The Best of 2017 - Skincare and Make Up
So another year rolls to an end and this year was major for me as the first year that I've really been invested in skincare and in terms of all I've learned about my skin and which skincare is best for me.
I've bought, tested, loved and been disappointed with what feels like an inordinate amount of different products - but there's still always more to try. My wish list is growing, but becoming a bit more refined as I learn what works for me, and what is just a case of FOMO when I see what everyone else is trying!
Here are my picks of my favourite purchases from this year.
Skincare
First Cleanse
Banila Co - Clean it Zero 'Radiance'
approx. £18.00 for 100ml (Buy HERE)
It's very apt that we start with my favourite part of the skincare routine - the first cleanse! Over the year I've perhaps bought more of these types of products than any other and I've pretty much loved every single one. I've found that I have a preference for cleansing balms over oils and cream cleansers.
The coldness of my bathroom has affected the consistency of some balms - making some a lot harder in the pot than others. I take into consideration how well each emulsifies, the texture, scent and feel of a product on my skin, how well it removes make-up (and particularly eye make up), how easy it is to wash or wipe off and how my skin feels afterwards.
Tough choice - but it's going to be the Banila Co Clean it Zero in 'Radiance'. I love the scent, I love that the texture manages to stay as a creamy balm however cold it gets and I love the great job it does and how my skin feels afterwards.
Second Cleanse
Rodial Stemcell Super-Food Cleanser - 2 in 1 Cleanser and Mask
£29.90 for 200ml BUY HERE
This was the category that I had to think about for the longest! I've bought many second cleansers this year, some just okay, some I couldn't wait to just use up and some really great ones. This isn't one that I use regularly but what I do love about it is that you can leave it on as a mask and then wash off as a second cleanser. It's an incredibly gentle mask, smells delicious and then after washing off leaves your skin silky smooth, deep-cleansed and nourished and hydrated.
Acid Toner
Pixi Glow Tonic
£18.00 for 250ml (Buy HERE)
I started the year of with this and will finish the year off with it too!
Nothing beats Pixi Glow Tonic for it's gentle acid exfoliation with instant brightening and skin re-texturizing. I did switch to The Ordinary's Glycolic acid toner mid-year as I heard it was a cheaper dupe for the Pixi, but I just didn't get on with that particularly well. A shout-out has to go to Bravura London's Revitalising Ginseng Toner!
Everyday Toner
The Body Shop Toner
£7.50 for 250ml (Buy HERE)
A bit of a cheat here as I've referred to a whole range of toners from the same brand! If you make me, I'll choose the Seaweed toner though! Love these for their gentle, everyday hydration and softening.
Eye Make Up Remover
Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water
£4.99 for 400ml (BUY HERE)
I've tried out several dedicated eye make up removers this year but nothing beats your no-frills Micellar water. The Garnier Micellar water is my go-to choice. You can always find a deal for this somewhere on the High Street.
Eye Care
The Ordinary Agireline Solution 10%
£5.50 for 30ml (BUY HERE)
I've tried so many different eye cream samples this year and have yet to buy a full size eye cream in my search for my Holy Grail for eyes. However, for morning use, I'm really loving this Agireline solution. Known as 'Botox in a bottle', this watery, non-irritating serum is great quick fix for fine lines around the eyes. It may be temporary but I've been using it for a while now and do notice that it does show slight improvement around my eyes. I also use it on my forehead too.
Lotions/Essences/Mists
Pyunkang Yul Mist Toner
£9.50 for 100ml (BUY HERE)
Lotions, essences and facial mists were a totally new concept to me but I embraced this skincare step with fervour and obsession! Whether used for a quick cooling spray on a hot day, between steps in your skincare routine, at the gym, or just because it's nice! My favourite has been the Pyunkang Yul mist toner which contains over 91% of coptis japonica root extract.
Exfoliation
Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel
£33.00 for 50ml (BUY HERE)
Gone are the days of taking a handful of scratchy grains and physically scrubbing my face like a doorstep! Another new-to-me discovery this year is the enzyme peel. The most gentle and effective I've tried is definitely the Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel. To wear it is more like a gentle, soothing mask than an exfoliator but it rids your skin of dead cells and brightens you up in a flash. Slightly at the top of my price comfort level, but this product is one I'm happy to splash out on.
