I haven't done a skin care post in years and the reason it that I'm never really happy with my skin care, so I'm always trying new stuff and I never find my current routines worthy of a proper post. I'm of course still sticking to Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse, my staple in routine for a good six years now, but as far as the rest is concerned, I keep trying to find things that like Nuxe I could consider a holy grail. I have favourites in every category, but they are either too expensive to repurchase on a regular basis or they're good, just not "I can't live without it" amazing.
I'm doing this post just as I'm about to make changes again, I'll be exploring Korean skin care to see if I find anything that will convince me, but right now I have so many skin care items that I'd just love to get rid off and have a clean slate with just my basic faves. By the way, I should mention that I do have a fall back routine, so when my skin is misbehaving I have a combo that helps get it back to a more normal state - it's a Balance Me Cleansing Balm and Nuxe oil, plus Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair when I allow myself to buy it. Another cleanser my skin loves is Good Things Manuka Honey Creamy Cleanser, but I only used up one tube, while I've used up several of the before mentioned.
CLEANSERS
MICELLAR WATERS
BIOBAZA Beauty Micellar Water Mix with Chamomile and Cucumber - I just got this recently, it was sent to me, but not for this blog. Just about every review I read was negative, which honestly made me kind of scared to be the one positive review because I feel no one will believe me, but I really think it's fine. A normal micellar water that isn't the strongest, but it works and it doesnt irritate my skin. It's almost completely natural and feels like water just as regular micellars. The smells is a bit funny, but I love the packaging.
Favourites:
GARNIER Biophase Micellar Cleansing Water in Oil - my favourite micellar water, though this one is more like a mix between a regular one and a duo-phase remover, so it's actually stronger, but it's not as light as other micellar's. I love the scent of it, it doesn't leave a strange filter, instead it makes my skin feel soft. I prefer it to the their regular one.
GREEN LINE Clear Active Micellar Cleansing Water - my favourite "traditional" micellar water. I find it's the strongest drugstore one, though it's not that big of a difference and I'm not going to say it's as good as Bioderma, still it's really good. I disliked the old packaging, but the new one is great. By the way, unlike most micellars, it's quite scented.
OIL MAKEUP REMOVERS
AFRODITA Clean Phase Eye-Makeup Remover and GREEN LINE Clear Active Eye Make-up Remover - Both of these are nothing special, but they work. They are simple duo-phase eye makeup removers, neither are the strongest and neither make my vision too foggy. I don't use Green Line's much because I have it for pictures (on their Facebook), but it's in a better packaging. When I use up Afrodita's, I'm not repurchasing it. So far I liked Maybelline's out of the cheap ones most.
L'OCCITANE Shea Cleansing Oil - Rare cleansing oils work for my skin and this one is likeable, but from L'Occitane I prefer Immortelle because it makes my skin nicer. It removes makeup and cleans the skin without drying it out. I was going to repurchase the Immortelle version until I found a new favourite mentioned bellow.
BALEA Reinigungs Öl - I already had this in my disappointments posts. Compared to L'Occitane's is thinner and I need to use way too much. I just want to get rid of it.
TRILOGY Make-Up Be Gone Cleansing Balm - the current balm I'm using and it works for me, but it's not amazing and I won't repurchase it when I use up the last bits. My favourite so far is from Balance Me, however every tube I owned had a different texture, so I didn't repurchase it.
Favourite: BIOBAZA Face Cleansing Micellar Oil - my favourite oil so far. I only have a sample, but I will buy full size. It emulsifies into a thick foam and it doesn't mess up my skin, not to mention it's a lot cheaper than L'Occitane. I just hope I find it in drugstores.
BASIC CLEANSERS
INELL Mousse Nettoyante Hydratante - On no makeup days I use this foam. I avoid using gel cleansers and foams too often because they cause dry patches on me, but this one is so gentle. It's like whipped cream, so super fun too. I'm not sure it's sold anymore, I stocked up, but it cost under 2 €.
SOAP & GLORY The Ultimelt Deep Purifying Hot Cloth Cleanser - I'm not a fan of this one and want to get rid of it as fast as a I can. However, I can't use it often because it doesn't cooperate with my skin well, the biggest problem is that it's drying. It's a cream cleanser that you remove with a cloth, but it doesn't remove makeup well.
EXFOLIATORS
L'OCCITANE Pivoine Sublime 2 in 1 Perfecting Scrub - I didn't know where to put this because it's a kind-of a gel, an oil and a scrub. It can remove makeup and it's not the harshest scrub, so it's a nice mix. I don't consider it an essential, but I like it.
