The products: Pai Skincare Avocado & Jojoba Hydrating Day Cream and Echium & Macadamia Replenishing Day Cream

This winter is the first that Tunakitten and I are spending in our current apartment, and keeping my skin hydrated has been a struggle. No matter how much water I drink or how much Pai Rosehip Oil I apply, my face feels eternally parched with the forced air heating system that runs throughout the building.

Don’t get me wrong — I’m a huge fan of being this toasty warm at all times. But I miss having a humidifier built right into the heating, and so does my skin!

Pai Skincare Avocado & Jojoba Hydrating Day Cream ($60 CAD)

I turned to Pai to solve my skincare struggles, and I’ll tell you this right off the bat: neither one of these products was hydrating enough for me. But my skin is so finicky right now that NONE of the twenty six zillion moisturizers that I currently own are doing the job, so take my hydration levels into consideration as you read this review.

Pai’s Avocado & Jojoba Day Cream is made for dry, dehydrated, and dry, sensitive skin. It contains organic avocado and jojoba oil in addition to a number of vitamins (A, D, and E) and omega fatty acids, so for those with lightly dry skin (aka not my skin), it’s a good option.

The Hydrating Day Cream has a light formula that rapidly sinks into the skin to leave it feeling silky. I think it’s best for normal to dry skin, or skin that gets a little dry and sensitive during the winter.

Pai Skincare Echium & Macadamia Replenishing Day Cream ($78 CAD)

I wasn’t sure which of these two creams would be more hydrating, but Pai offered to send over both so I could find out on my own. It was fascinating to get to try two different dry skin moisturizers from the same brand at the same time, and I’ve been excited to share my results!

Of the two, I found Pai’s Echium & Macadamia Day Cream to be more hydrating. It’s designed to target mature skin and very dry, sensitive skin, and you can feel the difference in the formula. The Replenishing Day Cream is heavier and more comforting than the Hydrating Day Cream, and I find myself reaching for it far more often.

The verdict?

I love the clean, soft-touch formulas of these two moisturizers, and both offer benefits of their own. Neither was hydrating enough for my skin, even with the addition of a face oil, so I would recommend them primarily for skin that sometimes looks dull or flakey — not chronic dryness or eczema.

If you’re trying to choose between the two, here’s my advice. Opt for the Avocado & Jojoba Hydrating Day Cream for normal skin that gets dry in the winter, and the Echium & Macadamia Day Cream for skin that’s a little dry to very dry all year round.

Availability: Pai is available online, at The Detox Market, and through Beauty Bay and Look Fantastic.