I’ve made a lot of posts on foundations, particularly in the liquid category, but I haven’t really talked about what I use before makeup application. Having a good canvas to work with before makeup is just as important as applying makeup itself. One of the most important factors in having skin that’s easy to work with is using a good moisturizer, and today my focus will be on one of my favorites: the Simply Hydrating Light Moisturizer.
This is and will always be my go-to daytime moisturizer, because it’s so lightweight yet incredibly moisturizing and effective. Simple (that is in fact the name of the company, even I was a little confused at first) claims that their products are designed for sensitive skin and as such contain no fragrance or harsh ingredients that could aggravate the skin. Now while I don’t consider myself to be one with sensitive skin (in fact my skin is the perfect balance between oily and sensitive, and it’s not even combination), I definitely don’t like the feel of moisturizers that are overly heavy made for normal skin yet I desire the glow of hydrated skin, which isn’t usually a result you would find in a product made for sensitive skin because it’s lacking in certain ingredients. Also, I regularly treat my skin to exfoliation and facial scrubs – both of which have done wonders for my complexion by evening out my skin tone, reducing scars, minimizing pores and keeping away break outs. However, because I’ve been using them almost daily for the past 6 months, they dehydrated my skin and left me with some redness on my cheeks and dryness near my nose.
I had tried all sorts of moisturizers (Olay, Neutrogena, MAC) and even stopped exfoliating for a few days but the dryness and redness refused to go away; nothing was hydrating enough, which was a weird experience for me because prior to using exfoliating products I actually had oily/combination skin. Anyways, I was browsing around at Ulta, found this gem, picked it up on a whim (it’s like $13 which is doable) and decided to give it a go, expecting it not to be much different from the other moisturizers I’ve tried.
Surprise, surprise! I couldn’t have been more wrong!
I had applied this at night after cleansing with my beloved Philosophy Purity Made Simple, and woke up next morning with NO dryness and NO redness , seriously, my normally raw-nerve type cheeks and dry nose were silky smooth the next day, and the best thing about it is that the effect lasted the whole day up till the following night. Makeup application was a total breeze and looked smooth and airbrushed – never before has a face moisturizer had this effect on my makeup…that’s a first for me since I started using makeup 5 years ago!
This is actually one of my favorite beauty products that I own, in any category. I’d recommend this for those who are treating their faces with frequent exfoliation (which can get a bit harsh on the skin especially with daily use), or those with easily irritated, dehydrated skin (which is what you get when using BHA/AHA or retinols). The texture of this moisturizer itself is perfect for me; not too heavy (heavier face creams break me out and irritate my skin), but also not too light that it evaporates after applying it on (it has almost a gel-like consistency). This is now my daytime moisturizer (my night moisturiser is Lancome Energie de Vie) used to keep away dryness and irritation and help my makeup apply fluidly.
A true savior for sensitive-skinned users, people who want a little bit of extra hydration, and for everyone else as well!
