I’ve tried A. Lot. of skincare in the name of research. It’s made me pretty hard to please when it comes to skincare products.
Ideally, I need to see a real difference in the health of my skin. I need to see nourishment, brightening, smaller pores, a more even skin tone, less sensitivity and skin barrier-building. They don’t all have to do these things at once, but our skin chemistry changes with our diet, environment, and age. Having options and identifying what our current skin needs are is important.
I’ll be honest, trying so many brands has weakened my skin barrier, but with that, comes an upside: My sensitive skin weeds out all the beauty products that are harsh on the skin and lets me find the products that are gentle and effective.
But why am I telling you so many brands? Well…for one, depending on the season and the condition of my skin at the time, I tend to rotate products in and out. Our skin is our largest organ and we need different nutrients at different times.
For example, if I like a brand because it’s super moisturizing, but you have oily skin, you probably would want something lighter than I would. Though perhaps not, since sensitive skin has a lot in common with acne-prone skin when it comes to skin-clogging ingredients. Or, if you handle retinol just fine, the stronger retinol from Skinmedica may be better for you than the DermaGeek one that I love. Building your own facial skincare routine should look something like this:
Step 1: Cleanser (and/or exfoliator 1-3x weekly)
Step 2: Skin prep
This should be something that allows your skin to absorb product like an essence or rosewater or something.
Step 3: Treat
Your serums, vitamins, HAs, spot treatments are done here, but not all at once because not all treatments play nicely together. This is where I like to give my face a little massage.
Step 4: Moisturize
This step seals in everything you just put on your skin. Your morning moisturizer should have SPF and your night cream should not.
Here’s my running list (in alphabetical order) of the products that live up to the hype! To be updated with my new finds. Tell me if you’d prefer me to group these products by category instead of brand.
My skin type: Dry, sensitive
Arcona
My top fav products: Gentle Solution, Berry Gommage (a gentle lactic acid mask)
I’m obsessed with their Gentle Solution and Berry Gommage.
No matter how many of my friends with different skin types try them, the results are always the same: Insta-glow and smooth baby soft skin. Perfect for a weekly treatment or before a big day. For the Berry Gommage, remember it’s cranberry, so don’t use with white clothes. 😉
Aveda
My top fav products: Tulasara Renewing Radiance Creme and Calming Concentrate
One of the few eye creams that actually brightens my dark circles (mostly I believe dark circles are a nutrition and sugar issue than something that a cream can solve). Especially in combination with Sheseido’s Ultimate Power Infusing Serum.
For the calming cream, I use it when I do dry brushing and also whenever my skin is reactive. It’s a great recovery serum to calm redness, but not part of my normal skincare routine. More of an emergency skin care product.
It contains chamomile which I love for its’ calming effect. Do a spot check for allergies if you can’t do the tea.
BioEffect
My top fav products: EGF Serum, Day Serum
A plant-based product, similar to Skinmedica’s TNS Serum. It’s made from barley growth factors, offers super hydration, and doesn’t need any additional product on top. Why should you want growth factors? Read this.
I don’t like their stronger formula (I even had my mother-in-law test it to be sure), but their original formula is fantastic.
If you hate having a skincare routine, BioEffect will be your new best friend. One step routine! Well…till you hit 40. Then, good luck with not needing at least a retinol too.
Their Day serum glides like velvet; It’s a pump system rather than a drop system and feels like a gel lotion. If you’re like me and overuse expensive products, you’ll probably like the Day Serum since it’s a one pump and done system rather than trying to get 3 drops to cover your face…yes, you really only need 3 drops. Problem is it feels so hydrating it’s hard not to waste it and use more.
Clinique
My top fav products: Even Better Moisturizer, Chubby Lip Balm
Unfortunately, this doesn’t work as well in my thirties as in my twenties, but until I hit about 28, the Even Better Moisturizer was a serious brightener and dark spot reducer when used daily. I know the lip balm is more about the makeup, but since I’m already mentioning the brand, it’s in the cult favorites category. 😉 If I was still in my 20s, I would still be using this moisturizer every morning.
DermaGeek
My top fav products: Gentle Facial Cleanser, Retinol Serum, Vitamins+Antioxidants, Niacinamide Night Cream
This up-and-coming brand is proof that you don’t need to spend a lot of money to have good skin.
