Skincare Favorites, Revised

I was one of those lucky ones who had really great skin my whole pregnancy! It’s after I had Grayson my skin got bleh. I’ve used the same products for years so I blamed hormones! Seriously, about four weeks after having him my face started to really break out in a terrible way. Nothing like not sleeping and having a broken out face to make you feel really great about life, right?!

The good news is that I switched up my products and got the breakouts totally under control. Now my skin is back to being clear and I really think it’s the products I used to help me get there! I’ve never had such great (and fast!) results from any acne product before. I found out about La Roche-Posay on my honeymoon in France last year. It seemed like every single pharmacy sold it! A nice French lady gave me some samples and I’ve been hooked ever since. I also love the “hydrene legere” lotion, although that seems to be hard to find in the States. If you order it on Amazon, it comes from Greece.

So here are my latest favorites. I think I’ll do a separate post for makeup because the last time I shared that it was three years ago and some things have definitely changed since then!

Temple Spa “In the Beginning” Face Wash – my tried and true. I have used this stuff for a year and a half and absolutely love it. I love the whole Temple Spa line because it’s so natural and smells so wonderful. This cleanser is olive oil based (I believe) and is solid at room temperature. You warm it up in your hands and it gently exfoliates while it cleanses. Literally, as the tagline says, it “melts” into your skin. I use it on my eyes to remove eye makeup and it never ever stings or anything.

Effaclar Duo Acne Treatment – this was one of the products I started to use after the breakouts started to happen a few months ago! I honestly don’t know if it’s just meant to be a spot treatment but I put a thin layer all over my face where breakouts used to be every night. It really, really, really works. Or at least it worked for me. After only a week of using this my breakouts were completely gone! It seems a little more gentle than other acne products on the market and doesn’t contain parabens, which is obviously important.

Shiseido WrinkleResist 24 – I use this most nights…most nights when I remember, that is. I’ve had it for over a year and still have some left in the jar so you can tell a little really does go a long way. I don’t really see results from using it but I just feel like I SHOULD be using an eye cream now that I’ll be turning 30 next year. Who knows. When the little jar is up I probably won’t buy more (it’s expensive)  — I’ll look for a cheaper natural option. I hear coconut oil works great.

Effaclar Gel Cleanser – part of the line I got when my face started freaking out. I like this cleanser and use it at night. It’s strong (don’t get it in your eyes!) but seems to work well.

Effaclar astringent “lotion” – this is a toner. I use it in the morning with a cotton ball. I like it!

Temple Spa “Be Still” lotion – my favorite face lotion, ever. I use this morning and night and just love it. It’s silky smooth but doesn’t leave any oily residue at all. It smells wonderful and is all natural. Can’t say enough good things about this one.

Rosewater Spray – I spray this all over my face numerous times a day. I started using it when I was pregnant and felt super icky in the first trimester. It obviously smells great and is very refreshing. I’ve been using this 8 oz bottle for a year now and still have some left so a little goes a long way!