Happy (almost) last day of February and welcome to the second installment of my Beauty Obsessions series. Today I’m sharing 3 products that will help boost radiance in dry skin. Between traveling and then getting sick, my skin has taken a beating this month, and these products are getting it back on track.
If you missed my Beauty Obsessions post in January, here’s the 4-1-1 on these blog entries. I try a lot of beauty items for fun, out of curiosity, or to be honest, because I’m influenced by other bloggers!
Do I really need another gold highlighter? Probably not. Do I need another nude lipstick? Definitely no. I’m all about optimizing my beauty routine in search for the absolute best _____ out there, and then sharing whatever that is with you! I have a couple of tried and true favorites that I’ll spotlight here from time to time. However, the fact is that our skin changes as much with age as it does with the seasons. So, what works one month on our skin (skin care or color cosmetics) may not work in another. Or maybe there’s just a great new product that I’ve tried and loved, and now it’s going onto my must-have shelf. I’m also not going to limit this to skin care and makeup, so be on the lookout for hair products and other beauty finds down the road!
Okay, now back to the 3 products to help restore radiance…
A quick fix for me for any skin care issue is always a mask. When I’m traveling or in a hurry I love using these sheet masks, but when I have time for a mini “me” session I reach for an actual mask. Something about a mask feels extra luxurious. My favorite, fast-working hydrating mask is the Skin Nourish Mask by Bobbi Brown. For me, my skin looks most dull when it’s dry, so hydrating it with this green algae mask is step 1 into getting my skin’s radiance back. After I use this, I can instantly see plumper, more hydrated skin. Instead of washing the mask off, you pat off the excess after its absorbed, and massage the rest into your skin for added hydration.
Step 2 is adding in daily hydration before I moisturize. I usually mask 1-2 times a week but during dry months like this I like to add hyaluronic acid to my face daily prior to using my moisturizer. Hyaluronic acid can hold up to 1,000 times it weight in moisture so it really helps hold in whatever moisturizer you put on after you apply it. For the longest time I loved Skin Hydrating Booster by Dermalogica but I just finally got my hands on this hyaluronic acid from The Ordinary.
I’ve heard so many things about this brand and so when I was in NYC I stopped by their store to see what the hype was about. If you haven’t heard of The Ordinary, here’s a quick summary on them:
Each of their products contains one ingredient or technology so that you have said item in its purest form, alone, not mixed in with anything else. Basically, you can mix and match all of their products to create unique blends that work for your skin conditions or concerns, kind of like if you were your own chemist.
I was extremely skeptical about the quality of ingredients given the price point (this was only $6.80!), but when you mix and match a bunch of the products it kind of evens out to that of a decent skin care product. I haven’t gone too far into the rabbit hole on this but the concept seems cool.
The verdict? I’m into it. All I was looking for was a little extra hydration before I moisturize, which was easily achievable with this $6.80 hyaluronic acid. My face felt as equally hydrated with this stuff as it has in the past when I used Skin Hydrating Booster. I recommend that you try it; the best part is if you find you don’t like it, it will only set you back one drink at Starbucks.
As far as picking favorites this month, The Ordinary hyaluronic acid is a tie with my final Beauty Obsession, the Rejuvenating Serum by Joanna Vargas. While in NYC, the team at Joanna Vargas invited me in to get a facial to de-stress from fashion week, and I discovered her products at the salon. The serum smells amazing and leaves my skin literally glowing after I apply it. I like to use this at night, before moisturizer (so instead of the hyaluronic acid) to wake up to brighter skin. There are a variety of oils in this product, but it doesn’t leave my skin greasy. I just got a jade roller as so I like to use it to roll the serum into my skin.
The team at JV Skin Care was also nice enough to give me a 20% off coupon if you shop from their Amazon page here. Use code CharmedC when you check out! Also, if you’re in Los Angeles and want to treat yourself you’re in luck because she just opened an LA outpost for facials!
It’s only been a couple of weeks using the last two products in this post but I’m already seeing major differences in the overall luminosity in my face. I love them so much already that I couldn’t wait to share with you! Happy glowing!
SHOP FEBRUARY OBSESSIONS
Do you use a Derma roller? If so which kind..? Too many to decide from
Hi Laura, I actually don’t use one, but I just started using a jade roller. It’s very cooling and feels really nice on your skin. I’ve noticed it’s helped a bit with puffiness. Got mine off of Amazon! Hope this helps.