23 Beauty Products That Will Quench Your Skin's Thirst

Drink up.

1. First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Liquid Recovery, £26

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It was very hard to not just fill this whole list with First Aid Beauty – my skincare routine is 70% made up of their products. If I had to choose only one though, I'd go for their Skin Recovery Liquid. A magic water infused with red algae, honey proteins and oat extracts, you put it on immediately after cleansing and it gets rid of redness and plumps up your skin like a motherf*cker.

If you're in the market for some new skincare though, I also highly recommend First Aid Beauty's Ultra Repair Cream, Hydrating Vitamin Mist, and Ultra Repair Hydrating Serum.

2. This Works Clean Skin 5-In-1 Water, £21

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I bloody love micellar water – Bioderma and Garnier both do great ones – and for dry skin this is the best micellar water you can get. I know it doesn't say it's micellar on the packaging but it is – the water removes makeup with tiny droplets of oil which is how micellar water works. So it's got all the gentle-yet-strong cleansing power of a micellar, but also injects a ton of moisture into the skin thanks to rosewater, wild water mint, and olive and almond oils.

3. Kose Cell Radiance Illuminate & Replenish BB+ Cream

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Kose is a line of Japanese skin care that uses a patented rice extract to hydrate skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines. Their skincare is great (I love the serum a LOT), but the BB cream is the winner for me – you get all the hydrating, anti-aging benefits of the skincare plus ultra-dewy, natural-looking coverage. Definitely consider swapping your tinted moisturiser or foundation to this.

4. Indeed Labs Hydraluron Moisture Jelly, £24.99

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Indeed Labs's Hydraluron range is focused on one superstar ingredient: hyaluronic acid, a beauty wonderkind that hydrates thirsty skin like nothing else. The Moisture Jelly is their purest form of it (just whack some on under your serum as part of your usual routine to see the effects) but I have the whole range at home; serum, masks all of it.

5. Vichy Aqualia Thermal Rich Hydration Cream, £18

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The whole Vichy Aqualia Thermal range is great for dry skin. It's full of hyaluronic acid, and enriched with Vichy thermal water. The rich version of the Aqualia Termal cream is a great cream either for dryer days, or as a night cream.

Also would 100% recommend Vichy's overnight Skin Sleep mask – you pop it on before bed and wake up with glowing, moisturised skin.

6. Eucerin Aquaphor, £9

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If you suffer from perpetual dry, irritated patches of skin, and cracked lips, there is one product you need: Aquaphor. Petroleum, lanolin, I've tried it all – nothing's come close to this stuff. It's a mix of conditioning panthenol, moisturising glycerin, and soothing bisabolol. I keep one in every pocket, as well as backups, as I'm so paranoid of being without it.

7. DHC Deep Cleansing Oil, £21.50

dhcuk.co.uk

If you have dry skin for the love of all that is holy do not let anything foaming touch your face. I don't care if it says it's a "moisturising" foaming cleanser, they're still making those bubbles somehow and it's probably with ultra-drying sodium lauryl sulfate.

Oil or balm cleanses are where it's at, and my favourite is DHC's. It removes makeup like a don, won't dry you out, and uses natural olive oil rather than mineral oil, which can clog pores and form a barrier on the skin.

8. Weleda Skin Food, £9.95

weleda.co.uk

A beautiful natural moisturiser that will soften and soothe rough skin. Halfway between a cream and a balm, it's infused with viola tricolor, calendula and chamomile, and uses a rich, thick base of oils and beeswax.

9. Hylamide Low-Molecular HA Booster, £18

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When it comes to dry skin, you need two things: a moisturiser to lock moisture in, and a serum to put moisture in the skin. Thick moisturisers are often recommended for dry skin, but the thick molecules in them mean that it just sits on the skin and doesn't actually DO anything. They should always be a final step in serum and treatment-laden skincare routine, rather than your only product. I know this because I have studied at the temple of the great goddess Hirons.

Enter this serum. It uses five forms of hyaluronic compounds with varying molecular weights (~SCIENCE~) including very low molecular hyaluronic acid. In layman's terms, this means it can sink deep into the skin at all levels, putting moisture where it needs to be; inside your skin, not on top of it.

10. Kiehl's Ultra Facial Overnight Hydrating Masque, £28

kiehls.co.uk

Pro tip: if you've been out drinking, down a glass of water, take two paracetamol and apply a layer of this. You'll wake up looking like you've not touched a drop of the hard stuff. It also helps the skin's ability to absorb and hold moisture, so whatever you apply in the morning will be more effective too. And you only need a tiny amount so a tub lasts a long old time.

11. Lush Celestial Moisturiser, £14.95

uk.lush.com

If you don't have sensitive skin, check out Lush's Skin Drink too, but if, like me, you are blessed with both dry AND sensitive skin, Lush's Celestial is your savior. It's a thick-yet-light, gorgeous-smelling moisturiser made up of almond milk and oil, vanilla water, dove orchids and cocoa butter, which forms a soothing barrier to help keep moisture in (be sure to use serum and facial spritz under it).

12. Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream, £26

elizabetharden.co.uk

There's something about having Eight Hour Cream in my bag that makes me feel so ~fancy~. I've used this stuff since forever, and it's one of the few things that can turn my skin around overnight. You can use it as a lip balm, or apply it to problem areas, but I like to apply a thin later all over my face on flights, and overnight when I'm having a bad skin day. Rather wonderfully, not only does it get rid of dry skin, it also makes my spots disappear too.