The retinol (vitamin A) serum is the best I’ve ever used–even compared to more expensive brands like Skinmedica. It actually calms my skin irritation issues–like I put it on my dermatitis red bumps from irritation and they’re gone by morning. This is unheard of for a Vitamin A–at least for me. Most sensitive skin is irritated by Vitamin A.
DermaGeek’s night cream is very gentle, minimal, and light; so it’s great for calming my skin down while rebuilding my skin barrier with niacinamides. Great for any age and skin type. Great for shrinking pores. Their entire collection is great.
I love their vitamins+antioxidants serum because I can just keep layering it and layering it until it doesn’t soak in anymore. I actually do this a lot.
Often I sit on the couch and layer half a bottle on my face…it’s not expensive, so why not? I’m feeding my skin till it isn’t hungry (absorbing) anymore! It’s a skin treatment by itself.
Dermalogica
My top fav products: Daily Microfoliant, Sound Sleep Cocoon, Multivitamin Power Serum
I’m obsessed with the Microfoliant exfoliator for a physical exfoliator. Though physical exfoliants aren’t recommended by many dermatologists, I love the gentle rice and oats as ingredients (similar to Tatcha). The Sound Sleep Cocoon is slightly brightening and the lavender scent helps me sleep a bit deeper, making me feel more relaxed. I notice my facial muscles don’t look as tense in the morning when I use this product.
The serum has a gentle retinol vitamin mix that is great for every day use–feels like velvet.
Drunk Elephant
My top fav products: Vitamin C, LaLa Retro Whipped Cream
This Vitamin C brightened my face immediately. Loved to combine it with their LaLa Retro Whipped Cream, which is a simple cream like DermaGeek’s night cream, but this cream uses Marula Oil and Ceramides (think moisture retention focus) instead of DermaGeek’s Niacinamides (think texture/pore-reducing focus).
That said, they apparently changed their Vitamin C formula after a lawsuit with Skinceuticals and their Vitamin C product. I have yet to try it, so please let me know if you do!
Fresh
My top fav products: Crème Ancienne Ultimate Nourishing Honey Mask
Spas tend to use professional-grade ingredients, which many times means stronger. Therefore, I don’t go to the spa often because my skin can’t handle the harsh ingredients of peels, etc. This is the same price as a mask at a spa but I get a year’s worth of facials out of it. This mask and Arcona’s Gommage are staples in my facial closet for at-home spa days.
Frownies
My top fav products: Gentle lifts
If you have wrinkles, these allow your collagen to refill in those areas that get stuck in one position too long–like natural botox. Might sound weird but it actually works–similar (in theory) to casting a broken arm in place to allow your arm to heal.
The Gentle lifts don’t work quite as well as the Forehead patches (for deeper lines this is a better splint), but they’re easier to take off discreetly in the morning, so I use them daily. Read my How I got rid of my 11 lines article for why and how I use them.
Josie Maran’s Argan Oil
My top fav products: Pure Argan Oil, Pure Argan Milk, Argan Defense Lotion
Really basic, pure oil, but great if you’re dealing with any skin issues. Whenever you have issues, less is always more.
I love argan oil as a mixer. It’s very healing and makes a lighter cream a little heavier for winter, or as a spot treatment for dry areas. I’ve also heard great things for acne scars (I don’t have any so I can’t speak to that). I’ve heard that The Ordinary’s Argan oil is pretty similar if you’re on a budget.
Kiehl’s
My top fav products: Ultra Facial Cream
This facial cream is so simple and creamy. Perfect for cold winter nights where you need a gentle and hydrating cream.
M-61
My top fav products: none
I wasn’t going to list them, but I gave their pads to my friend in her 20s with acne issues and she never had issues again. Needless to say they’re getting an honorary mention even though my own sensitive skin had nothing good to say.
M61 is a 3 swipe system: 2 steps of towelette swiping at night, 1 step in the morning, and that’s it.
Mario Badescu
My top fav products: Drying Lotion
There are other brands that have drying lotions, like Kate Somerville…not to knock other brands, but nothing compares to this drying lotion. Doesn’t dry out my skin but still shrinks acne to non-existent. My husband’s oily skin loves it too. Only downside is it smells terrible…but worth it if you don’t like the drying effect of salicylic acid.
