Your Holiday Glow-Up: A DIME Beauty Skincare Routine for the Busy, Messy-Middle Mom
If you’re anything like me, the holiday season turns into a chaotic mix of twinkle lights, last-minute Amazon orders, and pretending you aren’t stress-eating the cookies you “made for the kids.” In the middle of the shopping, baking, and trying to survive your teens’ attitude, your skin deserves a little extra love.
Enter: DIME Beauty, the clean skincare brand that doesn’t require a second mortgage, a chemistry degree, or a 12-step routine. Just simple, effective products that bring back the glow you had before holiday burnout set in.
Here’s my full holiday-season DIME routine — perfect for gifting or treating yourself (because the teenagers shouldn’t get all the good stuff).
Heads up, friends! Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you shop through them (at no extra cost to you). It helps support Surviving the Messy Middle — thank you!
Step 1: Melt Off the Day with the DIME Nourishing Cleansing Oil
Let’s be real: holiday makeup hits different. We’re talking glitter shadows, long-wear foundation, and mascara that could survive a Hallmark movie cry session.
This cleanser melts it all off without stripping your skin or leaving an oily film. It seriously is magical. I have drier skin in the winter, and this cleansing oil is a must in my skincare routine. (Use it as a step 1 for a double cleanse or skip to step 2, the Gentle Jelly Cleanser)
Removes makeup + sunscreen
Leaves skin soft and hydrated
Turns into a milky lather (no greasy film, promise!)
Holiday Bonus: It makes the perfect stocking stuffer for any woman too tired from moving the elf to wash her face at night.
Step 2: The Gentle Jelly Cleanser for That Fresh, Happy-Skin Feeling
After the Dime Nourishing Cleansing Oil, the Gentle Jelly Cleanser comes in like the holiday cleanup crew: soft, soothing, and ready to make your face feel brand new. This cleanser can be used as the second step in a double cleanse when you are really leaning into the self-care vibe.
Perfect for:
Dry winter skin
Hormonal midlife skin
Moms who “accidentally” sleep in makeup once a week
🎁 Step 3: TBT Serum — The Holiday Miracle Worker
If there is one product in this routine that feels like Christmas magic, it’s the TBT Serum.
Think of it as:
✨ Retinol’s gentle, drama-free cousin
✨ A glow booster
✨ A tired-mom-skin recovery elixir
During the holiday season, when we are running on caffeine and pure adrenaline, this serum helps smooth texture, brighten dullness, and soften fine lines. In other words: makes you look like you slept more than 5 hours. This serum is a gentle exfoliant even my sensitive, redness prone skin can tolerate.
❄️ Step 4: TBT Eye Cream — Because Holiday Exhaustion Shows FIRST Under the Eyes
This eye cream is a necessity when you’re wrapping gifts at midnight, up early for a school holiday concert, or staring at your teen’s room wondering how a person can create that much chaos. (Seriously, she guards the piles of laundry like her life depends on it)
It brightens, hydrates, smooths and generally makes you look (and feel ) more human.
🌟 Step 5: Wonderscreen SPF 30 — Yes, even in December
We are not skipping sunscreen just because it’s freezing outside.
You’re still driving, running errands, sitting by windows, and scrolling your phone while the sun beams directly at your face. Wonderscreen gives you:
Broad-spectrum SPF
Zero white cast
Zero greasiness
This is the one SPF that feels more like a makeup primer, and you will actually want to wear it. I personally like the tinted formula but there is an un-tinted version as well.
🎅 Why DIME Beauty Makes the Perfect Holiday Gift
Besides being clean, effective, and budget-friendly, DIME products are:
Beautifully packaged
Easy to bundle into gift sets
Great for teens, moms, sisters, teachers — anyone with a face
Under $50–$75 for most products
Perfect for stocking stuffers or self-care gift baskets
Pair a cleanser + serum with a cozy mug and your favorite Loose Leaf Tea Market tea blend, and boom — the cutest “holiday self-care gift” ready in minutes.
💬 Final Thoughts (and a Cozy Holiday Vibe)
This holiday season, give yourself permission to slow down, sip a cozy warm beverage, skip the perfectionism, and take care of your skin with products that actually work and won’t break your Christmas budget.
Your skin deserves its own holiday moment — and DIME Beauty makes it effortless.
If you really want to lean into the self-care vibe this holiday season and create memories not mayhem, check out the blog 5 Ways to Stress Less and Actually Enjoy the Holidays.
