Dry skin, an issue most people face during the cooler months. Now that I am knocking on 30’s door I feel like my skin is becoming noticeably more sensitive and dry when the seasons change. This blog post has been a long time in the works, I have been working on it for weeks because I wanted to ensure all products were the tried and truly the best for dry, sensitive skin.
When I was 15 years old I started using anti-aging products, it probably was younger than that but that is the age that I remember receiving my first complete kit of anti-aging products. When I was that age I wanted to be Katie Couric when I grew up so I knew it was important to preserve my skin. In my opinion, you are never too young to start a proactive skincare routine. The most important aspect to maintaining youthful skin is SPF and moisturization, two things acceptable for all ages. It’s so important to keep my skincare routine really locked down because I like my makeup to look flawless and you can’t achieve flawless makeup without flawless skin.
On top of dry, sensitive skin, I also have very fair skin. I use SPF every single day, doesn’t matter the weather or my sun exposure, I always have it on! If your skin is darker than mine, SPF is super important to help eliminate preexisting scars and unwanted dark marks. I got in a really bad car accident when I was 17 that left me with over 40 stitches on my face, from that point on I did everything in my power to keep my face protected from the sun when outside. All the extra measures I took seem to have really helped, all of my scars have pretty much disappeared.
For some reason when the weather changes my skin goes crazy. Any issue I have with my skin intensifies by 10 folds. My skincare routine is very important to me, VERY important.
Not only is my skin dry it’s also very sensitive, it gets irritated really easy and hates most skin products. Occasionally, I break out in these very painful rashes around my eyes, not exactly sure what it is but it also happens regularly to my dad. With all of my skin issues, there are a few brands that I swear by; Aveeno, Aveda, First Aid Beauty, and Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare (his stuff is a bit more expensive, but worth every darn penny). I know if I purchase a product from one of these brands that my sensitive skin will be happy with the results.
My skincare routine:
Daily:
Every day I wash my face in the shower with Aveeno Absolutely Ageless, if my skin is super dry or irritated I use Mad Hippie Cream Cleanser. Post-shower, I immediately put a face oil on; I switch off between Argan Oil and Rosehip Oil, both are super hydrating and affordable products. I really hate the smell of Argan oil so that is one downside. After that oil I put on a Vitamin C Serum, vitamin C has done wonders for my complexion, it has brightened my skin and has reduced the appearance of scars and any other issues. I like to let those products settle into my skin before I put on my daily moisturizer. For daily moisturizer I use the Aveeno Absolutely Ageless Daily Moisturizer, honestly, I should work for Aveeno because I love their products SO DANG MUCH. This moisturizer is great not only is it the perfect recipe for dry, sensitive skin, it also contains SPF 30, most daily moisturizers only have SPF 15. The combination of the face oil, serum, and daily moisturizer really seem to keep my skin hydrated all day long
Pro Tip: When putting on skin products always start with the most lightweight product and work your way up.
Every Night:
I never, ever, ever sleep with makeup on. I can be completely exhausted, walking into my house at 2AM and will promptly remove all makeup from my skin. I wash my face with the same Aveeno product I use in the morning, apply one of the hydrating face oils listed above and then top with Belif- The True Cream Aqua Bomb.
Weekly:
Multiple times a week when I am home catching up on housewives I will put on the Aveda Botanical Kinetics Intense Hydrating Masque and let my skin soak up that goodness. It’s an all-natural, moisturizing mask that seems to brighten my skin and add some deep moisture to my skin.
At least once a week I like to do an at-home peel of some sort, I switch off between the two listed below. The Divine Skin Peel is much more affordable but the Dr. Dennis Gross Peel delivers much better results. Once I have done the peel I immediately put on a sheet mask, your skin absorbs the sheet mask best when your skin is a clean slate.
Divine Skin Peel: I bought this one on Amazon and I love it!! It’s a mild, at-home peel. It does require some planning around because when you use this product you are supposed to stay out of the sun and not wear make up the next day.
Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Extra Strength Daily Peel: These are expensive but I am not kidding when I say they are worth every last penny. The first time I was introduced to these a makeup artist in San Fransisco used these prior to doing my makeup and it felt like I had brand new skin. Two days later, I went back to work and one of my coworkers asked if I had a facial. I can’t sing the praise of this product enough!
Sheet Masks – I like to use masks with one or more of these ingredients:
Hyaluronic Acid
Collagen
Vitamin E
Honey
Rose Petals
Monthly:
When I lived in Birmingham I was getting a facial twice a month and it was MARVELOUS!!! Now that we live in Palm Springs that is no longer in my budget. I’ve gone down to every other month kind of schedule. I love a deeply hydrating facial, I think estheticians are magicians with those magical hands of theirs.
Pro Tip: If you live near an Aveda school they offer CHEAP facials. The students have to do X amount of supervised hours so they offer amazing facials at a very discounted cost. The Birmingham school felt like a very upscale day spa and was always the highlight of my week when I went to visit.
My lifestyle is pretty healthy, full of healthy fats and tons of water. Drinking tons of water seems to really help my skin, I know 64 ounces is the recommended amount of daily water intake but I drink about 100 ounces of water a day. I will say if one weekend I drink a bit too much wine or bourbon my skin will immediately feel drier than normal.
I have not yet invested in Botox but I am absolutely not against it. I have always said when I hit 30 I was going to do it, I am turning 30 later this year so we will see if I actually go through with it.
Is your skin dry and frustrating like mine? What’s your go-to skincare routine? Next, I am going to do a blog post on the best foundation for dry skin because I have tried every dry skin foundation and have read every article on the subject, I feel like a true professional at this point.
this is such a good post! btw I’m new to blogging and I’d really appreciate if you’d check out my blog, much love!