Olivu 426
My top fav products: Nighttime Repairing Serum and Whipped Olive Lotion and their Emu Whipped Lotion in Lavender.
These are amazing winter dry skin products. I use these with Dermageek’s Retinol 2x a week all winter long.
Peace Out
My top fav products: Microneedling Retinol Patches
If you read my article on How I got rid of my 11 lines, you’ll know I can’t live without these. They work. They’re expensive, but they work.
Philosophy
My top fav products: Purity Made Simple, Facial Firming Serum, Vitamin C, Hands of Hope
This face wash has been in my arsenal for over 10 years. It’s creamy, takes off my makeup well, and doesn’t dry out my skin. My morning mix is often their facial firming serum (or Argan oil or whatever oil I have on hand) mixed with their vitamin C powder. I love that their Vitamin C is in powder form so it doesn’t go bad or oxidate.
Potency No. 710
My top fav products: Gold Skin Serum and Shaded Sunscreen
If you like your flower and seed oils and a more natural approach, Potency No. 710 is pure gold. I love my glow and even skin tone after using this for awhile and the sunscreen is my new foundation replacement–it’s like a tinted moisturizer that blurs any uneven skin tone. Just give yourself a month to show off the results since natural always takes a little bit longer. So worth it since the ingredients are pure, simple, and the scent is spa-like. I use the spritzer from this brand on my body (because it smells so good!!), but I have reactions to witch hazel on my face. Instead I prep my skin with an essence or damp hands beforehand to make sure the oil soaks in well.
Whenever I have a skin flare up like eczema or rosacea I tend to go back to this serum. The inflammation on my face instantly goes down and did I mention the scent? If you like Bergamot you’ll love this–especially since it’s not a fake scent that’ll flare up skin problems. Potency is ‘potent’ to say the least; it’s the real deal with pretty expensive ingredients, like Frankincense, to decrease sebum production and heal.
I wrote about this line in my microneedling article because the ingredients are so gentle and the CBD adds a big anti-inflammatory punch. The before/afters speak for themselves.
Get member pricing with code THEVANILLAPLUM without the member costs.
Sheseido
My top fav products: Ultimate Power Infusing Serum
Read the thousands of reviews that say this will make your skin glow and you’ll see why so many people are willing to pay the price for this miracle serum. It’s brightening for my skin tone and it hydrates. I love to use it in combination with Dermageek’s night cream. Unfortunately it’s not moisturizing enough for me to use on its’ own.
Skinmedica
My top fav products: TNS Serum, HA5, Mineral Sunscreen (you can buy them all together here)
These products do everything: revitalize my complexion, shrinks my pores, and erases my wrinkles. Serious power without any irritation.
If you are over 30, Skinmedica’s products will be game changers.
The only downside is it takes a little patience since you have to wait for each layer of serum to sink in before adding the next layer–otherwise it’ll pill and peel and waste money. Or just use less than a full pump at a time.
For the TNS Serum, I use it to help with my scars after microneedling. It would also be great for acne scarring I think.
The HA5 is one of the few hyaluronic acid’s I trust on the market. There are definitely cheaper ones out there, like the one from The Ordinary, but this one is superior with 5 types of hyaluronic acids and peptides and need I say more?
It works. It doesn’t irritate, has the right molecular size, and I can use it long term. Also, one bottle lasts forever.
The mineral sunscreen is so amazing my skincare junkie mother-in-law uses it on her flawless skin too. Finding mineral sunscreens with a nice texture that don’t have a white cast is a task–and it looks great at any age.
Sky and Sol
So clean!!! If you want to keep your skincare really easy and keep it protected, consider this brand. Their mineral sunscreen has zero white cast and feels like velvet.
The Ordinary
My top fav products: Lactic Acid 5% + HA, Glycolic Acid Toner
I love their lactic acid and saw immediate brightening effects. The Glycolic Acid toner was too strong for me to use regularly, but I’m including because it didn’t irritate my skin (big deal since I rarely can use glycolic acids) and it’s my friend’s favorite product. Each of these act like an exfoliator/peel so be careful what you mix with these acids.
Next, I’m hoping to review Sk ii products, which I haven’t tried. Any suggestions? Leave me a note in the comments for what I should try.
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