Beauty Notes #2 – Hydration

So, continuing the Beauty Notes series with my daily routine in caring for my skin, I give to you episode #2: Hydration. After a thorough cleansing, next step in my routine is hydration. And it’s really important and you should never skip it. You should use whatever is the best product for your skin type.

For example I have a problematic skin on my face: I have mixed skin type but it used to be very dehydrated. Because it’s mixed, I used to avoid the super hydrating products, fearing they would make my T zone very oily (if not controlled, I have very shiny forehead, nose and chin). So I usually went for products that controlled the sebum on my T zone or didn’t use any kind of creams and the rest of my face suffered. So hard that it sometimes flaked (even my nose, with all the sebum, sometimes exfoliated).

I went to a dermatologist in my early twenties to see what the problem was and she told me that my face was simply dehydrated. No matter how oily is your skin, this does not mean it’s hydrated, it means it produces excess sebum and you need to control this problem but still hydrate your skin. And she recommended a highly hydrating product, but in a gel formula so that it would leave my skin matte. And also, to drink as much water as possible 😉

Now I use the Bioderma Hydrabio Serum and the Apivita Aquavita for oily/combination skin for extreme hydration and they both work wonders for my skin. The Bioderma one is perfect as a make-up base, especially during summer, as it leaves the face matte and supple, ready for the BB cream or foundation.

The only problem now is that, since I surpassed the 30 years old milestone, I also have to think about fine lines (and I have been observing them in the last couple of years). For them, I use a light moisturizer, for the first lines (you don’t want to get too aggressive and go for the anti-aging creams destined to 50+ age category) that has a SPF.  My go-to products are the Apivita First Line range and the Resist Cellular Defense Daily Moisturizer SPF 25 from Paula’s Choice (btw, I just ordered a new moisturizer and a couple of AHA and BHA exfoliants from them, fingers crossed).

Also, as I told you in the previous episode of this article, I like to use hydrating masks, especially after a more in-depth cleanse.

Another important aspect to mention is the fact that, during summer, I never exit the house without SPF protection. If during autumn or winter, I might go out sporting nothing but a hydrating face cream, during summer months I never miss the SPF 50 cream (I discovered last summer the ACM  Sensitelial tinted cream, and it was perfect during my Greek holiday).

And now a secret, for those that live in Romania: whenever I feel tired or my face lacks its shine, I apply, at night, before going to bed, Carpicon Plant, a cream which makes my skin glow by the morning. Even if it’s red, or puffy, or cakey, or just plain earth colored, whenever I use this cream my face looks perfect. Beware, the smell might be hard to stand (it smells like an entire pine forest in a jar) and the texture might scare you (it’s almost solid and really oily, the reason I use only in extreme cases) but all this is forgotten in the morning, as soon as you see your face in the mirror 😉

What are your go-to products for perfectly hydrated skin? Do you have any other secrets to share?

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