Best Moisturizers for Dry Skin: My 5 Top Picks from Make Beauty, Rephr, Farmacy, Prequel, and Bloomeffects

I’m now 36 weeks into pregnancy and couldn’t be more excited, but my skin even drier and itchier than when I posted at 30 weeks. I have a bunch of friends who are going through super dry skin issues (pregnant or otherwise) so I wanted to put together this list of what’s been working really well for me for my face. As far as I know, these are all pregnancy-safe as well! Thank you so much for being here, and it would mean so much to me if you subscribe here for new posts. All links in this post are affiliate links, and if you choose to shop through them, thanks for supporting the blog!

Make Beauty Moisturizing Reverse Emulsion – This is still my favorite hydrating serum (and if you’ve been to this blog before, you know I’ve tried so, so many serums and moisturizers as I have incredibly dry skin). I’ve used this as a moisturizer and primer, mixed with other primers, mixed with foundations, after a shower, during my nighttime routine – it works so well no matter what I do with it. It leaves a dewy but not wet or sticky finish and makes everything look better if I’m using it before makeup. It just feels so nice and is actually hydrating. I also have a bottle of this in the fridge, and it feels so great to throw on when I’m overheated and my skin is getting super dry and itchy.

Rephr Light Hydration Cream – I was grabbing a bunch of Rephr brushes to try out and review (coming soon!), and this moisturizer was added as a free gift. I didn’t know anything about it, but I figured I’d try it out because the ingredients looked great. I’m now obsessed with this moisturizer – I already bought another tube and bought the intense version to try. It’s so hydrating while being incredibly lightweight so I can use it any time of day. It really calms down my skin when it’s feeling particularly irritated (thank you pregnancy skin issues!). When I’m feeling extremely tired and want just one thing to use, I’ll almost always grab this especially because I can just squeeze it out of the tube and don’t have to fuss with a jar (I know that sounds silly, but it makes a difference to me). At the time of writing this, it’s on sale for $9 but even at the usual $28 price point, I would happily repurchase this over and over again.

Farmacy Honey Halo Hydrating Ceramide Moisturizer – This is the one of the best moisturizers I’ve tried for my super dry skin. It’s incredibly thick but still absorbs super quickly and plays well with my other night time skincare products. Usually by this time of year, my skin starts to get flaky and itchy because it’s so dry, but I’ve had no issues since I’ve been using this. I find that I need so little of this that it lasts me way longer than I expect, which is good because it’s one of the moisturizers I don’t want to be without in my routine. The only thing I don’t love about this is that it’s hard to get the last bits out of the jar, but I will definitely put up with that for how well this works for my skin.

Prequel Skin Utility Ointment – This is a multi-purpose ointment hydrates dry, cracked, chapped, and chafed skin that I use on my face but also my cuticles, lips, and sometimes even places like my elbows. This feels so much better as a last layer on my skin than an oil or something like vaseline but works so well to keep moisture in overnight. It’s not sticky or heavy at all, and I can tell a huge difference between when I’ve been home using it vs not having it with me while travelling. It somehow even works for my super dry skin to help with my moisture barrier even if I only use one moisturizer (which I almost never do but sometimes I’m just so tired).

Royal Tulip Moisturizing Nectar – As much as I love all these products, this one is hands down my favorite (although I do really love having both this and the Prequel Ointment to switch between). This is the most tenacious slugging product I’ve ever used – seriously, it will absolutely still be on your face the next morning, and you will notice it if you don’t wash it off. If I need extreme moisturization or know it will be particularly dry overnight, this is my go to last step. It starts out the texture of thick honey and turns into more of a serum texture as it warms up on your skin (and so doesn’t stay sticky). My skin feels so much softer and hydrated in the morning!

Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to see here on LiftBakeLove, and thanks for reading! As always, some links may be affiliate links that support the blog, but all reviews/opinions are completely my own and unsponsored.

