Sometimes, event or party plans are set before you’ve had the chance to properly prep your skin. Maybe you’ve been traveling, maybe the week got busy. Whatever the time crunch, estheticians know you don’t need a complete overhaul to see a little improvement – you just need 48 hours of strategic hydration and barrier support.

This isn’t a full correction, and it won’t replace a consistent at-home agenda, but it will help visibly smooth texture, reduce dryness and help makeup apply more evenly. 

As Bioelements licensed esthetician Emma Nowakowski explains, “When skin is well-hydrated and calm, makeup sits better. Even 48 hours of targeted care can make a big difference.”

Day 1: Reset + restore

The first 24 hours focus on replacing the moisture winter skin loses quickly, and clearing away the dulling buildup that can make makeup cling in all the wrong places.

Morning
Start with a gentle cleanse, then apply a hydrating serum and seal it in with a whipped moisturizer. This can help prevent moisture loss throughout the day, while soothing and softening any areas where makeup tends to settle.

Evening
If you wear makeup, double cleanse to fully remove residue, first with a makeup remover or cleansing oil, then with a barrier-friendly cleanser. Then apply a smoothing hydration serum and finish with a barrier-supportive moisturizer. This is also the ideal night to incorporate a gentle exfoliating mask, one designed to smooth without disrupting your barrier. This helps buff away surface dryness so day two’s hydration can absorb more effectively.

“Overnight is when the skin naturally does more repair work,” explains Emma. “Supplying enough hydration helps it wake up smoother and more plump by morning.”

Formulas our pros recommend:
sensitive skin cleansing oil, moisture x10, barrier fix daily hydrator, skin editor

Day 2: Smooth + plump

Today is about building on the hydration you restored.

Morning
Keep it simple: gentle cleanse, hydrating serum, moisturizer, SPF. For extra radiance, apply a 10-minute hydrating mask to boost moisture without adding heaviness.

Evening
Cleanse again with a cream cleanser and layer hydration intentionally: a nourishing serum, followed by an emollient moisturizer. If your skin feels especially tight or dull, finish with an overnight mask to lock everything in and create a discernible moisture barrier by morning.

Formulas our pros recommend:
moisture positive cleanser, plump start, crucial moisture, hydroplunge, collagen rehab

Day of the event: How to create a makeup-ready base

At this point, your goal is balanced, comfortable skin. If it feels at all tight after cleansing, hydrate with a soothing face mist to restore immediate moisture. Follow with an intensely hydrating serum and a whipped moisturizer, and give that all a moment to settle before makeup application. When the skin is properly supported like this, makeup glides on with ease and maintains its finish, even through temperature shifts, late nights and overall event chaos.

Formulas our pros recommend:
soothing reset mist, moisture x10, barrier fix daily hydrator

Why estheticians recommend this 48-hour reset 

This two-day plan targets exactly what winter skin needs before makeup: improved moisture retention, reduced surface dryness, and a more supported barrier. Those elements are what help your foundation blend easily, avoid patchiness, and stay fresh longer.

“While nothing replaces a consistent at-home agenda,” explains Emma. “A focused 48-hour reset gives the skin the quick, visible boost it needs when you’re short on time and your event plans aren’t waiting.”