Favourite Products of 2018 (Skincare Category)

I have very oily skin in Singapore, and it became combination skin in the temperate climate here, so now I have a very oily T-zone and dry and flaky cheeks. It is so extreme that I use completely different moisturisers for them, otherwise my nose and chin would break out or my cheeks would not be moisturized enough. So the following skincare is generally safe for the whole face while certain extremely moisturising products just for my cheeks will be stated as such.

Favourite Exfoliant

This is my holygrail, the Cosrx BHA Blackhead Power Liquid with 2% salicylic acid. I have used a few BHA with 2% salicylic acid, such as the Stridex Max pads, and the Paula’s Choice BHA, but the Stridex is too drying while the Paula’s Choice too oily. The Cosrx one is so good that on lazy nights, I just apply that and go straight to bed, and it is gentle and moisturising enough that my skin doesn’t feel too tight. I have 4 bottles of it in Germany as I use it for my face and arms to combat the Keratosis Pilaris there, and I don’t ever want to be without it.

Favourite Toner

I like the Kikumasamune lotion in the white bottle as the High Moist (pink) one breaks me out. It smells like sake, is very watery, and contains ferment which brightens and prepares my skin for the next step in my skincare routine. Sometimes I also soak a paper mask in this and use it as a light hydrating face mask. To be honest, everyone on reddit is raving about the High Moist one and I actually bought this  by mistake (Mr Koala’s mistake), but I ended up liking it more than the High Moist. It comes in a large 500 ml pump bottle and lasts more than a year, which is really good value. I also do the 7-Skin Korean method with this, which means that you layer on 7 different moisturising toners and it makes your skin look drunk with moisture. It takes more than half hour in total though, so I can’t bring myself to do it everyday.

 

Top: Kikumasamune Sake Lotion

Bottom: Kikumasamune High Moist Lotion

Favourite Serum

It used to be the Innisfree Green Tea Seed Serum but it’s now the Balea Hyalauron Booster from DM, which is a popular European drugstore. It’s so light and moisturising, although it’s slightly sticky, and I also use this as an eye cream. It comes in this weird packaging like a long pump and it’s only 10ml, but it’s pretty cheap if you have access to a DM, only about 3 euro.

Favourite Moisturiser (Light)

For my T-zone, or if I’m lazy, I will use the Laneige Water Sleeping Mask which is a water and glycerin based moisturiser that won’t break me out. I cannot take any oil based moisturisers on my T-zone, so this is the best for the full face. I have also layered it on really thick on my cheeks for a mask effect, and it works fine.

Favourite Moisturiser (Heavy)

This is a very recent find, and only necessary because of the climate in Germany. The Balea Med line has great products that are good for sensitive skin, and their Ultra Sensitive Intensive Cream with 7 % Urea has been great for my cheeks without breaking me out. It doesn’t have perfume or additives, and the urea helps to repair damaged skin. The best part is that it is only 2 or 3 euro for 50ml which lasts for half a year.

 

Favourite Cleanser

I like Philosophy’s Purity cleanser a lot, and I even brought over a large bottle that was at least 500 ml, but I haven’t found a pump bottle for it yet and it’s annoying to pour it out of the bottle everyday. So I bought myself another facial wash on the recommendation of the good people on Reddit, and it’s the Balea Med Ultra-Sensitive Wash Gel. When the people on Reddit recommend something that is affordable, I generally ask no questions and run to get it. They are the pickiest people, and something as innocuous as having fatty acids or soap will turn them off a product. 

I do like that it’s very gentle and doesn’t foam up much, which means it doesn’t dry out my skin. I like it so much I use it to shower with sometimes, because it is so easy to wash off with water. Once I’m done with this though, I want to try the Jessa Ultra-sensitive Feminine wash, which was touted as a perfect gentle face wash with low PH balance and no irritating ingredients. Just because something is marketed for your intimate parts doesn’t mean you can’t use it on your face, right?

Favourite Makeup Remover

It will always be the Banila Clean it Zero Cleansing Balm for me, from now to the end of time. This balm is so gentle that getting it into my eyes doesn’t hurt, it just makes vision blurry until you wash it out. And it removes all my eye makeup with no tugging, I can use my fingers to gently rub my lash line to remove waterproof eyeliner and mascara, and it leaves nothing behind, even if I go back in later with a cotton stick and micellar water. It washes off completely and I follow up with my regular face cleanser, usually with my Olay rotating brush, and my pores are squeaky clean. 

