The winter months bring both happiness and misery. On one hand, you have twinkling lights and the holiday season; but on the other, you have blustery temperatures, and worst of all, dry, parched skin.
Combating dry skin can feel like an uphill battle. When your skin is dull and lifeless, there’s no amount of makeup or highlighter that can bring it back to life. You need to start with the source: the actual health of your skin. This winter, we’re getting ahead of the game and swapping out our summer routines to bring in the big guns, the products that we know wouldn’t allow us to have a dry patch in sight.
Kiss dry skin goodbye, and trust these products to save your skin this winter:
Heavy-duty moisturizers
When the seasons change, our wardrobes aren’t the only part of our routine we switch out; you should be switching out your skincare too. It’s time to say goodbye to your lightweight, gel moisturizer and trade it in for something thick and nourishing. These are our editors’ tried-and-true favorites for winter skin (if they keep us moisturized during -40 temperatures in Chicago, they’ll keep you moisturized anywhere).
This moisturizer makes it to the top of every "Best Skincare" article and for damn good reason. Not only does it run around the cost of a couple of lattes, it's ultra-rich, ultra-hydrating, and safe for sensitive skin. (Many also call it a dupe for La Mer.)
Formulated without parabens, phthalates, and sulfates, Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream promises to deliver 24 hours of intense hydration, and it does so without leaving a greasy or sticky feeling that can often come with thick moisturizers.
Clinique Moisture Surge is formulated specifically for dry skin and helps the skin rehydrate itself throughout the day. It's perfect for dry, balmy days.
This moisturizer combines superfoods with dry skin savior, hyaluronic acid, to make one lightweight cream that will keep you hydrated all day long.
La Roche Posay's cult-classic moisturizer helps restore the skin's barrier and retain hydration. The texture melts into skin and leaves you with a non-tacky feel.
A ride-or-die serum
When your skin is experiencing serious dryness, sometimes you need to call in the big guns. Adding a serum specifically for hydrating can be the difference between flakey, dull skin and healthy, glowing skin.
This hydrating serum has vitamin B5 to help your skin replenish nutrients and improve texture and tone.
This bare-bones formula combines hyaluronic acid and vitamin B5 for improved hydration and improved skin health.
This 75 percent hyaluronic acid serum attracts 1,000 times its weight in water — meaning it can replenish dehydrated skin in a snap.
I recently wrote a full article on this serum — it is as close as I've found to a miracle for making my dry skin look presentable. The "long-wear skincare" claim is real — it'll keep you dewy all day long.
Cream makeup products
When you’re combating dry skin, the last thing you want to do is load your face up with layers and layers of powders. During the colder months, swap out your powder blush and bronzer for cream alternatives — they’ll make your skin look like it’s more moisturized than it actually is and will prevent any powders clinging to dry patches.
The cream blush to end all cream blushes — if you haven't tried Cloud Paint yet, you need to. The gel-cream formula blends onto cheeks seamlessly and gives you a perfect wash of color.
This cream bronzer is both ultra-pigmented and ultra-blendable, making it perfect for both contouring and bronzing.
This is one of our editors' most-bought products of 2019 — it's our go-to for achieving a natural, sun-kissed bronze look.
This clean blush doubles as a cheek and lip color, leaving you with the option to go monochrome with your look.
This product doubles as a bronzer and highlighter, leaving you with a dewy sheen.
Source: PH888 | Shutterstock
A hydrating foundation
Although matte ’90s makeup may be back, you may need to take a step back from matte formulas during the winter months. Reach for a foundation that has hydrating ingredients to ensure that your makeup stays looking hydrated and dewy throughout the day.
When Queen Rihanna came out with a hydrating foundation for those of us with dry skin, we knew it was going to be good — and it didn't disappoint. This formula stays put all day, and never looks dry or cakey.
This formula isn't just "good for a drugstore product," it's good, period. It's hydrating while also being smoothing, so it's ideal for dry skin.
This tinted moisturizer is hyped for a reason: it perfects skin while looking like you're not wearing makeup at all. It's infused with skincare ingredients and has SPF 30 to work double-duty for you during the winter months.
An overnight mask
When you’re feeling extra dry, nothing can come to your rescue quicker than an overnight mask. They’re designed to work overtime as you sleep, so you wake up to renewed, recharged skin. (I’d be lying if I said that sometimes I don’t use them every night, no shame here).
A winner of Allure's coveted Best of Beauty Award, this clean mask deeply hydrates and plumps skin overnight with the help of antioxidants and vitamin C.
Origins' Drink Up Overnight Mask incorporates avocado to leave skin super soft and hydrated.
This overnight mask in unique in that it absorbs quickly into the skin, so you don't go to bed feeling greasy or sticky.
When it comes to masks, this is the one that does it all. You can use it as an extra-hydrating moisturizer, as an overnight mask, or as a regular mask for added hydration. In the winter, we love lathering it on before we go to bed to wake up with recharged skin.
Run a humidifier
One of the most foolproof ways to keep your skin hydrated is by running a humidifier in your home — particularly your bedroom — throughout the dry months. Adding moisture to the air will help your skin recover from any damage that’s done outside and from the dry air that heaters produce that can suck the life from your skin.
An on-the-go facial mist
When you’re feeling extra parched and all you want is to lather your moisturizer on your face, hit a happy medium with an on-the-go face mist. Keep a travel size in your work bag for hydration anywhere, anytime.
This is the holy grail of facial mists. With the help of aloe and rosewater, it helps combat dryness on the go.
