As Spring enters around the corner any day now, I thought it might be fun to look back at some winter beauty heroes!
I realized that I’ve survived this winter exceptionally well this year. Although it’s been cold and dry as usual – even to the point that I did wake up with a nose bleed one time – my skin has managed to stay hydrated and calm! Either way, as long as I take my vitamin D, winter is the best season for my skin.
Still, I thought I’d list some beauty products I’ve been loving lately and that I think might’ve helped fight off the cold and dry weather. You can also look for medical skin therapies and other resources that can help you achieve desired skin tone and texture. Recently, I heard about skin treatment, for which one can buy devices similar to Ultraformer III that could provide smooth, hydrated skin. These devices can also promote anti-aging and wrinkle-free skin by enhancing the production of collagen.
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Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum
I would say that this guy is pretty much the reason my skin has had a
It doesn’t have to be this particular vitamin C, but if you have a moment, you can read all the reasons why I prefer this one in my recent review.
The Ordinary HA+B5 & Marine Hyaluronics
It’s been a “long time, no see”, but I finally decided to reunite with the Ordinary’s HA+B5! (read my review from one year ago here) With the price tag, you may wonder why it took me such a long time? As it’s not like I have been trying other similar serums during the time apart. Actually, just recently I’ve been able to compare it to Drunk Elephant’s B-Hydra serum! Reviews are coming later this year!
Overall, I can’t believe I haven’t repurchased it sooner because it works so well for my skin. I don’t know precisely why, but this combination of HA+B5 helps tremendously in reducing acne and smoothing out skin texture on me. I noticed it the last time I used it, and it’s clear the second time around that it’s this and nothing else. However, plain Hyaluronic Acid serums do not have the same effect, it needs a high amount of B5 to do the trick.
With that said, this serum does come with some formula-issues… You get what you pay for. Sadly, it doesn’t sit well under makeup, whether it is oil-free/silicone-free or not. The older it gets the worse it balls up. And daytime is sort of the time I love to wear it.
When Deciem was having 50% off their new Marine
The Ordinary B Oil
I took a break from oils during the summer, but they are happily back in my routine! I realized that I can’t get the skin-like feeling I want from a moisturizer without a few drops of oil in it. Nor does my skin feel very balanced without it. And during winter, oils are excellent at keeping the moisture from your serums and creams intact!
I got this when I picked up the Marine
It doesn’t exactly deliver the same anti-aging punch as the Korres Black Pine oil, which has fat-soluble vitamin C, antioxidant extracts, and black pine extract. So at first, I was a bit underwhelmed by it.
It’s not more special than any other oil blend out there. It basically just has an amazing mix of different oils and is spiked with algae extract. The B Oil doesn’t feel greasy, it’s quite light, but not overly dry. And I personally don’t find it to smell strong or bad like other reviewers have commented on.
I still like to find something similar to the one from Korres, with a more budget-friendly price tag though. But I can put comfort in that The Ordinary recently came out with Pycnogenol 5%, a serum with pine bark extract. It’s not the same extract that Korres uses, but it’s a fair close one that can be mixed in.
Nonetheless, I can see myself coming back to B Oil! And I will be even trying it on my scalp, after finding some articles and studies that show
L300 Hyaluronic Renewal Night Cream with Ceramides
This brand is hard to come by outside of Scandinavia, but hey, I’m listing my favorites and it includes this!
I’ve mentioned this night cream several times by now. I’m like on my 5th bottle or something. It’s my all-time favorite cream because of its formula and price (costs around 149SEK). Something similar (but not really) and more available would be the CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion.
The L300 Hyaluronic Renewal Night Cream has multiple hyaluronic acids and a wide spectrum of ceramides. It’s quite light for a night cream, so it doubles as a moisturizer for both day and night during winter. And if you’re wondering, yes, I still do add a few drops of B Oil
I was thinking about switching back to the Paula’s Choice Barrier Repair Moisturizer with retinol this winter. While PC packs more anti-oxidant ingredients in their products, this one has about the same barrier repairing properties but for half the price. Not to mention that I do use an external retinol serum anyways.
I do recommend any Swedes to check this one out or the other night cream in the pink jar if you’re looking for a nice hydrating and barrier repairing ceramide cream that’s budget friendly!
L300 7-in-1 CC Cream with SPF15 (UVA/UVB)
Continuing with my love for L300… You probably think I’m sponsored, but I’m sadly not! To get real here, not all products from this brand have worked for my skin. But about half of them has worked surprisingly well! Including this CC cream!
It’s not completely perfect though… I got this at the end of summer when it still was pretty humid and warm outside. At the end of the day, it would simply “melt off” and make my skin look tacky and greasy. It’s super hydrating, but surprisingly, not in a heavy or clogging way. Although it’s recommended to all skin types, I’d say that it’s best suited for normal/dry and may suit combination skin. It’s just hard to think someone with oily skin would enjoy how it looks at the end of the day. Just as a warning.
However, it’s during wintertime that this cream shows it’s efficiency!
