What Are They Good For? Gel Moisturizers

 

I first fell in love with Gel Moisturizers when I was in university dealing with oily skin. It was a constant struggle to find something that wasn't full of acne medicine, leaving my skin dry and tight, or too rich, leaving me looking like a grease ball. Once I found the gel-cream category, I never looked back, even as my skin has become more dry. Since I seem to have collected a ton of Gel Moisturizers over the past year, I thought it was about time I resurrected my "What Are They Good For" round up series and gave you my feedback on everything I've tried.

The Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel was the one that started it all. This was an HG product for me during my university days. It is extremely light so perfect for balancing really oily skin. Now that I have more normal to combo skin, I prefer to save this in the summer months as it doesn't quite give me enough hydration to be used in the winter. I love the packaging, the fact that it comes with a pump is really ideal. The only downside is the price, coming it at $32 it's a little steep, but you get a lot of product so it lasts me forever.

When I started to look for a more budget friendly version of my Clinique gel, this Garnier Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream was the first I could find on the drugstore market. If you can't tell by the fact that this jar is almost empty, I'm a big fan of this product. I've used this for years now and it has been a great everyday moisturizer for my normal/combo skin. It's a little bit more hydrating than the Clinique gel, but still absorbs quickly and doesn't leave a sticky feeling on the skin. It is less expensive at around $8-9 per pot, but I do go through it fairly quickly.

While the Combo version of the gel-cream is a great day cream it just isn't enough hydration for what I look for at night. When I saw they had a version for dry skin I thought I would test it out to see if it would fit the bill. I wouldn't be deceived by the label, this definitely wouldn't be enough moisture for anyone with really dry skin, but it works decently well as a night cream for someone with more combination skin. It doesn't absorb quite as quickly, and initially leaves a bit of a tackiness to the skin, but it doesn't bother me. It is at the same $8-9 CAD price tag, and seems to last me longer than the day cream.

Clean & Clear's Hydrating Gel Moisturizer is definitely on the more heavy duty end. It is much thicker in texture and took a little bit more effort to work into my skin. It has pretty strong fragrance, which I didn't love, but if you're not sensitive to scent then it probably would not bother you. I could see this working better for someone with combination/dry skin. For me, it just felt a bit too heavy compared to my favourites above, even at the low price point of $6-7.

Olay's Fresh Effects Dew Over Gel Moisturizer has a great texture - it looks like it would be on the thicker side in the pot, but feels much more smooth and thin once applied to the face. I think I could have loved this one, but unfortunately there is something in it that seems to break me out! If you don't have sensitive or acne prone skin, I would definitely say it's worth a try at $12-13.

I told myself I was done searching out more gel formula's, but then Miracle10 gave me their skincare line to test out, and the Light Serum became my new favourite for winter. It looks like a typical gel moisturizer, but feels almost like water that packs a pretty serious punch. I was having some dry skin on my forehead, and this is the only one of this bunch that cleared that up without having to load on extra product. It is pricy, at $69 per tube, but it has had a noticeable positive effect on my skin. The only negative: it has a pretty strange scent. My boyfriend says when I use this my face smells "like a vitamin" (who knew that was even a scent), but I guess it makes sense since the main ingredients are Vitamins A, B, D3, E and K.

Have you tried a gel formula moisturizer? Whether you deal with oily skin or occasional dryness, I highly recommend checking these products out!

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