Favorite skincare products of 2011

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Today, I've decided to do a year round post of my favorite skincare products. As my friends are well aware, I am avid about my skincare routine. My skin is quite good most of the time (knock on wood) but it by no means exempt me from issues like dryness, pink patches and the occasional zit on my chin/jawline the size of Mount Everest. In the collage below, I have listed products that I use on a daily / weekly basis to take care of my skin.

Please note: I have combination skin, oily on T-zone, dry on cheeks. I'm not acne prone (occasional Mount Everest zit aside) but am very prone to redness and dry patches.

1) Origins Mega Mushroom Cleanser

This is an excellent cleanser if you have dry skin that is prone to redness or environmental sensitivity (lord, my skin itches when there's too much dust in the air). It's extremely gentle and removes light makeup easily. I wear very little face make-up, usually tinted moisturizer, maybe concealer and a bit of blush. If you do wear a lot of base, I would recommend something stronger like Bioderma or the Liz Earle cleanse and polish.

2) Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser

This is a holy grail dermatologist staple that's been around for quite a long time. I've used this since high school. It doesn't really....do anything so I find that negative reviews usually consist of people with high expectations. This won't cure acne, stop exploding breakouts or help with redness. It's just a very gentle cleanser that doesn't dry your skin out. I usually use a pump of this after the Mega mushroom cleanser just to make sure I have everything off my face.

3) Liz Earle Cleanser and Polish

This is a recent new discovery but I love it. I don't use it all over my face though, I only use it as an eye make-up remover. It removes everything easily without pulling or tugging on the area around your eyes. It has a thick, buttery textures and it. smells. amazing.

4) Bioderma Crealine cleanser

This is a makeup remover. I use it on my chin because that is such a sensitive area for me. It looks like water and doesn't smell like anything. It will remove everything from your face without any irritation whatsoever. Highly recommend!

1) Neostrata Daytime Smoothing Lotion Level 1

I use this every day in the morning. This has 4% glycolic acid in it so it might purge your skin out if you are acne prone. Most of my skin isn't acne prone so nothing really happened. However, my chin can be very sensitive so that area was blotchy and unattractive for about 2 weeks. On the bright side, I find using it daily really helps to keep your pores clear. You do have to push through the initial purging phase. If it's really really bad, I wouldn't recommend continual usage but if it's fairly minor, I think the benefits out weigh the purging phase.

2) Origins Mega Mushroom Cream

Oh god, this is super pricey (cringe worthy). I got lucky and got the whole Origins set on a Christmas sale (it sold out in about a minute). This alone usually retails for a ridiculous amount so I'm going to have to use my stash of Sephora gift cards for it when I run out. However, this is absolutely amazing for people with dry, sensitive skin. I can wear about 8 pounds of make up on a daily basis without a single breakout but if I use the wrong moisturizer, it can actually break me out. This is my holy grail moisturizer, it is absolutely amazing. It is quite thick so I wouldn't use it if you have oily skin but it calms down redness, decreases sensitivity and balances out dry skin. I don't use it on my T-zone though because I find that it makes that area very shiny but it's great for my dry cheeks.

3) Lush Full of Grace Serum

I'm a huge fan of Lush products. This is their serum in bar form (kinda kitchy but I like it). You have to warm it up under hot water and apply the oil directly onto your skin. I use it on my forehead and nose because it makes it less oily but it's oddly drying on my cheeks (which makes sense, if you think about it). This also has the same mushroomy smell as the Origins set and I basically adore this to the hells and back.

1) Origins Mega Mushroom Mask

. I use this maybe....twice a week, more during Winter than summer. It's a moisturizing, calming mask. I use it when I feel like I'm stressed that day or if the winter winds have been particularly brutal. Great for moisturizing dry patches or calming down any minor flare ups.

2) Origins Out of Trouble Mask

I'm not sure if anyone can tell but I'm really big on Origins. This mask does exactly what the name says: It gets you out of trouble. When I'm stressed, I get very very blotchy and when I'm bored, I do weird experiments on my skin (God, I can't get over the time I fell asleep in some weird, homemade concoction). I can put this on for 10 minutes and it will revert my skin back to what it was before the stress and idiotic experiments. I always carry a tube of this around with me in case stupidity strikes. Even if I don't, I use this around twice a week. Any more than that and it's not as effective.

3) DDF Sulfur Therapeutic Mask

This turn me into a Claymonster at night since I use it as a spot treatment. I do use this even if I don't have pink patches. It's just a habit by now, to be honest. If I see an area that miiiight be a pink patch, I kill it with this.

