New year, new skincare routine. It’s time we revamped our routine and paid better attention to how we want to take care of our skin. There are a lot of bad products out there, so we need to understand which products really are good for our bodies vs. which are claiming to be. To properly collect this information, I spent 2019 trying out new (or new to me) products to optimize my process and bring a better skincare routine into 2020. These are four of my favorite products from 2019 that I believe are going to be clutch going into the new year.
Mamonde – Calming Hydro Sleeping Mask
A South Korean skincare and cosmetics brand, Mamonde opened in the United States in 2015. They offer a range of makeup and skin care products with a unique take: flowers. Flowers such as camellia, lotus, and jasmine are used as ingredients in their products. Mamonde infuses flowers into their products to, according to their website, convey “the amazing vitality and flowering energy of flowers in its products.” Because plants create their own powerful energy despite the rough environments they live in, Mamonde began studying them to learn about their “vitality and hidden benefits for the skin.” Even all the way down to their name, which means ‘My World’ in French, Mamonde is about helping women blossom.
I recommend this product, because it helps keep my skin hydrated through the night without making it feel oily or sticky. The last thing I want when going to bed is to have my facial products feel like they’re going to leave residue on my pillow. One of the big draw-ins for me with this product is that, after it is applied, it is quickly absorbed into your skin. It doesn’t leave any oils like facial lotions often do, so I don’t have to worry about greasy my pillowcase when going to bed. Instead, it leaves my face feeling refreshed and hydrated.
Since we aren’t drinking water or actively hydrating in other ways while sleeping, our skin can dry out at night. It’s important to keep our face and body hydrated even when we’re sleeping. Otherwise, we have to work way harder to stay hydrated during the sixteen or so hours a day where we aren’t sleeping. Staying hydrated while we sleep helps us jumpstart our routine and makes sure we wake up feeling healthy and refreshed.
Mario Badescu – Lip Balm
With a philosophy of “simple, gentle, and effective,” Mario Badescu always aims for quality skin care. According to their website, they utilize “soothing botanicals, fresh fruit extracts, and other natural ingredients.” Utilizing rosewater, aloe, cucumber, green tea, lavender, and more, Mario Badescu aims to infuse their products with fresh and natural elements that will help your skin flourish. The lip balm has a few different flavors: regular, rose, and mint. I’m specifically recommending the regular option as I have not yet tried the rose and mint. Perfect for keeping your lips moisturized, this lip balm uses cocoa butter, coconut oil, shea butter, and more to help your lips stay soft throughout the day. A little goes a long way with this lip balm, so one squeeze tube will last you a long time, guaranteeing you’re set for the whole winter, no matter how cold it gets.
This coconut oil-infused lip balm has been an absolute savior for me this winter. I decided to try it out after hearing all this hype for the brand, and boy, did it live up to expectations. I often apply it directly before bed and wake up in the morning with my lips still soft and smooth. Unlike other lip balms, it doesn’t feel tacky on my lips. I actually forget I have it on which helps me keep it on for longer.
We all know long hair and windy weather are such a bad combo and that you always end up with hair sticking to your lips. With just a bit of this lip balm, you can keep your lips soft while alleviating that issue. For a hardworking lip balm that keeps your lips soft and moisturized while avoiding that tacky and gross glossy feeling, I recommend the Mario Badescu lip balm.
Dickinson’s – Enhanced Witch Hazel
With witch hazel, a plant whose leaf, bark, and twigs are often used in a variety of medicines and natural topical remedies, as their main ingredient, Dickinson’s Enhanced Witch Hazel is an amazing astringent that helps keep your skin clean and clear. Dickinson’s describes their process as creating “all-natural witch hazel-based skincare products [that] gently cleanse, tone, and refresh to purify all skin types.” This product primes the skin, cleansing it of dirt and excessive oils that were not removed through face wash. Offering both original and enhanced witch hazel (with three options: deep cleansing astringent, hydrating toner, and energizing astringent), Dickinson’s has options to fit each skin type and need. They’re also an environmentally friendly company that works to positively impact the environment through eco-friendly manufacturing processes and sustainable growth of witch hazel plants.
I tried witch hazel because of its benefits in deep cleaning the skin. I use it before bed and after working out. What I really like about this product is you can see the dirt and makeup coming off your skin that you couldn’t remove when you washed your face. My skin feels especially gross after I work out, and this helps with clean up and making me feel comfortable after sweating a ton. I have combination skin and deal with issues of dryness and oiliness, so it’s hard to find products, especially cleansers, that don’t make my skin dry out or feel too oily. Dickinson’s Witch Hazel works well for all skin types. For me, it keeps my skin feeling just dry enough that it isn’t oily but also isn’t flaky. I recommend Dickinson’s Enhanced Witch Hazel for a facial deep clean that you won’t get just by washing. It keeps your skin feeling refreshed and clear.
Olay – Mist Ultimate Hydration Essence
Perfect for a mid-day boost, Olay Mist Ultimate Hydration Essence helps refresh and wake up tired skin on a hard day. With Vitamin C, Bergamot, and Vitamin B3, this mist leaves your face feeling radiant and hydrated. Vitamin C helps brighten your skin, Bergamot helps energize and refresh, and Vitamin B3 helps improve skin’s appearance and health, according to Olay, by retaining moisture and hydration and protecting from pollution and weather. With this mist, a quick spritz is all it takes to wake you up and make you feel refreshed so you can get through your day.
I use a few different mists (my other main brand for mists is Mario Badescu), but this one really takes the cake for a mid-day refresh. This mist is perfect for when I hit post-lunch time, and my skin feels like I’ve somehow managed to become 90% oil. It makes my skin feel clean again as well as hydrated and refreshed and helps zap all the oil, so I can touch my keyboard without seeing visible oil marks.
I cannot emphasize enough how just how hydrating it feels. It’s like jumping into a cool pool in the middle of summer without leaving me feeling drenched. But it’s not just a mid-day mister, I also use this at the start of the day when my skin is feeling pretty dry in order hydrate it in lieu of lotion. Unlike many mists, it has a gentle spray, so I truly feel like I’m being misted, not hit by a hose. Overall, I recommend Olay Mist Ultimate Hydration Essence because it helps my combination skin feel clean and hydrated whether I’m dealing with excess oil or dryness and perks me up for the perfect start to my day or after-lunch pick-me-up.
I’m focused on keeping my skin hydrated and refreshed this year. What products are you bringing with you into 2020?