What Are Your Favorite Moisturizers for Winter?

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Winter arrives next week, meaning it’s prime moisturizer season. Today we’re rounding up the Corporette team’s favorite moisturizers and other products for dry skin and nails. Please share your favorite moisturizing products in the comments!

Do you tend to have extra dry skin in the winter? How about eczema? Do you use different moisturizing products according to the season?

The Corporette Staff’s Favorite Moisturizers

Kat’s Favorite Moisturizers

Facial Moisturizers

I’ve had some of the same favorite facial moisturizers for a while now. (So many of the things I’m about to mention are among my beauty empties, the things that I’ve bought again and again.) I tend to use Clinique’s Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion on regular days, Bioelements Really Rich Moisture or ELEMIS on “dry days,” and CeraVe AM on mornings where I feel dry and want sunscreen. In the winter I sometimes add CoxRX’s Snail Mucin, which I feel like helps all of my other products sink in and adhere. (I also sometimes use the Tatcha’s The Essence, which I feel like opens up my pores better for all of my skincare, including the moisturizer.)

Hand/Body Moisturizers

I’ve been ride or die with Curel’s Fragrance Free for a long time now, and generally slather it on my legs, feet, and elbows after every shower, and on my hands basically every time after I wash my hands. For my hands, I’ve just started using the Gold Bond with retinol before I go to bed, and I like that it’s a little bit of a richer cream that I can still feel in the mornings.

I also sometimes use an in-shower lotion, especially if I’m really dry or need to cover a large area that I don’t usually do, like my back or hips. I think right now I’ve got Nivea’s in our shower, but I’ve also used Curel’s in previous years without complaint. (I don’t notice a slipping hazard when I use them, for what that’s worth.)

Lip Balms

I have strong opinions about lip balms! Almost every night I use the Caudalie lip gloss before I go to bed. (Yikes, I can’t find it anywhere except Caudalie — good thing I stocked up the last time I was in France.) On nights where I’m dealing with chapped lips or something else like a cut or blemish near my lips I’ll use Neosporin’s Overnight Renewal Therapy — I’ve sworn by it for years for help with my sons and their extremely chapped lips (and that red rash that kids get). I also like the Laneige or CNP lip masks if I want a slightly fancier self care experience.

Other Moisturizers

A few other random categories:

Elizabeth’s Favorite Moisturizers

I have extremely dry, sensitive skin, so here’s what I use from November through March to avoid becoming a husk of a person.

Body Moisturizers

The CeraVe Intensive Moisturizing Cream is my #1. It’s not fancy, but it absolutely gets the job done. I coat my whole body in this before bed every night. It comes in a tub if you want to buy a larger container, but I prefer the squeeze bottle so I’m not sticking my whole hand into it. On days when I want to feel a little fancier, I layer a body oil over the top, like this one from Saltair.

A few times a week, I put some of The Ordinary’s Glycolic Acid toner on a cotton pad and swipe it over the soles of my feet before I apply the Cerave cream. It’s not a moisturizer, but it helps shed some of the dry, cracked skin that builds up. If I’m feeling extra dry, I cover my feet in Aquaphor and put on some socks while it absorbs. 

Hand Moisturizers

Lately, I’ve been really liking Gold Bond. It absorbs quickly and doesn’t have a strong scent or leave me feeling greasy. I do splurge a bit on cuticle cream with the Dior Creme Abricot, but you only need a tiny amount, so a container lasts me several months.

Facial Moisturizers

I have dry skin, but I’m prone to getting milia if I use creams that are too rich. Right now, I’m alternating between Dieux’s Air Angel Gel Cream and good old CeraVe. When things are feeling particularly dry and sensitive, I also like to cover my whole face in La Roche-Posay Cicaplast balm and let it sink in before bed.

Lip Balm

Nothing beats Aquaphor, as far as I’m concerned. I put this on my lips before bed and keep a tube in all of my purses and coat pockets. 

(You can read all of Elizabeth’s posts here.)

Kate’s Favorite Moisturizers

Facial Moisturizers

My longtime favorite from Neutrogena was discontinued (noooo!), and I’m on my last bottle, so I’m on the hunt for something new that’s light and at least SPF 15.

Hand Moisturizers

My hands get extremely dry (and sometimes develop cracks and eczema, fun!), so I have a heavy-duty product as my favorite. Eucerin’s Eczema Relief Cream makes a huge difference in soothing and moisturizing my dry hands, and it works well as a body moisturizer too. And while I wouldn’t say the scent is great, it fades quickly.

My nails are pretty healthy from spring through fall, but in winter, it’s so frustrating how they weaken and break really easily. I admit I usually don’t remember to use it, BUT I’ve had great success in the past with CND SolarOil. It contains jojoba oil and vitamin E, and if you apply it regularly, it really improves the condition of your nails and cuticles. (Note that it’s very oily — hence the name — so don’t expect to do much with your hands for a little time afterward.)

My old standby is a tub of O’Keeffe’s Healthy Feet to treat the seriously dry skin on my heels in wintertime. This heavy-duty product works extremely well to moisturize and soften, and it’s perfect to use right before bed.

A new-to-me product I’ve been trying is Soap & Glory’s Heel Genius cream, which is also very effective on super dry heels. Its ingredients include macadamia oil, fruit acids, and soothing menthol. To me, the scent is just “okay,” but it fades pretty quickly.

Lip Balm

For chapped lips, my year-round favorite has been Vaseline for many years, and I’m sure I’ll be using it for many more. I like the standard version, but I recently bought this “rosy lips” Vaseline lip product in the travel-size section of the grocery store (haven’t used it yet). I’m also a big fan of Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balms — here’s my review from a few years ago.

{related: what is your favorite sunscreen?}

(You can read all of Kate’s posts here.)

Ann’s Favorite Moisturizers

If you’re a regular reader of CorporetteMoms, this list of desert-island moisturizer favorites won’t be a surprise. These are my tried-and-true favorites!

Facial Moisturizers

My go-to daily moisturizer is Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost Water Gel. Its lightweight formula delivers long-lasting hydration that quenches my skin year-round. During the day, I also layer La Roche-Posay’s Toleriane Face Moisturizer Sunscreen on top. Besides added moisturizing (especially in winter), this one includes SPF 30 protection and helps to restore the skin’s protective barrier.

Even though I have a pretty consistent skincare routine, I’m always happy to make room on my bathroom counter for new products. When I travel overseas, I love visiting the local drugstore for souvenir skincare. From Australia, I brought home a bottle of Sukin’s Facial Moisturizer. Happily for you, it’s available stateside at Amazon. This moisturizer includes aloe vera, rosehip, avocado, sesame seed, and jojoba oils to soothe skin without questionable ingredients.

{related: Ann’s tips on taking a sabbatical as a lawyer}

Speaking of Australia, after any long plane ride, I always treat myself to one of Sephora’s moisturizing face masks. 

Lip Balm

For my lips, I apply Laneige’s bestselling lip sleeping mask before bed. During the day, I’ll use a drugstore chapstick or Vaseline. If my lips are really parched, I turn to Lucas’ Papaw Ointment, another Australian favorite.

Hand Moisturizers

Rounding out my favorites are Trader Joe’s rich, yet quick-absorbing hand cream and their lightweight eye cream. 

(You can read all of Ann’s posts here.)

{related: how to find eczema-friendly clothing for kids [CorporetteMoms]}

Readers, do tell! What are your favorite moisturizers? Do you switch to more effective products for winter?