It took for ever for the beauty industry to accept there is a fundamental difference between dry skin and dehydrated skin (lacking in oil and/or water, respectively) and each requires different treatment. Now it has had its lightbulb moment, it seems to be committed to making up for lost time. Nowadays, rarely a season goes by without several product launches aimed at the thirsty skinned, but rarely are they so broadly good. I’m mad about L’Occitane’s new Aqua Réotier collection – or more specifically, its two moisturisers – Ultra Thirst-Quenching Cream, and Gel, £28 each for 50ml. Both are instantly refreshing and visibly plumping of fine lines, while the cream (for drier types) is ungreasy and the gel (for combination skins), unsticky. Each layers perfectly under foundation primer and makeup with no pilling, peeling or sliding, and doesn’t wear off until one’s bedtime cleanse. There’s an accompanying “hydrating essence” to layer underneath before serum, but I prefer Vichy’s newish humectant Minéral 89 (£25, 50ml).
La Roche-Posay’s Hyalu B5 serum is my new favourite next step. I balked at the price (at £37.50 for 30ml, it’s more expensive than anything else in the brand’s lineup by some distance) and moaned about the pipette-dropper packaging (seriously, can we retire these?), but my skin drank up this serum like a raisin in warm rum. Applied immediately after cleansing, it plumps, comforts, smooths and cushions the oiliest or most sensitive skin (including rosacea, despite the presence of alcohol) in readiness for moisturiser, leaving the complexion noticeably healthier and perkier.
Much of modern hydrating skincare may not exist if it weren’t for Clinique’s Moisture Surge hydrator. Last month, this pink-hued moisturiser enjoyed a tune-up via sympathetic reformulation, relaunch and claims of longer-lasting (72-hour) hydration. I’ve worn it lots and can’t say I felt a huge difference, perhaps because I felt it unimprovable. I will continue to recommend this silky, cooling gel-cream to anyone who loathes the feeling of oiliness on dry or oily dehydrated skin, and to peri- or fully menopausal women who crave hydration while seeking to mitigate hot flushes. It’s a veritable hosepipe to the parched face.
