Skincare Favourites 2013

Today we are talking about my favourite topic; skincare. After everything I’ve been through with my acne (and I mention that in every single post, I seriously need to stop doing that) I can tell with certainty that I have found some products that can actually work even on skins with hormonal acne and are worth mentioning and raving about. However, before I start talking about these gems I need to stress out that I do believe that skincare is kind of a trial and error procedure. The fact that I suffer from hormonal acne and you may too does not mean that these products will clear up your face, they might even make you worse, because no skin reacts the same to the same ingredients. So before you take my word for granted, take a look at the ingredient list of a product before you try it on yourself because you might find that that particular ingredient has the exact opposite result on your skin. With that being said let’s talk about what helped me get through 2013.

I’m one of those people that believe that skincare is worth the extra penny off your wallet; however I don’t spend excessive amounts on it. The products I try to use are not exactly drugstore price but I do not suggest that you need to break the bank to maintain a wonderful skin. First things first, makeup remover. I can’t praise the Bioderma Micallaire Solution for Combination/Oliy skin enough, everybody and their cat are using this thing. It removes any trace of face or eye makeup wonderfully and leaves your skin matte but moisturised. However, it fails to remove waterproof makeup and that’s where the L’oreal Gentle Long Wear Eye Makeup Remover comes in. I’ve talked about it in my empties before and it’s the best eye makeup remover out there, it removes the MUFE waterproof mascara better than the brand’s own one! 

For cleanser, the award goes to my beloved Michael Todd Charcoal Detox Deep Pore Cleanser which I have been using religiously for the past 5 months now. I have noticed a tremendous difference at my pores and my black heads and I feel my skin squeaky clean afterwards without any gunky residue but not stripped from its natural oils either. Plus it is 70% organic ingredients! I can't ask for more from a cleanser! After cleansing, I’ve been using the MichaelTodd Blue Green Algae Antibacterial Toner to get rid of any extra dirt that the cleanser has missed and this one is perfect. It removes everything and leaves you with a clean and well moisturised face.

For face scrub, Michael Todd’s (yeah, once again!) Jojoba Charcoal Facial Scrub was my absolute favourite. It is not very harsh or gentle, it has the right amount of granules to exfoliate your skin without irritating it. I haven’t noticed any extra breakouts after using it (it happens with other scrubs when you have active breakouts to transfer the bacteria to the rest of your face and make it worse) but on the contrary I have noticed a much more radiant complexion after using it. After I was out of my DIY lip exfoliator I tried the E.L.F. Lip Exfoliator and have been ever since. It’s the most clever idea to have it in a lipstick form, just swipe it on your lips for 10 seconds and you’re done!

Face masks are thought to be a luxury product for some but not for me. I’ve been using these two (and some others) as treatment throught the year. The Apivita Express Beauty withGreen Clay is an awesome mask, which comes in small sachets that for me last three applications. This way you don’t need to invest in a huge bottle only to find out that you don’t like it afterwards; skincare is trial and error, remember? It does deep clean your pores and helps those active pimples dry up quicker. The Evdermia Caladerm Mask was a new discovery for me this year and I strongly believe that it’s a hidden gem. It is a wonderful mask for acne prone/ oily skin that tightens the pores, mattifies the skin, helps with hyperpigmentation and dries up the breakouts extremely fast. It has helped my skin loads this past year. Another favourite of mine were muslin cloths that I started using during 2013. I usually use them to remove the masks so as to exfoliate the skin while removing them. They are really cheap and I think of them as a staple now!

Moisturisers are very troubling for me. Since I have oily skin prone to breakouts I can never find one that moisturises the skin without making it oily or causing extra pimples! The Nuxe Aroma Perfection Anti-Imperfection Care was a pretty good match for my skin since I could feel it being very soft and radiant afterwards without excessive grease. The Evdermia Palmetin Cream did a very good job as well, as it seemed to prevent breakouts and mattify the skin, making it a great base for makeup. The Sephora Instant Depuffing Roll-on Gel was almost the only eye cream I used during 2013. I am not very religious with my eye care, although I should it’s one of my 2014 beauty resolutions, but I used to use this one every morning and it instantly got some of the puffiness and darkness of the under eye area away. I’ve also been using the Now Solutions Almond Oil at night to moisturise my eyelids and help my eyelashes thicken and grow faster and longer. For lip care, I’ve loved the Apivita Cocoa Butter Lip Butter which can moisturise the most chapped lips in the world! I can’t even remember how many times I’ve repurchased it! I’ve also put Coconut Oil under the skincare category because I put it on the dry patches that I sometimes get on my cheeks but I don’t really use it only for my face. I use it on my hair as a mask, as an eye makeup remover (it does wonders with the waterproof stuff) and as the key ingredient for an antibacterial face mask that I make. Anyhow, I can’t live without this stuff!

These have been my absolute favourite skincare items for 2013. Let me know in the comments about your gems, I love discovering new skincare!   

Georgina x x x