How to get happy & hydrated skin care

The freezing cold, uneven slush on the sidewalks that makes you look silly walking home, chilly winds, and the sun setting at 5 p.m.—these are only a few of the awful things accompanying the Kingston winter weather. Though dare I say, worst of all, is the feeling of coming home after a long day and your skin feeling like it’s never once been moisturized.

Wintertime weather brings cold temperatures, harsh winds, and low humidity levels, all of which pull moisture from your skin and leave it feeling dry. Luckily, I’ve provided the perfect routine and products to keeping your skin feeling hydrated and happy during the cool winter months.

I would like to preface I’m not a skin care guru, nor do I know much about skin care routines. With a bit of research and personal testing, I’ve adapted a variation of my own that works great for me as someone with naturally dry skin. It may not work for everyone, so I highly recommended making a trip to your local drug store or Sephora for a consultation on products that will work best for your skin.

I start with a moisturizing and hydrating cleanser. Applying hydrating cleaners retrieves the natural oils that maintain moisture in your skin. Cleansing your skin strips its barrier of all excess makeup or dirt—I know, gross—thus opening your skin to be rehydrated. I use Hourglass’s Equilibrium Rebalancing Cream Cleanser. This should be massaged into wet to damp skin and rinsed with warm water.

Once your cleanser is off, use a toner. For more naturally dry skin, you should be aiming for a toner with lower alcohol concentrations. If you have naturally hydrated skin, a higher concentration is okay. Toner acts as a ‘final check’ for the cleansing job. It also helps in tightening your pores and providing a glowing look—which is all the rage right now, by the way. I recommend Innisfree’s Green Tea Seed Hyaluronic Acid Toner. This facial toner focuses on hydration and glow and
truly feels amazing. After massaging it on my face, I lightly pat it into my skin to really soak it in.

Once your toner is on, you go in with your go-to serum. I use the Hyaluronic Acid two per cent + B5 by The Ordinary. When your skin is dry, it appears dull. The main function of hyaluronic acid is to retain the moisture in your skin, keeping it hydrated, as well as tightening your skin to reduce the appearance of wrinkles.

Serums also soothe the sensitivity that accompanies dry skin, and your skin tissues will be able to hold the water in your skin much better. Trust me, your face will be happy after this.

The last—and most important—step of this routine is the moisturizer. If you’re a makeup user, this moisturizer also works as a primer for your skin. In choosing a moisturizer, my goal was to
not only better hydrate my skin but to have my makeup fit the ‘cold girl’ aesthetic which is best known for its glowy appearance, and this hydrator does just that.

Sephora’s All-Day Hydrator is my all-time favourite moisturizer. It hydrates your skin like no other, pulling in all the other products and really holding them in place. Not to mention, after foundation or concealer is applied, a beautiful glow will still shine through. Without a doubt, this was
worth the purchase.

Repeat this routine once in the morning and once before bed. Over the next few weeks, you’ll notice a real difference in your skin: a more hydrated, happy, and healthy appearance and feeling.