Hey all!

Let’s talk skincare! Honestly this is one of my favorite things to discuss with friends since I consider myself a bit of a skincare wonk. I love perusing the skincare section of Sephora and constantly am seeking out new products to test out.

My skincare love affair all started thanks to my older cousin who has super sensitive skin and is always looking for eco-conscious, cruelty-free, organic, all natural products to use. She got me started on the skincare game and inspired me to actually start taking care of my skin the past few years (because let’s be real, college is rough on everyone’s skin between late nights and stress).

In all honesty, my skincare obsession started in a very un-glamorous way: dry, flaky skin and acne patches. I by no means had terrible acne as a teenager, but I constantly had hormonal flare ups that didn’t seem to go away as quickly as they should no matter what I tried. I doused my skin in drying creams and powders, spot treated with drugstore products, and used retinol treatments overnight in an effort to dry out my pimples (which is way harsh, I now know). I would have a good skin week in between periods and then a few weeks of annoying acne where I’d desperately attempt to de-oil my face.

The results were dry, flaky patches of skin while my pimple patches continued to flare up every month on my face.  What I didn’t realize, was that while I thought my skin type was oily/combination because of my breakouts, my ACTUAL skin type was dry! When I used all of those harsh drying treatments meant for oily skin, I was actually irritating my natural texture to overproduce oil that result in *more acne.* Super glam, I know.

Recognizing my skin type was the first step towards changing up my whole routine and actually having skin I’m incredibly proud of! My skin is by no means perfect and I still using drying powers to spot treat one-off pimples and retinol treatments when it’s *that time of the month* and I need an extra skin boost, but my approach overall has completely taken a 180.

Now, even when I see pimples forming or know I’m due for my period, I make sure to take care to use products that hydrate and don’t dry out my skin. It seemed very counter-intuitive to me at first: why on earth would I want to put creams and serums over an oily blackhead?? Then I saw how my skin’s flare-ups started to die down when it had proper moisture and hydration and didn’t need to overproduce. The less my skin had to overcompensate for dryness, the better it looked!

*Show my face pics in natural light with no makeup*

My Favorite Basics:

Cerave cleanser – found at almost any drugstore, this cleanser is super affordable and cleanses without dehydrating your skin.

Mario Badescu Toner?

Cerave AM/PM creams –

Summer Fridays Jetlag Mask – my skin is so dry tbh that I just slather this on my face and leave it on overnight when I notice flakiness. I definitely would recommend incorporating this into a weekly/bi-monthly routine. Although it’s on the costlier side, it is super rich so a little goes a long way. It takes me about a year to go through one bottle!

My Favorite Sheet Masks:

I’ve featured my top face masks that I personally love to use, below. I swear by these masks and keep them in rotation roughly 3 days a week. Skincare is not a cheap investment, but having good skin is 100% worth it to me.

For dry skin, I look for masks that contain keywords such as “hydrating,” “nourishing,” “brightening,” “glowing,” and “moisturizing” to ensure my skin won’t react badly to a cleansing mask. All of those terms essentially mean that the mask is designed to deliver tons of hydrating, soothing vitamins directly into your skin. My personal favorite out of this bunch is the Dr. Jart Brightening Mask – every single time I use it I immediately get compliments on how “glowy” my skin looks the next day!

Dr. Jart Brightening Mask, $8?

Patchology Get Dewy With it Sheet Mask, $5 https://www.bloomingdales.com/shop/product/patchology-moodmask-get-dewy-with-it-sheet-mask?ID=2985181&CategoryID=1071959#fn=ppp%3Dundefined%26sp%3DNULL%26rId%3DNULL%26spc%3D257%26spp%3D85%26pn%3D1%7C3%7C85%7C257%26rsid%3Dundefined%26smp%3DmatchNone

My Favorite Oils and Serums:

Although oils and serums can be on the pricier side, in my opinion they are so worth it because one small or medium sized bottle can last a long time. You don’t need to slather serum on your face – just a few drops is enough to hydrate and get your skin glowing. I also love to layer these under my typical mosturizers at night for an extra boost. Using a small amount still gets the job done but is much more cost effective

Mario Badescu

Drunk Elephant (I actually just use the dual bottle travel kit – they last a long time!)

Loccitane serum/oil

SKI II

My Favorite Cleansers:

My Favorite Gentle Exfoliators and Clay Masks: