In the depths of winter, your skin can take a beating. I know the lack of vitamin D makes me far more prone to breakouts and slows the healing of spots, while the cold dries my skin into itchy, flaky misery. It has taken me many years to come to understand my skin and what it needs - as a teenager, I thought the answer to oily, combination skin was drying ingredients… salicylic acids and such. What I’ve come to realize is that my skin, prone to breakouts and blackheads yet still extraordinarily dry, needs more soothing, hydrating ingredients to combat excess oil and calm the irritations.

By no means am I a dermatologist, but many of the products I use are all-natural or are fairly gentle, so can be great products regardless of skin type. They can also be great basics in a more intense or specialized skincare routine.

Face Wash

The beginning of my skincare routine (which is typically more evening-heavy) always starts with a good face wash. I typically use either the Sensitive Skin Face Wash from Toronto-based beauty company, Pure + Simple, or more recently, Philosophy’s Purity Made Simple Face Wash from Sephora if I am in need of a little extra moisturizing action. To get the most cleansing action out of my face wash, I typically use the Pore Cleansing Pad from Sephora, which is a (far) cheaper alternative to the cult-favourite Foreo Silicone Brush.

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Toners / Exfoliants

I follow my face wash with a toner product called glycolic acid. Although anything with the word “acid” in it sounds scary, glycolic acid can actually be quite a gentle exfoliating product and has quite the array of skincare benefits. By sloughing away the top layer of dead skin cells, glycolic acid actually helps decongest pores, heal blemishes or old acne scarring, minimize the appearance of fine lines, even out skin tone from issues such as melasma, pigmentation or spots, and soften rough texture by increasing cell turnover. There are tons of glycolic acid products but the ones I’ve been alternating between are the Pixi Glow Tonic (available at pretty much any drugstore!), and The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution. Both are super affordable which is awesome too! I would suggest using a lower percentage product to start (the Pixi product is 5%) to test how the product interacts with your skin, especially if you are more sensitive, and please, please make sure you wear a daily sunscreen if you’re using this product (it makes you more sensitive to the sun)!

Glycolic Acid 7 Toning Solution The Ordinary Skincare Routine.jpg

Serums

Serums are one of my favourite skincare products and often if I’m in a rush or travelling, this is my must-have product (it’s amazing for plane rides!). My must-have serum is the Pure + Simple Algae Serum, although I’ve recently started using The Ordinary Buffet serum and have been pretty impressed with those results as well. For a little while I was using Glossier’s Super Pack Serum Trio and really loved them - if your skin is a bit finicky and needs different serums on different days, this is a great set for you. Just a warning though - they are a bit on the pricier side, and are pretty small bottles! The set includes Super Bounce, a serum for hydrating, plumping and softening; Super Pure, a serum for breakout-prone skin, to reduce redness, purify and balance; and Super Glow, a serum for brightening dull and tired skin.

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Glossier Super Pack Skincare Routine.jpg

Oils

Like I mentioned earlier, I’m more of an evening-skincare routine kind of gal since I tend to shower at night. My mornings are very hurried and I don’t have a lot of time to do much except try to whisk myself out the door on time. One thing I do use every morning before the rest of my makeup is the 100% Cold Pressed Virgin Marula Oil from Deciem’s The Ordinary line (followed by a sunscreen with Rosehip). I find it soaks up pretty fast and isn’t greasy so I can still wear makeup overtop, to get that glowy skin. At night I put on Organic Rosehip Oil (from Pure + Simple), but only if my skin is really dry and in need of that little extra boost. I do think that oil is one of the most misconceived skincare products out there - if you have oily skin, please do not think you should not be using oils. These puppies may actually be your best friend as naturally oily skin is often the result of your body overproducing sebum to combat dryness or skin dehydration.

The Ordinary 100% Virgin Marula Oil Skincare Routine.jpg

Moisturizers

My all-time favourite, #1, best-in-class moisturizer is the Martina Gebhardt Black Mud Facial Lotion (also available at Pure + Simple). If I’m not using any oils, this moisturizer is a great follow-up to my Algae Serum and helps seal the moisture in. It’s also not too oily, and has fantastic healing properties from the Black Mud, making this a great product for acne-prone faces or those with acne scarring.

Body Cream

My favourite body cream product is the Korres Pure Cotton Body Butter (it smells delightful, but isn’t too intense). It’s also a fairly reasonable price point - I believe you can get it at Sephora but I’ve found mine at Nordstrom Rack!

Face Masks

Face masks are one of my favourite forms of self-care, particularly the sheet mask trend North America has finally adopted from the queens of skincare - the South Koreans. Typically I only do a sheet mask every 1-2 weeks and it’s generally a Sunday night activity to beat the blues. My go-to sheet mask is the Boscia Wakame Firming Hydrogel Sheet Mask, available at Sephora. I’ve also always loved the Skin Nourishing Exfoliant Face Mask from Pure + Simple, although have been using it less since I started using the glycolic acid exfoliant treatment.

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When All Else Fails

Sometimes you just need to call in the big guns. When all else fails, I book a facial with my favourite Parisian, Dalila, from Oakville-based spa, La Fleur de France. She is the best aesthetician around and you will walk out of that spa feeling and looking like a million bucks. On the occasions that I need some treatment immediately, I will book a facial with one of the fabulous ladies at the Pure + Simple Yorkville spa in Toronto. I find that getting a facial twice a year can dramatically improve my skin, especially during major weather changes. I like to get the bi-annual facials either in April, when the defrost and warmer weather confuses my skin, and in November, when the dryness really starts to kick in. These are also good times to talk to professionals about what adjustments you can make to your skincare routine to combat the changes in weather.

I know all these steps may seem like a lot, and honestly, as I was writing this post I was shocked at how many products I used regularly. However, I would say that I don’t always follow every step each night - on nights that I’m exhausted and just want to go to bed, it may just be a face wash and oil routine. It’s about paying attention to your body and what you need. Also, keep in mind that your skin is hugely reflective of what’s happening inside your body - no matter how many products you use, if you are stressed, dehydrated, exhausted, or eating badly, bad skin is hard to avoid.

However, especially with the new year-new you mentality - be kind to yourself! No matter how much effort you put into your skin, there will almost certainly be days that you have a killer zit in the middle of your forehead. It’s normal and it will go away (even if it feels like it is your new third-eye)!

As someone who’s suffered with bad skin throughout teenage-hood until they slowly came to understand their own skin better, I understand it can make one horribly self-conscious and loathe to go-makeup free. I hope this post might help some of you discover new products or put together your own skincare process, to get yourself on the road to glowy, happy skin!