I have very high regards for this mask, I think it can kill basically anything of Godzilla proportions.

Online shopping Package #1: Kate Somerville

One of my all-time favorite products is Mario Badescu's Drying Lotion. I've used it for years and years and I'm a loyal addict. I use this product like the dermalogical equivalent of Buckley's. It comes in a little glass bottle and has salicylic acid floating on the top and calamine lotion at the very bottom.

I don't generally get very many blemishes (oh god, knock on wood) but I do sprout some blotchy patches or small bumps when I'm stressed out. Badescu's drying lotion is great for clearing redness but I always find that it can be too drying. I read some reviews online and Kate Somerville's EradiKate (the name is adorbs) was said to yield better results without drying out your skin.

It arrived last week and I've attached a picture below. I took a few shots with my iphone but the quality was terrible so I pulled this one up online.

My consensus is that I like this a lot, which is a shame because it was very very expensive and came with a Cost of Delivery that was almost as much as the product. Next time I purchase this, it'll have to be off Amazon or a location that is much more local.

It does work very similarly to Badescu's Drying Lotion but I feel like it just works much faster. I was quite exhausted by the end of yesterday and had a few dry pink patches. I slathered this across the right side of my face and it was completely clear and smooth by this morning.

The downside is that I don't know if this would work on actual pimples. If you have sensitive skin and suffer from pink splotches or uneven skin tone, I would highly recommend trying it! If anything horrific does happen, I will definitely update :)

The good, bad and the undecided

The Good

Etival Oil-Free Care cream

Secret: I hate moisturizers with a passion. Up until a year and a half ago, my skin just never got dry. I used to run every day in sub zero weather in eskimo wear and it just never got dry. When people complained about getting flakey skin during winter, I viewed it as the dermalogical equivalent of Big Foot.

It just did not exist.

Thanks to hormone changes, I am now subjected to combination skin and must moisturize/exfoliate like a crazy mofo or my cheeks will get dry and my blush will look funny. I've spent a good portion of the past year trying to find a good moisturizer.

Trust me, when you've never needed to moisturize for most of your life, the frantic search for a good moisturizer is comparative to finding the shiniest needle in the haystack. Not only is it difficult but it's also subjective.

Biotherm smelled like rotton fruit, Lancome smelled like rancid flowers, Clarins felt like I was putting lard on my face. I could go on.

BUT Etival Oil-Free care cream is extremely light. It smells fresh and lovely, shrinks my pores and gives me a nice glow in the morning. I've used half the jar over the past month and a half so I think I'm pretty safe in giving it a solid A +.

The Bad

Etival Clarifying Cleanser

DEVIL PRODUCT BE GONE. I don't know why I bought this cleanser, to be honest. I've used Cetaphil's gentle skin cleanser since I was 12. I think a part of me (*playing a tiny violin here*) always wanted a three step system but never found the right one. The aesthetic lover in me always wanted to place a three step system on a beveled glass plate, like some kind of a decorative routine.

I used this about 5 - 10 times and every time, I'm left with dry and splotchy skin. I tried very hard to like it so I attempted to use it again two weeks ago. It got worse and gave me little pink patches on my face. Luckily, I have Wolverine skin so they all went down in an hour but I'm basically never touching this again.

Bright side: It does smell gorgeous.

The Undecided

Revlon's colorburst in Papaya and Etival Clarifying Toner

Revlon's Colorburst in Papaya

I don't like talking about my general dislike of drugstore cosmetics because I always come off as snotty and high maintenance. I do have a few products I use occasionally but it comes from years of trial and error. I do believe drugstore eye products (Shadows/mascaras/eyeliners) are a great alternative to Mac or Sephora brands but when it comes to lip and cheek products, I haven't liked anything in years. The reason I tend to veer off drugstore is because I find that their colors aren't very good or they fade very fast and have flimsy packaging. The amount of money I've spent breaking drugstore products could have bought me something solid that I can use daily for at least half a year.

Revlon Colorburst in Papaya is a nice coral pink and reminds me of Nar's Love Devotion. Unfortunately, it lasts about 5 minutes on your lips and you have to constantly reapply throughout the day. While I don't really mind reapplying, the formula also has larger sparkle chunks so after 5 reapplications, your mouth looks like an orange glitter ball.

The one good thing about this is that it adds a really nice kick to an existing lip product and it is a really pretty color. Undecided, will keep in my stash to use sporadically.

