Ooh another year has come and gone. More specifically, another year of the best skincare products has come and gone. When I wrote my 2017 skincare favorites post last year (read here), my skin was doing great, hence the lack of acne products featured in it. However, this year, my skin took a turn for the worse and started breaking out a little bit more. But do not fret, my skin is nowhere near how bad it used to be a couple years ago. Regardless, my skincare routine for 2018 has changed quite a bit from 2017, so read on and enjoy what I’ve been loving all year!
Favorite Cleansing Products:
- Favorite Makeup Remover: Nivea Micellar Water
For years and years, I swore by the Bioderma Sensibio Micellar Water and the Dior Hydra Life Micellar Water. I never imagined I could convert to a – drumroll please – drugstoremicellar water. Well, there we go. I just sounded like the biggest skincare brat in the world. But I’m a changed woman because I instantly fell in love with this Nivea MicellAIR micellar water when I was sent it for review a couple months ago (full review here). It leaves no residue while getting every ounce of makeup off my face and I full attribute my skin breaking out less to that.
- Favorite Cleansing Tool: Foreo Luna Play Plus
I honestly never thought there would be something to replace my Clarisonic in my skincare routine. And although I do love my Clarisonic Smart Profile to death and will never stop using it completely, I also like to switch things up a bit and try the latest and greatest in the skincare realm. I love the Foreo Luna Play Plus for travel. It’s just so easy to pack in my toiletry bag and I find the silicone bristles so relaxing as they massage my face. Plus, they do an excellent job at cleansing my face thoroughly. Oh, and did I mention it’s mustard yellow? Read the full review here.
- Favorite Cleanser: Biotherm Skin Oxygen Depolluting Cleanser
Should I start this one off by saying how I thought I hated everything from Biotherm? Ooomph, sorry Biotherm but we gotta be real here on ze blog. All that means is that you’re really just the underdog. And the underdog sure is winning here because I love this Biotherm Skin Oxygen Depolluting Cleanser. Depolluting properties have been the biggest trend in skincare lately. Air pollution, blue light pollution, noise pollution. Okay, maybe not the last one. But skincare is definitely trying to battle the first two forms of pollution this year. This cleanser contains an anti-pollution complex to make sure your skin is the cleanest it can be each and every day so it can breathe again.
- Favorite Exfoliator: Guerlain Blanc de Perle Cleansing Foam
This cleanser technicallyisn’t an exfoliator. But I use it as one. Okay? Cool. This cleanser is $72CAD ($66USD) which upon first glance might seem like an absurd amount. Actually that seems like an absurd amount on the hundredth glance as well, but that’s besides the point. This cleanser is amazing. It has these micro-pearls in it that help to gently exfoliating the skin. Nothing and I mean nothingmakes my skin feel more radiant and renewed than this baby right here. So yes, it is worth every penny.
Favorite Treatments:
- Favorite Toner: Pixi Glow Tonic
During this time on my earth as a young adult with skin that breaks out way too much for my liking, I’ve learned that glycolic acid is one of my best friends. It cares about me. It gently strips away my shell to help me become a better person. It lets my inner beauty shine through. Wow Taylor, that was a brilliant metaphor. Well done. But no really, glycolic acid is amazing and this Pixi Glow Tonic contains 5% glycolic acid so it’s a gentle enough toner for nightly use while still helping keep my breakouts at bay while also accelerating cell renewal so my skin looks brighter and more even!
- Favorite Peel: Neostrata Dual Acid Brightening Peel
There will never be a yearly Skincare Favorites post where this Neostrata Peel is not featured beceause it is just that good. I’ve used this peel for quite a while now and stuck with it through three, yes THREE, formula changes and it’s still my ride or die. It doesn’t matter how bad of a skin day or skin week (or skin month) I’m having, if I put this on for ten minutes at the end of my day, my skin always looks considerably better the next morning. It’s a super potent formula of glycolic acid andPolyhydroxy Acids that basically just gets all the bad gunk out of my skin and leaves my face with less texture and a more even skintone! Read the full review here.
