Happy new year friends!

How were the holidays? Are you back to life as usual or counting down the days to Christmas 2019? Me? I’m a bit in between because I loved this season so much but yet I’m glad that we’re moving on to other things.

We’re gonna talk a little bit about my skincare favorites for the past year and why I love them so much. I’ve taken the less is more approach to beauty and skincare lately and my skin and overall state of mind is thanking me for it. No more anxiety about over spending or disappointment of how a product worked out. I did lot’s of research and questioned quite a few of my fave skincare gurus all over the internet.

I find myself repeat buying all of these items and so we’re gonna chat about them today.

Cleanser – I’ve been using the La Roche Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Cleanser for it’s gentle hydrating formula. There’s no pulling, tingling or drying during of after using it and that’s what I go after in a cleanser. I just want a clean and hydrated face and this cleanser has been perfect for that. It’s unscented with functional packaging and has very little bells and whistles. Before applying this cleanser I use the Heimish All Clean Balm to remove any makeup I’m wearing. It breaks down the toughest of makeup and comes off easily with a warm damp wash cloth. There’s also no residue when I’m done.

Exfoliation/Toning – I’ve stuck to my tried and true The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution for exfoliation and toning. I’ve tried dropping this from my routine to see if I could do without it and no, I can’t. Lol. Pimples started showing up and the overall texture of my skin took a hit. It doesn’t agitate or burn my skin and keeps my pores nice and clear. Not to mention it’s cheap!

Serums – I’m down to only one serum these days and I can’t see myself doing much more than that unless I’m treating something specific. The chosen one is my Vitamin C serum. I keep coming back to the Timeless Skin Care 20% Vitamin C Plus E Ferulic Acid Serum and I think it’s here to stay. Unlike most vitamin C serums, this one affordable and has a long lifespan once I keep it chilled. It helps to keep dark spots away, gives my face a more even tone and maintains such radiance. I love.

Moisturizer – My COSRX Oil Free Ultra Moisturizing Lotion with Birch Sap feels like a cold splash of water on my face every time I use it and I live for that. It’s a gel formula and is on the thinner side in terms of consistency. It applies smoothly without any fragrance and by morning my face feels so supple and refreshed. I’ve been using this since 2017 and it’s now a staple in my routine.

Sunscreen – I found the Etude House Sunprise Mild Watery Light SPF50 while scrolling through reddit and decided to give it a try based on the convo over there. I look for sunscreen that’s not greasy, is easy to apply and doesn’t leave a white or violet cast. This, is it. I use other great ones from time to time, but this is my all time favorite. Sunscreen can be stupidly expensive but not this one. I kid you not when I say it checked all the boxes. 

So tell me, what were your skincare favorites for 2018?

Thanks for stopping by!

PS ~ Ways to maintain radiant, youthful skin and Best foundations for flawless brown skin..