My best skincare products of 2020!
What are the best beauty products 2020?
While 2020 will be remembered for many reasons, it’s definetly a year where many of us tried new skincare products. From wearing less make up, staring at our faces all day on zoom calls and bloody maskne, we became more interested in skincare than ever before. My favourite website Cult Beauty saw its skincare sales double ( I swear it wasn’t just from me..). With no travel to spend my money on, my skincare addiction may have got slightly out of control. Which all means I slathered, patted and massaged many lotions and potion into my skin. Some worked, some didn’t and as you’ll see, a lot of them were K beauty finds.
So without further adu, *drum roll please* Please welcome the winners of The best skincare products 2020
Best Cleanser of 2020
Cleansing is probably my least favourite skincare step. For so many years I would use a cream or milk cleanser and remove with cotton pads as I hated (and still do) the feeling of how tight my skin would feel after washing. While I have found other cleansers over the years that I enjoy, my best of beauty 2020 cleanser pick makes the process actually pleasurable!
And what is this brilliant cleanser?? It’s REN Perfect Canvas Clean Jelly Oil Cleanser. This jelly, oil-based cleanser effortlessly melts away make up, pollution and SPF without stripping or drying skin.
It starts off as a jelly texture, then transforms into an oil as you work it into the skin. When you add water it changes to a milk and easily washes off. The three skin-loving seed oils: grape, sunflower and meadowfoam plus glycerin means no dreaded tightness afterwards. It’s a lot lighter compared to thicker cleansing balms, which makes it a great option as a first cleanse for more oily, combination skin. But is still hydrating enough for drier skin types. The REN Perfect Canvas Clean Jelly Oil Cleanser is perfect for your first cleanse in the pm!
Runners Up
Two other cleansers I enjoyed this year are
The Inkey List Oat Cleansing Balm
Many will agree this is one of the best products from The Inkey list! Though the cleanser is a balm, but it’s not as thick, compared to a balm in a jar. I find it brilliant for taking off make up and great for my first cleanse. It feels super nourishing and hydrating on the skin and can be left on the skin for 10/15 minutes and used as a hydrating mask. The main ingredient – Oat colidial has been used to treat eczema and dry, sensitive for centuries! If you find it seperates in the tube and oil comes out first, don’t worry this is quite common and dosen’t effect the efficity of the product. Try storing it some where cool and dark (and not in the shower..)
Eminence Calm Skin Chamomile Cleanser
This is the cleanser I reach for when my skin is having shity stressful day and nothing will make it happy! The Eminence Calm Skin Chamomile Cleanser key ingredients are Chamomile (surprise surprise) which is proven to calm the skin, Rosemary and Arnica extract which are soothing and also antioxidants. All together they help your skin calm the f down and keep it relaxed. I find myself reaching for this as my second cleanse a lot. Especially after wearing a mask all day!
Best exfoliating toner
Pixi Glow Tonic
I’ve fallen back in love this glycolic toner. I still love The Ordinary one but I have found myself reaching for the Pixi Glow Tonic more often this year. I have been using various strong retinols through out the year and haven’t be wanting to use strong acids. At 5% glycolic acid it is not as strong as The Ordinary (7%). It also uses ginseng improves circulation & energises plus Aloe Vera soothes & hydrates.
Best Toner
Baby Cheeks All in One Hydrating Milk is a multi-purpose toner that goes the extra mile. It claims to erase all traces of makeup, restore skin’s natural pH balance, and remove post-cleanse hard water residue—all while hydrating and replenishing your skin! You can use it as the first, last, or only step in your cleansing routine. Makeup remover, cleansing milk, hydrating toner, it has so many uses! I mainly use it in the morning as a quick cleanser and in the evening after my glycolic to rebalance the skin’s pH.
Runner up
Purito Centella Toner
The first of many k beauty products on this list. I got the mini toner as part of an excellent set from purito and yestyle, which is the perfect set for Maskne. This toner contains 10% centella asiatica and panthenol. Centella (also known as Cica) is a favourite k beauy ingredient for dealing with redness and irritation. While the other main ingredient, Panthenol attracts moisture. Combined with hyaluronic acid, the toner it soothes and restores damaged skin. I’ve been applying to my skin non stop!
Best Essence
Cosrx Snail Mucin
So technically I started using this in 2019 but only got into this year and have been applying it twice a day. Another Korean beauty trend, snail mucin, is a hero ingredient due to its superior healing properties, which help calm breakouts and fade pigmentation. It also contains panthenol, a form of vitamin B5, to hydrate and plump up your skin. And it lasts for ages!
