You often hear the complaints of my oily skin divas but no one ever thinks about us poor souls on the other end of the spectrum. I’m talking about us unfortunate folks with dry and/or sensitive skin. Over the last few years, I have tested a number of moisturizers but there are only a few that have not caused my skin to revolt and call me some very unsavory names. I have my top five moisturizers for dry sensitive skin that work for every budget. You know I have to look out for my dry and sensitive girls.
St. Ives Timeless Skin Collagen Elastin Moisturizer
The moisturizer is designed to reduce wrinkles and fine lines, but I love this as an overall light moisturizer. I mix in a drop of argan oil and my face is in heaven. My poor face was able to survive a Texas winter with this moisturizer…it’s more of a Florida winter type. St. Ives Timeless skin is great as a summer moisturizer because it’s lightweight and doesn’t leave you with that weighed-down feeling. The thing I hate most is being out in the heat with the “I need to get the stuff the hell off my face!” feeling.
It’s another great lightweight moisturizer. It’s a little heavier than St. Ives but still lightweight. I discovered this last year after I had a severe allergic reaction to a clay mask. A friend, who’s a Mary Kay rep, told me about this line years ago and told me I really needed to give it a try…I’m allergic to the regular Mary Kay cleanser and she thought the entire Botanicals line was a perfect match for me. I resisted until it was sent to me by the brand. OMG! I was so in love. My face was so happy! I swear it came at the perfect time because everything I tried to use to cleanse my face seemed to make it worse and burn. I had no trouble with the cleanser or moisturizer. It was a lifesaver. The Mary Kay Botanicals is my absolute go-to moisturizer. If all else fails…Mary Kay Botanical Effects!
Perlier Face Royal Elixir Youth Serum
I reviewed this a while back and some people gave me flack about the price point. At the time, I stated I couldn’t see myself spending the money on higher-end skincare products. Oh how quickly things change! I’ve learned skincare isn’t something that you skimp on or get cheap with…sometimes you get what you pay for. I love this moisturizer. It contains honey which is great to soothe the skin when you are having any type of irritation. The Royal Elixir works great during times I’m having an eczema flare. I love that it doesn’t have a greasy or oily feel to it. It says it’s a serum and it does feel like a serum. However, it’s more of a moisturizer. The other thing I like about it is the micro-pearls that give off a gold reflection. It doesn’t look like noticeable bits of gold shimmer but it’s just enough to give you a nice glow. Perfect for summertime!
Paula’s Choice Ultra-Rich Moisturizer
This particular moisturizer was created specifically for dry and very dry skin. I prefer to use this at night because it is a heavier moisturizer. I can’t explain to you how great my face looks after a night of rest with Paul’s Choice Ultra Rich Moisturizer. It contains coconut oil and shea butter, so you know you can’t go wrong with either of those as ingredients. I started using the Ultra-Rich during a period when I was fighting dry patches, not an eczema flare but just dry patches. My skin was back to normal in no time. Even with it being a heavier formula, I’ve never had any issues with it causing an allergic reaction. It’s a keeper!
Rodan & Fields Overnight Restorative Cream
The Restorative Cream is another higher-end moisturizer but so worth it in my opinion. I received the whole Redefine set and I loved it. When you combine this with the exfoliating mask, my face gets itself together super-fast. I received the set during an eczema flare, and I was initially afraid to use it but I’m so glad that I did. Within two days, my flare started to clear up and my fine lines were noticeably reduced. Honestly, I saw a difference the morning after the first time I used the line. I’m still trying to figure out how to add more to my stash…worth every penny and you know I’m cheap!
I guess you can call me your test dummy and save yourself the trouble of figuring out what moisturizers work or don’t work for dry sensitive skin.
What is your favorite moisturizer?
I was a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant a long time ago, and I really love their products. They put a lot of thoughts into creating the right products for all women.
They really do.
Great picks! I love anything from Paula’s Choice!
Hey Tiki, I didn’t know you had eczema as well. I’ve been hearing great things about Paula’s choice, now I think that moisturizer may have to be the first product I look into from her line. Thanks for sharing!
Yes, Kay, my skin has a serious attitude. LOL, My hands get the worst of it b/c I also have OCD. So the flares on my hands always look like I have burns. Anywho, I would highly recommend Paula’s Choice. I really need to post my review of the line.
I love this post! I’m going to need to check out the Perlier serum, it sounds fantastic.
My skin is so dry! It’s not sensitive, really but finding products that give me enough moisture and are safe is a challenge.
Erika, finding the perfect product is so hard. You have no idea how many issues I’ve had with various products I’ve tried. It’s so sad.
I have tried a few of these, but some are new to me. I have combo skin so I get dry patches ..I will check these out!
So you feel my pain. I hate having the patches b/c it throws off my makeup application.
I use the Paula’s Choice Ultra Rich Moisturizer at night 🙂
I swear that is the best way to use it. lol
My skin is worth the extra money for skincare. I love Aveeno but other than that I use high end things. With the R&F you can find a rep for the line and buy just that Restorative Cream. You don’t have to buy the entire set. We use things up at different times so it makes no sense to me to buy their whole set because you need one product.
I know you can but when I got this it was the whole set. Now I would purchase the cream and the patches. Those things were awesome!
I have combination skin and love that Redefine too.
I don’t have sensitive skin, but these look like great options regardless!
Tiki, do you have a fav drugstore brand moisturizer with SPF? Thanks
Sammy, I don’t have drugstore moisturizers with SPF b/c I normally use Supergoop if I need it… However, I can say I’ve heard great things about Aveeno Positively Radiant Moisturizer and someone told me CeraVe Day time SPF facial lotion is another good one.
Ok. Thank you. I forgot about Aveeno. I used them years ago but I cant remember why i never repurchased. I may re-visit or try the Olay complete all Day with SPF 15
Let me know which one you go with
I love St. Ive’s products, so I’m sure I’d really adore that one. 🙂
What a great post! I have the Perlier and R+F and think those are both great moisturizers! I need to pull them both out!
I used R+F Redefine moisturizers from January through April for my dry, sensitive skin, and I liked them. I’m using a Paula’s Choice Skin Recovery Moisturizers now and I love them. If we have another winter like last winter, I may try the PC Clinical Strength moisturizer, but I hope we don’t!
I have the Skin Recovery Moisturizer too but I use that during the day. I hope for my skin’s sake we don’t have another rough winter either. My eczema was like a bad episode of “Girls Gone Wild”
OMG hold up. Perlier makes skincare? Sign me up! I’m in love with Perlier’s bath and body products!
I have dry/sensitive skin too – my nose tends to be peeling year-round when I don’t have a good handle on my skincare. I’m interested in trying that Perlier serum. Although it’s a tad more expensive, $50 is not out of line with what good products cost, and it’s definitely not the most expensive out there.
Thanks for the sensitive skin tips!!
When I first got it the price on their site was $200 and $100 on HSN. Luckily, the price has gone down a ton.
I had no idea St Ives as a moisturizer like that! I might need to give that one a try.