This is one of those posts that I look forward to writing every new year. It forces me to reflect on my skin changes from the past year, think about every single product I tried out, and determine which ones were truly the best of the best. It’s also a very overwhelming post to write. I have to somehow collect all my thoughts about my skin, these products and why exactly I loved them. It’s a little challenging to say the least.
My skin has been difficult this year. We started off the year with pretty clear skin. But we were also just fresh off birth control. My hormones were totally out of whack yet. Fast forward a couple of months and my skin definitely started to hate me. I was breaking out more than I ever had in the past couple of years. But the thing is. It didn’t bother me as much as it used to when I was 18 or 19. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that at the end of the day, pimples really are just pimples. Sure I would love to have clear skin but it’s also not the end of the world. I no longer shed a tear over a couple of breakouts. Instead, I just keep trying products and crossing my fingers that they will work some magic on my skin. Sounds like a good plan to me.
Favorite Cleansers
- Favorite Micellar Water: Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water ($8.99USD)*
I know that I said in last year’s Skincare Favorites that I never thought I would like a drugstore micellar water and yet here we are. Another year, another drugstore micellar water. I’m a changed woman. The Garnier Micellar Water is so damn similar to my beloved Bioderma Micellar Water. I could have been saving so much money all this time. It thoroughly removes all my face and eye makeup and doesn’t break me out. What more could I want?
- Favorite Cleanser: Aiona Alive E-Citrus Exfoliating Cleanser ($45USD)*
I fully attribute my good skin lately (knock on wood) to this cleanser. It’s just so good. It foams nicely and makes my skin feel so clean afterwards without feeling dried out or stripped of it’s natural oils. It’s also mildly exfoliating thanks to it’s citrus oils so I think that has really helped with keeping my skin clear! Read the full review here.
- Runner-up Favorite Cleanser: Clinique Mild Liquid Facial Soap ($26CAD)
I thought it was super important to include a runner-up cleanser for this category. Although I absolutely love the Aiona cleanser, I figured it might be hard for everyone to find seeing as it’s not carried in any stores (as far as I know). And honestly, this Clinique one is almost as good and I definitely loved it for the first six months of 2019. So it deserves an honourable mention.
- Favorite Morning Cleanser: Thursday Plantation Tea Tree Face Wash Foam ($14.99)*
You’re probably thinking “uhhh Taylor? Why do you have a Favorite Morning Cleanser category this year?”. Well guys, let me explain a couple of things. I don’t wash my face in the morning. I wash it at night with a micellar water and cleanser to remove all the makeup, oil and dirt and then I just wash my face in the morning with water so I don’t overdry it. However, if I am washing my hair that morning, I need to wash my face with a cleanser to make sure that I don’t have any shampoo or conditioner residue on my face because I find that is a surefire way to make me breakout. But, I don’t need to use my regular cleanser because I’m not wearing makeup. So, I use my morning cleanser that is usually a foam and just gently cleanses my skin. I really love this Thursday Plantation one because it has tea tree oil in it, so once again, I find that it helps to clear up my skin. That is going to be the theme of this whole post. Read the full review here.
- Favorite Cotton Pads: Miniso 100% Cotton Pads ($3.99CAD)
You’re probably wondering why I decided to include cotton pads in my 2019 Skincare Favorites. Aren’t all cotton pads the same? Oh no, no, no. I used to just buy the Quo cotton pads at Shoppers Drug Mart. They were scratchy, pulled at my eyelashes and they were overpriced for what they were. I now buy these silky cotton pads at Miniso for $3.99 (for a pack of like 300) and I will never go back to the Quo cotton pads. Plus they’re pink. Bonus!
Favorite Exfoliators:
- Favorite Scrub: Clinique 7 Day Scrub ($31CAD)
I have been using this scrub for as long as I can remember and yet it’s never made it’s way onto a yearly Skincare Favorites post. Weird, hey? I think that’s because it’s such a basic scrub. There’s really nothing special about it but sometimes that’s the kind of skincare you need. Not everything has to be exciting and new and different. As long as it’s effective and does it’s job, I’m happy. This scrub is super duper gentle (hence it’s name meaning you can use it everyday if you want) but it thoroughly exfoliates off all of my dead skin cells and leaves my skin feeling silky smooth.
- Favorite Powder Exfoliator: Biore Baking Soda Cleansing Scrub ($10.79USD)*
I love a good powder exfoliator. I find this one is a really good dupe for the Dior HydraLife Time to Glow Exfoliating Powder that I featured in my 2017 Skincare Favorites but for a fraction of the price. You just pour a little bit of the powder into your hand, mix with water and gently rub it all over your face. The amount of water you mix with it allows you to decide how strong or gentle you want the exfoliation to be which is super handy! I also find the baking soda in this powder helps to really clear out my pores! Read the full review here.
Favorite Moisturizers:
- Favorite Cream: Olivarriel Dual Moist Comfort Cream ($33CAD)*
I think if you told me I could only pick one skincare product to use for the rest of my life, it would be this cream. Wow, that is a bold statement. But seriously, I stand by it. The texture of this cream is so nice. With a pH of 5.5, it’s the perfect balance between oil and moisture to keep the skin well balanced and hydrated. It’s more of a gel but performs like a cream to provide long lasting moisture to soothe and heal your skin. And it doesn’t irritate my skin at all. Plus it’s a 75mL tube so this stuff lasts forever. A lot of bang for your buck.
