As we enter into the colder months, our skin may face some unfavorable changes. Dry skin is a prominent problem among many during the transition from hot to cold winter months. As a self-proclaimed skincare addict, I have tried my fair share of facial moisturizers. Personally, I have combination skin that is more on the oily side so I opt for creams and serums that don’t make me look like I just left the sauna.
My favorite types of creams leave me feeling lighter, brighter, and glowing. At the beginning of October, I make sure to never skimp out on moisturizing. I wanted to put together this list of my favorite tried and trusted moisturizers that are specifically helpful during winter months, even for people with oily skin like myself. I included facial lotions on a spectrum of prices. You can try some out for yourself based on your personal skincare budget.
Curology Facial Moisturizer
I opted for a Curology 3-month trial and was very satisfied with the results. Curology pairs you with a dermatologist who formulates your nighttime serum to specifically meet your needs. Their face wash and moisturizer are standard, which is why I’m recommending it to you. Their moisturizer leaves me glowing, with no sticky feelings behind. Personally, I do not use it at all on my forehead, otherwise I become overly oily throughout the day. This cream is perfect for around the eye area and including the neck. Curology is a subscription service at about 60$ per shipment, with a shipment that goes out every two or three months. For long-term use of this product, this was unrealistic for me, so I ended up discontinuing after my free trial. Regardless, I highly recommend this moisturizer. It is both vegan and cruelty-free.
Boscia Cactus Water Hydrating Cream for Face
This is one of the best moisturizers I have ever used in my life, hands down. So, I got a sample size of this in a Sephora Gift Box over two years ago and I saved the bottle so I would never forget the brand. Back then, I wasn’t willing to invest forty bucks in a jar of facial moisturizer, but I never threw away the bottle. I knew I would come back to it one day, and upon Googling discovered that they now carry this cream in Walmart for half the price. (And even cheaper on Ebay, but proceed with caution.) Why is this cream so incredibly amazing? Queen of the Night Cactus paired with aloe vera gel leaves your skin feeling soft, supple, radiant, and ultra clean.
This formula is perfected to leave your skin with a glowing appearance for hours after your morning application. It’s perfect for winter to sustain dramatic hydration, act as a skin-tightening and wrinkle-reducing agent, and is safe for sensitive skin. Oh, did I mention it was vegan and cruelty-free? Yeah, it’s literally the best.
Earth Radiance “Replenish” Facial Moisturizer
You may have never heard of this brand before. Please do not let that scare you away from trying it. At a food festival, I came across a vendor selling all natural skin-care products. At the time, I was actually looking for a face wash, but ended up liking the moisturizer even more. The woman selling this product caught my attention by literally licking the product off her hand. I was shocked, but she definitely peaked my interest and drew me to her table amongst hundreds of vendors.
All ingredients in this product are organic and serve a specific purpose. It contains cucumber, rosemary, aloe vera, jasmine oil, etc, and also offers UV Protection. The smell is amazing and is perfect for my combination skin. It leaves my skin with a matte-look, which is my preference on days I know I will break a sweat. This is my go-to moisturizer all year round because of the UV protection. This product sells for 27$ for a 4oz bottle, but trust me, it will last you many months. Since it has UV protection, I only use this as a morning moisturizer. It is 100% natural, certified cruelty-free, and vegan. My favorite part about this product is how it dispenses. The specifically designed airless bottle prevents product oxidation, which allows the product to retain effectiveness. I would 10/10 highly recommend.
Neter Gold “Altruistic Pure Hydration Cream”
I am obsessed with this brand in general because they are a hardworking black-owned company with high-quality products hand-crafted in Ghana. Most of their products are vegan, and all of them are certified cruelty-free. This specific facial moisturizer goes on thick, and is my first choice for those cold winter mornings where it’s so freezing you think your skin may crack. This product leaves you literally glowing, so much that you don’t even need to wear makeup. I have been using a few items from this company for the past five months and my skin has never looked better. This hydration cream is also suitable for dry and cracked hands mid-winter, and is especially effective when left on overnight.
Whatever you decide to choose, remember that figuring out the best products that work for your skin is a journey. I am constantly being bombarded with advertisements for the next best thing to buy, and I have become very particular about which brands I wish to support. I always make my purchasing decisions based on the quality of the formula (organic with ingredients I don’t have to Google.) For me, shopping vegan and cruelty-free for my skincare is 100% necessary. There’s millions of high-quality vegan and cruelty-free products on the market to suit every need, mood, time of day, or budget. Why would I knowingly support animal abuse when I have no need to?
I know you will love all of these products. Wishing you the best in your skincare journey!
Want to read more on skincare from the PopStyle Team? Check out this article on DIY Rose Water.
