2018 Favorite Skin And Body Care

Here is the second part of my 2018 favorites. I'm talking about my favorite skin care, body care, hair care and fragrances that I was introduced to in 2018. I see some of these becoming my staples. Some I have already repurchased. 




When it comes to sheet masks, there is very few I didn't like. Most of the Asian sheet masks that I have tried so far have all impressed me. This one by Innisfree is a nice nourishing mask, It gives the skin nice glow and plumpness as well as moisturizes it. It has a a somewhat earthy soil like scent. Cotton sheet is also thin enough and fits my face well. 


It was one of the thinnest sheets from the ones I have tried. It's one of those masks that gives you noticeable brightening effects. My skin always looks extra even and brighter after I use it. It also feels soothing and moisturizing on the skin. The scent is more of a floral.

Avon Clearskin Pure & Shine Control Black Mineral Mask

I have almost used up this mask. It's a basic clay mask that is great for cleaning out the pores. I like clay masks every once in a while, because they just feel like they suck out all the impurities. This one feels thick and it seems like it really sticks to the dirt. It makes my skin look cleaner, but of course won't help with the blackheads, only acids can help you with that. It has a bit of herbal soil scent and it didn't feel irritating at all. 



Another mask that felt surprisingly nourishing and moisturizing. This one has more of a milky white essence and it left behind a slightly sticky layer. My skin also looked much more plump and elastic after I took it off. Part of the reason why it surprised me, was also that the sheet didn't dry out as fast as some others. Sweet manuka honey scent is also nice added benefit. 



I also liked both of these masks from Missha. They have nice thin cotton sheet that is well saturated. Honey one has that milky essence and is very moisturizing as well as nourishing. It gives lovely glow to the skin and a proper honey scent. 

Rice version is nourishing and moisturizing, but above all it gives you a brighter and more even skin tone. It also makes the skin feel softer to the touch and has a bit odd scent which later turns slightly powdery. Essence is milky white. 



This was the thinnest sheet mask I have tried so far. The fit was good and essence was more of a transparent and viscose. It actually dried out faster than most of the other masks which might be due to the thin sheet. It felt very cooling and soothing. It brightened my complexion and made my skin look more plump as well as nourished. I also liked honey and orange scent. 


Cezanne Skin Conditioner High Moist

This has to be one of my favorite skin care purchases from 2018. First of all because you get 500 ml for about 15€. You can't beat that price. Usually I use like three drops for my face, so this would last you two years at least, if you use it only on the face. It's basically like an essence. Milky white liquid is lightweight and almost feels like water, but is actually really hydrating. It absorbs into the skin easily, but you feel a lightweight nourishing layer on the skin. If you have really dry skin, you can layer this on in as many layers as you'd like and it won't never feel greasy or too much. I call it an essence and use it after the toner step. 

It contains a lot of hyaluronic acids and ceramides. Hyaluronic acid is one of the best ingredients for hydrating and moisturizing your skin. Ceramides are crucial for repairing your skin barrier which is very important, if you have very sensitized skin. Let's face it, most people can get very sensitive skin in winter, because there is just not enough natural moisture and sebum production, so I feel that any skin type would benefit from this. It's lightweight, yet does the job. Even oily skin would love this. I also use it on my eczema hands as well as on my back, where I tend to get dermatitis in the winter and it really helps to keep all those areas moisturized and protected.


The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution

I love AHA and BHAs in my skin care routine, because my T zone gets quite oily and it's inevitable to have some blemishes here and there from all the congestion. I use COSRX BHA, but I've also wanted to try The Ordinary Glycolic Acid, which is AHA - alpha hydroxy acid. AHAs tend to get rid of the dead skin cells that are on the surface, while BHAs work a bit deeper and almost clean out your pore not just the surface. 

This formula uses 7% glycolic acid and combines it with Tasmanian Pepperberry (reduces irritation from the acids), ginseng root (anti-aging star ingredient in Asian skin care) and aloe vera (soothing as well as moisturizing). I have fairly sensitive skin and I've quickly noticed that this is stronger acid than I was used to. It doesn't irritate my skin at all, but I do feel the tingle. It's a yellow colored liquid that has odd herbal scent. It definitely smooths my skin surface and I feel like it makes it more radiant looking, when I use it often enough. If you have textured skin, you will probably like it. I have found it just gentle enough for me and it seems to help with my texture as well. If you have very sensitive skin, I definitely recommend a more gentle formulation or gentle acid in general, like lactic acid. 


The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% in Squalane

Another The Ordinary product that I have grown to love. Retinol and retinoid are another two of those star ingredients in everything these days. This is the only proven ingredient that can diminish appearance of fine lines, so it's what you want to try out, if you want to slow down aging affects. I happened to like this formula, because it was again not irritating. On some days I could feel the tingle and it was a sign that I shouldn't use it as often and on other days I didn't feel anything. Part of retinoid's appeal is also that apparently it delivers better results that retinol, but with less irritation. 

