"My skin drinks it up": 9 skincare products our beauty experts always go back to.

As a beauty writer, trialling and testing new skincare products that land on my desk is a big part of what I do in order to see what kind of results products deliver, and if they really live up to their flashy promises (cheeky things).

And while it's super fun and pervy to get to try a whole heap of shiny, jazzy, zingy things that haven't even hit the beauty shelves, regularly changing my routine can also really f**k with my skin. Like, heaps.

I'm talking breakouts, sensitivity, redness, irritation - the whole glorious shebang.

Watch: What's this! A cheeky way to improve your skin while having a snooze?! Go on then. Post continues below.

But! I've always had a selection of tried-and-true skincare products that I go back to when my skin freaks out. The ones that shimmy in post trial and get my skin out of an emergency and back to where it was before.

And because I'm a nosy little bugger who loves to know what other people use when things get Not Great on the skin front, I decided to ask my fellow beauty wizards for their selection of skincare stalwarts. And they actually told me! How good.

Leigh Campbell, Executive Editor and Co-Host of You Beauty

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Leigh Campbell (@leighacampbell)

Beaute Pacifique Instant Hydrating Mask, $73.

Image: Beaute Pacifique

I always go back to this hydrating mask because my skin drinks it up if I've spent too much time near the heater or if I'm a bit dehydrated from too much chemical exfoliation. 

I wear it as a mask to bed overnight and always wake up plump and restored.

Sharon Hunt, Co-Host of You Beauty.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sharon Hunt (@shazzyhuntmedia)

Dermalogica PreCleanse, $69.

Image: Mecca

Flavour-of-the-month cleansers come and go - and I do enjoy trying out new ones as they hit my inbox. However, I always invariably return to my old faithful Dermalogica PreCleanse when I need a skin reset. 

This silky oil-based formulation melts make-up, gunk and everything else off my face while always leaving it feeling soft, but not stripped.  

Cetpahil Moisturising Lotion, $14.99.

Image: Chemist Warehouse

Remember when you were a teenager, and you’d walk off in a huff and slam the door behind you? Well, when my skin is in the equivalent of that mood, I go back to basics with this Cetaphil Moisturiser. 

The formula is super gentle (I always have it handy because I use it on my little kids) and for me, it’s the skincare version of taking a few deep calming breaths.  

Sunsense Daily Face Invisible Tint Finish SPF 50+, $27.49.

Image: Sun Sense

Face sunscreens with a hint of sheen are now a huge growth category, but I always invariably return to this Sunsense SPF 50+ formulation. 

At the first sign of skin overload, this is the product I rely on for all-important every day SPF coverage because I know it won’t cause my skin any further aggravation (and I love the finish.)

Kelly McCarren, Co-Host of You Beauty.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by KELLY LEE 😝 (@kelly_mccarren)

The Jojoba Company Australian Jojoba, $19.95 or Supple Skin Co Dew Drop, $42.

Image: Jojoba Company

Image: Supple Skin Co

If my skin is playing me, I completely strip back my skincare routine and stop using pretty much EVERYTHING except one of these oils.

They're both antibacterial, so they fight acne breakouts while being super nourishing, making my skin look and feel healthy. A few days of only using these bad boys and my skin is back and ready to party. 

Erin Docherty, Senior Health and Beauty Writer and Co-Host of You Beauty.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Erin Docherty (@erin.docherty)

CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser, $10.39.

Image: Look Fantastic

CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser is one of those cleansers skin experts always recommend, and it's all the proof that you really don't need to go about spending big bucks on your face wash.

And while I’m all for trying dazzling new cleansing formulas, I’ll always revert back to this creamy formula, because I know it just works on my skin. It’s gentle, fragrance-free, non-drying and will never talk smack about you behind your back. What a champ.

Drunk Elephant F-Balm Electrolyte Waterfacial, $74.

Image: Mecca

I love a good overnight mask, *especially* when I've done a real number on my skin. This one from Drunk Elephant has been a favourite in my routine for a couple of years now - and for good reason.

It's packed full of do-good ingredients that hydrate and protect your skin barrier (important), like niacinamide, squalene and ceramides.

I pop it on at night and my skin absolutely slurps it up, and I wake up the next day with a hydrated supple complexion. 

La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume, $12.69.

Image: Adore Beauty

Back when I was an absolute fool, I once decided to try like three new active-laded products ALL AT ONCE, before hopping into bed wondering if I was maybe going to be almost *too* radiant the next morning.

I literally burnt a whole layer off my skin that night and woke up the next day with an irritated, shiny, red face. 

A dermatologist told me to use this to repair my skin - and since then, it’s just become one of those staples that I always go back to when my skin is feeling dry, irritated and needy (always). 

What products do you always go back to when your skin freaks out? Share with us in the comment section below.

Feature image: Mamamia