I try more skincare products than makeup, but unlike makeup, I cannot try my luck with any brand/any product when it comes to my skin. I have combination-oily skin, prone to break-outs easily, and reacts to products faster than the normal average - reacts badly, that is! All that means, I tend to play safe and stick to products that I find work for me. I am still searching for the ideal shampoo-conditioner combo, but I think I am on my way to finding my ideal Cleanse-Tone-Moisturize package.
These are some of the skincare products I tried and loved/found interesting through the year. I have only listed the ones I have reviewed. Click on the names for review/more info.
I got Shiseido The Skincare Extra Gentle Cleansing Foam as a sample. I never did buy the full-size version of this because I kept trying out other brands to review. This is the best soap-based cleanser I have tried - EVER. It's just a regular face wash, and I always thought that any facewash is okay - how much difference can it make? This made my skin squeaky clean but never dry or stretched or tight, yet it was never oily, and there was no residue on my face. Another plus point with the
Shiseido Skincare Extra Gentle Cleansing Foam is that I need lesser product than the usual face washes.
The best soap-free cleanser, I think. I use the
Kama Mridul Soap-Free Cleanser as a mild, daily scrub that I use after washing my face first with a gentle soap-based cleanser. The
Kama Mridul Cleanser gives super smooth, soft skin, does not dry the skin, but does not make it oily either. It did not look there was a lot of product in the cute small steel container it was packed in, but I have been using this regularly for a long time now, and I am nowhere near finishing the product.
My pick for a toner for summers/days when my skin is just its usual oily-confused state, the Clinique Clarifying Lotion 2 is an alcohol-based toner. I was in a no-alcohol-in-skincare phase, and I would ideally prefer to have great skin with no alcohol, but that's not happening and I have learned to compromise :) The Clarifying Lotion has also been great at getting rid of the permanent-resident blackheads, so you could use it just on the T-zone, blackhead/acne-prone areas.
A softener, unlike a toner, works to dampen your skin and allows the moisturizer to soak in better. That's how
Shiseido The Skincare Hydrobalancing Softener works. It's a cleanser-toner/softener-moisturizer. I use this on days when my skin feels dry and stretchy. I live in Bangalore, and we have days when its gets very dry and cold, generally around winter time. Blessed as I am with combination skin, it means that I start to get a parched-dry feeling on my cheeks and forehead. I skip a toner, and switch over to a softener on such days. This is alcohol-free.
Shiseido Pureness Mattifying Moisturizer
This is my HG moisturizer for the summers. I will never ever try anything else until I get old enough for my skin to move into the dry-mature category. The
Shiseido Pureness Mattifying Moisturizer works great for my skin, moisturizes my skin, but has absolutely no oil. It also has a very fine mattifying powder in it that soaks up any extra oiliness. Though this mattifying moisturizer is a better product for summer than winters, using this with a nourishing softener balances things out.
The
Neutrogena Fine Fairness Deep Whitening mask is the first sheet mask I tried, and I love how easy it is to use. Just open the sheet and spread over face, wait for 10-15 minutes or as per directions on the package, take off and massage any residual product into the skin. I did not buy this for "getting fairer skin" was hoping it would work on blemishes on my face. It does brighten the skin but no "skin whitening" effect. It has a slight drying effect on my skin, but I have oily skin so that's a plus point for me.
It's a peel-off face mask, so of course I love it :D That apart, the Himalaya
Herbals Almond and Cucumber Peel-Off Mask actually made my skin look fresher and cleaner. It's inexpensive and easily available. What's not to like about this one?!!
Quite unlike my face, the rest of my body has really dry and sensitive skin. I love using heavy, greasy body butters from Lush and TBS, but the
Dream Cream moisturizer is my absolute favorite. Meant for dry-itchy skins, it has a bit of a herbal smell and is filled with soothing oils to calm the skin. Unlike the usual Lush products, the perfume/fragrance is very toned down because it's meant for sensitive skins. I like
Dream Cream because though it is a light moisturizer and can be used in summers, it's moisturizing enough for the dry winter days here.
Lush Dream Cream is also my facial moisturizer for the winters.