I always love rounding up my Favourite products I've discovered every year - sometimes I've included hair and nails, but this year I'm just going to focus on the best skincare (and I just shared the best makeup the other day)! Personally, I include products that I've discovered within the year (not necessarily products that were released in the year, or I don't include every category as I just want to pick the best products I've tried!)
The FabYou, Paula's Choice and Skoah products were received as PR samples - this post contains affiliate links
With that being said, everything I talked about on my Monthly Favourites, I still love; but, when I think of the best products of the year, I think of the ones that have been total standouts or game-changers in my routine! So, that's why I didn't pick an even 10 as there was only 8 stand out skincare products of the year! Also, skincare is so personal, so what works for me, might not work great for another skin type - please keep that in mind too!
Here's a closer look at the skincare products that stood out to me this year:
Skoah +retinol concentrate ~ $55.00 CAN. Featuring skoah’s premium retinol complex at 1.5%. The product will be the ace of your routine as it also contains allantoin, vitamin c, and vitamin e!
I've never successfully incorporated retinol in to my routine before until this product - skoah's retinol is a gentle formula (so even though retinol is essentially an irritant, it wasn't overly drying or irritating on my skin) - I thought it was effective with multiple uses per week, in targeting firmness, skin tone and clogged pores. I use this every other night now and I have noticed overall an improvement to my skin!
XO Treatment Room Face Care Intergalactic Lactic Acid Serum ~ $89.00 CAN. Intergalactic Lactic Acid is a gentle exfoliating and hydrating peel serum. The combination of acids and enzymes work to even tone and texture on the surface of the skin without the harshness of other AHA’s. With the exfoliation of dull skin cells a brighter complexion is achieved. With the added benefits of Alpha Bisbablol to aid in reducing fine lines, dry skin and stubborn sunspots.
Okay, this was the year I started using more XO Treatment Room products - also my goal this year is to go get a customized facial from Annie, because I really could use all her expertise! This is a heavier acid serum that shouldn't be used too often or you will be over-exfoliating. I use this as the owner recommends - 3 nights in a row, every few weeks (I try and line it up with the week before my period to help target my hormonal acne and it certainly has made a noticeable difference - you can tell when I've forgotten). This could also be used once per week as an intensive serum. Having said all that, it's actually still a very gentle exfoliant and it doesn't make my eye tear up or anything. It works efficiently and effectively and makes the skin look brighter and clearer! There is another XO product coming up and I am planning on doing a more in depth review soon!
Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence ~ $21.97 CAN. Enhance your skin's natural glow with this lightweight essence. Like a multivitamin for your skin, this highly concentrated essence contains 96% snail mucin, providing nutrients that support repair and maintain skin moisture. Good for all skin types, especially dull, dehydrated skin and acne-prone skin.
Yes ago, I used to talk about snail-goo and k-beauty products all the time - I sort of switched back to a bunch of North American style products, but I'm somewhere in the middle now and trying to incorporate a little of everything in my routine! This is a lovely, incredibly hydrating serum - it is nice and thick and you can glob it on, I use this most nice, either on it's own of mixed with other serums and it's great for just maintaining a healthy looking glow. My skin feels brighter, smoother and this has improved the appearance of my skin overall!
XO Treatment Room Heavy C ~ $89.00 CAN. Heavy C is unique in chemical structure due to the ethyl group forming an ether with the 3-hydroxy group of the ascorbic acid, which results in much higher stability. Proven for collagen synthesis (skin firming/anti-aging), skin brightening, and direct inhibition of melanogenesis (production of melanin pigments). Vitamin C has more data on it than any other topical antioxidant in skin care. However, the molecule can be quite unstable and degrade quickly.
My personal journey with trying vitamin c had started off a little shaky before this product (I broke out with almost every other Vitamin C serum - I know it's a difficult molecule to formulate, so I had basically given up until I tried this one) - it's a total stand out! When it's described as the most stable - it certainly has not made my skin react or breakout and I use it every morning at this point and have been for over a year. This formula in particular will help target anti-aging by boosting collagen production and repairing uv damage, but it's also added to a much more even skin tone as well as less breakouts and a healthier skin appearance overall! (Make sure you use an SPF every day with this!)
La Roche-Posay Anthelios Mineral Tinted Ultra-Fluid Face Sunscreen Lotion SPF50 For Sensitive Skin ~ $34.00 CAN. 100% mineral sunscreen + universal shade for an instant natural glow. Broad spectrum UVA/UVB high protection. Quick absorbing. Natural glow. Fragrance-free. Paraben-free. Non-comedogenic. Water-resistant.
I have raved about the normal La Roche-Posay sunscreen previously - it is a great sunscreen, so when I saw that it came in a tinted version, I was so excited! In the Summer I tend to reach for a tinted moisturizer, so what a perfect combo this was and it totally lived up to my expectations! The tint works well for my skin tone, but I do wish that it would have an expanded range so more people are able to enjoy this formula. This applied easily, wore well all day, didn't budge, and provided great sun coverage. Absolutely love that I don't need any base makeup while wearing this - it's perfect for a quick smooth over of the complexion while offering full protection of a sunscreen! Love!
FabYou Red Blemish AC Spot ~ $17.46 US. It is an AC spot cream with soft cream formulation, that applies smoothly and it contains Asiaticoside extracted from Centella asiatica to help intensive care for sensitive areas.
I was actually a little apprehensive trying this at first - something about the red packaging sort of screams that it's going to come in and burn away my pimples, but this is actually a really gentle formula! I was impressed - the main active ingredient is asiaticoside and it's essentially an anti-inflammatory, so that explains why it is so gentle, but effective! I thought this was great to use while pimples while they were starting to form, and it helps minimize them overall, and it's a great on a formed pimple to not pop and just retreat! I thought this worked very well!
Paula's Choice Omega+ Complex Cleansing Balm ~ $28.00 US. A triple-action cleansing balm made with omegas 3, 6 and 9 to cleanse, soften and soothe while rinsing completely clean.
Okay, I talked about a few cleansing balms in a tube that I loved, but this blew all the others out of the water! This formula is hands down the best - it's not gritty and it doesn't separate and it's very effective at removing makeup as a first cleanser. I love the tube formula as I'm not a fan of scooping in to a tube, so this is perfect for me. So far, Paula's Choice just can do no wrong - their products are always guaranteed wins for me!
Auria Rose Quartz Gua Sha ~ $18.00 CAN. Gua Sha is a facial treatment and therapy technique that involves pulling rose quartz stone along the skin. Benefits may include reduced puffiness, lymphatic drainage and decreased muscle tension. Gua Sha can help address the root causes of aging that topical products cannot; it increases circulation, decreases muscle tension, and helps move the lymphatic fluid while giving an almost immediate lift and radiant glow.
Last year was the year of trying skincare tools for me and I loved them, but I fell off the bandwagon this year - I struggled to do anything extra with my skincare routine this year, but I pushed myself to use this and loved it (plus it very much helped in reinvigorating my love of extra skincare products!) For this you add a good facial oil to the skin and give yourself a massage - the packaging shows you a good motion so you know what to do. This was lovely and invigorating on the skin and I enjoyed it so much!
What was your favourite skincare product this past year?!
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