- Favorite Mask: Dior Hydra Life Pores Away Pink Clay Mask
2018 was definitely the year of masking. I tried out more masks this year than I have in my entire life. And no, I am not just being dramatic. I tried to get into the habit of doing a face mask every second day and it did wonders for my skin! It helped purify my skin and let my other skincare products absorb in better. But out of all the masks I tried, this Dior Pores Away mask was definitely number 1! There’s a couple of reasons why this mask is so much better than any other ordinary clay mask. First, it’s an air-whipped clay so it’s super light on the face and turns into a foam when rinsed off so you don’t have to scrub to get it off of your skin! Second, it doesn’t totally dry down like a normal clay mask meaning it’s not going to dry out your skin either! And lastly, you only have to leave it on for three minutes so you can easily find time to put this mask on throughout your day!
Favorite Moisturizers:
- Favorite Day Cream: Nuxe Nuxellance Éclat Cream
I had never tried out anything from Nuxe before I tried this face cream so I have to admit I didn’t have the highest expectations of it. But man, that just makes it so much better when this cream blew my mind over how good it is. I honestly don’t know what I like best about it. The scent (a light fruity floral fragrance) or the texture (incredibly lightweight yet moisturizing) or the results (slight anti-aging with the perfect amount of moisture for my skin)? All in all, it is one hell of a good cream, y’all.
- Favorite Night Cream: Snow Fox Day & Night Defense Cream
I’m usually not one to like a cream that a) isn’t by a big brand that I’ve heard of before and b) isn’t commonly talked about in the beauty world. But I was feeling quite adventurous one day and decided to try this cream without any any negative judgements and I’m so glad I did because this cream is so nice. It moisturized my skin without making it breakout, probably due to all the good ingredients in it. It’s made without any chemicals or toxins! Read the full review here.
- Favorite Lip Balm: C.O. Bigelow Lavender Salve
Oh man. Y’all better sit down cause I’m about to tell a long story. Six years ago, I tried a lip balm from Bath and Body Works that changed my life. That lip balm was the C.O. Bigelow Lavender Salve and I loved it. My first true love. But, as most first loves do, it broke my heart. I finished the entire tin and then, when I went to buy another from Bath and Body Works, there was no more to be found. I searched the internet high and low (AKA Amazon and Ebay) but I was out of luck. It seemed to me I was holding the last tin of Lavender Salve. And that tin was empty. Fast forward six years later and I was still having nightmares about the loss of my favorite lip balm until one day, I stepped foot into a Nordstrom Rack. And there, lying there, was a sight I never thought I would see again. A stack of C.O. Bigelow Lavender Salves. I shed a tear (or two) and immediately bought it thinking it couldn’t possibly be the same as my beloved tin I used up six years previous. But it was. It was just as good. My lips have never felt more moisturized. Bring on the kissing, boys.
Favorite Acne Products
- Favorite Spot Treatment: Paula’s Choice Daily Clearing Treatment
As I mentioned earlier in this post, 2018 has been the year of my skin deciding it’s going through puberty again. It figured I didn’t suffer enough when I was thirteen (or fifteen. Or twenty) so why not just bring back the acne, right? But luckily, I’m more prepared for it this time around. I learned that salicylic acid is not my friend and not only does it make my skin dry out way too much but it actually makes my skin break out more. Instead, benzoyl peroxide is the route we want to go. This Paula’s Choice Clearing Treatment has only 2.5% benzoyl peroxide so it’s not too harsh on my skin but it definitely works wonders at not only clearing my pimples but also keeping future ones away!
- Favorite Pimple Patches: Avarelle Acne Treatment Patches
I am a big fan of pimple patches now. I used to think they were just a gimmick that gave teenagers everywhere hope that you could just put a sticker on a pimple and it would disappear. But that’s basically what these patches really are. I stick one on my pimple and overnight, it sucks out all the bad stuff and helps it heal so much quicker. It really works wonders for my breakouts. Read the full review here.
Well, there you have it folks. A whole list of my absolute favorite skincare products from 2018. I really enjoyed reflecting upon this past year and thinking about what really worked well for my skin and what didn’t. Slowly, year by year, it’s giving me a little more insight on what products I should be looking for and which ones I should be staying away from. My skincare plans for 2019 now include more benzoyl peroxide, more glycolic acid and less pimples. Perfect.