cream products: solace for my dry skin

lately my skin has been going through a dry spell. normally my skin (combo-oily) stays happy if i wash twice a day and apply my usual moisturizer immediately after no matter what season it is. all of a sudden i am getting dry flakes and the dreaded tightness of skin feeling even after moisturizing.

while i am blaming a couple of things for this misfortune (skin maturing, a certain orange neutrogena gel cleanser) i decided to make a little change to my routine...

no powder.

i bet you oily skinned ladies are staring with disbelief at those two little words! not only am i skipping powder, i am using all cream products. my arsenal:

chanel soliel tan de chanel, maybelline dream smooth mousse, laura mercier cream shadow, mac ccb in hush, bobbi brown pot rouge in powder pink.

really, it makes a difference. while i did add a few things to my skincare routine to get rid of the tightness and flakes (using TBS intense cream at night, stopping use of that drying neutrogena wash, and spritzing my face with TBS face mist every now and then) my skin is normal to the point where i dont have any oil slipping on my face from going sans powder. i have been loving the use of cream products to help add the much needed hydration and dewy factor to my skin. is this what normal skin types feel like every day?!?

all products in action:


i just slap on foundation with a buffing brush, chisel the cheekbones with soliel tan de chanel, add some color to the cheeks with the pot rouge blush, and add more dewiness by highlighting with mac's hush. voila! i find if i DO add powder to my routine it just sits on top of my skin, a noticeable veil. not to mention it really makes my dry spots prominent.

a closer look.

i have tried this with several (liquid) foundation mixes and it works equally as well. and any cream blush will do but you all know how much i love and highly recommend bobbi brown's pot rouges.

another happy discovery:

layering these two products together. if you own revlon coral reef and mac viva glam gaga, please try them together. by doing so you will get this:

this is the same lip combo i am wearing above, just a closer look.

i was playing around with combos with gaga (since i dont like the color on me at all. too much of a loud pastel bubblegum pink) and i happened to mix this gem of a combo. infinitely more pleasing to the eye, or so i think!

what do you think? do you normally go sans powder or is it a must? i thought it was a must but turns out every now and then, cream is my savior :)