13. Egyptian Magic, £25.50

cultbeauty.co.uk

Based on an Egyptian formula that's thousands of years old, this cream is both all-natural and highly moisturising. The ingredients list is reassuringly short: olive oil, beeswax, honey, propollis, pollen and royal jelly. You can use it everywhere, from split ends to under eye circles to stretch marks and spot scars.

14. Clinique Extended Moisture Surge, £34

clinique.co.uk

Ultra-hydrating, but without a thick feeling. The texture of this is a dream: so light, so non-sticky. It's just a long, tall glass of water for your skin in a jar.

15. Aurelia Skincare Miracle Cleanser, £38

aureliaskincare.com

Looks pretty, but packs a powerful anti-inflammatory punch. Aurelia's USP is all about the probiotics they use in their products (you know, what you find in yogurt drinks), which helps to calm skin. This cleanser is also great for dry skin: it has a beautiful creamy texture, is pumped full of oils – rosemary, bergamot and chamomile to name a few – and doesn't leave any breakout-causing oily residue (the pain of having both spots and dry skin is a very real thing, friends).

If your skin isn't that sensitive though, definitely check out Emma Hardie's moringa balm. It's thicker so might not be great for breakout-prone skin, but it moisturises like a goddamn dream.

16. Alpha H Liquid Gold, £33.50

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Exfoliation is just as big a part of caring for dry skin as moisturiser is – something a lot of people forget. Your serums and moisturisers won't work as well if there's a layer of dry, dead skin forming a barrier, and a build up of thick moisturisers can cause break outs and make skin look dull.

Skip abrasive scrubs, as they do more harm than good. Instead, use Alpha H's Liquid Gold. It's one of the best liquid exfoliators out there, using glycolic acid to gently but effectively remove dead skin overnight.

FYI if you want a good exfoliating cleanser that doesn't scratch your face, go for Oskia's Renaissance Cleansing Gel. It's a soft, moisturising gel-to-oil formula that gently sloughs off dead skin with pumpkin enzymes.

17. Peter Thomas Roth Rose Stem Cell Bio-Repair Gel Mask

cultbeauty.co.uk

Get you a mask that can do more. This one hydrates, but also uses advanced plant biotechnology and rose stem cells to repair and regenerate skin. So you will be both flake AND wrinkle-free. It also smells *divine*.

I also hear their Pumpkin Enzyme Mask is very good for exfoliation, but I've not tried it personally so can't confirm. Vivianna Does Makeup loves it though, and I tend to trust her.

18. Tony Moly Aloe Vera Sheet Mask, £2.90

yesstyle.co.uk

Sheet masks make you look like a serial killer when you're wearing them, but holy crap are they good. I have an unhealthy addiction to Tony Moly's sheet masks. The packaging is adorable, they come in loads of different targeted flavours (the Broccoli one is also good) and are ultra moisturising.

Mizon Cotton Shower Sheets are also great, but Cult Beauty stopped stocking them and now I can't find them anywhere in the UK, PLEASE SOMEONE TELL ME WHERE TO GET THEM.

19. Pixi Hydrating Silky Mist, £18

cultbeauty.co.uk

What's a skin care routine for dry skin without a good spritz? Probably ok, but I love a spritz. It helps add a little extra moisture to lock in, and just makes you feel good. Plus you can keep spritzing it throughout the day and convince everyone you're a fancy lady. Pixi's one is full of plumping skincare ingredients, so you feel like you're doing more than just spraying expensive water on your face.

For a cheaper spray, go for Mario Badescu's £7 Facial Spray, which is lovely and full of aloe and rosewater, or the Botanics £3.99 Rosewater Spritz.

20. Ilsci Sour Cherry & Blackthorn Gel Mask, £30

cultbeauty.co.uk

Ilsci is a near-impossible-to-find Hungarian brand that does amazing fruit-based skincare. I've been addicted to their cherry mask for some time now. It's ultra hydrating, but also nourishing. Imagine other hydrating masks like a glass of water – this one is like a superfood smoothie and a long drink of vitamin water in one.

21. Yu-Be Moisturising Skin Cream, £13.50

spacenk.com

To me, Yu-Be smells like Carmex, which I really like, but be forewarned it's a potent smell. There's no added fragrance or colour in this, only soothing camphor (hence the smell), a high glycerine content, and vitamins E and B2. I keep it in my handbag for emergency dry patches or irritation – I also brought it camping, and it was an itchy skin lifesaver.

22. Collin Resultime Regenerating Collagen Gel, £47

resultime.co.uk

Ok, so this is very pricey, but trust me IT'S WORTH IT. It uses patented Vectorised Micro-Collagen to replenish the skin's collagen levels (we start to lose collagen in our skin as we age, which causes sagging), and plumps the skin, helps repair scar tissue and even helps with sunburn. Either use it under your serum, or apply a thick layer and leave on for a hydrating, plumping mask.

23. Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Serum-In-Oil, £15

thebodyshop.co.uk

I'm still getting my head round this whole "serum-in-oil" thing, but what I do know if that I put a few drops of this on my face before bed, and I wake up with supple, moisturised skin of dreams. I also find the smell of Body Shop's Vitamin E range very soothing, so this also helps me sleep.