Once a week I like to take an extra step with my skin care routine and do an exfoliating scrub treatment, or a hydrating mask. I’ve tried several different exfoliating products, many of which have been fine, but a lot of them contain scratchy exfoliants in them, which aren’t good for your skin. I’ve used scrubs with little smooth microbeads, but I never really found a product that made my skin feel that great, until I found…

My favorite facial scrub - Philosophy’s The Microdelivery Peel
I wrote about Philosophy’s The Microdelivery Peel in my product discontinuation paranoia post. This is a two-step product that is meant to gently exfoliate your skin. First you apply the Vitamin C/Peptide resurfacing crystals to damp, cleansed skin, and rub them gently for one minute. Next you apply the Lactic/Salicylic Acid activating gel over the crystals, and rub gently for two minutes. Then you wash everything off, and you’re done! The whole process takes 5 minutes, and your skin feels so smooth and fresh when you’re done! To me, it feels like my top layer of skin is gently dissolved, leaving smooth, hydrated skin.

 I first started using this product when I had acne, and it was so gentle that it didn’t aggravate my acne, but it helped it, since it got rid of the top layer of dry skin that made my clogged pores worse. Now that I don’t have acne, this product just makes my skin look and feel super smooth! I use it once a week (you can use it twice a week if you want). It lasts forever - I’ve been using the same jar/bottle for probably two years, and it still works great. I think this is great for all skin types, so anyone from super dry to super oily skin should see good results with it.

My favorite hydrating mask - Paula’s Choice Skin Recovery Hydrating Treatment Mask
I used to have combination skin when I lived in humid climates, so I didn’t need hydrating masks, and I usually didn’t even need moisturizer. Now that I live in the desert, my skin is extremely dry. Several years ago I found a great hydrating, plumping mask, and I forgot what brand it was, but all I know is that it got discontinued! I used to use it and wake up with porcelain skin! I had been searching for years to find something that worked that well, and bought 5 different hydrating masks in the process that didn’t work at all, or they made my acne worse since they contained pore-clogging ingredients!

Recently I started using Paula’s Choice Skin Recovery Hydrating Treatment Mask, and it works great! It’s for normal to very dry skin, and you can put it on for 20 minutes, or leave it on for longer if you want. It goes on clear, so I usually put it on my face after I do the Philosophy scrub, and then keep it on overnight! I used it last night and woke up with smooth, even-toned, healthy looking skin. I actually use it a few times a week, and don’t wash it off - I just use it like a moisturizer.

Since I’ve never had super oily skin, I don’t know of any masks that are made specifically for oily skin that work really well, unfortunately.