FIRST AID BEAUTY Exfoliating Pads - I got these from Nadja, who loves them (she has great skin care recommendations if you need them), but I find the pads too weak. They are chemical exfoliators and nice to use, also probably good for sensitive skin, but apparently my thick, farmer-girl skin needs something stronger.
SOAP & GLORY Greatest Scrub Of All - a manual exfoliator that I got based on rave reviews, but to me it's more or less a "meh" product. It's got a ton of small polishing particles and it smells like a laundry detergent, but my problem with it is that I just don't notice a difference when I use it. My skin isn't smooth with it.
REVIVA LABS 5% Glycolic Acid Cream - I got this as a cheaper replacement of REN Resurfacing AHA Concentrate, except that this should be much stronger. I don't get any tingling sensation when I use it (only once when I forgot I used a manual scrub before the clay mask), so I'm starting to think there is something very wrong with me and I should start applying battery acid for any effect. I don't notice my skin being smoother, brighter or any happier, but it did fade my old blemish marks faster. It's a slightly sticky face cream that doesn't sink in.
Surprisingly I did feel tingling when I used Andalou Naturals Instant Brightening, Pumpkin & Honey Face Mask which is weaker, but I felt it left my skin nicer, so I might buy a pot of that one instead, though it still wasn't as good as I hoped.
TONERS
GREEN LINE Clear Active Refreshing Toner and Clarifying Tonic - I don't really use toners, though I try to convince myself every now and then that they make a difference, but I mostly don't want to waste an additional cotton pad. I have two, both from Green Line which I like, they are very nice basic toners that are good for any skin type, even the Clarifying Toner that mattifies a bit. I should maybe move them to a spray bottle, so I'll use them more.
SERUMS
BALEA Beauty Effect Eye & Lip Serum - I bought this the moment I noticed my smile lines appearing (I don't deserve them, I rarely smile) and I hoped they are just dehydration lines, but this didn't help at all despite the hyaluronic acid. I know I'm a bit naive, but at least I felt like I was doing something. Now I'm just trying to use this up and be done with it. It's a light gel that leaves a sticky coat.
Favourite: ESTEE LAUDER Advanced Night Repair serum - like Nuxe, this is a product that helps to keep my skin in check, but there is one problem. Because it's so expensive, I save it too much and therefore I don't really see that much effect since everything else is messing it up. I might get Missha's Time Revolution "cheaper" replacement and see if I can use that one without seeing euros disappearing in front of my eyes.
OILS
PHYSICIANS FORMULA Argan Wear Ultra-Nourishing Argan Oil - I don't use this one often because I love Nuxe so much, but I need to use it up soon because it might already be too old. I used it when my skin was very dry since it's thicker than Nuxe, but it also takes much longer to sink in.
Favourite: NUXE Huile Prodigieuse - Should I even say any more about it? I always say the same things. I've been using this basically daily since May 2011, the only time I don't use it is when I'm testing other things or I'm trying to use something up, but this is my staple. It takes a lot less time than other oils to absorb and it leaves my skin moisturised as well as healthy looking. I've gone through many bottles and this one is a special black one that was a LE a while ago (I had it in stock). I use two pumps a day, so it lasts me ages.
MOISTURIZERS
BALEA Multitalent Creme-Gel & Maske - I bought this because it smells like peach, but it somehow became my primary moisturiser when I actually use it. It's very light and it doesn't work as a mask, so I use it as a moisturiser under foundation, but it's sometimes not the best. I'll use it up and that's it.
MONU Firming Moisturiser - I only have a sample of this that has been in my stash for over a year, but it's my only thick cream and it's saving me when my skin is very dry. Full size is about 30 €, which to me is expensive, so I won't buy it, but it's likeable, except for the Pritt stick smell.
GREEN LINE HydroMineral Light Moisturising Cream for mixed and oily skin - another product I have for pictures, so I try not to use it, though I really like it. It's a good basic moisturiser that I actually think would work for most skin types (it works for any stage of mine) and it's neither too greasy and neither too light (though they have two more versions). Another similar basic moisturiser I liked was Creatures De Monoi Face Cream, but now I want something more, either with hyaluronic acid or vitamin C.
