Bye Bye Dry Skin!

There was a time in life where my skin was oily no matter what season it was. On one hand, it sucked because there was always a slight sheen to my skin after an hour or two, even after all of the matte foundation and setting powders in the world. On the other hand, there wasn't much to worry about when the cold weather hit because even if my skin did dry out, it wouldn't be much different anybody with normal skin during the rest of the year. 

Then, something with my skin changed and I started using dermatologist prescribed acne treatments and suddenly I had something for the first time in my life: dry skin, and on occasion, a lot of it. There are two (well, I'm sure more than two, but these are two big ones) incredibly irritating things about dry skin. First thing, it hurts. Have you ever had skin so dry that it feels like it's trying to pull away from your face and escape before it has to spend another second so dry? Waking up with your skin feeling tight sucks and is just an all-around uncomfortable experience. The second thing is that makeup just looks...gross over dry patches. This is probably TMI, but if I see a patch of dry skin on my face that's been made completely blatant with foundation and powder, I feel the urge to peel it off and then I'm left with either (a) even more skin to make it even more obvious or (b) a large spot on my face missing foundation that is impossible to cover.

Beyond just staying hydrated (also, very important, so like, don't stop drinking water during the winter?), there are quite a few things you could do to keep your skin nice and fresh and hydrated to combat that inevitable dry skin that comes with winter.

*This post contains affiliate links and includes products gifted to me by Influenster. All opinions are my own.*

Masks are always a great way to pump some moisture back into your skin. For hydrating purposes, I typically prefer overnight masks to just regular masks that you apply and wash off after ten minutes or so. However, if I just want a shot of hydration and a cooling feeling on my face during the daytime or evening, I'll pop on some of the Peter Thomas Roth Blue Marine Algae Intense Hydrating Mask. It's a light blue gel-like consistency that you apply evenly on your face and leave on for about ten minutes. It's meant to nourish, refresh, and hydrate while also plumping your face and combating wrinkles and fine lines.

My preferred method of using hydrating masks is an overnight mask. I've had the Origins Drink-Up Intensive overnight mask for quite some time now and it's definitely my favorite when my skin is in desperate need of some overnight hydration. It's a bit thicker with the consistency of an actual moisturizer and all you have to do is apply a layer of it to your face before you sleep and leave it on overnight. As I said, this is definitely my heavy duty overnight mask that I save for when my skin is really in desperate need. 

For a normal day where I think my skin needs a tad bit more moisture, I like to use the Laneige Water Sleeping Mask. Full disclosure, I got this from Influenster months ago for free and genuinely thought I wasn't going to talk about it because it didn't seem all that special to me. But alas, I proved myself wrong by using it a few more times and eventually added it into part of my weekly skincare routine (as you're not meant to use it every night). It's a really lightweight gel that you scoop out with a tiny plastic spoon that comes with the mask. It's meant to recharge dehydrated skin to promote radiance and refresh your skin so it's soft and glowing.

Now, I don't think I'm ever going to have glowing or radiant skin, but my face does feel incredible when I wake up and wash this off in the morning. I feel like it's really easy for my skin to get dry with the weather so cold and then with the heat going in my room at night. I love using this mask to keep my skin feeling hydrated while also keeping the plumpness in my face if that makes any sense. It goes back to that tight feeling where my skin almost seems so devoid of hydration that it shrinks and shrivels.

Now, when it comes time for prepping my skin before I put makeup on, there are two huge things that I need to do. First thing, exfoliating. I've talked about this Ole Henriksen Transforming Walnut Scrub a hell of a lot on this blog since my friend recommended it to me when I was still using one of my extremely drying acne topical treatments that I no longer use because it made my skin flake so terribly for weeks even after only using it once. I still use it to this day because it just works so well without making me feel like I'm ripping my skin open into the pits of a fiery hell. You know what I mean. Ever used a really rough exfoliator on your face and feel like you're rubbing rigid stones all over your skin and even worse when you're trying to wipe it all off? 

This, gratefully, does not feel like that in the slightest. It has a really sweet smell and as long as you make sure your skin is wet and add a little bit of water onto the tips of your fingers when you're rubbing it in, it'll feel like a gentle exfoliant that actually works and removes the troublesome dry patches. After I rinse this off, I pat my skin dry with a clean towel and apply a nice layer of moisturizer to my clean skin. 

I really like the Aveeno Positively Radiant moisturizer because it's from the drugstore and is more affordable (well, kind of) than the ones from Sephora that I've tried in the past. Though, I will admit, I do miss my Belif The True Cream Moisturizing Bomb and I think about repurchasing it a lot. There is also the option of using hydrating serums, a lot listed in this article from InStyle. I've heard incredible things in general about the Drunk Elephant brand and actually just ordered a different serum from The Ordinary to see if it compares to my beloved Glossier Super Pure serum.

What do you do to combat dry skin at this time of year?