Winter 2026 Skincare Favorites.
Time to share my obsessions, from a true skincare & beauty junkie!
I figured it was time for a quick skincare essentials update! Last year I shared my new adoration for skin flooding and I still LOVE it. It has absolutely changed my skin, making it so much more hydrated and smooth. I’ve always had dry skin but this has greatly improved it. I love my skincare routine in the morning and evening and really look forward to it.
Would love to hear what skincare products you are loving!
Winter Skincare Favorites
Prequel Pre Gleanse. I’ve been double cleansing for years (like 10 or 15 years!) but switched to the prequel oil last year and it’s perfect. I keep one on my sink and one in my shower. I’ve gone through multiple bottles.
Byoma Phyto Mucin Glow Serum. This is one of my top finds of 2025. It is so incredibly moisturizing. I use it morning and night – it gives the most incredible glow and really keeps the skin bouncy. I’m probably on bottle four or five at this point.
I’m From Mugwort Essence. This is part of my hydrating toner routine and it’s very calming. I don’t like the bottle (or the name, haha!) but it’s incredible. Soothing, calming and just really nice for the skin.
Educated Mess Vitamin C Serum. This is the first vitamin c I’ve been able to consistently use in over a decade. I love the texture – it’s almost like a gel. It works so well under makeup and doesn’t irritate my skin at all.
YSE Beauty Your Favorite Exfoliating Pads. Sometimes I exfoliate in the mornings and if so, I use these. They are so gentle! I have never overdone it with these – they are also huge and have a pocket to make them easy to use.
Medicube Mild Zero Pore Pads. These are my go-to nighttime pore pads! I don’t use them every night because I alternate with a retinol. But they are so incredible and keep my skin so clear. I only use the mild version – not the regular strength.
Eadem Cashmere Peel. Another exfoliating option that I love is this eadem peel. I use it on a cotton round once a week (or every other). It’s very gentle but works. I tried the prequel peel and it ended up being too strong for my skin.
Dieux Instant Angel. I know this has been around forever, but I finally started using it consistently last year. It’s my daily moisturizer and I love it. I use it under makeup daily and it’s wonderful. Provides the best base!
Eadem Mami Wata Calming Mist. Another great find of 2025, this mist is so incredibly moisturizing and calming. I don’t like using it over makeup (it will often smudge it) but I use it on bare skin every morning and night – and sometimes to refresh during the day if I’m makeup free.
Prequel Multi Quench Hydration Mist. Another hydrating mist that I love to layer with the above. Definitely feels wonderful on the skin.
Laneige Cream Skin. This is one of the first products I started using when I discovered hydrating toners and I still love it. I bought the spray top to go with it and it’s super moisturizing.
Skinceuticals P-Tiox. This is the priciest item of the bunch and I wish I had a dupe… but I’ve tried so many and can find NOTHING that works like this. It is the most incredible peptide serum ever. I’m even signed up for a subscription of it! I use it morning and night, after toners but before moisturizer.
YSE Beauty Skin Glow SPF 30. I’ve used this for two years now and not much compares! It’s the perfect glowy lightly tinted SPF and makes your skin look like glass.
Innisfree Daily UV Defense SPF 36. This is a daily sunscreen I wear if I’m not wearing any makeup. No tint at all, but a slight glowy finish. Love it.
Prequel Skin Lip Visor. I discovered this last summer but use it when we are walking outsides in the morning. It is definitely a game changer and my favorite lip SPF.
Hanni Splash Salve. Still going strong on this – I use it almost every time I shower and it is incredible! My skin is usually so dry this time of year and it’s a game changer.
(None of this is sponsored and I do not accept free products! I just like to talk about what I love!)
10 Comments on “Winter 2026 Skincare Favorites.”
Can you write out your skin flooding exact routine/products?
Hi Jessica, yes I love and I’m sure so many people would also your routine for skin flooding.
yes i’d love to share! so i loosely follow the korean 7 layer toner method where you layer hydrating toners/essences. this is my current favorite through lots of trial and error. i do this morning and night!
double cleanse (oil + bar soap)
prequel hypochlorus spray
acwell balancing toner
PCA hydrating toner
haruharu NAD toner
eadem mami wata
i’m from mugwort essence
laniege cream skin
haruharu barrier essence
then i go in with vitamin c/moisture (AM) or retinol/moisture (PM). i made this list last year and have added to it with what i’ve tried and liked! https://www.amazon.com/shop/howsweeteats/list/3DVR9A9OTJYT0?ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ons_mixed_d&ccs_id=a3a20f0b-3989-426e-b8fe-b66f9c6ae2b9
Jessica, thank you so much for sharing your 7 layering skincare method. I’m such a skin product junkie once I buy these items. I may need another bathroom just for skin care!
Once I purchase everything, I’ll copy this and keep it in the bathroom until I get it memorize. I noticed you’re leaving out a lot of products you used to show like Sunday with Riley. Are you still using those products?
i’m not!! i did use sunday riley good genes etc for YEARS – like a decade. i love those but as my skin has matured i’m doing more hydration and i’m using tretinoin (retinol) at least 5 days a week, so i don’t have as much room for harsher actives or exfoliating products!
Can you tell what results you see with the Skinceuticals? I’m intrigued, lol! I’m on Tret but I just haven’t seen the results I’ve been hoping for so I think I need to add something else too! Do you alternate nights with your retinol or use both at the same time?
Thanks Jessica!!
yes! okay so the p-tiox: first, the texture of it is so silky and nice. i use it morning and night, and yes i use it before tret. it is the ONLY product that has ever made my skin seem “glassy.” it works so nicely under makeup. when i put it on, my skin is so glowy, bouncy and plump. i have never had botox or anything (yet?? haha), and i do think it has decreased my forehead wrinkles a bit (but maybe that is also just from hydration). I LOVE IT. it’s by far the most expensive product i use. i still use bader the rich cream ($$$) but i use it as an eye cream so it lasts forever. i do go through a bottle of p-tiox about once a month which is so expensive.
the tretinoin: from what i understand, you want to work up to using it 7 nights for best results. it can take at least 3 to 6 months to see minimal results with tret but the real change is using it over time (for years) since it turns over the skin on a cellular level. i have worked up to about 5 nights a week, and sometimes that gets to be too much and i back it down to 4 because my skin is dry/slightly sensitive. i do the whole skin flooding routine before this because it’s all very hydrating, then i use p-tiox, then i use byoma mucin. i put on the tret, let it dry for 5 minutes. then i do instant angel moisturizer and sometimes cerave on top. it’s the “sandwich method” of using lots of moisturizer so the tret doesn’t dry you out too much!
Thank you so much for taking the time to explain all of that! It sounds amazing, lol! I am a sucker for anything that might help my skin and I always love your recs!! 😂 I am going to try it and several of the others (the Byoma, YSE and Eadem sound soooo good too—definitely getting those!) please keep sharing—I always love seeing what you love!! Thanks Jessica—you are the best! ❤️
thank you!! that means so much to me! xo
This is great! Just a heads up it looks like the Byoma Phyto Mucin Glow Serum link goes to the Skinceuticals P-Tiox :)