Hey guys! Happy New Year!! I was going to wait to write a blog post about the stuff I want to try for 2019 skin wise but I thought why not write a post about some of the important insights I discovered last year whilst following this journey down the skincare rabbit hole.
After using Proactive for over 5 years and still not being 100% satisfied, I started feeling as though Proactive was just a band aid solution with not a lot of long term results (I wonder what Kendall Jenner has to say about it. :/ ) It would maintain my skin and keep it somewhat under control, but the minute I didn’t use the 3 step process my skin would flare up again. It wasn’t really until my last year of university that I actually started to notice my skin was beginning to clear.
What led to this was; birth control pills, which I had been on for a while but only really started to notice good effects on my skin then, a proper diet where I was eating 3 meals a day (thank you concerned parents) and going through trial and error with new skin care products.
Now I still get the annoying batch of zits here and there. Around that time of the month? You betcha. Stressed beyond belief (school, work, guys, everything!)? I’ll find one lurking beneath my skin waiting to make its debut. Eating terrible food and (accidentally) falling asleep in my makeup? You know what it is.
Last year I really tried to focus more on; texture, spot treatments (that actually work), keeping my skin hydrated (by using the right moisturizers and drinking water like a camel) and finally updating my products to see if they could offer my skin something better. Here are some insights on my focus areas:
TEXTURE: I honestly never really thought about my skin’s texture much. Its mostly smooth and because its super oily I just assumed that it was always going to feel the same.
My top 2 picks to help improve texture are:
a) Shiseido’s Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate: I have raved about this serum a lot in 2018 but it is a helluva good product. Kind of pricey yes but something about the mushroom extract renders your skin soft smooth and supply, even after using it for the first week. I do find the price kind of high for something you’re supposed to use daily though.
b) Lemon and Sugar scrub!! My sister gave me some input on this as she is also a skincare junkie like me, and said that the biggest difference when it came to texture was just using a lemon wedge and sugar. It helps exfoliate and brighten your skin as well as improves the over all texture instantly. Just dip a wedge in some sugar and rub a dub dub (gently!)
HYDRATION: I had been using Oil of Olay’s classic moisturizer and then Aveeno’s oil free moisturizer for as long as I can remember, but it didn’t go with my skin. My skin would get crazy oily and my makeup just didn’t look good. My new top picks are:
a) Philosophy’s Take A Deep Breath Gel moisturizer or their classic Renewed Hope in A Jar. I recently purchased a gift set and now have the night time moisturizer which is just richer and have found that my skin stays well hydrated all winter long.
b) Juice Beauty SPF 30 Moisturizer: You have to protect your skin from the sun all year long, even though we can go through weeks in Toronto without seeing the sun. The rays are there! This moisturizer kept my skin dewy and soft while offering great protection. I really love this line and I’m looking to incorporate more of Juice Beauty into my routine for 2019. Amazing ingredients and very well priced.
PRODUCT TESTING: My skin is super sensitive so usually, there is a high chance I am going to dislike the products I try and will breakout. Here is my roundup of winners and losers for 2018.
-LUSH: Something in all their masks make me breakout! Not a huge fan of their scents or moisturizers. But the company has some good ethical practices and they make a mean bath bomb.
-Abnormal Beauty Company: LOVE their foundation but their primer, moisturizer and even under eye serum made me breakout. Do your research before to see which products/serums have ingredients that will benefit your skin.
-Keil’s products: What is interesting about Keil’s is that I like their men’s line better then their female one, because my skin is on the oily side. Although their tea tree mist made me breakout, their Men’s line under eye cream is great!
-Inglot: I have only tried one skincare product from Inglot (besides their halal nail polishes) but I have been using their primer now for almost the entire year. Its tacky but still goes on smooth and helps control oil in a major way. ALSO a little goes a long way as a small tube has lasted me over 9 months with continuous use.
-Clinique: The Step 2 clarifying toner is the OG to me and I am currently on my 6th or 7th tube of their Pepstart eye cream.
Spot Treatment – Top 3:
MVP---most valuable product: As always, my favourite spot treatment product continues to be St.Ives Mineral Clay Firming Mask. I had a zit over the break that I used the clay mask as a spot treatment in addition to tea tree oil and it dried it right out, without me having to pick at it.
Second place: Tea tree oil!! Not only has this been amazing for my scalp and hair, but the drying power of tea tree oil as well as reducing redness and inflammation is a great quick fix and long term fix for breakouts
Third place: Aztec Healing Clay mask: Guys this stuff is LEGIT. With over 5000 positive reviews on Amazon and from my own inner friend circle, this mask is the real deal. I mix it with apple cider vinegar and can feel it literally pulling crap from my pores. If I have some of the mask left over, I’ll keep some in a little tin and will use it as a spot treatment if a zit is super persistent.
So there ya have it folks. Some of my hits and misses for 2018 as my skin adventure continues. I just want to thank everyone for reading my blog in its first year and I am excited for the new posts, collaborations and discoveries I will make in 2019.
Lots of love, NEL xoxo
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