CURRENT SKINCARE BASICS AND ESSENTIALS FOR DRY TO COMBINATION SKIN →
Hi there, and welcome back! I hope you had a fantastic week!! I know I did. :) I got some great news and can’t wait to share... next year! So you’re going to have to stay tuned.
Winter is just around the corner and you know what that means-- dry, cranky skin!!
The transition from gloriously humid Houston to the dry desert of Los Angeles was tolling on my skin. My first two weeks here, my skin as chapped and peeling and it was really painful. When your job is to be on camera, that can definitely get in the way. It took me a while to figure out what would work best for my dry skin in such an arid climate. I have gone through countless moisturizers and cleansers, and this is what I’m using now (mostly). As you can tell, I don’t use only one particular brand and I like to try different things out based on what my skin needs. There are some essentials to help you battle the harsh, winter weather!
ORIGINS A PERFECT WORLD CLEANSER
This is a nice, hydrating gentle face cleanser. I used to swear only by Origins, but I have branched out. It is ideal for dry to normal skin. It’s creamy, smells nice and leaves my skin feeling clean and hydrated. It’s also— antiaging! Yay! It’s very gentle, but I would definitely use a Clairsonic with it to get an extra deep clean.
RILASTIL A-LIPIK CLEANSING OIL
This is a nice “facial detergent”— don’t be scared— I found when I was seeking a cleansing oil. I had been told my by my friend who is obsessed with Korean Beauty that she fell in love with cleaning oils. So, I decided I need to try one myself. This is an Italian company. The A-LIPIK collection was designed specifically for dry skin. It helps restore the “hydrolipidic barrier” (according to the site) in your skin. This is a ph-balanced acidic layer underneath the epidermis that helps prevent infection, dehydration, etc. It’s very conditioning and does not feel greasy at all as you would imaging with a cleansing oil. I did find however, I need to remove my eye makeup before as I would come out of the shower with raccoon eyes. This is definitely great for someone who is flaking, maybe even suffers from eczema as it will help restore that important layer of your skin.
MARIO BADESCU GLYCOLIC FOAMING CLEANSER
Okay, this is something that isn’t typically for dry skin, but my gosh, when I need a perfect skin polish, this is it! It leaves my skin bright, even, radiant. I swear it’s like a glycolic acid facial if that’s even a thing. It makes my pores teeny tiny, reduces redness. It gently exfoliates your skin to reveal the skin underneath and it works!! I only use this once or twice a week as my skin is dry, you don’t want to dry it out too much, but also don’t want so much hydration that you get greasy. Don’t be fooled by it’s inexpensive price tag, Mario Badescu products focus on the actual product, not the packaging, which is what drives up the price of a lot of products. Definitely get this if you want a little weekly pick me up. I always use this the morning of filming!! I also do lots of masks, and I’ll do a post of what I like to do in particular before I go on camera! It makes my skin faaaabulous! Also. Don’t get close to your eyes with this, you don’t want to tear at your eye area… and also, don’t get it in your eye. :\
FIRST AID BEAUTY FACIAL RADIANCE PADS
I don’t think I use these pads enough, but every time I do, I feel my skin radiant and polished. Just like when you use any textured exfoliating pad on your skin, it will reveal your skin to be brighter. It has lemon peel that makes your skin bright and sparkly (remember lemon brightens your hair, hello summer of 1999!) so it makes sense it works when it’s in a skin are product. It exfoliates and soothes your skin. Lately, I’ve been concerned about my pore size and will increase my use with these.
FIRST AID BEAUTY ULTRA REPAIR CREAM
This moisturizer was my savior two years ago!! I am so glad I discovered it, all thanks to my sister. I came to visit home Thanksgiving and my sister saw how chapped and peely my skin was, she may or may not have made fun of me. It was so dry, that when I would walk out of the gym, the cool air would sting and my face literally hurt I was in so much pain. I was using an inexpensive moisturizer at the time and that clearly didn’t work. She ended up getting me the First Aid Beauty gift set for Christmas. I cannot thank my sister enough for introducing me to their line. My skin’s condition instantly turned around. It’s designed for people who suffer from eczema which is probably what I had. This moisturizer instantly soothes cracked skin. You can even use it all over! It comes in the large standard size, $30 and smaller travel size, $12. There are also smaller travel and larger value sizes available. If I were you, I would wait for the holidays for Sephora and FAB to release their gift set. I think it usually ends up around $45, definitely under $50, and you usually get their cleanser, an eye treatment, lip treatment, FULL SIZE Ultra Repair Cream, facial radiance pads or another product like a serum or a mask. AND THEY ARE ALL. FULL. SIZE. REPEAT. FULL SIZE. I can’t wait to stock up and get one this year. I also use their cleanser, especially when I travel since my skin gets cranky on planes. When my skin is fully healed and hydrated, I can switch it up with other products. Sometimes though, I feel this moisturizer is a treatment moisturizer. It's great, but sometimes I don't feel like I'm radiant 24/7, so sometimes I need more hydration and also use these.