Serum
Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum
Approx £42.00 for 60ml (Prices vary) BUY HERE
Another category that I had to think long and hard about. The Sulwhasoo First Care Activating serum (FCAS) is actually a pre-serum serum. I use it after cleansing and toning but before any other product. I can't say exactly how this works - I just know that it does and I love it. But it is supremely expensive so I usually buy it in sample form. A 5ml sample lasts me just over a week's usage.
Treatment
The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc PCA 1%
£5.00 for 30ml BUY HERE
This isn't just my treatment of the year but the top product in all categories for the year. This is one product that I use, without fail, every single day. People choose this treatment for any number of skin concerns, such as blemishes, sebum control and hyper-pigmentation. None of these reasons concern me much but after seeing what this stuff did for my 72 year old mother's face, I had to get some for myself. It's all about the glow with this product for me. It's a great hydrating layer but mostly it gives me an instant radiance and makes my skin look really healthy and happy. I wrote about it here.
Hydration
Scinic Aqua All in One Ampoule
(cheapest found online) £10.15 for 250ml (BUY HERE)
Beyond doubt, this is the best hydrating product that I've tried this year. This mighty-sized 250ml tub is a wonder-stuff all-rounder (see my review) but what it mainly does is offer your skin an instant and refreshing drink of hydration all year round - cools and refreshes in the summer and quenches and replenishes dry skin in the winter. A must-have product.
Vitamin C Product
The Hero Project Vitamin C-30 Brightening Serum
£39.00 for 30ml BUY HERE
I've tried several Vitamin C products but none beats this little powerhouse. With 30% ethylated L-Ascorbic Acid, this serum really packs a punch. It's like sunlight in a bottle. I love everything about it, and better still, you don't actually have to keep this in a fridge as in it's a stable form.
£39.00 for 30ml BUY HERE
I've tried several Vitamin C products but none beats this little powerhouse. With 30% ethylated L-Ascorbic Acid, this serum really packs a punch. It's like sunlight in a bottle. I love everything about it, and better still, you don't actually have to keep this in a fridge as in it's a stable form.
Face Mask
Oskia Renaissance Mask
£51.00 for 50ml BUY HERE
At the utmost upper end of what I'd pay for a skincare product, but this one is absolutely worth the bucks! Firstly, the scent is absolutely heavenly - it's possibly the nicest smelling skincare you could ever encounter. It's also an instant gratification product - lovely to use, brilliant results and super soft skin the next morning too. I previously reviewed this here.
Sheet Mask
111 Skin Bio Cellulose Facial Treatment Mask
£85 for 5 BUY HERE
I almost couldn't choose this because of the price. And no, I've never spent £85 on five sheet masks before but if you are lucky enough you may find one of these in a beauty subscription box (I got mine in the Latest in Beauty Box). But there's no debate about it - this is the best sheet mask that I have ever tried (damn you expensiveness!!).
The sumptuously soft and cooling bio-cellulose material of the mask is the nicest quality mask I've tried, the brightening and soothing effects are immediate and there is enough serum left over in the sachet to get another mask's wear out of (if you have one of those compressed masks or similar).
Sleeping Mask
Laneige Water Sleeping Mask
Approx £22.00 for 70ml BUY HERE
Not surprised at the amount of love shown for this product on social media and by beauty bloggers. This beautiful watery gel cream has a restful scent and soaks in beautifully so you don't feel like you're sleeping with a gooey face. The next morning your skin is perfectly hydrated, soft and ready for the day.
Facial Oil
Jane Scrivner Rose Gold
£33 for 30ml BUY HERE
So many beautiful and luxurious facial oils to pick from this year, but the Jane Scrivner Rose Gold tops the list mainly due to the simple but effective ingredients of Jojoba oil and Bulgarian Rose Otto essential oil. The scent is my absolute favourite and just makes for an indulgent spa-at-home pamper.
Moisturiser
TonyMoly The Chok Chok Green Tea Watery Cream
£19.78 for 100ml BUY HERE
I've definitely discovered that my skin prefers watery gel type moisturisers over the more traditional cream moisturisers as they are so light but very hydrating. There are a lot of these types of moisturisers on the market but I always know where I am with TonyMoly. If you're lucky, this often pops up in T.K Maxx for about £10.
Retinol Product
The Ordinary Advanced Retinol 2%
£4.20 for 30ml BUY HERE
The Ordinary have recently reformulated their retinoid products and this particular one is no longer available in this form, but they do offer greater choices now. To be honest, this is the only retinol product I've actually tried this year so can't really make any comparisons with other products. It was a great start for me though although I will be looking to 'up' my retinol strength when I've finished this bottle. I wrote about it here.
