For ten years, we have been making colour cosmetics, and the whole time I have believed that makeup is only as powerful as the skincare that goes on before it. When we began building Cheekbone Skin, we kept coming back to one simple truth that sits at the centre of everything we make now: your skin needs water. It does not need the promise of water or something that only feels like water. It needs actual water. That is why our Hydrating and Balancing Face Mist was one of the very first products we created for the line, and it is why I believe it deserves a place in your routine every single day.
The simple science: only water hydrates
The outermost layer of your skin is called the stratum corneum, and how soft, plump and comfortable your skin feels depends largely on how much water that layer is holding. Researchers have known for decades that dry skin is, at its root, a problem of not enough water in that top layer, and that water is constantly moving up through your skin and escaping into the air around you. That steady loss has a name, transepidermal water loss, and it speeds up in dry winter air, heated homes, offices and airplanes.
This is where a lot of skincare language gets confusing, so let me make it simple. Humectants, like glycerin and hyaluronic acid, attract and hold on to water. Occlusives, like the rich butters, oils and waxes in a balm, sit on top of the skin and slow down how quickly water escapes. Both of these are wonderful, but neither one of them is water. A humectant can only hold the water that is available to it, and when the air is dry and there is no water on the surface, it can draw moisture up from the deeper layers of your skin, where it can then evaporate. An occlusive can only protect the water that is already there.
I like to think about it the way I think about a garden. Water is what the plants actually drink, and mulch is what keeps the sun from taking that water back. You need both, and they need to go on in the right order. Water goes on first, and the protective layer goes on top to keep it there.
There is one more piece of honest science I want you to know. Water on its own will evaporate, and if you mist and walk away in a dry room, that water can leave without doing much for you. That is why we never think of the Face Mist as a product that works alone. It is the first step that gives everything else something to hold on to.
Why we made our mist the way we did
Our focus in skincare is the skin biome, the community of life on your skin that does so much to keep it calm and balanced. We designed the Hydrating and Balancing Face Mist as a 100% natural, whole-formula product. There is no single hero ingredient doing all the work; the formula works together as a whole, the way healthy skin does.
Like all of our skincare, the mist is fragrance-free. We made that choice on purpose, because scent is one of the most common causes of irritation, and we want every product we make to be a soft place for sensitive skin to land. We also built it to work with every Cheekbone product, from our Primer to our Unify Complexion Multi Pencils to our Restorative Barrier Serum Stick, so it can become the thread that ties your whole routine together.
How to use it in the morning, before your primer
After you cleanse, hold the bottle about an arm's length from your face and mist evenly with your eyes closed. Give your skin a moment so it feels dewy rather than dripping, and then apply your Primer. That fresh layer of water gives your skin what it needs to feel comfortable through the day, and your primer and makeup will sit more smoothly on skin that is hydrated rather than tight.
Between layers of Unify if your skin is dry
If your skin runs dry, or if it is the middle of a Canadian winter and everything feels a little thirsty, try a light mist between layers of your Unify Complexion Multi Pencil. Apply your first layer, mist lightly, let it settle for a few seconds, and then blend or build your next layer. The water helps the formula melt into your skin so it looks like skin rather than something sitting on top of it, and it helps prevent that dry, patchy look that can show up by the afternoon.
Throughout the day to refresh your makeup
Your skin keeps losing water all day long, especially if you are sitting in an office, travelling or spending time outside in the cold. When your makeup starts to feel flat or your skin feels tight, close your eyes and mist lightly over your finished look. Let it dry down on its own rather than rubbing it in, and your makeup will soften back into your skin and look fresh again. I keep a bottle in my bag for exactly this reason, and it has become the little ritual that resets my day.
At night, before your Serum Stick
This is where the science really comes together. After you cleanse in the evening, mist your face generously and let it dry down slightly, so your skin feels damp but not wet. Then glide on the Restorative Barrier Serum Stick. The rich, occlusive formula of the Serum Stick sits over that water like a protective blanket, slowing down how quickly it escapes while you sleep. Water first, and then the seal on top. That simple order is what helps you wake up to skin that feels plump and comfortable in the morning.
And honestly, any time at all
There is no wrong time to use your Face Mist. Use it after the gym, on a long flight, when you step in from the cold, or when you simply need a moment to breathe and come back to yourself. If you are going to be somewhere dry for a while, follow it with something that will help hold that water in, whether that is your Serum Stick, a balm or your moisturizer.
A small bottle with a big job
When we set out to build Cheekbone Skin, our mission centred on water, because water is where healthy skin begins. A face mist might look like the simplest product on the shelf, but it does the one job that nothing else in your routine can do. Every other product helps you hold on to hydration, and this is the one that actually brings it. I hope it becomes the first step you reach for every morning and the last thing you do before bed, and I hope it reminds you to give yourself, and your skin, a little more care.
With love,
Jenn