MASKS
GREEN LINE Natural Clear Cleansing Cream + Scrub + Mask + Antibacterial Effect - I like this much more as a scrub, but it's a decent clay mask too. It's a harsh scrub, so the way I like it, but that might not make it the best for sensitive skin. As a mask it's one of those that doesn't dry, so it's more comfortable than traditional clay masks, but you don't get the same type of clearing out the pores effect. It contains zinc, so it's good for skin with blemishes and redness.
L'OREAL Pure Clay Purify Mask, Exfo Mask and Glow Mask - I got all three of these and I think they all work the same as clay masks. Exfo Mask contains scrub bits, making it like Green Line's and I use it most often. The other two are classic clay masks that dry to that tight feeling. All are fine, but none make my skin absolutely amazing as I feel the next day my skin doesn't look that much better, though immediate "bright, clear skin" results are visible.
The one mask that I liked recently is one of those bag ones by Afrodita, the Why Mask SOS Calming. My skin doesn't need calming, but I like how it leaves my skin, very fresh.
MOISTURISING MASK
BALEA Beauty Effect Power Maske - My weapon against dryness. It's a light masks, but it really packs a punch and injects some serious moisture back to the skin. When I have very dry, rough and flaky skin, this always helps. My tube is old and the product changed colour, so I'm trying to use it up fast, but I will probably buy it again, though I bought one of those Korean sleeping packs and a few sheet masks that may replace it (for a while).
SUNSCREENS
SUN DANCE Mattierendes Sonnenfluid SPF 30 - I repurchased this one last summer, but it's like they changed the formula because this made my eyes water like crazy and it's so much shinier now. I'll use it up on my neck and arms.
FARMONA Sun Face Cream SPF 50 - I got this last year after an intense search for a very cheap sun screen and this one was under 2 €. I guess it's ok. It's a typical thick sunscreen, also one with not much silicones, so you need to work fast and it also is prone to leaving white marks. It sets on the skin better than Sundance's, almost to the point of being dry, but it is still slightly shiny. I want something else, something I'll want to use every day, not be annoyed by it.
PATCHES & SPOT TREATMENT
AFRODITA Young & Pure Remove Spots Spot-Drying Gel - I got this when I had nothing else in my stash and I had no idea what's actually good in our drugstores. It doesn't do much, so I don't care for it.
BALEA Clear-up Strips - The first time I used these I got no effect, but the second time they worked pretty well. They are fickly, but not the worst.
LIP CARE
LIP SMACKER Frozen Ice Cube Lip Balm Olaf - I bought this recently and I reach for it a lot. It's not as good as Palmer's, but it's still moisturising and it sticks well on the lips. The scent sadly isn't peachy, but I love the packaging and the shape of the balm.
Favourites:
PALMER'S swivel stick - Like Nuxe this is my staple. It's my main lip balm and the one I use most, though it's not exactly a lip balm, it's one of those balms for all dry spots, so when I have for example a cold and tissues wreck my nose, I use this to heal it. It's not as waxy as most lip balms, so it feels more nourishing to me and not just like a layer on the lips.
PALMER'S Flip Balm Ripe Mango - Since I'm a swivel stick fan, I was bound to like this too. It's a bit lighter and my version smells like chocolate coated bananas or fruity pralines. I love the packaging of this one because it's so easy to open.
I'm also quickly mentioning the cotton pads I'm using. I've been using Ebelin's for a decade and I still do. However, I recently picked up Inell's coton duo which are the larger disk ones and I'm just loving the a lot more. I've tried Ebelin's similar ones, but I found them too stiff, but these Inell's are so soft. Inell is a brand sold in Leclerc.
Things that are staying (+ all Green Line)
• BIOBAZA Face Cleansing Micellar Oil
• GARNIER Biophase Micellar Cleansing Water in Oil
• INELL Mousse Nettoyante Hydratante
• L'OCCITANE Pivoine Sublime 2 in 1 Perfecting Scrub
• REVIVA LABS 5% Glycolic Acid Cream
• ESTEE LAUDER Advanced Night Repair serum
• NUXE Huile Prodigieuse
• L'OREAL Pure Clay Purify Mask, Exfo Mask and Glow Mask
• All lip balms
The rest I want gone as soon as possible and I already made orders for some Korean Skin Care bits: COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid, COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch, TonyMoly Panda Sleeping Pack, Elizavecca Milky Piggy Hell Pore Clean Up Mask, Etude House Laugh Lines Care Patch, TonyMoly and Secret Key Sheet Masks.
And what are you using? Any recommendations? Have a great day!