My Barely There Skin Care Routine: Winter Edition

The other day, I was having lunch with my mom, and she asked the question every gal wants to hear. 

Are you wearing makeup?

And I wasn’t.

As a woman, this is always a great compliment to receive because it just means your skin is looking naturally flawless that day (and you’re not the zombie you think you look like!)

I believe in keeping skincare A-S-A-P, or as simple as possible. First of all, few of us have the time to perform a meticulous 7-step skincare routine on a daily basis. I stick to the fundamentals and switch around products from time to time—because let’s face it, who doesn’t love playing around with the plethora of products circulating out there?

I also firmly believe you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg for quality skincare—which is why I love The Ordinary products, which you’ll see I mention a couple of times. I love their whole philosophy of simplicity and striping down skincare to a science, no fluff, and no extra costs that come with, well, fluff and marketing.

In the wintertime, my skin took a drastic turn for the drier side. This is pretty normal considering the climate in Vancouver is quite dry. This also means the facial cleanser I use in the summer tends to dry out my skin more.

I went a month without using my usual hydraulic acid from The Ordinary and the effects were evident. My skin needs some extra love in the winter, although, it is less prone to breakouts.

I hope you enjoy my “is she wearing makeup?” winter skincare routine and let me know in the comments what are your favorite products to use in your routine!

Step 1: Cleansing

I forgot to bring cleanser on my trip to Vegas, and I randomly picked up this travel-sized Glow Baby cleanser from Pacifica in a local CVS. I love the peachy pink packaging of the product and the fact that it’s enhanced with Vitamin C (hello brightening complexion especially for those hangovers), AHA (the exfoliant), and vanilla (antioxidant). Pacifica is well advertised as a vegan and more natural product and lines the shelves of drug stores and some grocers like Wholefoods. This product comes out as a semi-liquid yellow gel, which turns into a creamy foam upon application. It also has a very mild exfoliating effect (though no rough beads like in some exfoliating facewashes.

The gentle exfoliating effect is wonderful for the drier months as we tend to accumulate dead skin cells on our faces which can lead to clogging.

Step 2: Moisturizing

I used to use toner, but have stopped recently because I didn’t want the usual tea tree toner to strip out the moisture on my skin. Alternatively, if you want to use a toner, I would recommend using rose water or cucumber-based toners which are a little more hydrating and refreshing.

For my “serum”, my secret hack is the hyaluronic acid which cost approximately $8 for the small size, and $16 for the large. Hyaluronic acid+B5 is part of the hydration set in The Ordinary line and is a great primer before the moisturizer layer.  It acts like a serum, and to be fair, serums on average cost between $30 on the low end —to $100 on the high end. It’s slightly sticky to the touch, and don’t worry if your skin feels slightly dried out when you first apply.

The next step is what I’m recently most excited about. I got a sample bottle of the Tatcha dewky skin cream, one of their two signature moisturizers, and I must say, if you want baby-soft skin without a drop of oiliness, this is the Queen for you.

I noticed differences in how my skin felt to touch after a couple of uses. The cream is a blend of Japanese purple rice, Okinawa algae + hyaluronic acid, and botanic extracts. Only a small (pearl-sized) amount is needed as the product is that potent, and glides onto your skin perfectly.

Tatcha skin cream retails for around $69 USD for the 50ml size or $22 USD for the mini size (which I have).

Step 3 (Optional): Makeup

On the day-to-day, I wear minimum makeup. I recently stopped wearing foundation on a regular basis and instead replaced with it light concealer. I find that using concealer around problem areas (under the eyes, red spots, chin) brightens up the face without caking it. This is also great for the skin because it has way more room to breathe without the heavy foundation layer. I’ve been using the Bobbi Brown concealer, but in the past, I love concealers from NARS.

After concealer, I touch up my brows and apply blush, and lip balm. And voila! That’s it!

Final Step: Skincare Goals

Of course, we can always do better when it comes to most things—including how well we pamper our skin. My goals have more to do with what I put into my body than what I apply to it.

This means #1, hydration, hydration, hydration. I’m terrible when it comes to hydration—but water, as simple as it is, is the best ingredient for your skin. Your skin visibly starts to dry out—including your lips, if you don’t get enough water in you. A safe way to get more hydration in your system is to get a reusable water bottle or a tumbler and bring it everywhere. If you find the taste of water kind of well, boring, a trick I use is to add Vitamin C packets. I find that soda water isn’t as hydrating as just plain old water.

My other goal is to start dry skin brushing which is great for removing toxins from the lymphatic system, preventing cellulite, and using natural oils to keep the rest of my body smooth and silky.

And that’s it! I hope you found this post helpful and feel relieved that skincare doesn’t have to become a nightmare. Do your research, read the reviews, but the best test is how your skin feels after you use the product. If you ‘re looking to venture out and try new products, try to get sample bottles of it so you don’t waste it if it doesn’t end up working out for you. With the right products, a good skincare routine can help us feel confident and empowered, literally, in our own skin.