I figured doing a master post of ALL my favorites would be absolute insanity, so I'm going to be dividing it into a few different sections to give your eyes a break. I figured I'd start out with the basics, although I can't guarantee logical order from here! Sadly I haven't fallen in love with an entire skincare regime, I have a few missing spots I hope to fill over the course of this year. If you're interested in what I've loved so far, read on!
I'll get started with skincare, and although this was a recent discovery of mine I was amazed with how awesome it made my skin feel and helped clear it up! I was never one for using face masks, as I didn't find any that popped out at me as being fantastic or they were overpriced. The Queen Helene Mint Juleps Mask totally stunned me, it helped take down the severity and duration of any hormonal breakout I'd had and left my skin feeling super clean. It does have a tingly feeling- although if you have sensitive skin it may feel like more of a burn. I've been sick lately so constantly blowing my nose has made the skin around it quite dry, and I recently used this mask and it buuuuurned my nose! I don't use this mask regularly enough to tell if itwill shrink pores- it does a bit after each use but I'm sure prolonged and regular use would dramatically increase
the effects. This is a clay mask so it hardens quite quickly, and I wipe it off with a warm, wet towel. The mask is a mint green colour like the name suggests, but its never stained any of my towels thankfully! I get mine at Sally's- its super cheap and you get a lot!
I'll also put a blurb about the Youth Code Texture Perfector Day/ Night Cream, as I did really like it. It works very well with the serum and has the same kind of pearl to it, although I don't find it greatly noticeable once applied to the skin. This doesn't feel heavy in the slightest- on me it absorbed very quickly. Drier skins may find that this doesn't provide enough moisture for them, as when my skin got drier it wasn't really doing the trick. Once it warms up I plan on going back to this moisturizer as I really do like it.
This next product was a total impulse buy, as I was shopping with my mother in Sephora and one of the girls gave me a wipe to get swatches off of my hand, and we instantly fell in love! The Truth To Go Vitamin C Wipes by Ole Henriksen make me want to explore this brand further. I typically use coconut oil to remove my makeup- its good for your skin and breaks down all my makeup quite easily. I can use these wipes on their own- they remove face makeup great but I find I have to tug a but at my mascara which I'd rather not do. These do leave my face feeling very clean- almost as if I've just given it at good wash. These don't leave any residue, as any left over product from the wipe sinks into the skin quickly, and these also don't dry my skin out. My preferred method is doing my usual coconut oil, and then using these to wipe off all the oil and makeup. It's so easy! No tugging or pulling at my eyes, and my face feels squeaky clean. These do contain vitamin C, which is great for the skin for brightening and toning, as well as green tea. These wipes have a lot of benefits most don't, therefore I really don't mind the 19$ price tag. These are also packaged very well, the plastic closure ensures that these don't dry out, as most wipes just have a peel-back sticker that quickly loses its tack. I'll buy these over and over!
My next and final skincare item is the Mineralize Charged Water Moisture Gel by MAC. I've used up a tub of this already, and I can use it year round! Since its a gel it absorbs extremely fast, so even when my skin feels oilier in the summer this can still give my skin some much needed hydration. This moisturises my skin really well in the winter too- and layers well with any other moisturiser I use (I'm currently trying out one from Garnier with salicylic acid- keep your eyes out for a review!) if I need the extra moisture anywhere on my face, usually around my jaw/ cheeks. I also like that since this absorbs quickly, its really great if you're in a rush since you're not waiting for your moisturiser to sink in before putting on any face make-up. Not much else to say about this bad boy!
Onto body care, my top body wash is the Neutrogena Body Clear in Pink Grapefruit. Not for the scent or anything- I actually hate grapefruit... Contradictory I know, but it's been very helpful in my attempts of taming the Keratosis Pilaris or "chicken skin" on my legs and arms. In the warmer months, when its not as dry this works so well, its not a cure by any means but I can confidently go out in shorts or a skirt without worrying about people staring at my legs. For those who don't know, Keratosis Pilaris is a skin condition- without a cure, for now, that basically causes the skin to become very bumpy and red, even itchy. It almost looks like really bad razor burn, or like you constantly have red goosebumps. I have it quite severely, to the point where I'd suffer through hot summer weather in pants for years. Anyways, this has helped out a lot since the salicylic acid keeps my skin well exfoliated, in combination with whatever sugar scrub I happen to be using at the time. However in the winter my skin gets much drier and this isn't enough on its own, so I'm currently on the look out for something to pair with this to help my poor legs! I recommend anyone with KP give this a whirl, its fairly cheap and has worked wonders for me!
Now, since I despise the scent of grapefruit, I like to follow up with some kind of scented body wash to get rid of the smell. I'd have to say my favorite this year was Glogg Shower Gel from Lush. Its definitely a seasonal scent- I don't use this during Spring/ Summer, but as soon as fall hits you can bet this baby is in my shower. The "featured ingredient" in this is orange oil- I really don't get much orange from it. The cloves and cinnamon are definitely the dominant scent- which I absolutely love. This is lightly hydrating, but I still like to use a moisturiser afterwards since my skin can get quite dry. The scent does linger for most of the day, but its not too overpowering. However, when in the shower the fragrance is quite strong- this really isn't to everyone's taste in my opinion. I've never used this as a shampoo- and I certainly don't plan on it, so no opinions there. However, this does make a lovely bubble bath (despite the odd colour it turns the water..) and gives off a fair amount of frothy bubbles, although they mostly disappear by the end of your bath. This is definitely Holy Grail for me- its like fall in a bottle, and I'll continue to hoard this scent!
As for lotion, I'm a total Bath & Body Works junkie. I narrowed it down to two scents- Warm Vanilla Sugar and Sweet On Paris! Warm Vanilla Sugar is my favorite for the colder months, and plays really well with Glogg to give it an added vanilla kick. When the days are longer I can say I reached for Sweet On Paris the most- but I think they're discontinuing it, so I'll have to use my last bottle sparingly.. I find these absorb fairly quickly and leave me without any kind of sticky residue or grease slick on my body. I can use these all year round without feeling the need for a secondary moisturiser, as these seem to do the trick fairly well, and smell great while doing it!
The last product popping into my brain is my beloved Hand Food from Soap & Glory. I discovered this early in 2013 and I'm currently going through my second tube! This has been a godsend for my hands, and I love that the scent isn't overpowering, so it doesn't compete with whatever fragrance I'm wearing. This doesn't absorb as instantaneously as I'd like, but it doesn't leave any kind of residue or greasy feeling, and within a few minutes my hands have soaked up all its wonderfulness. I have no need to go hunting for another hand cream, as I'll be using this until the end of time!
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