It is formulated in squalane which is great for hydration. This is light yellow colored liquid that feels like dry oil once you massage it into the skin. It has that lightweight oil finish, so I usually don't even need to apply oil or moisturizer on top of it. Sometimes I do. I use it after toners and essences. I noticed that my skin looked clearer when I used this regularly, like every other day. It also gave my skin glow and smoothness. I can't say if my lines actually look smaller, because I don't scrutinize them and this is more of a prevention for me not reversible routine. 

Mizon Multi Function Formula Snail Repair Eye Cream

I already use two tubes of this cream and I'll probably repurchase it, if I don't find something else to try out. I love that this is white colored almost gel like cream which glides on the skin super smooth. It's lightweight, but has that slight nourishing feel that all snail based products have. I find it lightweight enough to put around the eyes and not worry about milia, but it also feels just hydrating enough. It wears great under the makeup as well. It's also fairly cheap. I usually buy it from korean sellers on Ebay.


First of all this has perfect packaging. It's cute, hygienic and useful. These are hydrogel patches that you can use under the eyes or everywhere else on the face where you have dry skin. It's one of those extra products that you definitely don't need in your routine, but I liked using them. Patches are well saturated and I love using them when my skin feels dry around the eyes (I see more fine lines) or whenever I want something soothing, because my skin is irritated. This refreshes my under eye area and moisturizes it. It's a great prep for special makeup occasion or just pampering in general. You can also dissolve these patches and create an essence out of them. 


Nivea Magic Pearl Anti-transpirant Soft Silk

Nivea was one of those brands that in the past year introduced me some great products. I'm not liking most of their skin care, but their body products are usually a hit. This anti-transpirant was the reason I switched to aerosol deodorants, which is especially useful in the summer time, because you don't have to deal with wet armpits. I found this one to smell nice, a sort of powdery scent and it did the job. I didn't sweat as quickly and I didn't smell bad as quickly either. It sprays out sort of a white fine powder, but I never had problems with white residue on my clothes. Since I've tried it, I have repurchased it a few times already. 


If you have problems with skin allergies or itchy skin in general, pay attention now. This has to be one of the best discoveries and I wish it was available when I was like four and all in scars from scratching my whole body. This is anti-itching spray that actually does just that. Whenever you feel that itch coming up, just spray that on the skin. It immediately gives you a relief and soothing feel. It feels a bit cooling. It's a milky white liquid that sticks to the skin well and also gives you that nourishing layer with squalane and lipids that help to rebuild your natural skin barrier. So it's not just an instant effect, it's also a skin care product for long term. I would love to have a year supply of this. It would make my life a lot easier. 



I love all Nivea body lotions. My favorite for the winter is their regular blue packaging - Nourishing Body Milk, because it gives you such a nice nourishing glow to the skin. I have also loved this one with aloe vera which is a much lighter texture. What I like the most about Nivea lotions is that they all leave behind that non greasy nourishing layer that stays on the skin and moisturizes it. This one has a gentle sweet herbal scent. 



This one felt the same as the previous one. Apparently that formula combines oil in a lotion, but in a lightweight way. It was just the same lightweight smooth milky lotion that gave me that nice nourishing layer, but no greasy feel. It also had that lovely zesty floral powdery scent. 



I finally realized why everyone likes The Body Shop body butters. It's all in the formula, which feels hard to the touch, but melts so lovely under the warmth of your fingers. It glides on the skin, leaving behind a nourishing and moisturizing layer. The Body Shop offers a lot of different scents and I tried coconut. It really smelled like a proper freshly cut coconut in that almost a bit earthy sense. Scent wasn't what I expected, but I grew to love it. Texture is what really sold me here. It's great for winter and even works in warmer months, because it doesn't feel too greasy or heavy. 



I just finished this shampoo a few days ago. This was an unexpected drugstore gem. I mostly liked this, because it cleaned my hair well and it didn't make it too silky smooth. It still gave it a nice moisture, but there was some texture left behind, which is important, if your hair is fine and ultra smooth. Because it means you can create some volume. You can't do that with those ultra nourishing silky shampoos. It also comes in a huge packaging that lasts for a long time and has affordable price tag. It's formulated without silicons, parabens and dyes. Scent is sleepy and cozy. 



This is Kenzo and Avon's second collaboration. Kenzo is know for making their powdery fragrances, but this is more of a youthful sweet fruity floral spin. It's one of those fragrances that feels very sophisticated and I'm not big on florals, but the fruitiness in this makes it wearable for my personal taste. It's that perfect spring fragrance for when I want to feel especially classy. 