Sunscreen
Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF50+/PA++++
£9.99 for 50g BUY HERE
Perhaps the most important of all the skincare categories is sunscreen - every single day of the year! This was the first Asian (Japanese) sunscreen I tried and to be honest I haven't looked for any other since. This not only has fantastic sun protection but it also is super hydrating, leaves no white caste and I find that it works brilliantly as a primer (as a result, I haven't bought any primers since discovering this).
Beauty Subscription Box
QVC Tili Box - (Try it Love it)
£20 inclusive of Shipping (BUY HERE)
A monthly beauty subscription box is my monthly treat to myself. I've subscribed to plenty of services this year - some only holding my interest for a few months and some which really deliver fantastic items month after month. But my absolute favourite has to be the QVC Tili Box. It's not actually a monthly subscription box - one is released every couple of months or so. But this box is full of stellar products (full sizes and generous samples) each and every time and pound for pound, it's certainly the best value too.
Make Up
Foundation
The Ordinary Colours Coverage Foundation with 15SPF
£5.90 for 30ml BUY HERE
I've been using budget/drug store foundations all year and whilst most of them have been adequate, I don't feel I've yet found my holy grail of foundations. But this foundation by The Ordinary is pretty damn good considering it's price point. I went through a really long wait to get my hands on it but the product was worth waiting for.
Powder
L'Oreal Nude Magique BB Powder
£8.99 BUY HERE
I actually prefer not to wear a powder over my foundation (unless it's really necessary) but if you do need some quick shine control or a bit of a touch-up during the day, this is the powder I go to.
Blush
Nars - Blush in Orgasm
£24.00 BUY HERE
I can absolutely see why everyone raves about this blusher. It's just the most perfect natural rosy-cheeked blush ever. A peachy pink shade with a subtle golden shimmer.
Highlighter
Iconic London Strobe Stick
£24.99 BUY HERE
I've bought more highlighting products than anything else this year but they are my absolute favourite make up items! I wasn't a huge fan of cream highlighters/strobing sticks before I received this one. Some cream highlighters are just a bit too obvious and can clump or patch over your foundation, but this one applies so smoothly and has just the right amount of glow for me.
Contour
Makeup Revolution Ultra Contour Palette
£8.00 BUY HERE
I won this as a review prize and I'm so glad I did because I probably wouldn't have picked it otherwise. But I was blown away by this super value palette - great performance at a great price. With A highlighter and bronzer which I use pretty regularly too.
Eye Shadow
I Heart Makeup - Rose Gold Chocolate Eye Shadow Palette
£8.99 BUY HERE
So many beautiful eye shadow palettes this year - so few eyes to try them all out on!
Always difficult to pinpoint just one favourite palette from so many perfect ones, but I think I have to choose the I Heart Makeup Chocolate Bar range - and in particular, this Rose Gold Chocolate Bar Palette.
Firstly, the price point is insane - no more than £9.00 for any of these palettes. The pigmentation and quality is on a par with much more expensive palettes. The choice of palettes and shades and textures within each palette is spectacular. I don't think there's a single one of these palettes that I wouldn't like to own.
Mascara
L'Oreal Paradise Mascara
£11.99 (BUY HERE)
I've been pretty fickle with my mascara choices this year, declaring that I've definitely found my Holy Grail only to find the next most perfect mascara just a couple of months later.
But the L'Oreal Paradise mascara is my first choice out of all the Holy Grail mascaras this year.
It does absolutely everything you want your mascara to do - lengthens, curls, doesn't flake or smudge, stays put and on top of that, is the blackest mascara I've ever tried. It absolutely does deliver the false lashes look.
Lipstick
INC.redible Foiling Around Metallic Lip Paint
£8.00 (BUY HERE)
The new lip range from Nails Inc, called Inc.redible really caught my eye when they started appearing everywhere over social media. I'm really not a fan of choosing lipstick colours online, so I was happy to see a small Inc.redible stand at my local Boots. Every single one of their Foiling Around metallic lip paint range were just stunning when swatched in store. These are fantastic lipsticks - not so metallic as to be too out there for a 40-something and they are easy to apply, have great pigmentation, easy to wear and have great longevity. I look forward to trying more of the range.
And that's all for 2017!
My resolutions for next year are to NOT buy so many items that I don't actually need! I've made an inventory of all my skincare products and I have so much to use up before I buy any more.
And also to stop being so gripped by FOMO!!
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