Beauty Disoveries for 2016 | Skincare & Haircare
Okay, this year has seriously been all about skincare and haircare. I'm definitely trying to be better about looking after myself, and one of those key things would be my skin. I'm not getting any younger and I want to put in more effort towards taking better care of it. I thought I'd split my beauty discoveries up and do this post as a skincare/hair care post, and I'll do a little makeup bit for part 2. Without further adieu, let's jump into it!
S K I N C A R E
A recent addition to my skincare routine is the Son & Park Beauty Water, it does a great job at getting that extra bit of grime off of my skin and helping to balance everything out. I wasn't exactly sure where to put this one, but the Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist has quiccckly jumped to the top of my favorite beauty discoveries of 2016. It was one of those products I didn't want to "fall" for the hype for, but alas - I did. It's housed in the most beautiful glass bottle and just gives you that dewy, glowy skin. I do wish I had picked this up during the warmer months, but I do like that it adds a bit of a healthy glow into my complexion during these colder months. Although spritzing this on my face in 30F weather makes me cry a little inside (I'm a baby when it comes to the cold.)
I love a good mask, and I was lucky enough to add 3 new amazing ones to my lineup this year. After falling in love with Caudalie's Hand & Nail Cream, I wanted to give more of their skincare items a chance. The Caudalie Instant Detox Mask called out to me, and as I was running low on my Aesop Parsley Seed Mask I thought it would be good to try out this for comparison. I actually prefer the Caudalie one to the Aesop one and did a mini comparison here, but mostly the ease of accessibility is what won me over. (Aesop packaging will forever be goals though.) I've been a huge fan of peel-off masks since I tried the Boscia Black Luminizing Mask, so I was pretty interested in trying the silver peel off mask I had seen all over Instagram. That silver mask comes in the form of the GlamGlow Gravity Mud - it's supposed to be a firming treatment but I'm not sure it does what it claims. However, my skin is extremely soft and refined after use. Also - this has to be, hands down, the best peel-off mask I've tried. I can actually pull the mask off in one solid piece! Not to mention this smells fruity and amazeee. The last one up is from a new brand which I had the pleasure of working with for their brand launch - Complex Beauty's Ocean Potion mask. I was able to trial their discovery kit (review here) which gives you a peep into each of their masks - it's a great way to mix and mask! Out of the six I think my favorite has to be Ocean Potion. I like to reach for this one when my skin just feels red or meh, it does a good job of balancing out my skin and just neutralizing the redness. A little goes a long way and I've used my little pot once every week / two weeks and I'm still going strong. (Use the code 'YAY15' to get 15% off and free shipping on all domestic orders in the U.S.)
My new favorite cleanser has to be, hands down, the Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser. It has easily become one of my must-have face washes. I love the thicker consistency and it does a great job of removing makeup and leaving my skin soft and clean, never parched or tight. I personally do a double cleanse every night so it may leave small traces behind, but I usually do a second cleanse and it does a good job of getting any remaining bits behind. It does have a light rose scent that I find nice, but I know others are a bit fussy with rose and not everyone loves it. I've gone through at least 2 bottles of this stuff and must have one as a backup at all times since it does take some time to arrive once ordered.
The Glossier Supers are a match made in heaven and are priced at a reasonable level - I think it's a set that everyone should try. My favorite of the three has got to be Super Bounce, it's great for dehydrated skin and I've already finished up my bottle and my backup has finally arrived *fist pump*! It helps plump your skin from the inside out, doing a great job at eliminating fine lines and giving that healthy 'bounce' back into your skin. Super Pure is a good one for helping to reduce redness and purifying when you feel like you're about to have some problem skin. It's joined a trio that helps combat any appearing spots. Super Glow helps to brighten skin while reducing dark spots - I've definitely noticed that it has helped my old acne scars fade.
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Another discovery this year is the Kiehl's Hydro Plumping Re-Texturizing Serum Concentrate - I picked this up back in March/April and have used it every single day, morning and night. It's been going strong and I'm finally nearing the end. This one is a bit costly but you definitely get a lot of bang for your buck with this one. It helps plump your skin (are we sensing a theme?) and minimizes the appearance of fine lines - and although I'm only in my 20's this isn't a main concern for me. But I love how lightweight this is and it was absolutely perfect to use throughout the summer for mornings when I felt too ick to really apply anything. But the other moisturizer that has become one of my favorites is the Origins GinZing Moisturizer. I think if you're someone who feels a bit eh in the morning, this would be a great moisturizer to pick up. It has a fresh citrus-y scent and a light gel texture so it sinks into your skin quickly and doesn't feel heavy on your skin.
H A I R C A R E
I mentioned earlier on in the year that I discovered I was allergic to sulfurs. In combination with getting extremely sick towards the end of 2016, I started losing hair at an alarming rate - and this is coming from someone who constantly thinned her hair out because she had too much. I actually grew thoroughly concerned and tried everything to try and prevent early hair loss from happening. Because I discovered I was allergic to sulfur, I've made it an overall effort to cut all sulfate ingredient products from my haircare stash. I was on the search for a shampoo/conditioner duo that would meet my needs without breaking the bank. In comes Not Your Mother's Haircare Line, or NYM for short. It's not a brand I often hear about, but I hope they pick up popularity cause they are just short of amazing. They're cruelty free, budget friendly, and meet all haircare needs. I've tried a few of their different "lines" - the beachy waves, the clean freak, and hair lengthening one. They all smell lovely and light and do a great job of cleaning your hair without ever weighing it down or leaving it greasy. I've also cut my hair washing down to every other day, with the occasional extra day added in if I've been home all day / if I really think I can push it. To help with the extra days in-between washing, I've *finally* come to find a dry shampoo I actually like. I picked up a MILK Makeup set and it included the MILK Makeup Dry Shampoo. Ironically this was one thing I wasn't excited for, but it ended up being a standout product for me this year. First off I love the smell as it just smells clean and refreshing. I also like this one actually leaves my hair feeling clean with an extra pop of volume. The can has been feeling rather light so I'm certain I'll be needing a backup of this soon. This has changed ALL thoughts I previously had on dry shampoos - please send more like this my way. And last up, my latest discovery but likely a forever love is Jen Atkin's Ouai Hair Oil. As you can see I'm starting to make my way through this bottle and I've only had the darn thing for a few weeks. It smells like jasmine which just happens to be one of my favorite scents, and leaves my hair feeling oh so soft and silky smooth. Literally the day after I tried it I made my coworkers touch my hair - and they kept touching it because it was THAT soft. If you're looking for a hair oil, look no further because this little baby is a dime. (Side Note - I totally threw away this one oil from Kerastase that I've been trying to finish, because why look further when the perfect product is already in front of you?)
WHEW that was a long one. Thanks for sticking around if you made it to the end! 2016 was such a crazy year for discovering new products and I'm so excited for all the new products to be tried and loved this upcoming year! And not that I really need any additional enabling, but if there were any standout skincare or haircare products in your stash, please let me know so I can (maybe) make it a new discovery favorite of mine for this year.
PS If you're looking to try any Glossier products, be sure to shop with me via my Glossier page (www.glossier.com/reps/cindy) to get 20% off your first purchase + free shipping over orders of $30! Fun fact - you also get to watch a minor cringe-worthy intro video from me. *Disclaimer* I do make a small commission from each sale, so even if you aren't a first time buyer it still helps when you use my link :) I'm a blogger on the side and any little bit of $$$ helps me build this space. It'll also help me budget accordingly as I'm looking to buy my first place with the boy! But of course if you don't feel comfortable don't feel that you need to use my link!