It’s taken YEARS for me to find products that don’t cause me to break out, as I have incredibly acne-prone skin. And after taking Isotretinoin (good ol’ miracle prescription Accutane), I was even more paranoid about what I put on my skin because no one wants to break out again after being on Isotretinoin for six months, or in my case a whole year.
So over the last year, I’ve concocted my list of holy grail skincare products and revised my skincare routine order.
This is a post I’ve been wanting to do for a while, because I know the right skincare routine is basically sacred for people with sensitive and acne-prone skin once you nail it down!
My skin is DANG dry, which I feel makes it pretty sensitive and reactive to a lot of products, so a lot of my favorite items revolve around skincare products for dry skin, and skincare products for sensitive skin. I do love my fair share of cult favorite skincare products, like Mario Badescu and Ole Henriksen but there are some brands in my skincare lineup that I think deserve some more love, like Belif and the Ordinary.
In my opinion, skincare is so worth investing in. One of my favorite products is a nearly $70 serum, but holy WOW does it improve my skin’s pigmentation and reduce my spotty acne scarring.
That being said, I know it’s sOoOOoo hard to dabble with different products or figure out how to develop a skincare routine, especially more costly ones, because most topical skincare products can take up to a couple of weeks to see a true difference (ughhhh) and ain’t nobody got time for that if you just spent $38 on a moisturizer that’s only going to last you a month and a half.
BUT if you’ve ever struggled with dry, acne-prone, or sensitive skin like me you’ve probably realized that sometimes the drugstore products just don’t cut it, and I know at least my sensitive skin reacts better with the ingredients in products that have a higher price point. The best way to try out high end products is to get samples from Sephora. I also love watching informative skincare videos from dermatologists or professionals to learn what I can add or subtract from my daily routine that fits my specific skincare needs.
Alrighty then. Let’s dive right in. Here are some of my all-star skin products that I’ve been loving for my dry skin. I’ll list the products in the order with which I usually apply them.
Facial Cleansers
Keihl’s Midnight Recovery Botanical Cleansing Oil
I am a convert to oil cleansers because of this guy. I’m actually really not a fan of Kiehl’s skincare, their moisturizer broke me, my sister, AND my mom out all in the same week; which is crazy because I’ve seen such raving Kiehl’s skincare reviews.
BUT. This is my favorite cleanser to get my makeup off in the shower, and I will never use another. The right facial oil in the shower can be a miracle worker with rubbing off stubborn mascara and foundation – and this is it, honey. Plus, it smells like lavender and we basic gals love lavender.
Aveeno Clear Complexion Foaming Cleanser
Long gone are the days of using a Salicylic Acid-based facial cleanser – so drying and stripping, and the only thing I used in high school. Foaming cleansers are so nice for my sensitive skin, and this one is great because it’s a drug store item and only around $7.
This is a good dupe for Caudalie’s Instant Foaming Cleanser, which I also love.
Toners
Mario Badescu Facial Spray With Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater
This is an insanely popular and super affordable facial toner that’s great for all around use. I love it because it helps calm my redness and sensitive skin. But instead of spraying it on my face, I like to spray it generously onto some gentle cotton pads and press that onto my skin.
Serums
Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex
This is my first ride or die product. If I can’t have anything else in my skin care routine, I want this at my side.
It is pricey, but it lasts me about four months and even then I think I use too much of it, so I could probably space it out longer. I love dropping this onto my fingertips, rubbing my fingers around to heat up the product, and then buffing it into my skin, concentrating on spots where there’s discoloration from acne scarring.
Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum
Caudlie reached out to me in December for a collaboration, and it’s a brand I had only tried once before, and I wasn’t really converted yet. But honestly, it’s a brand that I have come to love for the quality of their products. Some of my favorites are their Instant Foaming Cleanser I mentioned above, their Vinoperfect Radiance Serum, and their Beauty Elixer facial spray.
This product is also quite spendy, but I’ve noticed a difference in my overall texture after using this for a while. It also reduces the look of dark spots and discoloration on your face. However, if I’m being honest if I had to choose between this one and the Estée Lauder serum, I would choose Estée Lauder.
Moisturizers
Belif True Cream Moisturizing Bomb
Second absolute ride or die product. If there was a beauty bible, this would be on my first page.
You guys. It took me YEARS to dig up the right moisturizer for me, because although my face is extremely dry, for some reason moisturizers I’d tried always had components that broke me out instantly.
This. Product. I cannot say enough good things about this Belif moisturizer – it’s like the perfect mix between whipped moisturizer and a lotion moisturizer. It’s the perfect consistency for me, it smells clean, and it’s a great summer skincare product, because it always feels cool and refreshing on my face which is the best feeling ever.