The best part about the balm is that it is solid, and it doesn’t melt until you rub it on your face, so no messy dripping all over the sink. This stuff is magic, but it is also pricey in Germany, so I have resorted to using the Banila on my eyes and a regular Balea cleansing oil on my face, to help extend the usage of the balm. It works great, and the oil is only 2.45 euro for 100ml. Frankly, I tried using pure coconut and sunflower oil but they both broke me out eventually, so cleansing oil is better for me.

Favourite Sunblock

I love the Innisfree sunscreens, they go great under makeup, and I swear they give me a smoother face than actual primers. I am sensitive to chemical sunscreen ingredients, so I only use physical sunscreens that contain zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. These are also called mineral sunscreens, and they definitely leave a white cast if you overapply. Currently I am using the Innisfree Eco Safety Perfect Sunblock with SPF 50+, but it's discontinued. I also like the Innisfree Triple Care. Once I’m out, I’m gonna have to head to DM to see if they have mineral sunscreens.

Favourite Lip Balm

It’s not a balm, but the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask in Vanilla is my favourite thing to put on my lips. It moisturises and feels so creamy, and in the morning my lips are wonderfully soft. I would prefer something more convenient to apply but I am willing to put up with the annoying tub for the results. It also smells heavenly and doesn’t dry out my lips after, unlike some lip balms that strangely leaves my lips drier when the lip balm fades off eventually.

Honourable Mentions

Bioderma Sensibio micellar water is the best, and while I would use the Garnier one in the pink cap, it is not as good. The Bioderma one leave my skin feeling fresh and clean, while the Garnier one is a little more soapy and I have to spray my face with water after that to remove that soapy feeling.

My favourite hydrating mist is the Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Cucumber and Green Tea. It smells so refreshing and it works like a hydrating toner, except in a much more convenient packaging. I like to spray this on after washing my face to remove the tight feeling. I got a trio set of the other flavours recently, and I’m looking forward to using them. I also spritz this on my face as the last step in makeup, but only on the sides of my cheeks, otherwise I go from looking glowy to looking oily.

Recently I started using facial oils on my cheeks to help lock in the moisture, and my favourite is The Ordinary’s Hemi-Squalane. It is only 3 euro on Beautybay, for 30ml, and trust me, it will last forever with one drop per usage. It absorbs quickly into my skin without feeling oily, and I don’t break out from it, so it’s a great oil for the time being. I mix this with my foundation for a smoother application, and it’s great but you have to be careful with the foundation if it’s water-based. It will separate and look patchy if mixed with a water-based foundation.

Balea Med Body Milk with 15% Urea is great for my upper arms with Keratosis Pilaris, which is a skin condition where I have clogged hair follicles all the time, resulting in red bumps that luckily don’t itch or hurt. Urea is great for that, and I sometimes even apply a 25% Urea foot cream to my arms if they look really bad. For my Keratosis Pilaris, I literally have to beat it into submission with BHAs, hot baths, scrubs, and intensive urea treatment. And even then it still looks bad, it just feels a little smoother. If I leave it alone, it starts to spread down my lower arm and that really annoys me.

 Keratosis Pilaris on my arm, and this is considered a good day

Cosrx Pimple Patch is great for drawing out the oil and gunk of any pimple, and it also protects the pimple from makeup or just general bacteria. It speeds up the life of the pimple so that you can pop it faster, and if you manage to put the patch before the pimple reaches the surface, it will absorb enough oil that the pimple goes away before coming out. I love using it, it’s like putting on a little Band-Aid for the pimple and treating it with kindness and love so that it doesn’t screw up your skin even more.

Conclusion

Oh wow it’s 1600 words already… I have to stop. We have come to the end of the Favourite Products of 2018, and I’ll be going to Paris in a couple of days, so I will update this blog with any Paris skincare haul then. Maybe I’ll even go to the biggest Sephora in the world, which is in Paris, if I have time. Definitely looking forward!