For me, beauty starts with skincare, especially in the winter when your skin is dry, red and itchy. The foundation of any beauty routine is taking care of your skin and giving it the nutrients it requires, from what you eat to what you apply topically. Makeup is the finishing touch but truly no amount of makeup will achieve the right look if you don’t have a healthy skin foundation to begin with.

I included my current skincare routine for the winter below. Many of these products rely on avocado, botanical waxes, rose and hydrating oils to soothe and moisturize the skin. Here are seven skincare products I’m currently using this winter.

Honest Beauty Gentle Gel Cleanser

I switched my facial cleanser recently to this one by Honest Beauty and so far I really like it. It’s gentle and available at Target for $12.99. Overall, the Honest Beauty products are a great option for affordable and easily accessible beauty products.

Summer Fridays CC Me Vitamin C Serum

This serum is on the more expensive side but I personally think it’s worth the price. I use it in the morning before layering on SPF and my makeup. Because the serum is light, I don’t feel like I have a ton of product on my face. For days when I’m home all day, I’ll usually wash my face and put on this serum only. The vitamin C helps brighten dull skin, squalane seals in moisture, and peptide complex improves skin elasticity and firmness.

Vintner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum

So this serum is not cheap BUT it works and lasts. I purchased mine in November 2018 and still have plenty left. Granted, I don’t use it every day because it’s so expensive but I do apply generously. I consider the active botanical serum to be on the heavier side so I use it at night before bed. This is an award-winning serum, I kid you not. With 22 active ingredients, it helps fight signs of aging and creates clear, radiant skin. It brightens, stimulates cellular turnover, maintains skin elasticity and reversed free-radical damage. It feels like I’m at a spa every time I use it and immediately, my skin feels like it’s glowing. I have tried a ton of skincare products and this is one of my top ten.

Drunk Elephant Protini™ Polypeptide Moisturizer 

It’s no secret that I love Drunk Elephant products. I appreciate what the company stands for and their commitment to non-toxic ingredients for years before it becomes a hot topic in the beauty industry. Protini has been my go-to moisturizer for a few years now and I don’t see myself switching. I also have a travel-sized version that I take with me on vacation. It feels like I’m nurturing my skin every time I put it in. A combination of key ingredients like signal peptides, growth factors, amino acids, and pygmy waterlily improve skin’s firmness, tone and texture to help maintain youthful skin. Although I’m always trying new products and switching up my skincare routine, this moisturizer has been a consistent component for years.

Summer Fridays R&R mask

Summer Fridays has several cult-favorite products but my personal favorite is the R&R mask. The mask helps buff skin brighter and adds a mix of restorative natural oils that makes your skin glow. With ingredients like rose flower powder, avocado, vitamin C, and argan, this product provides antioxidant benefits, supports natural collagen synthesis, soothes irritation and polishes your skin. I like to put it on my face right before I shower and leave it on the entire time. I wash it off right before I step out and it feels like I just got a mini-facial. It also smells incredible. I look forward to nights when I put the kids to sleep early and can take a long hot shower while giving this mask the time it deserves to work its magic.

Grown Alchemist Intensive Hand Cream

My skin has been so dry this winter, especially my hands. I’m not someone who religiously uses hand cream but once my hands started bleeding because they were so dry, I figured it was time to start. After researching hand creams, I discovered Grown Alchemist and was instantly drawn to the company for its use of organic ingredients only. I have the Persian Rose and Argan Extract Intensive Hand Cream and so far I’m a fan.  This is a rich hand cream that immediately revives dry skin and cuticles without feeling greasy. I especially needed something that addressed my cuticles because once they get dry, I start biting to “fix them.” It’s a slippery slope.

Ingredients like hyaluronic acid provide hydration while tocopherol vitamin E and polyphenols from pomegranate and grapeseed oil provide free radical fighting antioxidants. Although not the most important factor, I love the vintage-looking packaging, which reminds me of old pharmaceutical creams. Grown Alchemist products are toxic-free, cruelty-free and certified organic.

Aquaphor Lip Repair 

My lips have been really dry this winter so I started using Aquaphor lip repair overnight. During the day, I use the Saie Liquid Lip Balm, which I wrote all about here. While the Saie lip balm provides hydration and some color, I use the Aquaphor lip repair as a daily and overnight lip moisturizer. It’s nothing fancy. I buy two-packs from Target for $6.99 and scatter them throughout the house. Now if only I could stop losing them.

Photo by Shelby Ricci