2020 Skin Care Faves and Fails
“Hello from the other siiiide” Or in my case my new MacBook Air! I’ve had tons of things I wanted to post and my old Toshiba laptop was not letting me be great. So I finally bit the bullet and got what I really wanted. Hopefully this will mean more consistent posts. One of the topics I wanted to cover was my 2020 skin care purchases. Of which, I admit, there has been a lot. Even though I have simplified my skin care routine and cut back on the amount of actives I use. What can I say? I love skin care.
Since lockdown started in March I’ve spent time tweaking my skincare routine. I’ve edited it down considerably and have added new items. Below is a rundown of the products I’ve tried broken down by category.
Cleanser
I had been using the CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser for the majority of this year. In late summer when I ran out of the giant bottle I had been using I decided it was time to try something new. I had heard so many people rave about the Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser and I was curious about it. It doesn’t foam or anything when applied and I was concerned it wasn’t actually cleansing my skin. I was on the fence about it for a good two weeks. But it grew on me and Im now halfway through my second bottle. It really is a very gentle, not a lot of bells and whistles-type of cleanser, which I like. I dont think I will be repurchasing after I finish this bottle. Not because I dislike it but because I have a new cleanser on the way that I want to try first. I may repurchase sometime down the road. If you enjoy gentle cleansers or of you have sensitive skin I do recommend it.
Moisturizer
I was using The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing HA Factors for quite some time, but I felt like it was too heavy for my skin during the summer months. I switched to using the CeraVe PM Moisturizer. Yes it says PM but moisturizer is moisturizer and Im a rebel and I use it in the AM as well. I started using The Ordinary again recently but found that my skin wasn’t loving it anymore. I started getting random whiteheads and have a sneaking suspicion that it was the cause because once I stopped using it, the whiteheads went away. I’ve been focusing on occlusives a lot lately. Specifically around my eyes and on my eyelids where my eczema flares up during the cold months. I used to use good old petroleum jelly which works and I still would recommend as a budget friendly occlusive. I recently started using the CeraVe Healing Ointment. The active ingredient is petroleum jelly but it also has ceramides that can help repair and protect the moisture barrier of the skin. I don’t use it every night. Only on nights when I have used actives or worn heavier eye makeup.
Toner
In the beginning of the year I had abandoned using toners for the most part. And I still don’t feel like you NEED to incorporate a toner into your routine. But…I have two that I have been using regularly. One I use when I want to incorporate an active without using a serum. And the other I use as an extra moisturizing element. Laneige Cream Skin Toner & Moisturizer is not really a toner at all. It’s basically a liquid moisturizer. I apply it a couple of times a week. I enjoy it and it does work nicely as an extra moisture layer. But I don’t think I will be repurchasing it. It’s on the expensive side and I feel like I can get the same benefits from my hydrating serums. I am also currently using the Ren Daily AHA Tonic. I don’t use this everyday. I use it 2-3 times a week. I know some people swear by it but I don’t feel like it’s anymore effective than any other AHA product. I still have quite a bit of it left and when it’s finished I will decide if it’s worth repurchasing.
Hydrators
This past summer I started using Jordan Samuel Hydrating Facial Serum and fell in love. I’ve gone through two bottles of the stuff and recently picked up the jumbo sized bottle. It’s such a fantastic hydrator and while it is way more expensive than The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 I had been using, I feel like it is a more effective and sophisticate formula. It feels like silk on the skin. I finished up the TO serum but have no plans ro repurchase it. I AM however still using The Ordinary Marine Hyaluronics. I picked it up recently after I had run out of my Jordan Samuel and was waiting for it to arrive. I’d forgotten how much I loved it. It’s super thin like water but I feel like it is actually more hydrating than the thicker HA +B5 serum.
Actives & Serums
I had a bit of an epiphany towards the beginning of summer this year. My skin was struggling and while it is normal for my skin to go through phases with breakouts (I’ve struggled with acne on and off my entire teen and adult life) this particular “phase” felt like no matter what I did it wouldn’t go away. And so I started to rethink my approach. I realized that I was using a TON of actives pretty much everyday and was probably destroying my moisture barrier which can actually have the opposite effect and lead to breakouts. So I stripped my routine down to 3 steps for both day and night. I pretty much stopped using actives altogether with the exception of the Paula’s Choice Clear Anti-Redness Exfoliating Liquid which has 2% Salicylic Acid. I used it as a spot treatment on breakouts. I focused on keeping my skin hydrated and moisturized. And then slowly started to add other actives into my routine. In early Fall I incorporated the Shani Darden Retinol Reform which I use 1-2 times a week. I should probably be using it more at this point but I am being extra cautious about it as Retinols can incredibly drying. I still have a ton of serums on my skincare shelf that are going virtually unused. I plan on doing a declutter before the end of the year so I can start fresh with items that I know I will actually use and that I enjoy.
Oils
I will start incorporating a Rosehip Seed Oil back into my routine this winter. I use it every winter to help with minimizing the appearance of scarring (I always seem to have a terrible cystic breakout every Fall that I then spend the winter recovering from -fun times) as well as additional protection from dryness. I purchased the Inkey List Rosehip Seed Oil to replace The Ordinary Organic Cold-Pressed Rosehip Seed Oil that I had been using last winter. I still love that one but was eager to branch out a bit and try a few others.
Sunscreen
I’ve been using the Purito Centella SPF 50 PA+++ Sunscreen since I got it towards the beginning of this year. And I’ve really been loving it. It feels like a moisturizer on the skin, doesn’t break me out and doesn’t leave a whitescast. I’ve reached the end of the tube and while I would like to try some other brands that have been recommended to me, I also just want to repurchase the Purito since I like it so much. When you find a sunscreen you like it is so hard to branch out and try new ones. I tried a sample of the Ren Sunscreen the other day and the whitecast had me looking like Ghostface Killahs. I wound up having to wash it off. So yeah…I’m wary guys.
I chose not to include cleansing balms and cleansing gels in this post as I am working on a post specifically about cleansing balms and gels. I’ve been trying different brands over the last few months. So stay tuned for that!
What have been some of your skincare faves and fails this year? Let me know in the comments.