The best part though, is that the moisture it gives the Sahara Desert that is my face, lasts all day, and moisturizes my face for hours. I recently did a skincare haul, and finally got myself to purchase the 3.38 oz size because I use it constantly.
Under Eye Cream
Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Eye Créme
I feel like this is another cult favorite, but for me it’s my tried and true favorite under eye cream. I pretty much look like a long lost Cullen sibling with my dark under eye circles, and I feel like this product truly does brighten under my eyes.
But that’s not why I love this stuff. One of the many, many awful things about having dry af skin is that my under eyes can become pretty dry as well, and sometimes I can’t even wear concealer because it’ll not only crease, but catch on dry spots under my eyes. I’ve been using this product for about two years now, and that problem has completely vanished (unless I run out!)
It may seem pricey for such a small bottle, but I can usually make it last for about four months because you only need a little.
I like to grab the product with a Q-tip and then rub it between my ring fingers before I apply it to warm it up, and make sure I’m only grabbing a little product. Plus, it reallllly grinds my gears when I get product stuck underneath my fingernails!
Facial Oils
Tarte Maracuja Oil
This is truly one of the most transforming, best face oils I’ve ever tried. Growing up with acne-prone skin, I thought putting oil on your face was literally the most dangerous idea of a game you could ever play with your skin.
However, I came to find out that what my dry skin was lacking was oil, and truly I think if you’d like to delve into facial oils with acne-prone skin, it does take a lot of trial and error and personal research for what works and what doesn’t.
For whatever reason my skin reacts really well to this face oil, and it’s become my quick fix for everything – I mix it with foundation on dry skin days, I go to bed with it pressed into my face after I moisturize to wake up with ultra-soft skin, or I dab it under my eyes with my ring fingers then gently blend it in with a beauty blender to help moisturize and thin out cakey concealer.
I’m going to go ahead and say that I think I’d consider this my third and final “ride or die” product. I get the travel size because it’s way cheaper, I always end up spilling it somehow, and it lasts forever because you only need a couple drops each time.
The Ordinary 100% Cold Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil
I had heard about Rose Hip Seed oil from several people who said it really helped with acne scarring after finishing their round of Isotreninoin (Accutane). I love this one because it’s so affordable, and it’s also super moisturizing while it helps diminish dark spots.
Face Masks
Glamglow Supermud Clearing Mask & Thirstymud Moisturizing Mask
Ok, so I know these are completely nonessential skincare products and I feel very boujee when I order them because they’re a little too pricey for face masks, I really do swear by these two.
Glamglow’s Thirstymud is the best face mask for dry skin in my opinion!
Old news, but moisturizing my face is literally a full time job, and when I go to bed with the Thirstymud face mask on over my moisturizer (I would do this instead of the facial oil), my skin is sooo soft and satin-smooth the next morning. It does leave a residue because it’s a face mask, so even though there’s quite a bit of product in there I wouldn’t recommend using it as a full time face mask.
I have told so many people this because I truly believe that it’s true; this stuff works. The Supermud mask is one of my favorite skincare products for acne prone skin.
If I feel like a section of my face is about to flare up, I apply this drying mask to a portion of my face, or sometimes all over, and the would-have-been flare up has calmed down, or turned into tiny bumps instead of a full blown flare up.
Caudalie Instant Detox Mask
I started using this in December, and I’ve actually seen it pop up on social media quite a bit since then. I love this mask because it’s gentle yet effective. It’s tightening and clarifying like Glamglow’s Supermud mask, but it’s not quite as intense.
Facial Scrub
Frank Body Original Face Scrub
Frank Body is one of my absolute favorite companies that I’ve actually been using since 2014! It makes me so happy that it’s available at stores like Ulta and Target now, because I remember when it used to be shipped in a brown bag with very minimal packaging haha. I truly love the quality of all their products and regularly use their Frank Body Scrub as well.
I love this face scrub because it’s grainy enough to exfoliate but not too abrasive. It feels creamy and gentle and totally sloughs off any dead skin cells that may just be chillin’ on my face.
Lip Balms
Listen, lip-area breakouts are a thing. I don’t usually get them, but my sister does, and she thinks it happens when she branches out and uses brands of lip balm that she doesn’t usually use.
We both use this lip balm, and it’s like a giant glue stick for your lips, but far more appealing than that actually sounds. I love creamy lip balms that just glide on, and this one smells soo good!
I hope this helps you navigate through a dry skin skincare routine, and maybe get a closer look at any products you may have been wanting to try out for yourself!
Every face is different, and there are so many things that didn’t work for me that have worked wonderfully for everyone else; but that’s what I love about these products – they have become the perfect combo for my skin through so much trial and error.
There are still so many products I’ve been wanting to branch out and try from different skincare lines like Drunk Elephant (love their La La Retro Whipped Moisturizer so much) and Tatcha skincare. But for now, these products are what have worked for me and my dry skin!
