Gifted (This post contains products which have been gifted to me for consideration, all thoughts are my own).
Firstly, before I kick off with my Skincare Favourites (also incorporating body care), can I just say a big thank you for the love shown on my Makeup Favourites 2019 post a few days ago. It has come as somewhat as a surprise and I have enjoyed reading your comments so much, thank you!
I am of course back with the second post and the final instalment, my Skincare Favourites 2019. I also decided to sneak in a few body care bits as I didn’t want to do a separate post for those so I hope that is ok with you. I am sure it is, we are all beauty lovers here. If you fancy a delve into the past then you can read all about my Skincare Favourites 2018 also.
So, without further ado, I will kick off things with Skincare as it is my one true love of course.
The first skincare product I chose was an old favourite, the Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Moisturiser SPF 30* which I have been making my way steadily through. This has lasted me such a long time, in fact, mid-year I stopped using it in order to move onto something else as, despite my love for it, I just wanted to try a new product. I included it as it is such good value for money, it also has SPF 30 and it protects and hydrates my skin wonderfully. If I were to buy this in the future, I would pick up the smaller version as a little does go a long way and despite very regular use, I felt that this was lasting for ages and I was showing little signs of reaching the end; I do try to be mindful of expiry dates on skincare where I can. I would recommend this product to anybody along with the majority of Kiehl’s products; it is nice to see it featured once again in my yearly favourites.
My second choice came in from Ark Skincare and that is the Ark Age Defend Replenishing Moisturiser*. Ark was a new brand to me in 2019 and what I have tried so far has left me impressed. Particularly this moisturiser with its extraordinary packaging, lightweight texture and hydrating results. My skin has looked brighter and plumper when using this and also hydrated, overall it has been a pleasure to use which is why it made it to the end of year favourites.
Another moisturiser I fell in love with last year was the Dermalogica Skin Smoothing Cream* which I have to say was, out of the three my favourite. It has the thickest consistency out of the three, yet it is still lightweight, hydrating and soothing on my skin. I felt like this created the best base for under makeup too. I also, on many occasions used this on both morning and evening whereas the other two I would only ever opt for morning use; I just felt as though this had a bit more oomph when it came to offering hydration which is something my skin lacks. Last year I was part of the SkinFluencer team which means that I had the chance to try out a few products from the brand, whereby I have to say that I was so impressed. You can read more about the products I have tried so far from Dermalogica.
Moving onto cleaners, I had two that featured heavily in my routine this year. In fact, in 2019 I tried a fair few and really enjoyed many, yet it was these two that I felt like deserved to be highlighted within this post. Honourable mentions go out to the Dermalogica Pre Cleanse Facial Cleansing Oil* and the Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Oil. My two choices for the top spot, however, went to Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean and Beauty Pie Japanfusion Pure Transforming Cleanser.
The Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean Deep Cleansing Milk was a product that I had lying around in my stash for a while (unopened I might add). I thought at the beginning of last year that it was about time I opened it up and started to make use of it. I, having made my way through it last year (my gosh does it last a long time) cannot believe that it took me this long to give it a go. In my opinion, it is a great cleanser, it is gentle, soft and hydrating, and super affordable! I personally would class this as more of a thinner cream cleanser than a milk texture as it isn’t very runny. I used this as a second cleanse once I had removed my makeup and it worked a treat. The only issue I think others may have (it did not bother me) is that it is quite heavily fragranced.
The Beauty Pie Japanfusion Pure Transforming Cleanser received a lot of hype in 2019 and quite rightly so, although having now used it, I probably wouldn’t be in a rush to repurchase. One, because I already have another in my stash and second, as nice as it is, it is nothing majorly unusual. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it immensely and would pick it up again in the future I am sure. I just found that it was rather ordinary but in a good way. It was gentle, did not have a fragrance, soothing, non-stripping and of course hydrating. There was nothing to not love about it and of course, the packaging was also pleasant. For the member price of £5.83, I think it is great, I wouldn’t pay the normal price of £25 for it. If you have not heard of Beauty Pie then it is worth looking into, although please do make sure you read up on it as it is a monthly subscription service. I do pay for this, and it is £5 a month for me currently as I found that my initial subscription of £10 became too much for me in terms of the ever-increasing credit I was accumulating. I simply could not spend it all or justify unnecessary purchases therefore in December I did reduce my subscription to the lowest monthly price on offer.
A face mask also made it into my favourites, this time from one of my long term favourite brands Kiehl’s. This mask in truth is past its expiry date however I still have some left and I am so reluctant to throw it out, one because it is pricey but two, it still works great! The Kiehl’s Turmeric & Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Masque was reviewed a while back and to this day, it remains one of my favourite face masks. It is one of my go-to masks when I want my skin to look and feel revitalised and brighter. It works wonders on my skin and I would happily repurchase this in the future; I adore it.
Two body care favourites this year were, of course, cheap as chips! I rarely buy expensive body care products as I personally can’t justify the price. Don’t get me wrong, I do make some exceptions and they are always lovely as a treat. In particular, I think of Clarins and Elemis when it comes to luxurious body care as they have some beautiful products. That being said, high street brands nail it too and my favourites for 2019 came in the form of the Radox Feel Vivacious Apple Blossom and Cranberry Mousse, in fact, any of these scents would be great. These shower foams can be used as body washes along with using them as shaving foam. I find them really handy, gentle on the skin and affordable.
I also had a huge love affair with the Original Source Water Infusion Shower Gels. Pictured here is the Raspberry and Rosewater version, however, my personal favourite is the Pineapple and Lemon Zest; if you haven’t tried it, please do, it is incredible. I have tried all of the scents now barring the Grapefruit and Mint, this is next on my list. I will no doubt be repurchasing these again in the coming months once my shower gel stash has been depleted
So there was have the final round-up, that’s 2019 wrapped up and I have to say, it was a great year for beauty. I am so looking forward to what 2020 brings. What were your beauty highlights of the last twelve months?
*This post contains PR samples, for more please read my disclaimer.
