If you’re like me, winter means your already dry skin is even drier and while windswept hair and pink flushed cheeks might be the apres ski look du jour, peeling and cracking skin and lips are not. So while I don’t tend to stray too far from my every day skincare routine, I do put extra emphasis on hydration and exfoliation during with my winter skincare. So today we’re breaking down my winter skincare edit, from my favorite products, to tips and tricks to keep you glowing these next few months. I’m going to list a few options for each step, but it really comes down to hydrating cleanser, a good exfoliator, toner, hydrator and moisturizer (yes two hydration steps), pick and choose based on what works for you and don’t be afraid to shop around, once I figured out what ingredients my skin responded to best, I was really able to customize tailor my routine to what I knew would work for me.
For some skincare background, my skin is “normal” and has leaned more towards the dry side since I finished Accutane 5 years ago. That being said, acne is not something I have to worry about and oil control is not a focus of mine. Currently my skincare concerns are fine lines, brightening and hydration.
No. 1 – Cleanse
I love love love to wash my face. It is the foundation of a good skincare routine and to me simple is better when it comes to cleansing because I’m going to wash it right off and would rather splurge on my “treatments” since they’ll be staying on the skin. In the morning I use a gentle cream hydrating cleanser (I’ve been using this one for years!) and in the evenings I love a double cleanse. If I’m wearing makeup I always start with these lavender and chamomile infused baby wipes (yes baby wipes but they are so good and don’t leave my skin feeling raw and stripped, they’re also huge so I only need one) and then I go in with this $8 balm cleanser. After that I like to use a targeted cleanser depending on what I’m focusing on, lately I’ve been focusing on “brightening” so I’ve been using using this mandelic acid cleanser and my skin has been loving it.
No. 2 – Exfoliate
I really up the retinol treatment during the winter since I am getting less sun exposure which means my skin is glowing but it also means the retinol uglies and peeling (and just general dryness) are in full effect, so I exfoliate every 2-3 days. My two favorite exfoliators have been this microcrystal polish from target which I usually use in the morning or my absolute holy grail microdermabrasion enzyme exfoliator which I refuse to be without and is a favorite for night time and when i feel like I want to take off approximately 7 layers of skin (kidding. kinda.)
No. 3 – Tone/Acid/Liquid Exfoliant
My skin loves it some acid treatment. AHA/BHA/Mandelic/Glycolic, you name it, my skin loves it. I tend to use liquid exfoliants in place of toner, and I usually have a couple options on hand (skincare junkie, sorry not sorry) but one of my favorites is less than $20 at target and is a great alternative to the Paula’s Choice Liquid Exfoliant. This glycolic gel is another great option.
No. 4 – Treatment
Treatment varies for me. I mentioned that I tend to up the retinol during the winter months, right now I am LOVING the Farmacy 1% Vitamin A Retinol. With any retinol treatment, peeling and sensitivity expected, but I find that this leaves my skin looking plump and supple and there isn’t that burning redness that I’ve experienced with other retinols. I also love the Summer Fridays Midnight ritual retinol serum which I find to be a more gentle option.
No. 5 – Hydrate
Double or nothing baby. Oils/Serums AND Moisturizers here. I’m also going to throw eye cream and lip balm into this category as well, even though I sometimes will do eye cream before treatment, lately I’ve been loving the Summer Fridays Eye cream or the Farmacy Brightening eye cream (big Farmacy & Summer Friday Fan over here if you couldn’t tell.) The Derma-E Hyaluronic eye cream is another fantastic budget friendly option.
Back to the routine. For the morning, I love a hyaluronic serum, (hyaluronic acid is a humectant meaning it binds moisture, and hyaluronic specifically can bind up to 1000x it’s weight in water which is where that lovely “plumping” effect comes from) this $6 Good Molecules option is my go to, it’s super affordable and sinks into the skin so well which makes it perfect to apply under makeup. I follow that up with SPF (Summer Fridays mineral SPF 30 at the moment) and then I’ve been loving this Tower 28 redness barrier cream as my final daytime hydration step. For the evening, TikTok got me good and I tried the Viral Snail Mucin Essence and guys. Oh. My. Gosh. It is possibly the best thing that has happened to my skin in ages. I can definitely tell when I don’t use it and its been on permanent rotation ever since I got it back in September. Lastly, my winter go to, my holy grail, The Farmacy Honey Halo, I don’t know what kinda magic is in this stuff but we’re talking plump and glowing BABY SMOOTH SKIN when you wake up and I am obsessed. It also smells like honey, so what’s not to like?
There you have it, my current winter skincare routine. If you’re feeling discouraged, remember, skincare is so so personal and what works for me might not be the best option for you, so don’t be afraid to ask for samples and find what makes your skin happy.
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