Welcome back on my blog! I completely changed my skincare routine almost three months ago now for winter and I had time to make a really good opinion on all of these products!
My skin is on the dry and dehydrated side, during summer it can be combination and it's REALLY sensitive!
This is quite a long post but it gives you an idea of what I've been loving lately!
Be aware, skincare porn's coming...
It does seems like a lot but some of them I only use one to twice a week and I thought I would quickly share my opinion on all of them!
Cleansers
Cleansing your skin has to be one of the most important step! I'm currently trying out some cleansing balms but I wanted to try them a bit more before including them in this routine.
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| Dermalogica Clearing Skin Wash, Philosophy the microdelivery exfoliating wash, Philosophy Purity made simple |
Philosophy Purity made simple (AM-PM): I love this cleanser! It's the type of cleanser you don't realize how awesome it is until you start using something else... your skin starts to not look as good and you don't know why... Well it's because you just need this product in your life! Faint pleasant smell (I'm really sensitive to scents), it has a milky texture and it's amazing as a first cleanser to remove makeup or just as a cleanser! It doesn't irritate my skin whatsoever and leaves it fresh and not dry!
Only negative part is the ingredients, for something called purity the list is pretty long and there's some not so good ingredients there!
Would buy again!
Philosophy the microdelivery exfoliating wash (AM): I use this product 1-2 a week. You could use it everyday if you wanted to (it's that gentle!) but since I'm not the biggest fan of exfoliators I prefer not to. It leaves your skin SOOOO soft and the scent isn't offensive.
Would buy again!
Dermalogica Clearing Skin Wash (AM-PM): This cleanser contains salicylic acid (0.5%) and helps treat acne. The good thing is that it doesn't dry your skin (which can be hard to find with products meant for acne prone skin!). It doesn't leave my skin feeling tight but you should always put something on your face after cleansing anyway. It has a "antibacterial" scent and has a light blue color, but both things don't bother me.
Would buy again!
Toners
I looove toners. I know some people find this to be an "extra" step but it just makes my skin feel so soft and refreshed that it has to be one of my favourites step!
I'm currently trying out some rose water that I didn't include because again I want to make a good opinion about it before sharing.
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| Clarins toning lotion, Caudalie moisturizing toner, The Body Shop Tea Tree skin clearing toner |
The Body Shop Tea Tree skin clearing toner (AM-PM): This is actually my second bottle of this and I really like it! Whenever my skin is starting to break out a bit I pop this out and it helps a lot. It doesn't make my skin feel dry which again is hard to find with acne products. You shake it up before using and it does have a "tea tree" smell to it but you get used to it quickly. It doesn't irritate my sensitive skin so that's a big plus!
Would buy again!
Caudalie Moisturizing Toner (AM-PM): This moisturizing toner is great! It feels really good, soothing and refreshing on your skin. Plus it smells good and fresh! I'm still debating wether it is worth the price for me if I compare the effect to my rose water toner. For the time being, I will gladly used it up because it's really good! The pump isn't perfect but you can deal with it.
Not sure if I would repurchase!
Clarins Toning Lotion (PM): This toning lotion is a chemical exfoliant with a camomile scent to it. It works great and I prefer using it every other day just because I don't want it to irritate my skin. Some people can use it everyday without any issue, I just prefer not taking the risk.
Will buy again!
Serums
This are the first real serums I have ever tried and I've been more than impress! I wouldn't be able to live my live without them anymore. This is how life changing using a serum is!
You can mix and match, use more than one and just adapt with however your skin is that day!
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| Peter Thomas Roth Retinol Fusion PM, Caudalie Anti-Wrinkle Fluid, Clarins HydraQuench Intensive Serum Bi-Phase |
Clarins HydraQuench Intensive Serum Bi-Phase (AM-PM): First off I have to talk about the pump... if you ever tried this product you know exactly what I'm about to say. It sucks! Seriously it feels like it's trying to attack you! First time using it I just put my finger right under the nosel wanting to receive the product and I was "surprised" to see my serum flies to the opposite part of my bathroom! Anyway the pump needs some serious work but the product itself works wonders. It has a perfumy scent to it which I wasn't crazy about first both because I was scared it would irritate my skin and because I'm just sensitive to them. No issues there, you get used to the scent (I find it actually quite pleasant now!) and my skin loves this products!
Really moisturizing even thought it has a really light liquidy texture! It last a long time (even with the crazy pump!) I only used a little of it and it's been 2 months using it daily.
Will buy again!
PTR Retinol Fusion PM (PM): This retinol serum works beautifully to reduce the appearance of any lines and basically evens out your skin over night. You only need to use it once to be convince! I use it every other day because it can be irritating on your skin but you can start using it every night after a while (you can adapt depending on your skin). You only need 2-3 drops (great dispenser!) for your whole face so this bottle will last a long time! It gives you amazing results and I'm curious to see how well it will perform this summer when my skin isn't so sensitive (thanks -30C!).
Will buy again!
