water is doing more than I gave it credit for

Right so I'm not someone who usually thinks that much about skincare? Like I have a routine, I do the thing, but I don't overthink it. But this summer I've actually noticed a difference and I'm pretty sure it's boring hydration stuff that's made it. Basically I started keeping a big bottle of water on my desk because I kept forgetting to drink anything before like 2pm (working from home is a disaster for that, no one's around to guilt you into it). And after a few weeks my skin just looked... less dull? Less tight after washing. I'm not saying it's magic, it's genuinely just water. I also started eating more water-heavy stuff — cucumber in everything, watermelon obviously, loads of those big salads I've been making. Feels like my skin is getting hydration from both ends if that makes sense. The other thing that's helped is cutting back on how much I was washing my face. I was doing it morning and night with an actual cleanser and I think I was just stripping everything out. Now I just rinse with cold water in the morning and it's been so much better tbh. To be fair it took me embarrassingly long to figure that out. Sunscreen every day too, non-negotiable since May. I use a light mineral one that doesn't sit heavy — found one that's vegan and doesn't leave that white cast which was always my issue with them. That plus actually drinking enough water and I feel like my skin is just getting on with it without me having to do loads.