My Skincare Favourites from 2018

Happy New Year!

One of my goals for 2019 is to try and post more on here - I love the creative outlet that writing gives me, and discussing beauty is one of my favourite things to do.

So, I thought I'd kick off with a big round up of all of my skincare favourites from 2018. I forced myself to be as selective as possible and limit myself to only a maximum of a few items per category. These are all products that I have tried and tested, and have worked really well for me over the past twelve months.

Cleansers

Lait U from Biologique Recherche 

A simple and gentle milk, this is my favourite for cleansing in the morning. It always leaves my skin feeling soft and calm, and I love that I can take it over my eyes without any risk of stinging or irritation.

The After Show Treatment Cleanser from Jordan Samuel Skin

The ultimate cleansing multitasker! This gel to oil cleanser demolishes SPF and makeup, works brilliantly as a morning or second evening cleanse, and I also enjoy using it as a mask. I slather a thick layer all over my face before I wash my hair to protect my skin from the hot water. Jordan has recently released a version for sensitive skin that I'm really liking too - it's missing the lovely smell of the original, but is still just as effective.

Acid exfoliators

Lotions P50 PIGM 400 and P50W from Biologique Recherche 

P50 is notorious for being a cult favourite amongst skincare lovers! I started off 2018 using the PIGM 400 designed to tackle pigmentation, and then switched back to the more gentle P50W. As I suffer from PIH (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation) after any breakouts, I mistakenly thought the PIGM 400 would be the one for me. Turns out that it's actually best for age or sun-related pigmentation, so when I finished my bottle I invested in the large size of the P50W. My skin can tolerate it once a day, but I tend to use it every other evening. The arnica and other soothing ingredients mean that my sensitive skin still gets the exfoliating and brightening benefits without any irritation.

Masks

Vitamin C Paste from LIXIRSKIN

I like to use this Vitamin C mask in the mornings - after cleansing, I massage a dollop into my skin and leave it on for at least five minutes. I get better effects if I use it for longer (at least fifteen minutes at a time before rinsing off) and more consistently though, so I prefer to have this a dedicated morning treatment for a week at a time. This way it really helps with reducing blemishes, pigmentation and dullness.

Masque Vivant from Biologique Recherche 

Referred to by some as the 'chocolate' or 'Marmite' mask due to its smell and consistency, to me Vivant has always been the 'poo' mask! The fermented yeast helps this to be really purifying and clarifying, but when I first started using it I could barely tolerate it on my face for five minutes because it smelled so awful. One year later I don't even notice the scent, so I guess that's progress!! I tend to use Vivant when my skin is particularly congested as it works wonders for me.

Mist

Serozinc from La Roche Posay

A pretty basic soothing mist - the zinc sulphate seems to leave my skin calmer, but I mostly use it for sandwiching in some extra moisture between steps of my skincare routine and I find that certain products are absorbed better by skin that is damp from a spritz of Serozinc. 

Eye cream

Crème Contour des Yeux VIP 02 from Biologique Recherche 

It may be a polarising opinion, but I'm not a huge fan of eye creams or serums. I'm aware that my main issue, dark undereye circles, is more due to genetics, any poor sleep habits, and my pale skin making them more obvious. That being said, anything that can help is always a bonus! So far my favourite eye cream is this one from Biologique Recherche - I've gone through about three or four of the 4ml sample sizes so far as they last for ages. I think that it does work well enough at hydrating and reducing darkness for me to buy the full size in the future, but there's another couple of the mini tubes that I have to get through before worrying about that!  

Serums and treatments

Complèxe Iribiol from Biologique Recherche 

This serum is hands down the best spot treatment that I've ever tried. I dab a drop or two on any blemishes and the effects are amazing. Any acne that's surfaced is brought down within 24 hours, and it also works really well at stopping spots from coming to a head. It's not something that I typically use every day, but it is so good to have in my skincare arsenal for when the need arises!

