The last week before Christmas I had come down with strep - pain killers and cold medicine were my best friend. Silly me forgot that cold medicine contains ibuprofen already but the pain was so excruciating I ended up taking Motrin - religiously every 4 hours.
Within 2 days, my face had swelled to a balloon and my skin had broken out into an itchy red rash! I had a severe reaction to the overdose of ibuprofen. I was beyond horrified and all this just before Christmas. I got on antibiotics and ditched the pain killers.
You can imagine my dilemma. Severely dehydrated, flaky and itchy skin. Thankfully I had a few moisturizers to choose from! Which one ended up on top? Read on!
Within 2 days, my face had swelled to a balloon and my skin had broken out into an itchy red rash! I had a severe reaction to the overdose of ibuprofen. I was beyond horrified and all this just before Christmas. I got on antibiotics and ditched the pain killers.
You can imagine my dilemma. Severely dehydrated, flaky and itchy skin. Thankfully I had a few moisturizers to choose from! Which one ended up on top? Read on!
1. Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre 24 Hr Miracle Cream: This is a makeup artist staple so obviously this was the first moisturizer I turned to. The formula is rich and creamy but for really dehydrated irritated skin it just didn't cut it. My skin still felt extremely tight and I was reapplying every half hour. The upside is that it did not irritate my skin further. If your skin is normally dry, it works just fine but not when your skin is in a crisis!2. La Mer Creme de la Mer: I was ecstatic when I had found a travel size of this "miracle" cream in one of my bins. If you don't know the history, La Mer was created by aerospace physicist, Dr. Max Hubert, to help heal his chemical burns. The result was dramatically improved and smoothed skin.
If it could work on chemical burns, it had to work on my scarred flaky skin. Well, it was definitely more moisturizing than Embryolisse. It help rid of the flaky skin and improved the texture - even the scarring was starting to disappear. Yet, it did not completely get rid of the flakiness or tightness. I had to reapply every 2 hours.
3. Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream: This multi-purpose balm is a cult classic for a reason - it just works! This is the only cream that relieved my skin in all areas. I rarely ever use this because of the rich heavy texture, but my skin just drank it up. It feels a little heavy but once it sinks into the skin you don't even feel it.
Once I started applying day and night my skin quickly improved. After applying in the morning I didn't have to reapply until I washed my face at night. I didn't have to worry about embarrassing flaking skin when I was out - bonus! I also use this on my dry cracked hands and lips. I got over the flowery-medicinal smell - it's just worth it. A definite winter essential!
Have you tried these creams? What is your go-to winter essentials for chapped skin? Makeup Junkie wants to know!
