The Skincare Products I Can’t Live Without

Illustrations by Kimberlee Watson

Hey friends, how was your weekend? Blake and I had an especially relaxing couple of days…watched some Netflix shows (we got sucked into the Dirty Money vortex and it was SO. GOOD. Highly recommend!), enjoyed time with both of our families and spent lots of quality time with Watson. It was one of those much needed, therapeutic weekends over here! When the week feels overwhelming and hectic, it’s always so nice to step back, recenter and focus on what’s important in life…which for me is always my relationships (Blake, family, puppers).

Buuuut just like that, it’s back to Monday. A fresh week filled with a lengthy to-do list and I haven’t even finished my coffee yet…ah! In the midst of all the crazy, there is one thing I can rely on to feel at ease and even a little pampered…and that is my favorite skincare products.

A little background info on my skin: I’ve always been a little oily in my T-zone area – from adolescence to now, so using oil-based products on my face seemed out of the question. But then about a year ago I started noticing some crinkle lines under my eyes (“smile lines” we’ll call them 😉 ) and I immediately jumped on that extra hydrating, anti-aging band wagon. As a teen, I was a tried and true Proactiv user (I became a “regular” at the kiosk in our local mall, ha!) and it really did help keep my skin in check as my hormones went bonkers during my teen years. Into my 20s, the adolescent acne subsided but I was so programmed to think my skin couldn’t handle any extra moisture that I stuck with good ‘ol soap and water for a very long time. It wasn’t until about a year and a half ago that a PR agency sent me some sample products of a bunch of different skincare brands that I decided to give the extra hydrating eye creams and oils a try. And you know what? I’ve never looked back (…and my face has never felt better…and my bank account has never hated me more, haha!).

All that said, I wanted to share six amazing skincare products I use either daily, nightly or every few days…and that I am seriously OBSESSED with! Let’s get to it…

1. DermAppeal by Skinn Microdermabrasion Treatment (use twice a week) – my mom is probably the most loyal QVC/HSN shopper you’ll ever meet (no honestly, my mother LOVES her some TV shopping networks!)…and I am thankful for it because it led me to DermAppeal. My mom got my sister and I a starter set of facial cleanser, lip scrub and face cream over the summer and the one thing that I can’t get enough of is the cleanser. It has little beads and exfoliators that really open up my pores and get off all the dead skin, but it leaves my face feeling super hydrated (…and it smells like peppermint!). I use this twice a week and it has made such a difference!

2. Kiehl’s Tumeric & Cranberry Seed Energizing Masque (use once/twice a week) – a PR agency sent me a sample of this amazing clay mask and I have been hooked ever since. I finish every day with a hot bubble bath, lathered up in the mask and reach for my book or the latest Anthropologie catalog to hit our mailbox. This is also a great mask to start your day…it exfoliates, opens up the pores and “energizes” your skin (…according to the label), and I have to agree!

3. Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream (use daily) – the #1 thing I can’t live without on this list is THIS FACE CREAM! It is super lightweight but really moisturizing, and doesn’t leave a weird residue on my skin. I’ll use this after soap/water, mask or my DermAppeal exfoliating cleanser. When my jar is running low, I stop everything and get to Nords to restock this baby!

4. La Mer Eye Concentrate (use morning/night) – When I worked at Nordstrom back in college and the store was super dead, my co-workers and I would hit up the La Mer station and fill up countless sample containers with all the latest eye creams. These products are expensive, that’s for sure, but ohhh my goodness did I feel like a queen putting on my eye cream with a silver spoon (…that’s how we were told to apply La Mer…aaaand now you can envision me in my crappy college apartment, feet swollen from standing all day, in my mismatching pj’s and putting a cereal spoon in a tiny eye cream sample). Fast forward to my late 20s and who is drinking the La Mer coolaid, using this cream daily and legit LOVING it? Yep…same girl in her mismatching pi’s…only now I am buying this stuff and using the silver applicator in the package! Life is short – buy the eye cream that makes you feel like a queen.

5. Weleda Sensitive Skin Facial Oil (use nightly) – I am such a fan of this brand because they use plant-based products and their mission is all natural everything. Of course a goal should be to put less chemicals on our faces, and it’s refreshing to use a natural brand that really works wonders. I remove my makeup with this yummy oil by wetting a cotton ball, then add a generous amount to the damp cotton ball and rub it over my eyes and face. My makeup is gone instantly and my skin is left feel SO good and dewy. After I splash a little water over my face, I’ll put a few more drops of this around my eyes and on my cheeks before bed.

6. Proactiv Skin Purifying Mask (use as needed) – my teenage self would have been so disappointed if I fully gave up Proactiv in my skincare repertoire! 😉 Which is why I SWEAR BY and still LOVE this mask as a spot treatment for blemishes, well into my 20s! Once a month I’ll get a really angry “alien baby” (that’s what we call them in my friend group) that pops up deep under the skin on my chin…same spot, every month. The cure? Add a dab of this mask as a spot treatment overnight until the pimple goes away (…or lays dormant until next month, ah!).

And there you have it! My skincare favorites that I can’t seem to function without…! What are some of your must-have facial care products? Tell me in a comment below. 🙂 Have a wonderful week, XO!

1. DermAppeal by Skinn Microdermabrasion Treatment / 2. Kiehl’s Tumeric & Cranberry Seed Energizing Masque / 3. Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream / 4. La Mer Eye Concentrate / 5. Weleda Sensitive Skin Facial Oil / 6. Proactiv Skin Purifying Mask