I wanted to follow up on a post that I made on my instagram. On my last blog post you can read here, I mentioned I was leaving behind 15 + skincare routines. I feel like over the years I’ve been sold on having a lengthy skincare routine. As a licensed esthetician, I do think it’s good to have a routine, however I feel like we have been sold on being told we should have 15+ products to achieve good skin. Unpopular opinion- I disagree.

Back in March of last year, I got to visit Cible Skin of Paris. This was such an experience that I will elaborate on another time. However at my appointment, my esthetician gave me a list of about 15 products as a skincare routine. I’m going to be honest- for a long time I did follow her advice, but I noticed my skin was breaking out for a long time. I did this recommended routine for about 8 months and then slowly started to minimize, until I was left with 5-9 key products. I INSTANTLY stopped breaking out with the more simple routine. I decided at least for me, it was better to find key products that combat multiple issues and could be used morning and night. This has been such a game changer for me. I believe at the end of the day, everyone has different skin needs and how your skin responds to certain products, is something you should pay attention to.

With that being said, I would like to share my exact current routine of products I’m using currently for Winter. Does that mean I won’t ever change this? No, I typically change out products and try new ones depending on the season. So keep in mind this list will change, yet my idea of not doing a 15+ step routine will hopefully not!

I’m serious when I’m telling you I have tried soooo many different kinds of cleansers, both high and low end. I keep coming back to this one by CeraVe. It’s the only one that fully removes my makeup. This is what works for me time and time again. Note- although my skin is more on the dry side, I still like the Foaming Facial Cleanser which is for normal to oily skin. I’ve tried the one for dry skin and it makes me break out.

This is one of the products I was recommended at Cible Skin in Paris during my treatment. I do feel a difference with this! The large can will last you several months. I spray this twice a day in the morning and at night after cleansing. Avene, and Evian also make their own version of eau thermale, but my favorite so far is this one by La Roche-Posay.

I’ve been using vitamin C on my skin now for over 10 years. I believe this is KEY to reversing sun damage and I’ve noticed it helps to heal any hyperpigmentation I get from acne scars. If you live somewhere sunny- you should absolutely be utilizing vitamin c to help combat sun damage. I’ve used a few different brands but La-Roche-Posay’s Vitamin C12 I love and has remained consistent with results. Also- this one contains hyaluronic acid and salicylic acid.

I had been looking for something to gently exfoliate my skin. I tried some glycolic pads a few months back that were way too strong and stripped my skin and left me dry and broken out. I INSTANTLY fell in love Medicube’s Zero Pore Pad and how this makes my skin feel. Not to mention, it has a ton of good reviews. I had to try it myself and I really like it. I currently only use it at night. Also note the cute tweezers it comes with to retrieve the pad.

Let’s be honest no one wants to look like leather, and more importantly you want to protect yourself against skin cancer. Sunscreen is an absolute must (yes, even in the winter). I purchased this one by Isdin which is a brand from Spain, while I was shopping at a French pharmacy. I do like it, however once this runs out I plan on returning to Anthelios by La Roch- Posay. Although Sephora carries this brand at a high price (I paid 16 Euro for this!) This exact formulation is hard to find in the states. If you want to try Isdin- I found this version that is the closest to what I have above.

I LOVE this moisturizer and to assist in minimizing the use of too many products, I use this Toleriane Double Repair Moisturizer day and night. However- I believe this exact formulation is only found in the US market, because I could never find this on my German amazon account or locate it in any pharmacies in Europe. I had to order it from the US and it would take 3 weeks to a month to get to me in Germany! Bonus* they have an SPF version as well.

This mask by Laneige is the first Korean beauty product I’ve dabbled into, and I’m hooked! The Water Sleeping Mask is ultra hydrating but doesn’t feel greasy. It has a gel like consistency that feels cooling to sooth irritated or dry skin. It feels AMAZING, I promise. Going back to the statement of “minimizing” my routine, I use this in replacement of my hyaluronic acid serum (for now at least) because it contains three different hyaluronic acids along with squalane and niacinamide. The instructions are to use 1-2 times a week. However with the dry winter skin I’m experiencing here in Virginia, I’m using it morning and night to combat dry skin. It’s helping!

There are a few eye creams I like but most of them give me or enhance dark circles under my eyes. I decided to give them a break (I will circle back around and find one I like again), but in the meantime I started to use the Aquaphor Healing Balm Stick. This might sound crazy, but I’ve met women from my grandmother’s generation that SWORE by using vaseline to keep wrinkles away. Maybe they are on to something. Either way Aquaphor is ultra healing and I’ve used in the past after intense chemical peels, so my thought process is why not use this in the winter. Don’t cancel me over this…

For long term anti-aging results, I highly recommend using a retinol or tretenoin. I know most of these products are advised to start off once or twice a week and then build your skin up to a tolerance of nightly use, but I’m only using this 1-2 times a week. I’ve tried several times to work my skin up to more than 3 times a week and I end up breaking out. So for now I’m going to listen to my skin and do twice a week. If you skin can tolerate it without issues, I say go for it.

I hope you enjoyed this list of my exact current skincare routine- winter edition! I also want to clarify that this list will probably change due to the season or wanting to try something new. In the meantime I’m going to stick to what works for me.

-Alyssa Adore

Let’s get Unapologetically Glam in 2026