Happy New Year! I have a quick little series on my best beauty discoveries from last year coming so will get makeup and haircare up soon but first, my skincare picks! I usually also have body care but I didn’t try many new things this year so my old favourites are the same! As always, these aren’t necessarily all new releases but they were new to me this year!
Starting with cleansers, and I have really been enjoying the Dear Klairs Gentle Black Deep Cleansing Oil RRP $30 as a first cleanse. It spreads easily, removes makeup with ease, emulsifies, doesn’t sting my eyes and is affordable! I don’t get any scent from it and it leaves my skin feeling clean and hydrated with no film left behind! For my second cleanse or morning cleanse, I have been reaching for the Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser RRP £43*. This one lightly lathers and feels gentle despite containing physical as well as chemical exfoliants and has really been helping to keep my skin smooth and give me a good base for the rest of my skincare and makeup application!
Toner wise, the Charlotte Tilbury Glow Toner RRP £40* really stood out to me. It’s a lovely, thick, milky formula that my skin has been drinking up! It is acid free and contains niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, peptides and ingredients to exfoliate and help minimise the look of pores. My skin looks smooth and plump while using this and it’s definitely made me want to try more CT skincare! See more in my Summer Standouts post here!
Moving onto serums and the Bondi Sands Skincare Thirsty Skin Hyaluronic Acid RRP £8.99* was my favourite HA this year. It’s a gel formula so a little thicker than a standard serum and it spreads easily over my skin leaving it feeling soft and supple, locking in moisture and plumping and filling out my fine lines! As well as HA, it also contains glycerin and it has a great price and cute packaging, definitely one to try! See my full review here!
I’ve also really enjoyed the COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence RRP £24 for hydration as well. Since moving back to Canada that’s been top of my skincare needs list! This has an interesting texture that looks like it’s going to be sticky but it’s not at all. While I wouldn’t quite put it into the cult status as a lot of people have, it is a great hydrator and smoother and I have really appreciated having it in my routine this winter!
The Theramid Ceramide Treatment RRP $52* is a thick serum that contains ceramides, antioxidants, cica and glycerin and has been a perfect buffer for me under retinol keeping my skin hydrated and protected! It provides extra comfort to my skin in winter and I am so impressed with this brand, I will do a full review on the products I was sent soon but this one is the standout!
The Murad Vita-C Glycolic Brightening Serum RRP £82* is probably my favourite skincare find of this year! Initially, I was worried about the addition of glycolic acid in case it caused irritation but I’m happy to say it hasn’t. This is a powerhouse antioxidant serum and after struggling with Vitamin C formulas that help brighten but don’t do much for specific areas of pigmentation, this worked better than I thought possible. The inclusion of glycolic acid gently exfoliates, making my skin smoother and helping ensure effective Vitamin C delivery. The Vitamin C in question is L-ascorbic acid, known for being the most effective as well! The serum itself has a light citrus scent and absorbs quickly and I have noticed stubborn pigmentation really lifting with consistent use! My skin is also much brighter and more even and despite being the priciest of the items I am featuring today it really has made a difference and my first bottle lasted months, so I think it’s worth the investment! Read more here!
Onto moisturisers and The Inkey List Omega Water Cream RRP $14.49* was my summer moisturiser of choice! It’s a lightweight, water-based gel that contains three omegas to help prevent water loss as well as glycerin and niacinamide. It sinks in quickly leaving no white residue behind (I’m looking at you Vitmain B, C and E moisturiser), works well under makeup and my skin feels hydrated all day long. Definitely the best moisturiser The Inkey List do! Read moreabout it here!
Something a bit heavier now and the Murad Intense Recovery Cream RRP £78* is my nightly moisturiser of choice this year! It is the ultimate comfort blanket for stressed out, dehydrated, sensitive skin and contains shea better, macadamia oil and microalgae extract to provide deep moisturisation and smooth the look of stress lines as well as reducing redness and irritation. My skin was really playing up at the start of last year and was red, inflamed, itchy and flaky and this came to the rescue! It feels instantly soothing on stressed skin and is so comforting! It reduced my redness as well as hydrating my skin and getting it back to normal. It feels like more of a balm than a cream and it melts into skin keeping it hydrated and protected overnight, a must have for sensitive skin!
Finally, my favourite SPF of last year was the Murad City Skin Age Defense Broad Spectrum SPF 50 RRP £66*. This is a mineral sunscreen that shields against UVA, UVB, pollution and digital blue light damage. The formula is lightweight and has a peachy tint that is easily worked into the skin leaving no white cast (I have pale skin for reference). It sits well over the rest of my skincare as well as under makeup and I love that its SPF 50, my skin feels protected and the formula is beautiful, I haven’t found any difficulty rubbing in or pilling issues either! Read more here!
So that brings us to the end of my best skincare discoveries of this year! Did you see any of your favoruites? Let me know what products you loved this year!
*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me.
All opinions are my own. Affiliate links used.
Danielle xx
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