Everything I’m regularly using to protect my skin during my first winter in Maine
Sit back, relax, and get a cup of coffee or tea or hot chocolate because this is going to be a long one. In winter-time, I tend to really pile on the products, especially this year because my skin is dryer than ever and I’m living further north than ever. (If you don’t already know, I have dry skin due to the use of Tretinoin–a powerful retinoid–and I am also dealing with hyperpigmentation and redness/rosacea.) I also like to have options for each step in my routine depending on how my skin is feeling and because I’m testing/reviewing a lot of products for you guys right now! So get comfy because there is a lot to go over for my winter skincare routine.
* = gifted
Morning Routine
Step 1: Cleanse — Rinse face with water
Step 2: Essence / Toner — Secret Key Starting Treatment Essence Rose Edition and / or Kikumasamune High Moist or Herbal Dynamics Beauty CollagenR8 COQ10 Facial Toner*
Step 3: Serum — Inkey List Alpha Arbutin
Step 4: Cream — Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream
Step 5: Oil — Timeless Squalane Oil or Trilogy Rosehip Oil Antioxidant+
Step 6: Sunscreen — (Wait 15 minutes before applying) Purito Centella Green Level Safe Sun SPF 50+ PA++++
Evening Routine
Step 1: First cleanser — Kose Softymo Deep Oil Cleanser
Step 2: Second cleanser — Cerave Hydrating Cleanser or Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser
Step 3: FTE / Toner — Secret Key Starting Treatment Essence Rose Edition and / or Kikumasamune High Moist and / or Laneige Cream Skin
Step 4: Serum — Purito Centella Green Level Buffet Serum or Benton Snail Bee Ultimate Serum*
Step 5: Retinoid — (Wait 15 minutes before applying) Tretinoin 0.05% Cream (3-5x per week)
Step 6: Cream — (Wait 15 minutes before applying) Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream
Step 7: (Optional) Oil — Timeless Squalane Oil or Trilogy Rosehip Oil Antioxidant+
Step 8: (Optional) Sleeping Mask — La Roche Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 or Origins Drink Up
Step 9: Lip Sleeping Mask — Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask or Aritaum Ginger Sugar Overnight Lip Mask or Mamonde Lip Sleeping Mask*
Extra Steps: Sheet mask (about 1x per week), Clay mask (about 1x per week), Other wash-off mask (about 1x per week), Exfoliate with the Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + HA (about 2-3x per week, before FTE/toner)
Yes, I’m aware that my evening routine is pretty extra. But I like it that way! I thoroughly enjoy each step, unless I’m super lazy or tired and so I cut it down on those occasions. But for the most part, I find my long routine to be really relaxing and I love testing products to see what they do for my skin.
Now, not every product in my current routine is a winner. There are some tried and tested products that I have repurchased and will repurchase again. There are some new products that I am growing to love. And then there are some that are just…meh that I’m continuing to use for reviewing purposes. So here are some “mini”-reviews of the products in my winter skincare routine:
Mini-Reviews
Cleansers
- Kose Softymo Deep (WRP) — Read my review of this product here.
- Cerave Hydrating (RP) — this is also a really good budget product! When it comes to cleansers, I just don’t like to spend that much, cuz I’m washing it right off anyway. This product doesn’t have a lot of cleansing power, but it works fine as a second step cleanser or as a morning cleanser. It really is hydrating and doesn’t dry out my skin, although it seems to leave a slight film which might bother some people. Rating: 4.5/5
- Glossier Milky Jelly (WRP) — I recently started using a mini-size of this and darn…I wish I didn’t like it so much because now I’m spoiled and don’t want to use my Cerave cleanser. This product cleanses better than the Cerave, doesn’t leave a film and is still non-drying. I love it. But it’s three times the price of Cerave so Cerave is still gonna be my go-to and I have to knock this one down half a point. Rating: 4.5/5
FTE / Toners
- Secret Key Starting Treatment Essence Rose Edition (MRP) — Read my review of this product here.
- Kikumasamune High Moist (WRP) — Read my review of this product here.
