My 6 favorite skin care products

I wish I was more fancy with my skin care routine, but alas, I am not. I am not a beauty blogger. I don’t have “extensive” knowledge about beauty products and, like most of us (I would assume), I have been switching and trying new products ever since puberty. 

I go through phases where I am totally into all things skincare, I research and read up on brands and search for beauty blogs and recommendations from other bloggers. Then, I fall into my old habits and just stick with what I know.

I know some people drop a pretty penny on high-end skincare products, but I don’t have that kind of money, so I sometimes splurge on something really nice, but I also use a lot of drugstore products (and some of them are pretty good, IMHO).

Here are 6 products I actually use:

Micellar Water – I use Garnier All-in-1 Micellar Water* facial cleanser and waterproof makeup remover first in the evenings to get the grime and makeup off my face. It works in a pinch by itself, but I like to follow up with a foaming facial  cleanser.

Facial Cleanser – My go to is the Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Facial Cleanser*. I have tried other cleansers  in between, but this one is gentle, it leaves my skin soft and hydrated and doesn’t make me break out.  What else would you want from a cleanser? 

Moisturizer – I use St.Ives Timeless Moisturizer for sensitive skin* at night and the Aveeno Hydrate and Protect SPF 50 Sunscreen* during the day (for the SPF, of course). I love both of them and have been repurchasing them, without going to something different, for at least 2-3 times now. Don’t change what ain’t  broken.

C-Serum –  I’ve been using the Ole Henriksen Truth Serum* for brighter, healthier skin underneath my moisturizer and makeup in the morning. By itself, it can feel a little drying right after application, but I love the citrus scent and it works well underneath my moisturizer.

Exfoliant (once or twice a month) – The Dermalogica Multi-Vitamin Therafoliant* was recommended during my  last facial (which was over a year ago), but I’ve been using this every other week and really like it. It’s a great exfoliant, it makes my skin feel soft and makes it look fresh and clean.

Save for the last two products, these are all drugstore brands. If I am blown away by something fancier, I am willing to invest occasionally, but most of the time when I’ve tried more expensive brands in the past, they didn’t really live up to the hype and I went back to my drugstore products.

As always, I love to hear what you’re using, where to splurge and where to save in the skincare department. Leave your recommendations in the comments, please & thank you.


* #notanad, This is not a sponsored post. I have not been compensated by the brand or anyone else for linking the websites.

  1. Im awful about skin care, but went to a friends Mary Kay party and picked up few things that I love. The facial cleanser and day moisturizer are my fav. I love Micellar water. Its the only think that takes my brow ink off :) Thanks for the reminder that I need to go wash my face and do it more often! LOL . Have a wonderful week San!

    1. I have not heard much about the Mary Kay products – is it solely sold through parties?

  2. I made the switch to Beauty Counter products this summer. They are definitely not cheap but I find that I need to use very very little of the products each day so I think they will last quite awhile. I’m trying to avoid things like phthalates and parabens as they can be hormone disruptors. I learned more about how to clean up my skin care routine by listening to a podcast called “Crunchy Cocktail Hour” which is hosted by 2 moms, one of which is super crunchy in terms of avoiding chemicals, plastic, etc etc. I decided to go with BC products because they don’t have phthalates and parabens, among other things. I am sure there are less expensive products that don’t have those things but it’s nice to just use a line that I know is safe for me. I didn’t really care about things like this until I had Paul but once I had a baby, I became so much more particular about what I expose him to. I’ve been really happy with the line of products i bought from beauty counter. I use some of their make up products in addition to their skincare line for acne-prone skin.

    You have great skin so what you are doing is working! I have terrible acne-prone skin so it’s hard for me to find the right products!

    1. I’ve heard good things about Beauty Counter and would definitely like to try some of their products sometime. Is there anything that you recommend to try first? I am definitely with you on finding more products that are not ladden with chemicals!

  3. I love micellar water. I use it to take my makeup off. I try lots of different brands of things too but I love Aveeno, it seems to work well for my sensitive skin.

    1. Love to hear someone else loves Aveeno. :)

  4. Ooh I might need to try that cleanser. I tend to use whatever my mom or sister has used, but I’ve definitely found some good products in the past from magazines and other bloggers. I don’t really splurge on anything too much though because I’m not a huge beauty/makeup person. I like drugstore prices! LOL

    -Lauren

    1. That cleanser is really my holy grail so far. Let me know if you try it how you like it!

  5. I truly don’t have any loyalty to skincare products, haha. I get a lot of samples in my Sephora PLAY! box so I use those most of the time. And while I’ve found some good products, most are so expensive that I can’t bring myself to buy the full-size version. I need to switch to micellar water for taking off my makeup – I use makeup wipes, which is not very environmentally friendly! I don’t feel as if micellar water gets my face as clean as a makeup wipe, but maybe I should give it another try!

    1. I recommend the 3-in-1 micellar water, as it specifically says it’s a waterproof makeup remover – it’s definitely better than other “regular” ones that I have tried.

  6. I’ve never had a makeup remover take everything off so I always follow up with a good cleanser too. I also wish I could tell my younger self that moisturizer is IMPORTANT even though I had great skin. I have weird crepe like skin under my eyes already and I’m like- WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING. Sign. Hello, age.

    1. Oh yeah, moisturizing.. I wish I had been more diligent in my 20’s about it, but you live and learn ;)

  7. I am too cheap to by myself fancy skin care products and also tend to drugstore stuff. However I started asking as presents for more expensive products. I am happy to get them but don’t have to buy them. Also I am always using a hyaluron serum – it’s the stuff that keeps wrinkles away and is natural booster. When we get older the body can’t produce hyaluron anymore and we look more tired and wrinkled.

  8. I’m not loyal to a lot of products, but I live and die by the Trader Joe’s Daily Moisturizer with SPF. It’s $3.99, fragrance free, and lightweight/non-greasy. It’s a perfect daily moisturizer!

    I like the LilyAna Naturals line on Amazon. I use the Retinol cream, Eye Cream, and Vitamin C serum. They’re not insanely expensive, and are often on lightning deal or deal of the day for an even lower price.

    I’ve found some amazing high end skin care at Marshall’s/TJ Maxx. They carry really high end stuff for a fraction of the price, so I’ll often pick something up when I’m there just to experiment. It also feels like a splurge but I pay so much less :-)

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