So this week I'm doing a different kind of favorites post. This is what was saving my skin during the freak Texas winter storm last week. From about last Saturday with the weather change until really Saturday this week I used a very minimal barrier repair kind of routine—Mainly because the temperature & humidity dropped suddenly (sends my rosacea into a flare up 9/10 times) plus when the power was out for two plus days I didn’t waste time on a routine as it was the furthest thing on my mind. Some of these items I reach for time and time again, some are new to me. I have rosacea and my skin is getting drier so I pay attention to the weather because using acids & retinoids during those time of quick humidity and temperature drops can send my skin into crisis.
If you hadn't heard there was a freak winter storm that basically encompassed the entire state of Texas with record lows, freezing temperatures, broken pipes and loss of water. I was focused on as minimal as possible a routine plus it needed to be heavy duty on barrier repair and transepidermal water loss. During the 48 hours I lost power fully it was cold enough inside the house to make my cheeks and nose quite cold for an extended period of time. That tends to strip my cheeks of moisture leaving them extra dry and red. It's like being exposed to the elements, plus the loss in humidity (normally quite humid here). Then you had the heater on the weekend prior which also zaps moisture out and adds to the overall onslaught to my skin. Rosacea skin is more prone to these issues.
Cleanser wise I pretty much only used Deviant Cleansing Concentrate as it does everything removal wise and emulsifies easy. One step and done. It has no essential oils or fragrance so it's perfect when I have more sensitive skin. The oil based cleanser means I don't have dry skin after as well which is a big help. Review HERE. Always a fan of Bioderma Matricium for barrier repair. The light water like essence repairs & restores the skin with nutrients found in the skin naturally plus other ingredients. It's easily one of my all time favorite products. Review HERE. I have two barrier repair style products I love—Stratia Liquid Gold & NIOD Modulating Glucosides. Stratia Liquid Gold is a creamy lotion style product, it works as a day lotion for me in the warmer months but normally it's more a winter layering product with fatty acids, cholesterol and ceramides to help moisturize, soothe and work on barrier repair. I find it to be a nice repair layer though it's not necessarily for oiler skins (might be too much). If you have drier skin you'll love it. Review HERE. NIOD Modulating Glucosides is a creamy serum that is great at soothing & repairing. I won't get into the details much as one NIOD is so complicated when you look at their product descriptions and two it's really the end effect that matters the most. This one soothes and repairs. Review coming soon. I hate that this one is out of stock all the time because it's so good. These are pretty much all the cleansing and layering style products I used, the rest were balms and creams to seal.
I have two balms I reached for all week May Lindstrom Blue Cocoon & Live Botanical Sanctuary Barrier Balm. May Lindstrom Blue Cocoon is an old favorite. The blue tansy balm is the ultimate soother. I like balms versus oils when I'm really dry or the weather is super cold like it was. The balm is pricey and oddly seems out of stock at the moment, but it's so worth it if you like blue tansy and balms. There's just something I love about blue tansy and this one works for me when I'm sensitive. Review HERE. Live Botanical Barrier Balm is a new one to me. It's from the December Boxwalla Beauty Box. This balm has the most delicious whipped texture. No essential oils or fragrance so it's perfect for those with rosacea or barrier issues like myself. It's really lovely when you want a nice barrier soothing balm. I easily used this once a day or more for a week and it was utter perfection. Review HERE. I had three creams I used quite a bit this last week. These have either been favorites for a while or are newfound ones. Biologique Recherche Creme Masque Vernix. How I love her. I'm on jar number two and it's already half gone. Such a staple for me. It's thick and like the ultimate barrier cream. It's also definitely for drier skin. It forms this waxy feeling kind of coating on the skin which may bee too much for oily skin. It's an overnight healer for me which is why I reach for it so often. It's one of the few products I can't imagine living without. Along with Blue Cocoon and Bioderma Matricium. Review HERE.
A new cream for me to love last year was Sisley Velvet Sleeping Mask. A sleeping mask is really just a trendy name for a night cream so think of this as night cream. This one has actually replaced the Sisley Black Rose Mask for me. It's got a bouncy style texture plus it's more soothing and repairing than Black Rose so it's better for me. It actually is more moisturizing as well. Sisley is hit or miss on fragrance, this one is light and barely there. It's easily become one of my favorite night creams ever in a short period of time. The bouncy and fluffy kind of texture is fun yet it's ultra nourishing and doesn't feel heavy or greasy ever. Really a spectacular cream. Replenix is new to me. The Enriched Nighttime Bio-Therapy is really a nice cream. It's a night cream but I'm using it as a day cream right now due to weather conditions. It's medium weight to slightly heavier but honestly it's not a winter night cream for dry skin. In the summer this will be a great night cream. It's got ceramides, stem cells, antioxidants, peptides and hyaluronic acid. It's definitely one of the more impressive creams I've tried recently texture and performance wise. Really nourishing.
Lastly comes the one thing I never thought you would see me using ever—Vaseline. Yes I used it on my daughters butt to protect as a baby and yes I know it's popular for eczema and barrier repair. I've just honestly never thought I would put it on my face. I'm not a fan of the texture. It was so cold and my cheeks were getting so red, dry and sore so I figured, why not? It actually was a lifesaver. I only used it under my eyes and on my cheeks/nose/chin. For this type of weather and situation it worked for me. Extremely occlusive and helps stop transepidermal water loss which is a big factor in my rosacea flare ups during weather changes. It actually kept me from getting large or prolonged red patches on my cheek like my usual rosacea flare ups. My skin actually seemed to soak it up (some I'm sure got rubbed on my pillowcase which I did not care about at the moment). In the middle of the night with no power or heat it kept my skin protected and I now see why it works for certain situations and can be a lifesaver to some. Do I think it's too much for oily skin, quite possibly yes. For dry skin, especially with rosacea and eczema you could consider a cheap tub if you have this kind of dryness or rosacea flare ups. You're only using a little as well. Think pea size amount and putting it on.
Top to Bottom-Replenix, Stratia, NIOD:
*Replenix, NIOD & Live Botanical gifted but all thoughts are my own.
