I tend to be a creature of habit when it comes to my skin care; I know what works and what doesn’t. Being an Esthetician and beauty expert, I have to keep trying products, experimenting, and learning 2018 was no exception. I lost count on how many new skin care products were launched last year it was incredible. I feel 2018 was just gearing us up for what 2019 beauty has in store fou us. In my latest YouTube video, I talk about some of the exciting new beauty launches and ingredients I can’t wait to test out.
I wanted to look back with you and show you the skin care products I reached for most in 2018. Some of these products I have used for years and a couple of them are newcomers to my routine.
Cleanser: EVER Skin Care “Rebalance” Gentle Purifying Cleanser $40
This purifying cleanser packed with Salicylic acid is the only cleanser that I put on my face in 2018. I tried out Kate Somerville’s cold cream and a couple of oil cleansers, but nothing could boot this cleanser off my shelve. I have been using this gel cleanser for almost three years, and I love how it exfoliates and provides a deep clean without drying or stripping my skin. My skin is soothed and hydrated with the aloe and cucumber that is included in this formulation. My skin feels so clean and looks radiant. On the months where I go heavy into product testing, and my skin starts to break out, I always go back to this cleanser, and my skin is back to normal in two days. I can’t say enough great things about this cleanser.
Beauty Water: EVER Beauty Water Makeup Removing Cleanser $21
Newly launched (spring 2018) is the EVER Skin Care Beauty Water. Beauty water meaning a Micellar water that offers a fuss-free way to remove makeup, dirt, and impurities but instead of using it solely as a cleanser on a cotton round I used it as a toner after I cleansed my skin. I don’t feel that any Micellar water can take off all your makeup and dirt. It might just be I like knowing I am getting every bit of makeup, dirt, and pollution off my face with a cleanser first. I found my skin feeling very refreshed and hydrated after using this product every morning.
Perricone MD-Face Finishing & Firming Moisturizer $69
I bought the essential kit from Perricone MD, and this moisturizer was included. I didn’t know what to expect, but boy was I surprised. It smells like ROSE! You know I am obsessed with all things rose from skin care products to wine. This moisturizer is rich and ultra-hydrating, and when I say hydrating, I mean it. I looked forward to putting this moisturizer on each morning not only because I felt like I was in a bed of roses, but my complexion looked radiant, plumped and firm. They better not discontinue this moisturizer EVER!
Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Face Oil-$79
This face oil is formulated for all skin types with a trio of seaweeds that smell like a spa in a bottle. I felt myself wanting to bathe in this little indulgent face oil but stopped myself knowing I only had 0.5 fl oz. I mainly used this at night as part of my wind down, close my eyes and visualize being at the Encore spa in Las Vegas.
Korres Wild Rose Vitamin C Brightening Oil $54
I told you I love products that have rose in them and this brightening oil even has real rose petals floating around the bottle. I found this little gem of a product in June of 2016. I was auditioning to be an On-Air beauty expert for Korres on the Home Shopping Network. I went to Sephora and bought a handful of products so I could research the line and know how their products performed. Well, little did I know I picked one of their products that received the Allure magazine “Best of Beauty” awards. I credit this product for lightening my hyper-pigmentation spot on the right side of my face so much that now you can’t even see it and if you don’t believe me go back to some of my earlier YouTube videos and compare them to now. I am on my fifth bottle.
Sunday Riley-Good Genes All-In-One Lactic Acid Treatment $105
I use this product at night only. It gives my skin a deep exfoliating treatment for super clarity and radiance. My skin feels so smooth the next morning and looks so fresh. It helps work on age spots and discoloration and visibly brightens my skin. Good Genes is formulated for normal, oily, combination and dehydrated skin types. Lactic acid is very gentle on the skin so if you have not been able to use glycolic acid you should pick up Good Genes. Sunday Riley uses a high potency, purified grade lactic acid that will pull your dull, pore-clogged skin out of the lousy skin abyss. A great way to try both of the Sunday Riley’s products that are mentioned in this blog post is to buy this or this it’s a great deal and how I was introduced to these amazing products. It’s clinically proven to immediately plump fine lines and boost radiance in under three minutes. Bonus: Cruelty-Free, Sulfate-Free, Paraben-Free, Soy-Free, Phthalate-Free, Fragrance-Free, Vegan.
