Best of Beauty 2016 | Skincare

As promised, I'm back with Part 2 of my Best of Beauty picks for 2016 - this time focusing on skincare. As the avid skincare junkie we all know I am, picking out products for this post was incredibly HARD - like borderline impossible. If I were able to literally choose alllllll my favourite skincare products for the past year we could quite possibly be here till 2018 (and nobody really wants that now do we...) So, with that being said I have limited myself to choosing products that I had only tried in 2016 and no earlier and somehow I have managed to round it off at a single digit number - round of applause pretty please. So without further adieu, my Best of Beauty Skincare products for 2016.

I have probably said this time and time again, but thanks to my good friend named acne I have always been adamant about a good and proper skincare routine. As a result, I am all about that double cleansing life and properly removing all traces of make-up/gunk/junk/grime/gross from my skin.

I pretty much have always been a micellar water girl until half way through 2016 where I discovered this wonderful thing called oil cleansing. Since then, my weapon of choice has been Dermalogica PreCleanse*.  If you have yet to try oil cleansing, this is where I recommend you start out. Quite literal to its name, PreCleanse is essentially your first step in your cleansing regime, say before your usual gel or milk cleanser. Thanks to this oil based formula, my skin has never felt so clean until I after I used this baby - and I am telling I will never go back to my PreCleanse days. Not only does this dissolve all traces of my make-up, it leaves my skin feeling soft and hydrated but not greasy, uber clean and also allows me to give my face a nice little massage every evening. I highly, highly recommend that you at least try this once - you will thank me later.

After finishing up with my PreCleanse, I have been reaching for this Griffin+Row Cleanse* Cream Cleanser both morning and night. I am not usually one to opt for this type of cleanser (I usually pefer gels) but this has such a lovely texture and scent, and not mention is packed with so many natural skin loving ingredients like aloe vera leaf juice, lavender oil, pink grapefruit oil, bergamot oil, sweet orange oil and grapefruit seed extract. This leaves my skin feeling refreshed, gently cleansed and incredibly smooth. I have actually almost finished this (sadly!) and I will definitely pick up another once it is done.

Next up is toning, and depending on how my skin is feeling I have either been reaching for the Z Cosmetics Lush Enzyme Toner* or the First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads. Both are absolutely fabulous for oily and blemish prone skin, with the FAB Pads focusing more on exfoliation and the Z Cosmetics Toner on balancing the skin. The Z Cosmetics Lush Enzyme Toner is a facial mist that I would spritz 2-3 times all over my face and allow to dry before continuing with my normal routine. This product claims to be an anti-inflammatory toner that works remove bacteria from the skin and prevented unwanted blemishes - and I have to say, I wholeheartedly agree. I definitely saw a difference in my skin texture and overall appearance when using this. I didn't get as much blemishes and generally my skin felt a lot clearer, cleaner and decongested. On the other side of things, the FAB pads are great for a deeper exfoliation as they contain the ever popular (and my personal faves) AHA's Lactic and Glycolic Acid. These pads leave my skin feeling soft, refreshed and with a little extra glow.

In terms of hydration I have really been loving the Trilogy Rosehip Oil Light Blend and QLabo Eauphoria Complete Moisture Treatment*. I am a dedicated and loyal fan to Rosehip Oil (and probably always will be) and this Trilogy one in particular has been my most reached for this past year, especially in the warmer weather as I find my usual pick just a tad to heavy on the skin. This Rosehip Oil in particular is a 'lighter blend' so to speak as it is formulated with not only Rosehip Oil but a combination of other oils such as Jojoba Oil, Grape Seed Oil, Tomato Seed Oil and Cranberry Oil - all really amazing oils that help to regulate oil production and blemishes.  I find this soaks into the skin really quickly and leaves my skin looking and feeling incredibly hydrated, smooth and most importantly NOT oily come morning time.

The QLabo Treatment I found to be especially amazing over the cooler months. It is almost gel like in texture, and works to lock hydration deep within the skin layers. While it kept my skin moisturised and plump it didn't have a heavy or greasy feeling about it at all - and best of all it is perfect for all skin types, including sensitive and oily skin.

As a face mask devotee, no skincare post would really be complete without one. As you can see, my poor battered up Dermalogica Charcoal Rescue Masque* was by far my top pick - I mean, I am literally scrapping out every last drop that I can get, and if that isn't love I don't know what is. I spoke about this in my post about the best face masks for oily and congested skin, but just briefly this is my favourite mask for when my skin is feeling pretty blah and just plain gross, greasy and congested. This baby is a regular feature in my Friday night activities aka pamper sesh - because what else would I be doing on a Friday night right...

Lastly, my most reached for hand cream this past year was the Mecca Cosmetica Hands On Transforming Hand Cream. I received this as a Beauty Loop Birthday Gift early 2016 and I have literally have not stopped using it since. It has such an amazing scent and texture, and just adds a really nice step to an evening routine before jumping into bed. Also part of my evening routine is to spritz a bit of the Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Multi-Purpose Dry Oil all over my arms and legs and sometimes in the ends of my hair - the smell, my gosh I will never get over how much I love it! I included both these products in my Winter Beauty Survival Kit here, so if you want to read a bit more about these two definitely give that a read! 

Whew! That FINALLY concludes my Best of Beauty 2016 posts - we made it team! If you missed it, you can read all my make-up picks here.  

Did you spot any of your faves? Have you tried any of these products? Let me know below!

Chantalle x

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*These products were provided for consideration of a review, but it does not impact my thoughts or opinions. For more information please read my disclaimer policy here.