Etival Clarifying Toner

I don't usually use toners because 97% of my skin doesn't need it. However, my chin can be a scary place if I don't take care of it so I've been using this toner on my chin only. I'm undecided on this product mainly because it turns your skin (or in this case, my chin) very pink for a good 10 minutes BUT on the other hand, it is very good for preventing breakouts and calming any pink spots. So it's like "Oh god, I look horrific" vs "Oh, look it's morning and the pink is gone"

I would put this on the further side of undecided, more towards the Good.

One thing I'm always going to say: Etival clarifying products smells amazing. If they made a perfume, I would buy it.

My Girl-friendly Holy Grail products

1) Shiseido facial cotton pads

Like kittens rubbing against your skin. Minus...the fur burn and the mewing

2) Cetaphil Gentle Skin cleanser

In my opinion, the best basic facial cleanser ever made. Non-abrasive, incredibly gentle, completely scentless and will never ever dry your skin out.

3) Bioderma Creoline cleanser

Incredible make-up remover. You can get dirt crusted on your face and this will remove it instantly. It's like a Tide to go pen for your face.

4) Origins Out of Trouble Mask

My third tube in two years. I use it once or twice a week, never fails to leave me fresh, glowy and smelling slightly of sulfur and mint.

5) Mario Badescu Drying Lotion

I may look diseased when I go to bed but this stuff is amazing for any small ailments

6) Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion

This is an incredibly fast quick fix if something has irritated your skin. Shake well, apply all over face, leave overnight and any irritation should disappear over night.

7) Mario Badescu Healing Powder

If I have a small area that I fear might become something horrifying, I dab this on in the morning, let it sink in and by nightfall, it's always gone.

Mario Badescu makes some of the best quick fix products

Everyday skincare routine

I'm approaching the last dregs of my skincare routine series. I've split the last portion into Everyday Routine and the Occasional Routine. After this epic post frenzy, I won't be doing another one of these until I'm requested for it again :)

Everyday routine:

Cleansing

When it comes to cleansers, I think the gentler your cleanser is, the kinder you will be on your skin. I haven't switched my cleanser since I was 13. It's the one thing I've stuck to for almost 10 years and my mother buys jugs of it from Costco (good ol' costco) for me.

Because I do a lot of exfoliation (every 2 days) and I sometimes like play around with masks, serums and creams, my base has to be as gentle as possible. Cetaphil's gentle skin cleanser is basically like water. It doesn't have any abrasive content, it just cleans your skin very gently without stripping it or making it overly oily. Cetaphil will not remove your make-up properly so you will need to do a cleanse before this (if you do wear make-up, that is).

It's about $13 at Walmart for a small bottle but at Costco, you can buy an astronomical amount for $20! (exclamation mark for extra excitement!)

Make-up Removal

This obviously comes before the cleansing but if you don't wear make-up, you can skip right to the cleanser. When I was younger (around my mid teens), I was far more adventurous with make-up. I used to mix different colored foundations with stuff like costume glitter (-_-) and then I would accidentally fall asleep in it like a fat glittery panda bear after dinner.

I always had trouble removing make-up and thought I needed a heavy duty cleanser to do so. It took me a very long time to realize that all I needed for a gentle make-up remover and THEN, cleanse my skin with Cetaphil after.

The one I use now (and absolutely love) is Bioderma's Crealine H20 cleanser

This stuff is magical. I saw it on Lisa Eldridge and recognized the bottle from products frequently used during runway shows (Oh, all those magazines I read). This feels and looks exactly like water. It doesn't smell like anything (thank god. I had a Lancome kick and everything smelt like roses), it's not oily and it's extremely effective but very gentle.

I don't wear foundation every day nor do I ever wear eye make-up. However, I do use a bit of concealer and cream blush so I only need one cotton pad to take everything off. After the first one gets all gunky and multi-colored, I throw it away, pour a bit more Bioderma onto a second cotton pad and swipe it over my face to make sure everything is off.

Usually, the second one comes away clean. However, if I do feel like wearing foundation that day, I need two cotton pads to take everything off and a third one just to make sure there's nothing left on my face.

After all my make-up is off, I would finish my cleansing with Cetaphil. The bioderma is unfortunately expensive and doesn't last for very long. A 250ml costs me almost $25 at Shoppers and lasts about a month and a half. In France, they sell the 500 ml for 12 euros. In Canada, the 500 ml is an urban legend.

I will always be bitter that Europe has far nicer things than us.

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On most days, this is my entire skincare routine. If I do have a pink patch, I will use a spot treatment (I will list the ones I like below) and it'll usually disappear the next day but generally, I don't moisturize/tone/use serums on a daily basis (it's too much).