Kate Somerville-DermalQuench Liquid Lift + Retinol $98
Resurfacing is key to flawless skin, so I take this step in my skin care routine very seriously. I contacted Kate Somerville’s PR team and asked them if they could send me this product to review. I knew from my research this would be a product not only I would love but you would too. This is a revolutionary, patented delivery system that improves the appearance of your skin’s firmness, elasticity, and texture. What I noticed the most is the texture of my skin was incredibly smooth. I liked that the formulation was foam and quickly absorbed into my skin. My skin appeared lighter, and it felt hydrated. Packed with Retinol, Soybean Extract, fast penetrating Hyaluronic Acid and Rare Botanical Extracts. Bottom line this product is one to look into for 2019 to up your exfoliating game.
Chanel Sublimage La Creme Texture Fine $400
Before you get crazy, I won a prestige skin care basket from Neiman Marcus at a charity event in November of 2017. Yes, it was loaded with expensive skin care even for me as a beauty blogger I found it expensive. I can make an argument pretty much about any expensive beauty, fashion or lifestyle item from my Nespresso coffee, Diptique car diffuser to my LV agenda but when I saw the price tag on this cream I was like WHAT? I was more than taken back at how much the entire basket added up to but I bought raffle tickets and won so c’est la vie. My money went to a great charity let’s move on shall we? Here we go again with not wanting to fall in love with a luxury product remember my La Mer Foundation story? Chanel scientists traveled to the island of Madagascar to find key unique anti-aging ingredients for the Sublimage line. In their research, they uncovered the peak moment in the Vanilla Planifolia life cycle-they pinpointed the precise instant when the fruits of the plant offer extreme regenerative properties. These are rare and powerful molecules that appear for a short period and then disappear. When these plants are at their peak power, the Planifolia fruits are harvested by hand, one by one. The cream is all about regenerating the skin and that Ladies, it does. My skin has never been so soft and supple damn you Chanel at $400 a jar. Here is the good news this jar has lasted me way over six months. Let me break this down for all of us, so we feel better about the price if that is even possible here I go….Say I use this cream every night for six months. One hundred and eighty days divided by four hundred dollars is $2.22 a day now that is something I can wrap my mind around. If I didn’t see such a difference with my skin, it wouldn’t have been one of the most used moisturizers on my 2018 list.
Chanel Sublimage La Creme Yeux $225
Rich, velvety and creamy I enjoyed using this eye cream almost every night. The Chanel Sublimage line smells incredibly fresh and melted into my skin. I noticed less fine lines and wrinkles over the past year of using this eye cream.
Sunday Riley LUNA Sleeping Night Oil $55
I love multi-tasking products that work while I am sleeping. This is a next-generation retinol oil that boosts skin’s plumpness while smoothing out fine lines and wrinkles. Pores look visibly smaller and my skin had an overall glow. Ingredients range from Trans-retinoic acid ester complex, Blue Azulene to German Chamomile essential oils. I layer this over my Sunday Riley Good Genes. Luna is a blue color but when massaged into the skin it turns clear.
Natura Bisse-Essential Shock Intense Mask $49
Ultra Creamy! This mask is my staple for anything and everything. I am very picky when it comes to face masks because not many companies can formulate a creamy mask that stays creamy and doesn’t dry out before I take it off. Believe me I have tested more than twenty-five masks. I put this mask on at least two times a week if not more. I wake up wash my face and immediately apply the moisture shock mask and fetch myself a hot cup of Nespresso. Essential Shock Intense Mask is packed with Ananas and Green Tea. Expect to see your skin super hydrated and the firmness added back into your complexion. I can’t live without this mask especially if I am traveling. The best pre-photo shoot mask that I have found to date.
StriVectin Advanced Acid-Resurface NIA114 + Glycolic $59
This is a skin reset mask. Gel formulation infused with micro-encapsulated Glycolic Acid delivers a very potent exfoliation yet it’s still very gentle on my skin. The mask is cooling and I use it at night when I look in the mirror and my skin says “Save Me!!!!” It’s a reboot for my pores, fine lines, and dead skin cells. Gel masks always feel indulgent for some reason to me. I do see a flushed pink glow to my skin when I take off this mask but that’s what I love about it. Remember to use an SPF since AHA acids may increase your skin’s sensitivity to the sun and you don’t want your new fresh skin to be unprotected.
Jurlique-Lavender Hydrating Mist $38
The best way to finish your nightly skin care routine. I have become somewhat addicted to this formula. It has the calming scent of lavender, it soothes my complexion and gives me just enough added hydration over my moisturizer. You can use this throughout the day but since I bought the lavender formula I wanted it to signal time for bed.
