It is my first real winter on the East Coast and boy has it been rough on my skin! I’m used to California weather where it gets “cold” in the winter and we don’t turn on the heaters because the houses are too roomy and it’s too expensive to heat. In NYC, the outdoor wind chafes my skin and then indoors the blasting heater dries it out further. I’ve found that I need to amp up my skincare regimen to combat this new winter climate. Here are some of my new favorite skincare products that are getting me through the season:

Exfoliation

I stopped using my Clarisonic Mia 2 for a few months because I was battling with new onset Rosacea; however, I started using this cleanser again the past few weeks and it really does make a difference! This gently oscillating brush comes with an automatic timer so I wash my forehead, central face/chin, and sides of my face with the exact right time intervals each day. My pores had gotten bigger over the summer, partly due to rosacea and partly due to sun damage from my earlier days, and I’ve found that the Clarisonic Mia 2 helps to clean out the pores better.

I also love using Biore cleansing strips on my forehead and nose to cleanse my pores of sebum and dirt. Pores get bigger because of sun damage and also dirt and oil buildup in the pores, so by cleaning the pores out, you can stop them from enlarging further. The Biore strips work kind of like paper mache — you put them on the desired areas, allow them to dry into a hard cast, and then after 10-15 minutes you remove them. Voila; the oil and dirt actually sticks out on the Biore strips after you take it off, which is kind of gross but also strangely satisfying, because that means the gunk is NOT clogging your pores anymore!

I’m also going to do a blogpost in the near future about pores (bane of my existence): why we get them and how to control them. Stay tuned for that!

Note: I don’t use SK-II anymore regularly ever since I did my in-depth review on the science behind the product. Read more on that here.

Products mentioned above, along with some of my other favorite exfoliators:

Hydration

I usually have a pretty good hydration regimen based off of my mother-in-law’s multi-step korean skincare regimen that she passed on to me after I became part of the fam. But in the awful drying winter climate, my skin still gets chapped with flaking dry bits around the eyebrows and lips daily. I’ve been needing a boost in my moisturizing routine, and I’ve found that adding a serum coupled with my usual intensive night creams has really helped.

I recently received a sample of the Laneige Water Bank Serum to try out, and I am already addicted and using it daily after I wash my face. The serum is a hyper-concentrated liquid that contains zinc, magnesium, manganese, potassium, calcium, and sodium, and I find that using it under my favorite Nature Republic Steam Cream or my Shiseido Benefiance night cream and eye cream helps lock in the moisture better. When I wake up in the morning, even if the heater was on, my skin still glistens with some of the product.

Between the steam cream and the Shiseido night cream, the Nature Republic steam cream with shea butter is the more heavy and hydrating one. It is too greasy for me to use in the summer but perfect for winter. I highly recommend it if you have dry skin! I find that I alternate between the two creams and use the Nature Republic steam cream when my skin is more dry and flaky and the Shiseido one the rest of the days. I also reviewed the steam cream and Shiseido products here if interested.

I have also been using face masks about once a week for an extra boost. Lately I’ve been using the Nature Republic masks because I got a great deal on them, but I used to use the innisfree it’s real squeeze masks in the past. Both brands are great and I don’t note huge differences between the two. Read my review on them here.

Last but not least, don’t forget eye cream which you can put around the eyes and the corners of the mouth, as I mentioned in my first vlog. I use the Shiseido benefiance eye cream which is very rich and super concentrated, and I can actually notice the difference in my eye wrinkles when I go for a while without this product.

Here are some of the products mentioned above, along with some of my other hydration faves:

What are some of your tips for getting your skin through the winter?