Best Beauty Products to Complete Your Minimalist Travel Bag – The 5 Products I Missed the Most When Travelling

I recently was travelling for two weeks and decided to bring a super minimal makeup and skincare bag. While I was thankful not to have overpacked, I was so excited to get back to my collection when I got home. These are the five products I most thankful to have back in my routine, and that I’d absolutely make room for next time! Thank you so much for being here, and it would mean so much to me if you subscribe here for new posts. All links in this post are affiliate links, and if you choose to shop through them, thanks for supporting the blog!

Prada Beauty Reveal Skin-Optimizing Refillable Soft Matte Foundation in LW5 – I know this is a $70 (or $55 if you only get the refill) foundation, but this foundation is honestly so fantastic. I was so excited to get back to using it above and beyond all my other makeup that I didn’t bring with me. The coverage is on the lighter end of medium but can easily be built up without looking heavy or cakey. It has a really smooth and blurred finish that looks like skin. It’s also so lightweight for how good it looks and wears throughout the day. I have so many great foundations and skin tints, but I think this is really my favorite. That said, stay tuned for an “olive skin-tone friendly foundation round up” for a bunch of recommendations that aren’t $70.

Givenchy Mini Prisme Libre Loose Setting and Finishing Powder in 3 Voile Rosé  – I decided to bring the ELF Prime Stay Finishing Powder which I also love and is only $4, so I have no issues rebuying it if something happens to it. Plus, it’s so much easier to travel with a pressed powder than a loose one that might get everywhere. But I was so excited to be using this powder again when I got home! The Givenchy powder blurs and mattifies without drying out my skin or looking powdery, which is perfect for someone with super dry skin like myself. It definitely provides a bit of brightening for me in this color, but it mostly is just a really fantastic loose powder. It really does provide a soft focus blur in real life without looking like you’re overdoing it. I now have the amazing Laura Mercier Real Flawless Luminous Perfecting Pressed Powder which is giving the Givenchy a run for my favorite powder of all time and is pressed but if I had an easy way to bring the Givenchy with me, I definitely would.

Givenchy Le Rouge Sheer Velvet Matte Lipstick in 10 Beige Nu – This is my favorite matte lipstick of my entire collection (and I have a ton of lipsticks). It creates a blurred look that’s matte without being too matte or drying out my lips. It’s exactly the kind of look I want when I’m not going for something glossy or shiny. It actually reminds me the Glossier Generation G formula but incredibly elevated and in way better colors. This color in particular is amazing for me – it’s my go to for “I don’t know what lip color I want to wear but I just need it to look good” because it goes with everything. If I didn’t do any kind of reviewing content and didn’t have a bigger collection to compare things, I could see myself keeping this as one of my only lipsticks and be entirely happy with it. I didn’t bring it because it’s so special to me (and expensive) but honestly I really missed having it with me.

Make Reverse Emulsion – I’m actually so mad at my past self for not packing some of this into a Cadence Capsule (my favorite way to carry my skincare). This is my favorite moisturizer, particularly if I’m running short of time and need something that really does the trick (like when you’re super jet lagged and don’t want to put on 6 products before you can sleep). I’ve used this as a moisturizer and primer, mixed with other primers, mixed with foundations – it works so well no matter what I do with it. It leaves a dewy but not wet or sticky finish and makes everything look better. I decided to bring Glossier Future Dew instead, which I also love and works amazing as a primer, but I honestly wish I had brought both since it was so dry on the East Coast.

Prequel Skin Utility Ointment – This is a multi-purpose ointment hydrates dry, cracked, chapped, and chafed skin that I use on my face but also my cuticles, lips, and sometimes even places like my elbows. This feels so much better as a last layer on my skin than an oil or something like vaseline but works so well to keep moisture in overnight. It’s not sticky or heavy at all, and I can tell a huge difference between when I’ve been home using it vs not having it with me while travelling. It somehow even works for my super dry skin to help with my moisture barrier even if I only use one moisturizer (which I almost never do but sometimes I’m just so tired). I’m so glad to have this back in my routine!

Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to see here on LiftBakeLove, and thanks for reading! As always, some links may be affiliate links that support the blog, but all reviews/opinions are completely my own and unsponsored.