Sérum Placenta from Biologique Recherche 

I know that the thought of placental proteins in skincare is not the most pleasant, but this stuff really works! Like most BR products, it smells kind of weird, but you get used to it. What this serum really excels at is healing, whether it be blemishes, scars or pigmentation. Used in combination with the Complèxe Iribiol, I can really credit this product with helping to manage my acne. I still get hormonal breakouts on occasion, but this expedites the healing process so much (for me at least!).

Skin Transforming Multi-Correction Treatment from Paula's Choice 

Relatively new to me in comparison to most of this list, this azelaic acid cream is something that I have been trying out over the autumn and winter. I am so impressed with the effects that it has had on fine lines (my forehead) and lightening pigmentation! The only issue that I've had is with congestion from the dimethicone in the ingredients, although I'd love to find another silicone-free product with azelaic acid that gives a similar results.

Hydrate Facial Serum from Jordan Samuel Skin

One of the best things I ever did for my skin was to make sure that I use a hydrating serum twice a day, every day. I've always suffered from dryness and dehydration, and this keeps that at bay. The extra hydration also minimises any exacerbation of my acne from dry and flaky skin. Hydrate is my favourite and I've gone through many, many bottles over the years! I have an in depth review here.

Pure Hyaluronic Serum from Pestle & Mortar

When I ran out of my JSS serum a few months ago, I needed to find an alternative until I could restock. This hyaluronic acid serum from Irish brand Pestle & Mortar is the best that I found! The texture is lovely and the hydrating effects are great. Definitely one that I'd recommend!

Moisturisers

Crème Dermopurifiante from Biologique Recherche 

As the name suggests, this cream is great at purifying skin. I reach for this whenever I have active acne as it works brilliantly to calm inflammation, bring down spots and also helps to reduce the appearance of pores in my T zone. Smells kind of like bread, which is strange, but it does the job when hormonal acne strikes.

Crème Placenta from Biologique Recherche 

Similar to the serum version that I wrote about earlier, this moisturiser is all about healing. It's soothing, repairing and strengthening, all things that my skin needs post-breakouts! I recently finished my jar of both this and Dermopurifiante and am still using the samples I have left, but would definitely repurchase this (possibly soon!).

Cicalfate from Avène

My go to for barrier repair - if I have any flakiness or irritation (especially a flare up of perioral dermatitis) then a thick layer of Cicalfate goes on the affected area. I'll always have a tube of this or La Roche Posay's Cicaplast on hand in case I need it.

Crème Masque Vernix from Biologique Recherche 

The most expensive skincare product that I've ever tried, but good Lord do I love it. I invested in the full 50ml size last winter and adored how incredibly nourishing it was - kind of like a gorgeous cashmere blanket for your skin. Then I wasn't reaching for it much in the summer and was worried that I wouldn't get through the entire jar before the expiry date, so I was silly and sold it on. Should have kept it because I used up all the samples I had left when my skin was craving that nourishment over the past few months! I really do miss this, but I wish that it came in a 25 or 30ml size instead so that it was both more affordable and manageable. I'll be over the moon if I manage to get my hands on more sample tubes though!

Sunscreen

Anthelios XL Ultra Light Fluid SPF 50 from La Roche Posay

Having spent most of 2018 living in Spain and then Italy, wearing a high SPF daily was even more of a necessity. I tried over half a dozen different sunscreens to try and find the best one for me, and this one was the winner. It layers well over my other skincare and never pills or rolls under makeup. It can sometimes have a slight white cast which isn't an issue for my extremely pale skin, but they also have a tinted version that might be better if you have a deeper skintone.

Lip balms

Baume de Rose Lip Care from By Terry

My favourite lip balm! I find this too thick to wear during the day, so I tend to apply it as a treatment overnight when it alleviates any dryness or chapped lips. Love!

101 Ointment Multipurpose Superbalm from Lanolips

I don't think I'll ever come close to using this in the 101 ways that it claims, but it is great for hydrating lips and soothing any eczema or burns (damn GHDs!). I always keep this in my handbag for emergencies.

So there we go - mini reviews of my twenty favourite skincare products from 2018!

I'm planning a makeup version too, but it definitely won't be quite as extensive as this one...

What were your skincare favourites from the past twelve months? I'd love to know!