I'm going to be completely honest: I'm a total princess about skincare products. I like make up and hair products, but skincare has always been the main "beauty thing" I obsess about (as evidenced by my previous in depth post).
This obsession is a little bizarre as I have never had problematic skin or any real "trigger experience" that made me self conscious about my skin. In fact, my skin is pretty good. I think I'm just paranoid that one day my skin will suddenly get bad and I just want to avoid that (does skin karma exist?).
Anyway, I've been sticking to the same skincare routine for about a year, but over the last month or so I felt like my skin wasn't benefitting from the products the way it used to. When I got home for break, I started using a Caudalie face wash and remembered how much I liked that skincare line.
Since then, I've been slowly replacing some products in my routine, and will describe the changes below.
Here's my skincare update:
Cleansers
I have used Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cleanser for a really long time and have always loved it. It leaves my face feeling clean, but not dry. I am most certainly not replacing this product! However, I recently purchased Bobbi Brown's Soothing Cleansing Oil which is specifically a make up remover. Honestly, I don't use it that often (I'm seriously lazy about taking off my make up and the Kiehl's cleanser gets my every day stuff off), but when I'm wearing anything waterproof or have a lip/cheek stain on, I use this.
Serums
I used to use Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate at night and Kiehl's Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Treatment in the morning. The Midnight Recovery Concentrate is great and smells delicious. It is hydrating and makes skin glow the next morning. I will continue to use this. However, the Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Treatment has not held up as well long term. I probably never needed to use this-- I initially bought it on impulse as the sales associate helping me said it would wake up/ brighten my skin (I guess lack of sleep is my biggest skin problem). However, I don't have any dark spots so this really doesn't work that well for me. I'm replacing it with Caudalie's Vinoperfect Radiance Serum which I've only tried as a sample (amazing), but will be purchasing the full size ASAP. I also love Caudalie's Beauty Elixir, which is a completely luxurious and unnecessary product, but it feels so refreshing on my skin that I've become addicted to it.
Eye Creams
I like both of my eye creams a lot, although I sometimes (okay, most times) forget to apply them. I will continue to use them, in no particular order. I usually just apply whichever one I see first in my drawer. I use Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Eye Treatment and Kiehl's Rosa Arctica Eye Cream.
Moisturizers
I have always loved Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturizer. However, this winter my skin has been extremely dry and the Ultra Facial Moisturizer has not been enough. After hearing many rave reviews about Origins' "A Perfect World" White Tea Moisturizer, I decided to try it out. So far, so good! It smells great and is very hydrating, absorbing quickly when it is applied to skin. I think this will be a little too heavy in the summer, but for the next 4 or so months, I think it will counteract the drying effects of the cold winter air.
Exfoliating Peel & Scrub
Everyone tells me that manual exfoliation (grainy scrubs) are really bad for my skin. But rules are meant to be broken, right? I love using these. My skin feels so soft after I use Bobbi Brown's Buffing Grains for Face. The grains are actually ground up beans/seeds so they are actually pretty gentle on skin. I also occasionally use an enzyme peel, Caudalie's Vinoperfect Enzyme Peel that is more focused on brightening than exfoliating. It's great for brightening.
Masques
I will always love Glam Glow's Original Face Mask. Nothing makes my skin look better! However, it is a little bit too intense for use more than one or two times a week. So when I want to put on a milder face mask, I use Caudalie's Vinopure Purifying Mask that gently removes impurities and tightens pores.
So, there you have it! Those are my past and present skincare loves.
Happy Tuesday!
xoxo
I have used Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cleanser for a really long time and have always loved it. It leaves my face feeling clean, but not dry. I am most certainly not replacing this product! However, I recently purchased Bobbi Brown's Soothing Cleansing Oil which is specifically a make up remover. Honestly, I don't use it that often (I'm seriously lazy about taking off my make up and the Kiehl's cleanser gets my every day stuff off), but when I'm wearing anything waterproof or have a lip/cheek stain on, I use this.
Serums
I used to use Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate at night and Kiehl's Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Treatment in the morning. The Midnight Recovery Concentrate is great and smells delicious. It is hydrating and makes skin glow the next morning. I will continue to use this. However, the Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Treatment has not held up as well long term. I probably never needed to use this-- I initially bought it on impulse as the sales associate helping me said it would wake up/ brighten my skin (I guess lack of sleep is my biggest skin problem). However, I don't have any dark spots so this really doesn't work that well for me. I'm replacing it with Caudalie's Vinoperfect Radiance Serum which I've only tried as a sample (amazing), but will be purchasing the full size ASAP. I also love Caudalie's Beauty Elixir, which is a completely luxurious and unnecessary product, but it feels so refreshing on my skin that I've become addicted to it.
Eye Creams
I like both of my eye creams a lot, although I sometimes (okay, most times) forget to apply them. I will continue to use them, in no particular order. I usually just apply whichever one I see first in my drawer. I use Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Eye Treatment and Kiehl's Rosa Arctica Eye Cream.
Moisturizers
I have always loved Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturizer. However, this winter my skin has been extremely dry and the Ultra Facial Moisturizer has not been enough. After hearing many rave reviews about Origins' "A Perfect World" White Tea Moisturizer, I decided to try it out. So far, so good! It smells great and is very hydrating, absorbing quickly when it is applied to skin. I think this will be a little too heavy in the summer, but for the next 4 or so months, I think it will counteract the drying effects of the cold winter air.
Exfoliating Peel & Scrub
Everyone tells me that manual exfoliation (grainy scrubs) are really bad for my skin. But rules are meant to be broken, right? I love using these. My skin feels so soft after I use Bobbi Brown's Buffing Grains for Face. The grains are actually ground up beans/seeds so they are actually pretty gentle on skin. I also occasionally use an enzyme peel, Caudalie's Vinoperfect Enzyme Peel that is more focused on brightening than exfoliating. It's great for brightening.
Masques
I will always love Glam Glow's Original Face Mask. Nothing makes my skin look better! However, it is a little bit too intense for use more than one or two times a week. So when I want to put on a milder face mask, I use Caudalie's Vinopure Purifying Mask that gently removes impurities and tightens pores.
So, there you have it! Those are my past and present skincare loves.
Happy Tuesday!
xoxo