However, I do have things I like in that category so if you're interested, read on :)

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Spot Treatments

Like I stated in my 1st entry, I do not use acne prevention creams but I do invest in good spot treatments. Spot treatments are good for people who don't have acne but do get blemishes occasionally. If you "spot" (a-ha-ha-ha) them fast enough and you nip them in the bud, your skin should be clear most of the time. My skin is exactly like this, except sometimes my hormones go all weird every few months and I get one over night (usually in combination with over exfoliation) that I can't control.

They're always on my chin, which is very annoying. When I do get a pimple, I almost never conceal it. I tend to leave it alone.

These are the three that I rotate through. The first two I have always repurchased, the last one is a new product I've been favoring lately:

The two that I have used for years are Mario Badescu's Buffering Lotion and Drying lotion. The buffering lotion I use sometimes as toner if I want my skin to be really poreless and fresh the next day. It's usually a one-time deal because if you do it every night, it really dries your skin out. I do this once every 2 weeks or when I think "Oh hey, I haven't done that in a while. Let's do that tonight"

The drying lotion is something I use like vaseline. Any areas I suspect might be the slightest bit pink, I use the drying lotion. It dries a very pale pink on your skin so I go to bed looking rather diseased every night. When I wash it off the next day, the suspected area is completely clear and I'm a happy rabbit again.

However, it can really dry your skin out so be careful and don't put a lot on.

If I do get a giant zit (which hasn't happened in a long time. knockonwoodknockonwood), I rub the buffering lotion in that area and then the drying lotion on it after. This combination gets rid of it very very fast.

Now the last one (the bright blue tube) has a terrible name. It's Clean and Clear's popped pimple paste (*shudders*), which was made by dermatologists for pimples that have been popped (NEVER DO THIS) and need immediate assistance. I bought it on a whim because I read good things about it on Makeupalley and I'm always in the market for a good spot treatment.

I actually like this better than the Drying lotion. For friends who have known me for ages, this is a huge shocker since I've used the Drying Lotion since I was 17. The Drying Lotion is still amazing for any pink areas but the PPP (far better than the actual name) never makes your skin flakey like the drying lotion does.

Altogether, an ace product that I really like. It's going on my repurchase list (a rare and small list for a product junkie like me).

I usually purchase the Badescu products from a store called Jacob & Sabastian, it's located in downtown Toronto on Queen Street. During the summer, I worked about 15 minutes away from it so I would pick stuff up during lunch. Now that I going back to school, I'll have to rely on online shipping. They both retail for about $20/each and the PPP is about $16.

So that's pretty much it for my everyday routine. It appears long but it's really just:

1) Removing makeup with Bioderma (if I'm not wearing make-up, this is not used)

2) Cleanse with cetaphil

3) Use spot treatments if necessary

However, I also exfoliate every couple of days and use serums/masks occasionally so I'll finish the last entry off soon.

Night!

Skincare Routine: Background

This is a post that has been frequently asked for by a few of my friends. The reason I've put this off for so long is because whenever I like my skincare routine and I talk about it, something goes dodgy (yes, I'm pretending to be british now) and I end up having to switch it.

However, I do have items that I buy repeatedly so a skincare post wouldn't negate what I already like (fingers crossed, knock on wood, etc etc).

This link will be going up on my livejournal (and maybe my facebook) because there seems to be more interest from that venue. Warning: this is going to be long and self-indulgent. If you have the patience and are interested in this subject, please do trudge on. ^_^

Skin Type

I have combination skin. Most dermatologists would tell you that this means you're oily on your T-zone and dry everywhere else.

As proven by my blotting papers, this is correct.

Skin history

I wouldn't say that I've had a troublesome skin history. However, I have skin that is very schizophrenic in nature. I had normal skin (aka, completely flawless) until my late teens, oily skin from 17 - 21 and combination skin now.

Background: I had the kind of skin children are blessed with until I was 17. It was completely normal, never oily and I never had pores. On top of that, I played with makeup regularly (I looked like an ass), very rarely washed it off properly and still never broke out. I thought it was mainly due to genetics (it probably was) because my parents both have fabulous skin.

To be honest I thought I had skipped the acne phase that plagued most teenagers. The only scuffle I had was a tiny breakout on my forehead during my mid teens. My mother took me to my family doctor who prescribed me an antibiotic called minocycline. I took the medication for about a month or two, the small breakout went away and I went on my merry, baby-skinned way.

It all went to hell when I went to Florida for the first time (my adoration for mickey mouse was both a blessing and a curse). I broke out massively, most likely from a combination of the heat, the sudden stoppage of antibiotics and all the greasy turkey I consumed like some 5000 pound man hankering after a world record for turkey eating.

