How I’m Fixing My Dry Skin

Ok, if you’ve been following along on my Instagram, you know I’ve been dealing with some serious dry skin post Colorado {we went over New Years!} Couple the dry air and zero humidty with my postpartum hormones and you get ugly, flaky, scratchy skin that I am SO sick of! So I decided I was going to spend the last three weeks going back to my tried & true products that I used when I first really started caring about beauty. Over the years I have tried so many products, but the following items are products that I have loved {and used!} for a long, long time.

GloPro Microneedling Tool – I first wrote about this tool back in early 2018, but I had bought and been using it at that point for several months. Somewhere along my infertility journey, I stopped using my GloPro {along with most of my beauty products} and I just never got back into the habit of microneedling. Until now that is! If you aren’t aware, Microneedling helps stimulate collagen production by rolling tiny needles over the surface of the skin. These needles create ‘microtears’ or microscoptic wounds to the skin which trigger the body’s repair functions to create new skin cells. Microneedling is supposed to help with wrinkles, fine lines and even stretch marks. It also helps with product absorption, and that is my main reason for picking it back up. I wanted to open up my skin to allow it to take in the creams, serums and oils I was slathering on. Although an investment, I find this tool extremely helpful in doing just that! It is a great way to prep your skin for all the products to come 🙂

The first rule in skincare is that you always apply your products from lightest to heaviest, so I am starting my routine with a few splashes of the SK-II treatment essence. Another product I have been obsessed with for years, this essence is made up of a special ingredient called Pitera which helps make the skin feel like a baby’s bottom {it is literally referred to as miracle water across the industry}. It’s that special. You can read more about Petera here. As I mentioned before, my skin feels like absolute sandpaper, so this product was an absolute must for me.

Next I apply my Kiehl’s serums – either the Daily Reviving Concentrate for day, or the Recovery Serum for night. Both are absolutely tried & true favorites and are fantastic. They are lightweight, non-greasy and absorb immediately into the skin. As far as serums go, these are both hydrating, a great price point and super easy to add into your routine. For me, they are a no brainer.

If you want to add an extra serum in {this isn’t a necessity IMO because it’s a big investment} add in the Vitner’s Daughter Botanical Serum. Made of all natural high end organic ingredients, Vitner’s Daughter made a huge splash when it hit the market a few years ago. It personally took some getting used to {it’s thick and has a very strong floral scent} but it did add a nice layer of hydration and subtle glow to my skin. I add this on top of the Kiehl’s at night only {find it too thick for daytime usage}.

The Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair. Oh man. This serum is a relatively new favorite for me {have only been using it for 6 months} but I am sold on using it for the rest of my life. Seriously. I’m not just being dramatic – it is the one product I use where I can see and feel a drastic difference in my skin on nights when I don’t use it. It plumps fine lines, hydrates the skin and makes me wake up looking brighter. It’s been one of the most popular beauty product on the market for eons {like, literally decades}, and now I know why.

Ok, now for my moisturizer. I have been using Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Cream for years. It was literally the first moisturizer I bought when I decided to ditch the $5 one I had been wearing since middle school. I still love it to this day. It’s creamy without being thick, and doesn’t leave your skin feeling weighed down. It’s extremely hydrating and goes on so easy. I also appreciate that it doesn’t have a crazy strong scent {I’m so sensitive to that!} A jar is pricey, but will last you 6+ months.

The last item I slather on is a good oil. This fancy one from Cle de Peau was a Christmas gift from my husband {thank you to the beauty counter lady at Nordstrom!} and I absolutely love it. It’s heavy though, so I only use at night, and it definitely does not soak right into the skin. But I do notice a big difference in how plump and hydrated my skin looks in the morning so I don’t mind!

Ok really – last but not least is my eye cream. I love the Auto Correct by Sunday Riley. It goes on smooth and leaves a cooling feeling on the skin which makes me look more awake and feel less puffy in the morning. I always use my ring finger to apply at night and wake up feeling like I don’t look as tired as I feel.

Honorable mention has to go to these masks – they’re investment, but they’re truly one of the best sheet masks on the market. I’ve always saved them for nights before a big event and I always make sure to use them twice to really get my moneys worth. My skin feels soft and looks brighter after using and all my lines are plumped and firm. I can’t recommend this mask enough.

All of these items were discovered and purchased via Nordstrom’s expansive beauty department. They carry everything from La Mer to Laura Mercier and everything in between and truly have the best selection of any department store out there. Another main reason why I shop beauty at Nordstrom vs. any other retailer is because of their incredible return policy. You can try a product and if it doesn’t work, you can always bring it back for a full refund! This is so important with skincare when you don’t know how your skin is going to react to a certain product. When I’m spending big bucks, this policy gives me peace of mind.

I know it may seem like a lot, but all of these items, in their own way, have drastically helped with my crazy dry post-travel skin. I have used and trusted most of these brands for many years so I can genuinely tell you they are some of the best of the best. As for my skin, it’s not perfect yet, but it is lightyears better than it was a few weeks ago. I will, of course, keep you posted on how my skin continues to evolve {you never know with these hormones!} but excited to see the progress thus far.

SO! There you have it. My totally new-but-old skincare routine as it’s been in the last few weeks. Let me know in the comments if you have any tried & true skincare favs – I’m always dying to know more about other people’s favorites and why!

thank you to nordstrom for sponsoring this post