Best Spritz
Holos pre and pro biotic spritz
Oh how I love this spritz! The spray has pre and probiotics to help feed the good bacteria on your skin. (the bacteria helps to defend your skin’s barrier and when it gets disrupted it you can find your skin is irritated)
It also helps to balance the skin’s pH. This and feeding the good bacteria helps to keep the skin happy when using strong acids. As I use a few different acids this is what I’m most excited about. It also smells AMAZING! Infused with frankincense, lavender and sweet orange, it gives such a lift that I want to spray it everywhere. If you suffer from irritated skin, acne, rosacea this is a great product to add into your routine. Or if you’re like me and don’t to annoy your skin with acids this keeps everything happy!
Best Moisteriser
Klairs Fundamental Water Gel Cream
Oh the texture of this moisteriser! How I love it so! It’s a very light gel cream, but don’t let that fool you! It’s SUPER HYDRATING! I was really surprised by how much it moisturised my skin. The cream’s main ingredient is green tea water or camellia sinensis leaf water. It’s been known to: calm, brighten, provide effective antioxidant benefits and retain moisture.It’s is also formulated with vitamin B5, amino acids and minerals for boosted and long-lasting hydration.
Klairs Fundamental Water Gel Cream also has what the company calls “hydra emulsification system”. which basicaly allows this cream to hydrate deeper layers of our skin, resulting in a healthier and stronger skin moisture barrier.
Best Mask
I’m From Honey Mask
I originally got the travel version of Honey Mask to try it and fell in love! I went through it within a few weeks and had to get the full size. It’s hydrating without being to heavy and feels so so good on the skin. The honey mask is so nourishing and hydrating for the skin. Honey is a natural humectant (draws moisture into the skin). So if your skin is in need of a hydrating boost, this is the perfect ingredient. It is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory! The ideal mask for winter, it leave you with plump, supple glowing skin!
Runners up
Revolution Pink Clay Mask
While they do a great job of removing impurities, many clay masks can be drying on the skin. Which is why I love pink clay! Perfect for dry and sensitive skin types, pink clay is a very mild combination of Red and White Clays. Rich in minerals including Silica, Pink Clay masks help to restore and replenish skin with moisture, draw out impurities and lightly exfoliate the complexion with its slightly grainy texture. Gentle on sensitive skin, Pink Clay can also help to reduce irritation and inflammation from skin concerns such as acne by soothing and balancing skin and promoting healthy cell renewal. And for 10€ you can’t go wrong! Definetly one of the best skincare products of 2020!
Most dissapointing product of 2020
Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream
I’m so glad I got the travel size of this to try out, as I did not like it at all! I’ve tried a lot of different retinol products and I’m used to introducing stronger retinols but this continued to cause peeling on my skin unlike any other retinol I’ve tried. I’m also not a fan of how Drunk Elphant have been treating their customers, especially on social media. For me a skincare product has to a lot more than work well, it has to be part of a brand whose morals and ethics I support. So nore more Drunk Elpant for me ( I also think the products are over priced!)
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The Best Skincare Products of 2020: The Ordinary
I am of course still in love with my The Ordinary products, and they make up a big part of my routine! Here are the ones I have been consitantly reaching for this year
Marula Oil
Why pay 70€ (for the drunk elephant one) when The Ordinary version is €10! I love Marula oil for hydrating the skin (and its great for the hair to!) It’s rich in omegas 6 and 9, brilliant for repairing and protecting the skins barrier plus is rich antioxidants! It soaks in quickly, but not too quickly so you have time to give yourself a face massage.⠀
I love to use it after
30% AHA and 2% BHA Peeling Solution⠀
How many times have I gone on and on about this mask! Its still the best (and the strongest so caution is needed) acid mask out there!
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Argireline Solution 10% With the botox appointments be sporadic this year, argireline helps pro long the effects by having a similar freezing effect on muscles (but is in NO WAY comparable to botox!)
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Azelaic Acid
I have gone through tubes and tubes of this stuff. Brilliant for helping redness and pigmentation from former spots. It’s an essential part of my routine. (And should be for anyone with redness and roseca)
Buffet + Copper Peptides
Everyone should use this! The difference in your skin is incredible. Its hard to pin point what exactly it is, but it just looks better! Currently comparing the Allies of Skin peptide serum (which I’m praying isn’t better as its €110 compared to 30€….)⠀
What are your best skincare products of 2020? See any here you want to try?
So good bye 2020 and heres to many more skincare discoveries in 2021!
ps some links may be affliate but the post is not affliate driven.