EMBRYOLISSE LAIT-CREME-CONCENTRE
ERRMERRGERRD. I cannot tell you how much I love this moisturizer. I discovered this on a film set, Jonny’s Sweet Revenge, when the makeup artist saw how dry my skin was. She put this on over my makeup before she touched me up and my skin drank it up! My skin was so much more comfortable, didn’t itch, my makeup laid comfortably, it was like a miracle I kid you not. Not only does it moisturize, but it primes as well. It instantly nourishes skin and dries down in less than a minute. I don’t typically use primers on my dry skin and this does the trick. This moisturizer is on every film and tv set I’ve ever been on. Makeup artists swear by it for a reason and so do I, because it works! If you’re dry to normal, try this as your primer during the winter months. I bet you’ll see a difference!
BIO OIL
Sometimes you need to bring in the big guns. I know. You are probably like, this girl has sandpaper for skin. I basically do. I drink a gallon of water a day, but it’s not enough. When It’s night time and I can see my skin being dehydrated from the weather, the sun, pollution— I need Bio-Oil. This is when I need some loving on my skin. My mom saw my skin, First Aid Beauty helped, but it wasn’t enough at one point and my mom had me slather on Bio-Oil. Sometimes I’ll sleep with it and wake up and be like, “I look radiant!!” MOM IS ALWAYS RIGHT. I REPEAT. YOUR MOM IS ALWAYS RIGHT. Yes mother, you’re always right. It is definitely my night time treatment oil because I’m end up being a greasy mess. I would say it takes a while for my skin to absorb it all because I pour it on like I need to use the whole bottle. It’s super hydrating, conditioning and I put this all over. I put it on my face, my neck, my chest and scars. I firmly believe it helps scarring, as well.
LITTLE EXTRAS!
MARIO BADESCU HYALAURONIC EYE CREAM
I generally like this eye cream. It primarily gives hydration, but for me, doesn’t do any anti-aging. I just use it because I needed something quick. It claims to help fight fine lines and wrinkles, which is what I'm trying to do but would like a more aggressive eye cream to plump up the look of fine lines. I would love to hear your suggestions!!
MARIO BADESCU FACIAL SPRAY WITH ROSE WATER
Sometimes you just want a little refresher or a pick me up! I probably spray myself about five to six times a day. It has aloe extracts, rose water and a lot of other goodness to help calm and soothe your skin. You can use it to set a foundation or on top of your skin are regiment just to give it a little extra oomph. It definitely works mid-day on dry skin if you don’t want to touch up with a moisturizer. It’s definitely something great to have in your bathroom or vanity. They also have a smaller version you can pop in your bag.
ROSEBUD LIP SALVE
My lips aren’t always dry since I drink so much water, so this helps condition and hydrate them from the outside in. And yes, you can tell if you’re dehydrated by how dry your lips are. I use this morning and night because I have learned my lesson. Cracked lips aren’t cute, especially if you’re trying to do a bold, matte lip. You can use it on your cuticles, or anywhere else that’s super dry. And, it has a pretty rose tint that gives you a hint of color. I am always reapplying this because I want to, not because I have to. Much better than chapstick, which is a no-go in my book! Chapstick keeps your lips dry so you keep using it.
MARIO BADESCU DRYING LOTION
I woke up one day in a panic because I had a huge pimple and of course, an audition. I went to Naimie’s where my go-to artist Cici assured me I wasn’t being dramatic, being on-camera is my job, and that I did have a sizable pimple and needed to take care of it fast. She calms me down and told me I was just being professional and pro-active! We (she) came to the conclusion that since I had had microdermabrasion the week before, this was the impurities coming out. Thank god she told me. My facialist didn’t tell me microdermabrasion takes off three layers of skin! She just told me to stay out of the sun. She didn’t tell me to expect pimples left and right!! Cici gave me this and told me to put this on the moment I start feeling a pimple coming on. Fortunately, most of mine are hormonal and I can get away with only using this. It claims to zap it over night, but I feel it takes a good two days. It does speed up the process of the pimple moving on. Hey. If it’s good enough for Kylie, it’s good enough for me. She also gave me these awesome pimple stickers I’ll have to tell you more about. :)
Well, I hope this helps! May your skin waiver on and by hydrated and glowing at all hours of the day!! Boo for harsh winter tolls on our skin! Remember, beauty starts from inside out. I’ve been feeling great and I feel like it’s showing in my work! Your makeup will look best when you start with a fresh canvas, so always take care of your skin. Hydrate, balance and listen to your skin. If you really look at it, you can figure out what your skin needs! You only get one body and your skin is your biggest organ. Whatever you have to do to help take care of it, you should! If you feel good, you radiate it!! Have a beautiful weekend!!
Also... what books are y’all reading? I have a few I just wrapped up, maybe we can all share what books we are reading? I just got a new novel from Rebecca Serle and can’t wait to dive in!!
Xox,
Alyssa