I don’t think I can understate how badly this winter has affected my skin…. and it’s only just begun!  I cannot remember a winter that has been so cold and so dry so early on in the season.  To say my skin is dry and dehydrated is one thing, but it’s a whole new level of red and irritated on top of that.  I have had to pause any use of exfoliants and retinols, and up my mask game big time.  Here are the three masks that I’ve been rotating between to find some order and relief:

Multivitamin Power Recovery Mask

This mask is hands down my favorite mask of all time.  I’ve been using it for about 13 years now, and it never does me wrong.  It’s super soothing and calming, but also replenishes, hydrates and plumps fine lines.  It saves me in winter, but is perfect in summer as well (I’ve treated a mild sunburn with it.)  It’s just the best.  If you’ve not tried it, you need to.  I’m going to go use it right after I finish this post!

Glossier Moisturizing Moon Mask

This is the newest mask I have.  I got it on the 20% off sale just after Thanksgiving.  When I initially apply it, it stings!  Not enough to make me want it off, but it’s not super comfortable.  I’m chalking the stinging up to winter and super dry skin, though I am curious how it will feel in the summer.  After a bit it feels comfortable enough, but the recommended time to leave on is 20 minutes.  I feel like I can handle 10, even 15, but 20 is….. long!  My face starts to get cold!  But it does leave my skin feeling fresh and hydrated.  It gets an overall thumbs up from me.

Farmacy Honey Potion Renewing Antioxidant Mask with Echinacia GreenEnvy

Yeah…. that’s a mouthful.  I got this as a sample around the holidays, and it’s almost gone…. so I have definitely used this one way less than the others.  It totally looks just like honey.  If I didn’t know any better, I might eat it.  It’s super thick, but without the stickiness of actual honey.  When you apply it it instantly starts to warm up as you massage it in, and then turns to a creamy white.  Also, unlike honey, it’s nice and easy to rinse off with warm water.  I don’t know that I noticed a huge difference in the actually hydration of my skin, but it leaves it feeling really clean and smooth and a little brighter and much calmer.  At $56.00 I’m not rushing out to buy this anytime soon, but I would say if you are curious, it’s worth grabbing a sample.

And that’s how I plan to survive winter (also, whiskey.)  If you are in the midwest, I hope you enjoy this tiny warm up we’re having…. 40 degrees warmer than last week feels like absolute heaven to me.  What are you doing to save your skin this winter?

*I paid for these masks with my Christmas money…..  like, the money I was supposed to use to buy other people gifts.