This is the time of year that your skin starts spiraling. It’s tight, stinging, flakey, and red. A couple years ago I started panicking because I could see surface wrinkles from my eyes to my chin when the weather got this cold.
Turns out those are dehydration lines and they go away for the most part when the weather isn’t so cold and dry, but I thought I had turned into Benjamin Button overnight and my life was most definitely over the hill at 32 years of age.
My skin is also pretty tricky to treat in the dry season because I require all oil free products and nothing too harsh because of cystic acne and rosecea. I cannot add a bunch of creams and active products to get the oils back into my skin or chemical peels to speed up my skin renewal process.
Here is my skin care routine for the winter starting from cleanser to eye cream. This is a great line up for all skin types but mostly dehydrated skin in the winter months because of dry cold weather conditions and for those who have sensitive, acne prone skin.
For my cleanser, I use a gel, soap free cleanser. Soaps are drying and so you want to use something especially made for face cleansing. I love Soy face and eye cleanser for face and eyes. The gel will also remove stubborn eye makeup along with cleansing which saves a step- bonus!
Once you cleanse your face, you need to tone your skin. Toner adds high impact penetration right into your dermis because it’s liquid and your pores are open to accepting product from the cleanse phase. I like Bobbi Brown hydrating face tonic –it’s super hydrating and calming to my skin.
Next you want to add your “active” product or your serum. It’s a gel consistency and packed with whatever active ingredient you are trying to build into your skin. It’s the powerhouse of your skincare. I like to use retinol-based serums and hyaluronic acid-based serums. Retinol is extremely effective in reducing fine lines on the skin because it increases your skin cell turnover rapidly. I use prescription retinol from my dermatologist at night only every few nights and it helps with my rosecea, but I use only a small dosage because it can be irritating if used too regularly. Ask your derm if you want to try a sample for a week and see if it makes a big impact on your fine lines, I promise it will :). I also love this Peter Thomas Roth retinol eye cream because my prescription is too harsh and I cannot use it close to my eyes, but I have fine lines right under my eyes that I cannot stand!!! My concealer settles into them and it’s a nightmare.
Hyaluronic acid is another ingredient I always look for in my serums and moisturizers. It is a molecule that absorbs and holds onto moisture 1000 times its weight, so basically the result is major plumping to your skin. I like Peter Thomas Roth hyaluronic acid cloud serum and Peter Thomas Roth hyaluronic acid cloud moisturizer or Clinique moisture surge gel and moisturizer.
Serums are huge for impact and active ingredient delivery but they are not moisturizers. You need to follow your serum step with a moisturizer to really lock in moisture into your skin. I love the moisturizers mentioned above, but with my acne prone skin, I tend to regularly use Bobbi Brown vitamin enriched face base for my moisturizer in the colder months. It feels like a rich cream but it’s oil free!
Lastly, As a makeup artist, I love Bobbi Brown hydrating eye cream because it’s not greasy and makeup glides over it easily and doesn’t cause too much movement with makeup. I love to set makeup with Caudalie Grape water spray or refresh my skin and makeup throughout the day. The grape is, in it’s nature, is made to retain moisture and remain plump in all environments. It feels amazing you can just let is dry over your makeup or blot it in with your blender.
Whatever your favorite lineup is, the proper steps you need in application order are: cleanser, toner, serum, moisturizer, eye cream. Cheers and stay warm out there 🙂