- Favorite Eye Cream: Strivectin Multi-Action R&R Eye Cream ($72CAD)
I don’t like eye creams. There. I said it. I know that they’re one of those things you should be using ever since the day you turn 13 but I just had a lot of trouble finding an eye cream I really liked. Until now. It seemed like every eye cream I tried was just too rich and gave me those little bumps on my eyelid and lash line (technical name: milia). But the Strivectin R&R Eye Cream is just perfect and isn’t too rich or heavy at all. It targets lines, wrinkles, dark circles, puffiness, sagging and dehydration around the eyes and also features a color-neutralizing apricot tint to brighten those dark circles.
- Favorite Lip Balm: Carmex Moisture Plus Stick ($4.99CAD)
My Shoppers Drug Mart co-worker, Katherine, got me hooked on this stuff. She is currently on accutane so her lips have been so dry and she swears by this lip balm. If it worked for her, I knew it had to do something for me. And it does. A lot. It’s so moisturizing and I find it doesn’t absorb into your lips too quickly so you don’t have to constantly apply it. The only problem is that the tube is so damn small. I feel like I would go through at least one of these a month. But at only $4 a tube, I can justify that. I think. Plus, it’s a cheetah print tube. Do I need to say more?
Favorite Treatments:
- Favorite Mask: Higher Education Study Buddy (25USD)*
2019 has been the year of face masks. A couple years ago I doubted if face masks actually did anything for my skin but I have really found this year that if I’m consistent with using masks every second or third day, my skin reacts very well to that. And when my skin is especially bad, clay face masks in particular are my go-to. This clay mask from Higher Education is a clarifying and brightening mask and what I especially love about it is that I can also use it as spot treatment overnight to dry up those pimples that just don’t seem to want to go away. Read the full review here.
- Favorite Exfoliating Mask: Clinique City Block Purifying Clay Mask and Scrub ($38CAD)
I am really breaking the rules in this year’s Skincare Favorites post by including two face masks but I really couldn’t decide which one I liked better and I use them both for different reasons and purposes. So it only seemed fair to include them both. Have I talked about this mask on the blog before? I don’t think so and that’s a shame (Just kidding- I have.). First of all this mask starts out as a dark blue colour and when it dries on your face after 15-20 minutes, it turns a light blue colour so you know it’s time to wash it off. And it also has little scrubby particles in it so when you do wash off the mask, it exfoliates your skin extra well! My face always feels super cleansed and fresh after this mask. Read the full review here.
- Favorite Peel: Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant ($29.50USD)*
I always love a chemical exfoliant in addition to a physical exfoliator. This one contains 2% Beta Hydroxy Acid to unclog pores, smooth wrinkles, and brighten and even out skin tone, AKA everything that I need. I am going to be 25 in a couple of months here (omg) so anti-aging skincare is about to become my best friend. That is a scary thought. Read the full review here.
- Favorite Tool: EcoTools Masking Mates Set ($7.99USD)*
I wouldn’t say I’m a lazy person but dang, I love things that make your life easier. And one of those things is this masking set from EcoTools. It comes with a brush to apply your face mask with and little sponges that you wet with water and then remove the mask with. I know that sounds like a simple concept but they’re honestly life changing. I used to hate putting on face masks because I hated how messy the application was and then I would trying to wash off a clay mask. It just took too long. But now, with this set, I can quickly swipe on the mask with this brush without worrying about my fingers getting dirty and then when the mask is dry and stiff on my face, these sponges remove it effortlessly in seconds. No scrubbing required.
Favorite Acne Products:
- Favorite Pimple Patches: Cosrx Acne Pimple Master Patches ($8.99CAD)
Pimple patches have changed my life (and more accurately, my skin) but why oh why do they have to be so expensive. 24 patches for $9? With my skin the way it is, I use up 24 patches in like 2 days. So, to save money, I only use these patches when I really need to AKA when I can feel a huge pimple about to break through my skin. Or when I have a big date coming up. Priorities you know? These patches really do work. They suck out all the bad stuff from the pimple and help clear them up faster. They don’t make the pimple disappear completely overnight but they help. And that’s all that matters.
- Favorite Spot Treatment: Zapzyt Acne Treatment Gel ($5.99USD)*
As I have said before on ze blog in these Skincare Favorites post, I have found that benzoyl peroxide works the best on my skin for getting rid of pimples. Salicylic acid does absolutely nothing (except make my acne worse) so I have vowed to use only benzoyl peroxide in my acne skincare routine. This spot treatment gel from Zapzyt contains a hefty 10% benzoyl peroxide so you have to apply this quite sparingly or else your skin will literally dry up and fall off your face. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya. But hey, at least your acne will be gone. Read the full review here.
Who else is exhausted after reading this whole post? I feel like I just ran a marathon. Writing a blog post? Running a marathon? Pretty much the same thing. Now, with every skincare post I write, I feel like I always need to give this disclaimer: everyone’s skin is different. Everyone’s skin is going to like different products. What might work on my skin might not work on your skin. And that’s okay. Don’t get frustrated if your skin doesn’t like these products. What I have learned over this past decade of skincare is that it’s all about trial and error. And the more I try different products, the more I learn about what my skin loves and hates and that allows me to make more educated guesses about what other products might work better for me.
This was a great year for new skincare discoveries and I am so glad that I am headed into 2020 with relatively good skin. We had a bit of a rough patch at the beginning of the year but we are finally learning to get along. Baby steps, y’all. Really slow, painfully slow, baby steps.
Shop The Post:
2018 Skincare Favorites: https://when-im-older.com/181461299160-2/
2017 Skincare Favorites: https://when-im-older.com/169737761309-2/
*ftc disclaimer: Products marked with an “*” were sent free of charge for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make When I’m Older possible!