I spent about a year being all blotchy from the breakout. However, it never did scar me since you can't go from having baby skin to completely pitted skin. It takes years of frequent cystic acne to cause large pores and tears in the skin. I was lucky enough not to have that experience (knock on wood).

However, It did leave me red and uneven for longer than necessary and I remember being very enamored by foundation during that year. For someone who had never encountered skin issues until later on, it was difficult to deal with because I had never needed to take care of my skin.

After that vicious Year of Blotch was over, my skin went back to the way it was during high school. The only difference was that I had slightly bigger pores in some areas (only visible to me because I have a magnifying mirror) and I had oily skin as opposed to normal.

I went back to retaining nearly perfect skin with very few blemishes (and if I did, it would be just a small one that went away quickly) from the end of 1st year to about 4th year.

However, without getting into it too much, about a year and a half ago I did something quite silly that messed up my hormones. While I still would not classify myself as having acne or problematic skin, my skin is different from what it used to be.

One, the only place I get actual blemishes is my chin (hormones are a bitch). The rest of my skin very rarely gets anything unless I use some exceedingly pore-clogging moisturizer or do something stupid like put honey on my face and fall asleep in it -_-

(knockonwoodknockonwood)

Two, I am prone to congestion now. Congestion is when your skin doesn't feel completely smooth but still looks nice because it is almost invisible. For the longest time, I could not figure out why I kept getting congestion but it occurred to me later that because I had drier skin on my cheeks now, it was probably the build up of dead skin cells that causes it (well, that sounds disgusting).

The key to evading congestion is to exfoliate your little heart out but learning to do it with the right frequency.

Skin Routine

Basically, I've figured out that the best way to take care of my skin is to exfoliate on a 3x/week basis but steer away from any acne products. I think most of the "acne solutions" on the market are far too harsh and drives skin into over producing oil. This causes more break outs when you try to wane off it because you're not really solving the issue, you're just keeping it at a down low.

I once did an experiment where I did not take care of my skin at all. For a month, all I did was wash with Cetaphil gentle skin cleanser. I never wore make-up, I never moisturized and nothing happened to it. It got a bit dry and pink from the wind (it was winter, I was lucky my skin didn't fall off) but that was it.

However, when I tried to take care of my skin, it rebelled and I would get all blotchy. It's only when I attempt to treat my skin like "problem skin" and use products that ~prevent and protect ~ that I (ironically) get a blemish.

So what I've learned is that my skin does not like products and likes to be left alone.

What I do now is very simple:

1) I take off my make-up (I wear very little because my skin is good. God, please don't rebel on me now) throughly and then I cleanse with a very gentle skin cleanser that is akin to water.

2) Every two or three days (or every other day if I feel very clogged), I use a fruit enzyme mask to break down any dead skin cells on my face. Then I use a pore cleansing mask to get rid of any dirt. Because the enzyme mask takes away the dead cells, this makes my second mask more effective since it doesn't need to burrow through that deceased layer (lovely). I find that my skin is always very bright and clear after.

3) I don't use acne prevention products but I have a large collection of spot treatments. I do leave my skin alone but I dab spot treatments on any area that appears a little pink or irritated. I find that this kills it right away and prevents it from progressing.

Only downside is that you do have to be diligent, which I am most of the time.

4) I always use an anti-aging eye cream and I stay out of the sun. You can all make fun of me now but 20 years from now, there will be a difference.

Conclusion of Part 1

Disclaimer: I do not know everything about skin nor do I know how to treat all skin ailments. I do not suffer from cystic acne (though I get a giant honker once or twice a year) nor frequent breakouts. I get slight blemishes during my period and blotchiness if I do something silly so my "expertise" lies in preventing very mild issues.

These posts merely stem from my opinion (or ~ philosophy ~ if you want to get serious business) that the best way to treat your skin is to be as gentle with it as possible. I do understand that a lot of it has to do with the environment and internal stress so not everything is controllable.

However, I think assaulting your skin with an abundance of products will do more bad than good. That is merely a personal opinion. :)

Part 2 will have a list/reviews of things I purchase frequently and some newer things that I enjoy ^_^

Those who have stomached this post, virtual cookies for you.

Friday Reviews

Make-up used today:

1) Clinique SPF 15 Almost make-up in Fair (It's the only tinted moisturizer that fits my pinkish pale Asian skin to a T)

2) Revlon's Cream Blush in Rosy Glow (It gives you a light rose-tinted glow)

3) Stila Smudgepot in Kitten (You can barely see it but it magically makes you look awake)