2021 Winter Skincare Routine For Dry Skin

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This post will be sharing my current Winter Skincare Routine for Dry Skin.

It’s that time of the year again where my dry, dehydrated skin needs all the TLC it can get. Compared to the previous years, I’ve gotten so much better at caring for my skin that I’m not so worried about the Winter anymore. Instead, I embrace it with open arms and honestly just hope for the best. I also use this period as an opportunity to splurge on skincare products more than usual. My excuse simply is, “I don’t want to be caught ashy! The dewier my skin is, the better!” Plus, it doesn’t even help that I don’t wear makeup. So, I overcompensate with even more products.

I’ll be breaking this routine into two sections. I’ll be covering both my facial skincare and my body care. Lately, I’ve been into more body care, so I’ve been experimenting a lot. I’ll just be sharing all the products I use according to the various steps for my face. So, it won’t be the typical AM & PM distinction. But I’ll make sure I explain as much as possible.

Alright then, let’s get right into it!

Facial Care: Here’s My Winter Skincare Routine For My Dry Skin

In no particular order;

Cleansers

2021 Winter Skincare Routine For Dry Skin

When I do cleanse, I prefer to go with the non-foaming Cerave cleanser in the mornings. It’s just the perfect AM cleanser for my skin. But at night, I like to take off my sunscreen first with the Garnier Micellar Water before finishing up with my Hada Labo cleanser. This is a hydrating foaming cleanser that I don’t mind using in the Winter. Compared to many foaming cleansers, it doesn’t strip my face at all.

Hydrating Toners, Essences & Serums

Hydrating products are the bedrock of my skincare routine. Without them, I’m not sure how my skin would survive. I try not to experiment too much during the Winter. Instead, I go back to the staples that have worked for me in the past, like my COSRX Snail Mucin and Hada Labo Gokujyun Premium. Every other product was passed down from my Autumn routine. They’re almost finished, so I’m trying to exhaust them. I’ve loved the Purito Centella Unscented Serum to strengthen my skin barrier.

Treatments

I’ve tried to take it down a notch with my treatments for this season. I’ve discovered that with more treatments, my steps just get unnecessarily long, which in turn slowly becomes a chore. So for the Winter, it is fewer treatments and more hydration. I have dry acne-prone skin, so my Paula’s Choice BHA is a staple. I haven’t used an exfoliating toner in forever, so I’m loving the Clarity Tonic from Pixi. I’ve been testing out this brightening serum from Reviva Labs that is packed with Vitamin C, Kojic Acid, and so many other ingredients, but I’m not exactly sure it is working. I’ll have to finish it first. Finally, a form of Retinoid will always be a staple in my routine. This Retinal from Geek & Gorgeous has refused to finish.

Moisturizers

Interestingly, I’m just using one moisturizer because I use a moisturizing sunscreen during the day, so there’s no need for an extra step. I’m loving this one from Embryolisse. It has the perfect combination of humectants, emollients and occlusive, which is absolutely necessary for the weather. Unfortunately, if I don’t have a good night sleep, my puffiness gives it all away. I have The Inkey List Caffeine Eye Cream in my handbag at all times. I’m also loving the Snail Peptide Eye Cream from COSRX. It keeps my under eye area hydrated and moisturized.

Sunscreen

Bondi Sands Face SPF 50+

In a non-winter season, the Bondi Sands SPF is so greasy. It was a great idea to save it for the colder months. In the mornings, I’m able to skip the moisturizer and just drown my skin in it. All that grease keeps my skin moisturized and dewy all day. When I’m done with it, I’ll be going over to my Altruist Dermatologist SPF 50+, which is another thick greasy sunscreen.

Occlusive

Aquaphor Healing Ointment Advanced Therapy

In my experience, no matter how emollient a moisturizer is, it usually isn’t enough during the Winter. Before Winter fully arrived, I was more than happy to whip out my Aquaphor Healing Ointment and use it as the last step in my nighttime skincare routine.

Lip Balms & Masks

I have many new lip products in transit, but these are some of the ones I’ve been using so far. I use lip balms during the day and lip masks at night. My all-time favourite lip mask is the Frudia Mango Honey Lip Essence. It’s such a fantastic product that I had to repurchase two extra as backup. It’s a thick lip essence that’ll keep your lips soft, plump and hydrated all night.

Body Care: Here Are The Products I Use On My Body During The Winter.

For my body care, I’ve absolutely been loving French Pharmacy Skincare. They come in massive sizes and perfectly cater to my dry dehydrated sometimes flaky itchy skin. Before the Winter, I’ve been experimenting with layering products I’m bored of for my face on my body. This way, I don’t completely waste the products. But here are a few of my staples so far;

Cleanser

Bioderma Atoderm Shower Oil.

Shower Oils are such a gamechanger for the winter. The non-greasy oily film left on your body after showering will prevent your skin from drying out. I’ve gone ahead to order about three more bottles from various brands to test out. Make sure you get the one-litre sizes because you’ll go through them quickly as they don’t really lather. I’ll be sharing my reviews and compilation soon.

Scrub

Soap & Glory Call of Fruity Body Scrub

I’ve been loving Soap & Glory products because they’re heavily fragranced which I don’t mind. Plus, you can easily get a range of body care products which you can use together. I’ve been digging matching body care products lately.

Exfoliant

The Ordinary Glycolic Toning Solution

Surprisingly, I don’t use this product for my face at all but I use it from my neck downwards. It’s the perfect size and quantity for body exfoliation. In fact, I’ve noticed that exfoliating my entire body more frequently has reduced my chances of getting dry flaky itchy skin.

Moisturizer

La Roche Posay Lipikar Baume AP+M.

I just got a new bottle of this product because it is still the thickest body moisturizer I’ve found so far. It’s simply perfect for my skin and I’m not about to experiment during the winter. To step it up a notch, I mixed some together with The Ordinary Retinol 1% in Squalane in a tub.

Oils

I’ve literally been OBSESSED with the Nuxe oils for the past couple of weeks. Listen, I’m allergic to perfumes and colognes but this is the perfect blend. It’s a dry fragrance oil that smells wonderful. It’s not greasy so I can be generous with it and it sinks right into my skin without transferring to my beddings. Plus it comes in a cute spray bottle which is simply perfect! I got two bottles in one week because I couldn’t get enough of them.

Finally,

I hope you enjoy this compilation of my winter skincare routine for dry skin. It’s always difficult to compile my products like this because I go through so many, but I’ve decided to make an effort as it helps track my yearly progress.