Last week I was sitting at a table in Commons eating breakfast when a friend walked over with really big news: he had just learned that there was a difference between face and body moisturizer. Learning about face lotion for the first time can be an eye-opening event. A whole new avenue of cosmetics has now been opened to you, exposing numerous possibilities for skincare routines of the future. The cosmetic industry boasts of more facial creams than I can list, but this article will be focusing on Bates students’ favorites. With winter being right around the corner, this article is quite timely with it’s publication. The cold weather of Maine is not only brisk and scary, but incredibly drying to your skin. I took to the Bates College campus to find out what everyone’s favorite face lotion was to help our Bates Student readers be better prepared for this year’s wintery dryness!

As for deeply moisturizing facial lotions, I spoke with girls across campus to hear what their go-to’s were. Although many brands were brought to my attention, the most common were Drunk Elephant and CeraVe. 

1. Before writing this article I had used Drunk Elephant on a handful of occasions, but I had never used any of their moisturizers. After asking my friend Claire, who uses their Lala Retro Whipped Moisturizer with Ceramides, I have been increasingly intrigued. Of the many girls I asked, Drunk Elephant seemed to be the fan favorite due to it’s quickness to dry and ability to transform skin from cracking to supple in just one application. Although on the pricier end of things, Drunk Elephant harbours reviews of being a product that lasts and is worth the extra splurge. 
2. In a close second to Drunk Elephant was CeraVe, a cleanser found at most drug stores. CeraVe is an oil-free moisturizer that is hypoallergenic and non-irritating, but what people seem to like best about CeraVe is it’s light formula and ability to be applied multiple times throughout the day without filling your pores. Similar brands are Olay Complete Lotion Moisturizer and Cetaphil Daily Face Moisturizer. 

Everyone knows that winter not only brings frigid temps here in Maine but also a lack of sunlight. I hadn’t even thought of writing about tinted moisturizer until one friend told me that she valued her tinted moisturizer over all other parts of her skin care regiment. 

1. While talking to friends on the quad, one friend swore by the GLAMGLOW Glowstarter Mega Illuminating Moisturizer. It comes in a lot of different shades, my friend added, and it helps the skin on her face have a little bit more of a glow in the winter. 
2. In the same vein of products, Glossier has just come out with a new product: Futuredew. This product is an oil serum hybrid that is used to make your skin look “dewy, glowing and cared-for”. Like the GLAMGLOW, it illuminates your skin but unlike the GLAMGLOW it does not have a pigment to it. 
3. A third option that also seemed to be used commonly around Bates is the Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer. Coming in a variety of shades, this moisturizer aids in creating a subtle glow for any skin type or shade. 

In conclusion, it was incredibly interesting learning about what Bates College puts on their skin in the winter. After speaking with friends across campus, I feel as though I too have a new understanding of facial lotion. In these wintery months ahead, I urge everyone to find a moisturizer that works best for their skin and perhaps use this information from y