cold weather.

Personally, I think tropical fruit belongs in a cocktail that comes with its own umbrella; we all know that one of those can successfully chase off the winter blues.

But I guess those ingredients also have the power to do the same for our skin.

Like sugar, another popular ingredient that's turning up in a range of beauty products, tropical fruits are chockful of alpha hydroxy acids and other naturally-occurring enzymes.

Many tropical fruits are also rich in fats and lipids that create an effective moisture barrier. Citrus and other fruits contain acids that help skin rejunvenate itself to fend off the cold.

It doesn't hurt that they smell like the tropics either.

Aveda, for instance, makes a Caribbean Therapy line of moisturizers and bath products made with mango, lime, papaya and other things that would taste great in a tropical fruit salad. Philosophy has a best-selling Coconut Milk Butter mango, lime, and cocoa beans. Fresh just introduced a line based on mangosteen, an antioxidant rich fruit from Southeast Asia.

Or if you'd rather skip the beauty counter, it's possible to concoct your own tropical-infused beauty products. I found a collection of do-it-yourself spa recipes at Web MD which include a coffee body scrub, an avocado and cream hair conditioner, and a papaya mask.

Best of all, if you want, you can stick in a tiny paper umbrella after you've mixed up your concoction.