The Library of Fragrance Baby Powder Cologne Spray

On the opposite spectrum of Avon Life, you'll find this Baby Powder fragrance. It's one of the most unique scents I have tried so far. This is definitely that proper baby scent, it's very powdery and just so cozy. It can be a bit much, because it's quite strong, but it's the perfect fragrance for those winter days. In the summer this would be too heavy for me.


This was definitely my most worn fragrance that I was introduced to in 2018. It's a sweet powdery floral scent, in fact, it's the most powdery fragrance I currently own. Musk, sandalwood and amber base makes it sweet and yet sophisticated paired with plum and florals. It's a much more grown up sweet powdery scent that doesn't feel too heavy. I would say it's for all occasions and seasons. 

2 comments

  1. Prikimavam izbiri MBD Black Pearl in Papa Recipe maski :). EH so tudi odlične, mi je sicer najljubša Madecassoside, ampak je Ceramide zelo podobna in Manuka Honey se tudi ne razlikuje dosti. Od The Saem si jih že preizkusila? Grenivka je odlična.

    O Cezanne sploh ne bom izgubljala besed - enostavno je odličen za ceno.

    The Ordinary Gycolic Acid mi je zanimiv. Zadnje čase sem čisto zanemarila kisline, ker imam kožo v dokaj stabilnem stanju, ampak moja trenutna zbirka tudi nima nobenega stand out izdelka. TO Aha 30% + 2% BHA me ne navdušuje. V 7% mi je pa v oči padel ginseng.

    Kateri se ti zdi boljši TO Granactive Retinoid 2% ali tisti Avonov serum katerega si hvalila? Imam staro verzijo Rentinoida pa mi je kr nekaj.

    Na Nivea anti-perspirante se tudi jaz zanašam že leta. Mi je pa najbolj všeč Pearl & Beauty, ampak še zdaj ne vem, če je ta tvoj slučajno isti v drugi embalaži.

    O parfumih mi je vedno zanimivo brat in prav rada potem še raziskujem note na Fragrantici. Od Avonovih me je letos zelo navdušil Luck La Vie, pa že od prej mi je všeč Mesmerize Black, tako da ne dvomim v kvaliteto (vsaj večine) njihovih parfumov.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ne, The Saem pa res še nisem. Hvala za predloge. Trg teh azijskih sheet mask je tako veliko, da bi morala sprobat kaj drugega. Čeprav po navadi kar naročim tiste preverjene :D.

      Cezanne je zakon. Nisem nikoli prej vedela, da obstaja nekaj tako lahkotnega, a vseeno vlažilnega. Pa še tako velika embalaža.

      Ne vem kako bi tebi bil. Vem, da imaš rada "močnejše" zadeve. Mene je prav presenetil. Ker pri Pixi toniku pa nisem neke spremembe opazila. Ta je pa ravno tak dober izdelek za vzdrževanje. Jaz sicer kisline zelo rada vključim v dnevno rutino, sploh pozimi. Poleti se malo izogibam zaradi večjih količin sonca. Ginseng je tudi mene prodal. Ker vem kako zelo je hvaljen v Aziji. Mogoče je ravno kombinacija obojega taka, da mi paše. In ni preveč za mojo kožo :).

      Avonov serum vsekakor. Se mi zdi, da sem tam opazila dejansko spremembo v teh majhnih gubicah. Pri tem tega toliko ne opazim. Bolj to, da je koža na sploh v boljšem stanju, za kar pa lahko poskrbijo že dobre kisline. Če hočeš anti-age efekt, je meni Avonov serum boljši. Če pa bolj rabiš kaj za samo teksturo kože, pa tudi TO ni slab.

      Imam občutek, da je to enako. Se spomnim zelo starih verzij tega Pearl in mislim, da je bil vonj enak. Po mojem je to samo druga embalaža. Jaz sem nekaj časa uporabljala roll-one. Zdaj sem se pa spet spreobrnila. Enostavno lažje je, ker je takoj "suho" za oblečt in vse ostalo :D.

      Jaz Avon spremljam že tako dolgo, da prav vem kateri bodo dobri in kateri ne. Po marketingu. Vsi ki so v sodelovanju s kakšnimi znanimi imeni, so po navadi hit. Pa tudi ti srednje cenovni so super. Samo tu in tam imajo kakšne verzije "cenejših", ki so bolj simpl in me ne navdušijo. Je pa pač stvar okusa. Veliko jih je še vedno precej "odraslih" - cvetličnih, kar pa ni po mojem osebnem okusu. Vsako leto se pa najde spet kak nov dragulj tudi za mojo zbirko :D. Mesmerize Black je res fantastičen. Dejansko en mojih najljubših od Avona. Poleg Attraction Rush - ta je trenutno moj favorit :D.

      Delete