Favourite Skincare Products at the Moment

My skin has been oily for a long time, but started turning towards dry about a year ago. This meant creating a new skincare routine and researching new products more suitable for a dry skin. I think the change has been brought just by aging, I haven't changed my diet or done anything else that I could affect my skin. During winter the dryness is more noticeable, as staying indoors in heated buildings tends to dry me out. These are the products I have found work well for me. My skin is oily in the T-zone and flaking dry on my cheeks, so if yours is anything like it, you might want to give some of these a try!

Number one rule for very dry skin: avoid water! Lotion cleansers and anything that you don't need to wash off is good. Water dries the skin.

Rule number two: find out what are the ingredients of products that work for you and seek similar ones. For me witch hazel is very efficient in calming breakouts and toning down redness.

Cleansing: makeup removal with Lumene Eye Makeup Remover and Weleda 2 in 1 Cleanser and Toner, finishing with Pixi Glow Tonic.

Lumene Eye Makeup Remover is what I use to remove eye makeup and lipstick, and clean my brows. It works for water resistant makeup, so it's perfect for those liquid to matte lipsticks that don't budge with regular removers.

Weleda's 2 in 1 Cleanser (mine has the label in German because I always hoard a bottle or two when in Germany, it's almost half the price compared to Finland). The product is a cleansing milk with properties of a toner also. I like to use it to remove foundation, blush, anything on the face that's not on my lips or eyes.

Pixi Glow Tonic is my newest addition, I've been using it for a month now. It's an exfoliating toner that I use in the evening after removing makeup. It seems to have helped me to get rid of the flaking on my cheeks.

The main thing in all of these products is that they don't have to be washed off, so I can save my skin from the drying effect of water. The Weleda cleanser and Pixi tonic have some ingredients that I've found work especially well on me: aloe vera (in Pixi) soothes my skin and witch hazel (in both products) prevents breakouts and also soothes.

I also exfoliate in the shower every two weeks or if my skin feels very flaky. I haven't found the perfect product for that yet, so I'm using some random exfoliating wash meant for sensitive skin.

Moisturizing: Mia Höytö Valo and Unelma, Lumene Glow Boost serum and Weleda Skin Food for heavy duty moisture.

Moisturizing! It's been tough to find products that give enough moisture especially in the winter. Valo is an eye cream, and it's quite light, because to make things more complicated my eye areas don't need much moisture. This is my second tube of Valo and I really like it. The product comes in a pump tube that is very hygienic and the cream is not too heavy for the sensitive eye area. Unelma is from the same company. It's an intensive Moisturizing Cream, but I think it's a tiny bit too light for my skin in the winter. I use it mostly and then one or two nights per week add Weleda Skin Food. Skin Food is super thick and moisturizing, it's meant for cracked, dry heels or other extremely dry areas, but my cheeks seem to qualify occasionally ;P The serum is nice, but I think I won't buy another bottle, as the effect isn't very visible. It's meant to go in before the moisturizer, but I can't tell much difference if I use it or not. It does smell nice and is easy and comfortable to apply on skin.

Spot remedy: Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Blemish Stick

Last but not the least, my fave remedy for spots! This was an impulse buy from Boots on the Dublin airport, but turned out to be a very good product. It has witch hazel, as do my cleansers, and my skin loves it. Tea tree oil also works very well on me if my skin gets irritated, but using the pure oil can be messy and the smell is overpowering. In stick format I can apply this on evenings before or after moisturizing and wear it during the day under foundation. It applies matte from the stick and is very fast and easy to use. I also like that while it does have a faint tea tree oil smell, it's not nearly as strong as with the tea tree oil.

I'm a sucker for new things so I occasionally try out new products. It's taken me time to learn that even if some product comes highly recommended, if it doesn't suit my skin type, I'll probably be disappointed. I love foaming cleasers and face brushes, but my face just does not like water. What I think my routine is missing is a very moisturizing serum. Any suggestions?