Wintertime in Sweden, sunlight is rare. And if it shows its face it lays pretty low for it to do too much harm… Unless you’re up in the mountains skiing on a bright sunny day, SPF 15 will suffice for most people
This CC cream promises a lot and has a very similar high-glow finish to the BareMinerals Complexion Rescue. It has sheer coverage but enough to even out your skin and give you a nice healthy glow. But it’s more like a hydrating tinted moisturizer with sunscreen than a foundation. It only comes in one shade though, that will suit most light to medium skin tones. The shade looks a bit too light and beige right off the tube on me, but blends in flawlessly. It oxides to a slightly deeper shade, but it wasn’t very obvious on my paler boyfriend.
One of the 7-in-1 claims is that it will hydrate all day. I don’t know exactly what makes this so hydrating, but whenever I use this, my skin feels moist/normal throughout the whole day! In the summer that would be like in a sticky way. But now during winter, it’s been just perfect. In contrast to the BM Complexion Rescue, where I can feel my skin getting dry and dehydrated around after noon.
So the L300 CC cream has just been superb at protecting the skin from both the cold and dryness surrounding wintertime! And I can’t recommend it enough!
There’s a high chance I’ll be coming back to this one next winter! It’s cheap (only 99SEK) and does everything it says it does. Would love it if L300 came out with a similar hydrating one but with a more matte finish and with a higher SPF for the summer.
I use this on top of my moisturizer as the very last step. I personally am fine with the sheer coverage and will only add a little concealer under my eyes and I’m good to go.
From February 2019, it has a new package design and comes in a blue tube.
L300 Intensive Moisture Face Mist
This is a new product that they recently launched just a few months ago. It’s said to hydrate up to 48h. I can’t say for sure that it does that as hey, I don’t go that long without washing my face. Duh. But it’s hydrating for sure! But best of all, it’s fragrance-free!
For some
I did feel though, when this came out, that it had a somewhat high price compared to their other products (it’s about 139SEK). But the mist is super fine and it will last you a long time!
I sometimes use this as a toner in the morning, just misting away. But for the most part, I reach for it in the afternoon when my skin might begin to feel dry. Especially when I’ve gone for
R+Co High Dive
I just had to throw in some hair care, as hair can get dry and dull too during winter. Not to mention, itchy scalp! But for itchiness, I use a simple DIY apple cider vinegar rinse. Works
For my locks, this together with the R+Co Palm Springs hair treatment (not pictured) has been super at maintaining shine and softness throughout this dry season. High Dive is a really nice and light leave-in that has both water- and lipid-based hydration. It can be used on dry hair too, and a little goes a long way. Shortly after reviewing my sample (read here) I got the full size and it has lasted me a year!
I also use a bit of argan oil/grapeseed oil and try to put my hair in protective styles whenever I go out. Another nourishing favorite of mine is the Bumble & Bumble Invisible Oil Primer (review here), that helps me detangle any knots that easily forms under sweaters
Wayskin Home Device
LED light therapy might not necessarily help with skin dryness, but has been something that I’ve been obsessing over recently!
I’ve been using my Foreo UFO’s LED light feature without a mask and it has really helped me control breakouts and skin texture. Last year I also helped fund Wayskin’s new Home device, which got shipped at the beginning of this year. It has a bigger surface and stronger light, so I’ve been reaching for this one the most lately. It is also equipped with the Wayskin moisture meter, which checks the moisture levels in your skin. I’ll be coming out with a full review later this year, so stay tuned!
Nonetheless, if there’s a tool investment you should do this year, it would definitely be a LED light therapy device! If you can only get one with one light, go for red light or infrared. It’s the retinol of LED lights. It has more research backing it up and tackles basically everything. For me personally, it’s much more effective in treating acne and breakouts than blue light. As blue light research shows more that it’s only good for killing acne-bacteria. In most cases, acne isn’t solely caused by bacteria. Red light also neutralizes acne bacteria but further helps calm inflammation and boost collagen and so on. Otherwise, pink/purple light is your ultimate best choice if you have problematic skin! As it’s a blend of both red and blue light and has the properties of both. I find it to be more effective than just blue light.
The Wayskin Home offers red, yellow and blue light. While the Foreo UFO, with the app, actually offers 6 shades(!), which is beyond what any other LED light device on the market offers at the moment? It has red, green, yellow (blend of red and green), blue, teal (blend of yellow and blue) and pink/purple (blend of red and blue). However, the UFO’s space of light is limited to a ring and doesn’t shine as bright as others on the market. But I still find it effective and it’s a great multi-purpose tool if you love sheet masking but hate how they sit.
There are more advanced and expensive ones like the
Before Foreo and Wayskin I was very into getting the SkinInc Optimizer Voyager. They recently came out with an updated version that expanded from 3 lights to
There’s also LightStim, Neutrogena, Talika, Ila Spa, MySkin Buddy, just to name a few. But no matter which brand you get, you will not be sorry!
We will definitely be seeing more LED light devices popping up in the near future!
Products Mentioned
