Battling Dry and Dehydrated Winter Skin with My Favorite Moisturizers
As an oily-skinned girl, I always notice my oiliness increase at the start of cold-weather season. If you notice you become oily in cold weather as well, it's often because your skin is dehydrated and it's trying to overcompensate by producing extra oil.
My increased oiliness is usually a sign that I need to start stepping up my moisturizer game, so let me introduce you to my favorite moisturizers for the fall and winter season:
The Does-it-All Moisturizer for Oily Skin
If you follow my Instagram, you probably know I'm a huge Sunday Riley fan so it's no surprise that Sunday Riley Tidal is on this list. I actually received this moisturizer from one of Liah Yoo's giveaways this summer. She recommended this as a great lightweight moisturizer for summer, but it didn't seem to agree with me during the most humid months. While it's not a heavy moisturizer by any means, it was just slightly too thick for me in the summer and I'd wake up with whiteheads whenever I used it. So I put it away for a few months and pulled it out as my summer-to-fall transition moisturizer!
My instinct was right, and my skin loved this for the first few weeks of fall in New York, which tends to fluctuate between hot/humid and cold/dry weather every day. And I've continued to use it as a daytime moisturizer in the winter. It not only brings a tidal wave of hydration to my skin
The No-Frills Moisturizer
I was talking to a coworker about Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream recently and she couldn't understand what I like about it because "it doesn't do anything except moisturize." And she's totally right, if you're looking for a cream that does it all, this one isn't for you. But I freaking love an effective, fragrance-free, no-frills moisturizer.
At first glance, Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream appears to be thick and heavy, but don't let that fool you. It feels surprisingly light and gel-like when applied, and absorbs well enough for me to use under my foundation. Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream is incredibly hydrating and I can attest that it saved my skin on a -12F degree ski trip last winter. My only critique is it doesn't come with a spoon to scoop with, but I have enough spoons from other products lying around my apartment, so it's not a huge issue for me.
The Hyaluronic-Acid-Packed Moisturizer
I have to start this off by saying that Good Science Beauty’s entire line has blown me away this year. But their Hydrating Face Cream is the one that I turn to most often. A little goes a long way and one pump is all I need to cover my entire face (I learned this the hard way by wasting 3 whole pumps and realizing I didn’t need that much). Good Science Beauty’s Hydrating Face Cream uses hyaluronic acid to hydrate your skin and I’ve been really impressed by how well it absorbs and how smooth and supple my face feels immediately after I use it.
The Luxury Moisturizer
BeautyBio's The Quench! This luxurious, silky-textured cream melts into your skin and, best of all, it actually does include a really cute spoon! The brand gifted this to me when they launched it this summer and, similar to Sunday Riley's Tidal, I knew it wouldn't work with my oily skin in the summer. But fall is a totally different story. As with the Kiehl's Ultra Facial cream, The Quench packs a punch of hydration, but still absorbs quickly and leaves me with supple glowing skin.
While the price tag is more than I'm used to spending on a moisturizer, a little goes a long way and I feel like this one will last me until spring. I can't wait to continue using The Quench to keep my skin hydrated through winter.
The Hydrating Overnight Mask
I'm not sure if overnight masks are classified as a moisturizer, but I'm including it in here because I love Belif's Aqua Bomb Sleeping Mask! If you follow my Instagram, you've probably heard me talk about this sleeping mask endlessly.
Belif Aqua Bomb Sleeping Mask is another product that was gifted to me by the brand this summer and I knew it would be perfect for me in the fall/winter. It has a thick, jello/pudding consistency when you scoop it out, but a little goes a long way and when you apply it to your skin it doesn’t feel overwhelmingly heavy at all.
It’s slightly occlusive, so I usually layer a ton of hydrating toners and serums first and then use this mask to help lock in the moisture. Every time I use Belif Aqua Bomb Sleeping Mask, I wake up with visibly plump, hydrated skin.
Belif Aqua Bomb Sleeping Mask and BeautyBio's The Quench were gifted to me by the brand. All thoughts are my own. They are included in the post because they are moisturizers I truly enjoyed and plan to continue using.
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