EVER Skin Care CANVAS-Priming Moisturizer SPF 30 $39
Another new product EVER launched in 2018 was their priming moisturizer. What I like about this product is that it delivers immediate hydration, chemical-free sun protection AND it gives you a matte finish. I have tried so many “primers’ and have found them to be heavy, slippery or they rub off and look like dead skin when you put your foundation on top of them. I don’t use primers and I do not recommend them to my clients UNTIL NOW. I was very impressed that the Canvas formulation gave me just the right amount of moisturizing, high SPF and the matte finish is the ultimate bonus. My foundation goes on my skin like butter. This product will make my skin care list for 2019.
BeautyBio GloPro Microneedling Regeneration Tool $199
I am a big fan of innovative skin care tools and the second I got my hands on this little micro needling tool I was sold. You might not know that you can do safe micro needling at home so here are the deets. The GloPro made by BeautyBio is a beauty tool that works from the inside out by triggering skin’s natural healing process and inducing micro-regeneration deep within the skin. There are 540 surgical stainless-steel microneedles that pass over your skin, the rejuvenation process begins the second the needles touch your face. Skin cells respond to the stimulation by creating new collagen and restoring skin’s volume. I use my GloPro right after I cleanse my skin then I will apply a high potency serum. By doing this I am setting my skin up to have passageways for my serums and moisturizers to dive directly down to the deepest layers of my skin. My topical skin care products are absorbed 200 times more efficient. What’s also cool about this device is the LED red light therapy function and Vibrotactile Stimulation that work synergistically to enhance regenerative skin benefits. Fun fact: Cells exposed to LED light grow an overwhelmingly 15 to 200 percent faster than unstimulated cells. I micro needle my skin two to three times a week usually at night but sometimes I will switch it up to the morning.
NuFace Mini Facial Toning Device $199
The only contouring I do is with my NuFace mini. Forget all the makeup contouring that leaves you looking like a scary painter. NuFACE is an FDA-cleared, handheld toning device that helps improve facial contour, tone and the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. I got a great deal on this little mini, I paid around $129 on Gilt a couple of years ago. I contacted the company probably ten times to bring it into my boutique but they just couldn’t get it together to call me back so you will have to purchase here. NuFACE works as a microcurrent treatment, I use it five minutes a day to help sculpt my face and keep it looking towards the sky. When you first get your device you will use it for five minutes a day, five days a week for the first sixty days. After the sixty days use it two to three times a week to maintain your results. Microcurrent results are cumulative the more consistent you are the more you will get out of seeing results.
Lure GLAM Facial Cupping System $29.95
Facial cupping is all the rage with celebrities and I stumbled upon this glorious DIY facial treatment when I was in Las Vegas as the esthetic convention in 2017. No worries Ladies, this is not like the cupping you see where women are walking around with bruising in the shape of circles on their back. The key is to use a high-quality seed oil and keep the cups moving on your face. This video is a great way to see the facial cupping in progress. I have been cupping away at my face and seeing remarkable results with my tone, facial contours and improving the morning under eye puffiness. I shared with you my morning cupping routine recently on my Instagram stories. The cups are made with premium quality food grade silicone and are free from BPA, phthalates, PVD, and plastic. The benefits are amazing.
Exfoliating your lips is a must and the soft silicone brush and lip balm kit is a weekly ritual for me. I will use the lip balm that came in the kit but I am partial to the lip balm mentioned below.
I have tried to introduce other nightly lip balms into my routine but I keep going back to Lano Lips. Not only does it work miracles on my lips but it’s also a superbalm. You can use this on your cuticles, elbows practically anywhere on your body that is dry or needs a little TLC. I can’t sleep without this slathered on my lips. I wake up my pout is hydrated and ready for bold lip color.
EVER LAVISH LAVENDER Limited Edition Body Butter $42
I was on a mission this past year to find a body butter that was free of harmful ingredients like BHA, Parabens, Phthalates, Propylene Glycol, Synthetic Fragrance. I had a hard time rubbing in a body moisturizer from head to toe packed with tons of chemicals. There is a reason why when this award-winning body butter first launched there was a waiting list of two thousand people. YES! Allure Magazine told the world about it and that’s what happened. I know crazy but true you can read the article here. EVER’s body butter is richly decadent infused with intoxicating lavender scent, fresh notes of tangerine and vanilla. This antioxidant-rich formula melts into your skin and when I say melts it’s almost like a tall glass of water for your skin. Leaves my legs so soft and supple not greasy. There is also a proprietary Superfruit Complex that includes cocoa butter, apple, blackberry, cranberry, pomegranate, sweet cherry, and kiwi seed oils. If you are not a big fan of lavender you can try the original fresh lemony scent here. EVER Skin Care is so confident you will love your results they offer a 45-day money-back guarantee. Win-Win.
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