Caudalie Anti-Wrinkle Fluid (PM): This is another amazing serum! If you don't want to use retinol or think your skin might be too sensitive this is the perfect alternative. It's a light creamy texture, smells amazing (fruity) and sink in right away. Any fine lines I had on my forehead are gone overnight I wish I took a before after picture! My only complain would have to be that I almost used half of it in 2-3 months, which is actually normal but I'm just afraid to run out of it! I honestly just don't want to be without it as it evens out my skin so well! It's not moisturizing but it's not what it's for. Oh and the pump works really good!
Will buy again! Two of them actually so I won't be so afraid to run out!
Eye cream
I haven't found my holy grail eye cream yet but here are the ones I've been trying out lately!
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| Sephora Age Defying eye cream, Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist 24 |
Sephora Age Defying eye cream (AM): At first I really liked this product. It's moisturizing and seems to work perfectly until you try to apply makeup over it. I was kinda disappointed to see it "roll" and just mess with the concealer. I've been trying to used it up during the days I don't wear makeup because I do enjoy it as it feels really good on.
Won't buy again!
Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist 24 (PM): This is an amazing eye cream! I'm still trying this out but so far so good! I actually got this because it was an amazing deal in a kit at Sephora. This moisturizes my under eyes wonderfully and it's the first cream I can really see a difference in the little lines I have! I only tried a few eye creams so I'm not sure if this is my holy grail or not but I've been really liking it. I'm not the biggest fan of the ingredients (mineral oils) but this pot will last me forever (ok a year!) and I'll enjoy every minute of it.
UPDATE: Returned as it broke me out on my upper lid... That's what happens with mineral oil, it blocks your pores...
Moisturizers
I have dry skin so this step is really important for me. The thing is I HATE products that make my skin feeling greasy! You know the type of products that just won't sink in and don't even moisturize your skin? I'm looking at you Neutrogena and Pond's!
These are the products I like to mix and match, sometimes I apply one, sometimes I end up with 3 different layers on my face!
I'm still on the hunt for my HOLY GRAIL but these are really good and have been helping so much this winter (no scale on my face!)
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| First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Face Moisturizer, Lancôme Énergie de Vie, Garnier Refreshing Gel Cream, Sephora Instant Moisturizer, Philosophy Hope in a Jar, First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream |
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Face Moisturizer (AM-PM): This stuff is AWESOME! It works great on any skin type as it is lightweight, sinks in right away and moisturizes so well! No smell to it so it's perfect if your skin is sensitive. Because of all this it's really a good product to put as a first layer of moisturizer! I got this in a kit so technically it was 50% off which was so a great deal!
Will buy again!
Garnier Refreshing Gel Cream (AM-PM): This is the drugstore version of the FAB moisturizer! It's not as moisturizing and has a strong fruity scent to it (LOVE it!) that doesn't irritate my skin at all. I tend to not apply my face moisturizer thick enough probably because I want to use as little as I can. But let's be honest if you don't apply enough you're wasting your time. This as help me make sure all my face is moisturized well and I don't feel bad using more because it's really affordable.
Will buy again!
Lancôme Énergie de Vie(AM): This has to be one of the best 100 points perk I ever got from Sephora! Such a big sample (which they technically always should be). Lancôme is not a brand I ever gravitate toward but it's been really nice to try this face cream.
It has a pretty heavy scent to it (like all of their products) which I tend to stay away from. At first I thought it was overpowering and quite a "mature" scent. I got used to is and I enjoy it more now and it doesn't irritate my skin at all! Do I think it's an amazing cream that change completely my skin? No but it has been nice to use. It is targeted for all skin but I have to say that I doubt oily skin would love this as it's a pretty heavy cream, but not straight up oily.
Won't buy!
Sephora Instant Moisturizer (AM-PM): This is a great moisturizer that is thick yet it doesn't leave your skin too greasy!
I know people with oily skin that love this. Personally I use it as my last step before bed because I think it's a it's thicker than anything else I use. It has a non offensive scent to it and doesn't irritate my skin. It is so cheap for what it is and delivers better than I expected!
Will buy again!
Hope in a Jar from Philosophy (PM): I only use this product at night because it stinks! Like seriously stinks. I'm really sensitive to scents so first time using it I needed to put another scented cream under my nose (It was that bad!) but this is my second pot and I got used to it!
It's really lightweight but you really have to rub it in for it to sink into your skin. It feels nice and moisturizing without being greasy. When I was using my last pot I remember it really helping at making my forehead more even but I haven't seen any crazy results this type (as of yet).
Updates: This gave me milia so...
Returned!
FAB Ultra Repair Cream: This is a heavy duty cream! I never used it on my face before because this winter I haven't had any real dry patches before I got sick! My nose got so irritated and red that I was getting pretty desperate so I used this. OMG! This saved my nose. It doesn't feel as dry nor as irritated.
I also used it the other day on my legs when they were so itchy and nothing was helping. They've been soft for the last week. In the -30 temperature here that's almost impossible!
Will buy again!
Which ones are you interested in seeing more in dept review?
Hope you enjoy!
Em :)