- Herbal Dynamics Beauty CollagenR8 COQ10 Facial Toner* (WRP) — This is my first experience with Herbal Dynamics Beauty and I have been pleased with it so far! This toner is very light but still so hydrating! It would be a great choice if you like to layer your toner on a la 7-Skin Method. It also smells absolutely lovely, quite herbal and refreshing, which is why I love to use this in the morning. This product contains some great ingredients such as hyalauronic acid, aloe vera extract, papaya extract (a natural exfoliant), and COQ10– an antioxidant that seems to have anti-aging effects. Well I certainly haven’t been seeing any anti-aging effects yet, but I’m in my 20’s and using this mainly for preventative purposes. The price is also pretty reasonable for an anti-aging product! Rating: 4.5/5
- Laneige Cream Skin Mist (RP) — I ran out of this product in December and just had to repurchase it in the mist version when I saw it on YesStyle. I’m so glad I did because I absolutely love it. This is a great product for dry skin in winter because despite the light, watery consistency, it is very moisturizing. Be careful not too apply too much though! Because even with my dry skin, it can become sticky and overwhelmingly heavy if I layer on too much, especially in warmer weather. I highly recommend this for anyone with dry skin or even for those with normal to oily skin who might want to use this like an all-in-one product to cover multiple steps in their routine. I also love this as a travel or lazy-day product for that same reason — it can be used to replace several steps in my routine if I want it to! Rating: 5/5
Serums
- The Inkey List Alpha Arbutin (MRP) — I’m not quite ready to review this product yet. I’ve been using over a month but have yet to see any results. It’s possible that it’s just not really working for me but stay tuned for more information later!
- Purito Green Level Buffet Serum (WRP) — I am really enjoying this serum! It is very hydrating and soothing for my skin. Sometimes when I’m feeling extra fancy, I will use like 3 layers and it feels so nice. But it’s also such a reasonable price that I don’t feel bad about using so much of it! I’m not sure how much this is doing for my redness, but I suspect it’s been helping a bit. Rating: 5/5
- Benton Snail Bee Ultimate Serum* (WNRP) — This product was gifted to me by Stylevana, an online store that specializes in Asian beauty and fashion products. Their selection is rather limited compared to other similar sites, but they do have good prices on some products! But sadly, I have been testing this product for almost two months now and I have come to the conclusion that it’s not really doing much for me. It also pills up a bit in combination with my other products, which my other serums don’t seem to do. It’s slightly hydrating, but also not quite enough for my dry skin. I think this product might do better someone with oily skin, but personally I’m not getting much out of it. Rating: 2.5/5
Creams
- Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream (WRP) — Now this is a seriously moisturizing cream. It is super thick and luscious. I don’t really love the fragrance but I do love pretty much everything else about it. And I discovered that I could get it cheaper on YesStyle than at Sephora so I don’t feel too bad about the price either. Personally, I’m willing to pay a little more for moisturizers because they are so important for my dry skin. Read more here. Rating: 4.5/5
- Cerave Moisturizing Cream (RP) — Read my review of this product here.
Facial Oils
- Timeless Squalane Oil (WRP) — This is my favorite facial oil so far. It is light, yet very moisturizing and gives my skin a nice glow when I wear it. It is almost too glowy/shiny in the daytime, but if you use it in combination with a light moisturizer, I think it works perfectly. Rating: 5/5
- Trilogy Antioxidant+ (MRP) — Read my review of this product here.
Sleeping Mask
- Origins Drink Up (MRP) — I’m still forming an opinion on this mask, so I might change my mind later. But so far, I just feel kind of “meh” about this product. It does work and seems to help seal in my other products overnight, it just doesn’t really do anything more for me and I already have other sleeping masks that do this better. I’m not loving it this winter, but I will update you all if my feelings change. Rating: 3.5/5
- La Roche Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 (RP) — This product is one of my skin saviors, what can I say. When my skin is extra irritated or dry, I take a break from my actives and apply this all over my face as a sleeping mask after my moisturizer. Sometime, it can sting a little upon application (a lot of products do this for me when I’m really irritated), but it quickly calms and soothes that irritation. By the next morning, my skin feels calmed and well-moisturized. It is also fragrance free and comes in a squeeze tube (way more hygienic than a tub). I love this stuff and definitely recommend it to anyone who uses Tretinoin, retinoids, or has irritated skin! I only wish it came in a larger tube. Rating: 5/5
Lip Mask
- Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask (WRP) — Read my review of this product here!
