Into the Gloss
Everyone has a skin type—understanding yours should be simple, right? Wrong! Skin type is one of beauty’s biggest enigmas. It’s that vague, wordy identifier that dermatologists and facialists say should dictate everything you do in your skincare routine, from your cleanser and your moisturizer to what types of fancy-schmancy masks work for you. And turns out, most people don’t even know what theirs is. That might be you! Glad you’re here.
According to Dr. Maryann Mikhail, MD of Spring Street Dermatology and personal skin consultant to many (many) Glossier employees, finding out your particular skin type matters—because every product you use on your face should be tailored to the type of skin you have there. Use the wrong product and you may very well end up with the reverse result you were looking to achieve. So before you pick your products, you’ve got to gather some data. To help out, let Dr. Mikhail break down and examine seven different skin types for your diagnostic pleasure. Read, find out your type, and then consider reassessing your Top Shelf. Below each skin type is a suggested routine—as always, make sure to apply SPF as your final step. Let’s dive right in:
Dry Skin
Tightness? Flaking? Hello and welcome to dry skin. It just feels uncomfortable…all of the time. On the more dramatic end, this kind of skin gets red and little fine lines easily. According to Dr. Mikhail, the key to figuring out if you have dry skin has to do with how it feels in the morning. If you wake up with flaking or tautness, and you tend to feel like you need thicker creams to keep your skin feeling normal, you probably belong right here. The upside is that you might break out less or have fewer clogged pores than other skin types. The downside is that you’ll need to bulk up on moisturizer. Specific products or environmental factors can also cause dryness, like alcohol-laden cleansers, artificial fragrance, and winter air. Even though these outside elements lead to temporary dryness, Dr. Mikhail recommends treating your skin like it’s naturally dry… until it is back to normal.
The Dry Skin Routine
Every morning
Cleanse with a moisturizing wash—you’ll want one with aloe, glycerin, ceramides, or hyaluronic acid in the label. If your skin is extremely dry, you might be able to skip a morning cleanse entirely, but make sure to splash your face with some water. Next, boost your hydration levels with a hyaluronic serum or essence, and finish with a moisturizer that comes in a jar. That means it’s heavy.
Every night
Wash with an oil cleanser. Follow up with a hyaluronic acid serum or essence, and layer a thick moisturizer on top. Alternatively, you can moisturize with a thin lotion, and seal it with a lightweight facial oil—look out for ingredients like jojoba oil, sunflower seed oil, safflower seed oil, and apricot oil.
Good to have as needed
Face mist for instant hydration, and oil or a multipurpose balm to seal in moisture.
Oily
If you happen to be the rare human who uses their cell phone to—gasp—talk, then examine the screen after you hang up. Do you see a greasy film? Then congratulations! You have oily skin. Dr. Mikhail says that another way to tell whether you have oily skin is if your skin gets progressively shinier or greasier as the day wears on. “This skin type is prone to clogged pores and breakouts…your sunscreen and makeup might seem to ball up or slide off.” And your pores will look bigger, too, oh joy. Oily skin often doesn’t need a whole lot of moisturizing, but it does need a strong face wash to combat oil production and keep pores clear. The upside? Oily skin tends to age pretty well. Wrinkles are in everyone’s future, but yours may be further down that road.
The Oily Skin Routine
Every morning
You’ll need a cleanser that can cut through the oil your skin produced overnight, so wash with one that mentions clay on the label, or one that is mildly exfoliating with salicylic acid. Pat on a balancing serum afterwards to trick your skin into producing less oil, and to prevent excess oil from clogging your pores. The best ones include ingredients like niacinamide, salicylic acid, and tea tree oil. For extremely oily skin, sometimes hyaluronic acid can replace a moisturizer. Otherwise, look for a water gel moisturizer that’s lightweight yet extremely hydrating.
Every night
Double cleanse! Start with an oil cleanser first, and then wash again with your morning cleanser. Tone with witch hazel or a liquid salicylic exfoliant, and then top off with a water gel cream.
Good to have as needed
Every week or so apply a clay mask for 20 minutes. Find one that combines the clay ingredients with a little bit of hydration, like aloe, so the mask doesn’t completely strip your skin. Overdrying can lead to more oil, oddly enough.