- Mamonde Lip Sleeping Mask* (WNRP) — I really wanted to like this lip mask, and I’m so close to liking it. There’s just one big problem, and that’s the fact that it tastes disgusting. It really tastes like flowers and I don’t really like to eat flowers tbh. No matter what I do, I get the taste in my mouth every single time. Other than that though, it’s a pretty nice product It’s got a lovely smooth texture and feels really nice on the lips. The floral scent is nice as well and it does hydrate my lips overnight, just not quite as well as the Aritaum or the Laniege lip masks. But, because this isn’t too sticky, I do find that it works really well during the daytime. If only it didn’t taste so bad, I would recommend this to anyone who would prefer a daytime mask or a less-sticky alternative to Laneige. Rating: 3/5
- Aritaum Ginger Sugar Overnight Lip Mask (WRP) — I actually love this product almost as much as the Laniege Lip Sleeping Mask. I really like to alternate between them depending on how I’m feeling. The Laneige mask lightly exfoliates, but this one does not. It is extra sticky which means it stays on extra well throughout the night and just really hydrates those lips. If I had one complaint, it would just be that it doesn’t come with a spatula so my fingers get all sticky. Overall, I would say this the Laniege provides a more pleasant user experience, but this one has stronger staying power. Rating: 4.5/5
Actives
- Tretinoin 0.05% (RP) — This is a prescription product that I got from my dermotologist. It has made a huge difference to my skin and has helped so much with clearing up my horomonal acne. I will be doing a full post on tretinoin soon! Rating: 5/5
- The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + HA (RP) — After starting tret, I didn’t exfoliate for several months because my skin was extra irritated, dry, and sensitive. About three months in, I finally started exfoliating again. Now, I use this product a couple times a week to remove any flakes and keep my skin smooth and soft. It does a great job at a great price. I still have to be very careful with this product, 10% lactic acid is still rather strong, and I stop usage anytime my skin begins to sting or feel irritated. This is a great product for someone who is already somewhat experienced with AHAs. If not, I would recommend starting with the 5% instead. Rating: 4.5/5
Sunscreen
- Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel UV SPF 50+ PA++++ (RP) — Read my full review of this product here.
- Purito Centella Green Level Safe Sun SPF 50+ PA++++ (WRP) — Guys, this is my new favorite sunscreen. It is so darn moisturizing! It’s light, has no white cast, doesn’t pill, smells really refreshing, has great ingredients, and it’s a great price! What more could I want! It’s also available in an unscented version, thought the one I have does contain fragrance. This is really an ideal sunscreen for anyone with normal to dry skin, especially if you are in a cooler climate and/or like chemical sunscreens with a dewy moisturizing finish. It’s perfect for my winter skincare routine! I will definitely be repurchasing this as soon as I begin to run low. Rating: 5/5
Others
- Origins Original Skin (MRP) — This is one of my favorite clay masks to date. It is easy to apply unlike some that can be too thick and hard to spread. It also has a really pleasant rose scent that’s not too strong. When I wash off the mask, I also get a little bit of gentle physical exfoliation due to the beads in the mask. I enjoy that this mask is non-drying but still leaves my skin feeling clean and smooth. I don’t really feel like my skin needs this too often, since I mainly prefer hydrating or moisturizing masks, but whenever I use this, it’s a really pleasant experience. Rating: 4/5
- I’m From Honey Mask (WRP) — Now this is the kind of mask that my skin loves. It is a hydrating wash off mask that really feels, looks, and smells like honey. Yum. It’s sticky but not too sticky, and still washes off pretty easily. I can leave this on my skin for an hour or longer because it doesn’t dry out, it just sits on my skin and feels lovely and nourishing. When I wash it off, my skin feels soft and hydrated, although I still need to follow up with my full routine or I will get dried out. This is one of the pricier wash-off masks I own, but I did get it on sale from Wishtrend on Black Friday. And I will probably be repurchasing it when it goes on sale again! Rating: 5/5
Rating System
RP = I have repurchased this product
WRP = I would repurchase this product
MRP = I might repurchase this product
WNRP = I would not repurchase this product
Final Thoughts
That’s all folks! This is how my skin is surviving the winter without getting extremely dried out. Feel free to ask me any questions you might have about my winter skincare routine or the products I use in the comments below 🙂
Disclaimer: This Site contains both non-affiliate and affiliate links, and I may receive an affiliate commission for any purchases made by you on the affiliate website using such links. Some products marked by (*) were gifted to me for review purposes, but all thoughts are my own honest opinions. I am not an expert, these are just my personal experiences, and what works for me might not work for you.
