Skincare Favorites - My Road to Better Skin

I've never had great skin. While my acne has never been terrible, I am prone to getting large cystic acne on my chin. Think giant, hard to cover, painful cysts that stick around for a week or more and once they finally disappear, they leave my skin angry and red for at least another month. Over the years, I've tried SO many products! But have never found a combination that truly suited me and allowed me to see actual results. Recently, I've changed up my skincare routine and am well on the road to better skin! I've never been confident enough to go with out makeup, embarrassed by the way my bare face looked, but with this skincare routine, I finally feel comfortable and confident in my own skin, and dare I say actually prefer my face without makeup? 

While I received a few of these products for free, a post was not required. These are products I HONESTLY love and will continue to re-purchase and use time and time again. I can't tell you how amazing it feels to feel so confident about my skin after years of feeling insecure and I can't recommend these products enough! 

One of the best changes I have made to my skincare routine is using TULA products. I am a big believer in including probiotics in your diet, so why not include them in your skincare routine? TULA is all about balance, combining high quality ingredients with probiotics and I have noticed a huge change in my skin since making the switch! Get 20% of HERE. 

 Probiotic Purifying Face Cleanser: I have tried multiple face washes over the years, and this is by far my favorite! My skin feels extremely soft after using this and I love that my face doesn't feel tight or dried out after washing it. 

Pro-Glycolic Resurfacing Gel: I use this right after washing my face. It combines probiotics with gylcolic acid to restore your skin's pH. Since using this, I have noticed my skin is much smoother. 

Probiotic Volume Defense Deep Wrinkle Serum: I have been looking for a good serum to prevent wrinkles for sometime. I use this on my forehead and the lines around my nose and mouth. 

Revitalizing Eye Cream: Waking up at 5am often leaves me with tired eyes. Using this revitalizing eye cream has become one of my favorite parts of my morning routine. I pat this around my eyes and it tingles ever so slightly, waking me up and leaving me feeling more refreshed. Bye bye tired eyes!  

Multi-Spectrum Eye Renewal Serum: There is nothing better than using this eye serum after a long day. The metal tip has a cooling effect that helps ease those tired puffy eyes. I've noticed a definite difference when I wake up as my under eye area is noticeably less puffy. 

Hydrating Day and Night Cream: This cream is one of my favorite TULA products. It is the perfect consistency between light and heavy and a little goes a long way. I love how soft it leaves my skin, but without feeling greasy or oily. 

Exfoliating Treatment Mask: After a long day of work, this mask is my go to. It hardens on your skin and to take it off you massage slow circles letting it gently exfoliate your face. My skin feels SO good after using this! 

I have always heard amazing things about Caudalie, but hadn't tried it until this summer, and boy am I hooked! Caudalie products are filled with natural ingredients that pack a punch. Many of their products leave my skin feeling like I've just spent the day at the spa. It's a luxurious treat welcome after a long day! 

Concentrated Brightening Essence: I use this before putting any other product on my face and I notice a definite difference. Before using, I felt that my skin looked dull after showering. This product is lightweight and not only leaves my skin looking brighter, but it also plumps and illuminates. It also smells amazing! 

Radiance Serum: This product is a miracle worker. One of my all time favorite products, this radiance serum really evens out my skin tone, making dark spots appear lighter. I have noticed a huge difference in my skin since using this product. It's a bit pricey but SO worth the splurge! 

Overnight Detox Oil: I put this on before bed and wake up feeling refreshed. The first few times I used this, my husband complimented me on how great my skin looked in the morning...something I never felt was true before using this oil. Use this product before bed and it works magic over night as it regenerates, detoxifies and smooths out lines by morning! 

Moisturizing Matifying Fluid: For those days I don't feel like wearing makeup, I count on this product to keep me looking fresh all day. This weightless lotion moisturizes and has an amazing matifying effect, keeping my skin oil free all day! I used it multiple times during the summer and was amazed at how great my skin looked after a hot, sweaty day moving furniture in my classroom! 

Moisturizing Sorbet Cream: A creamy lightweight consistency that hydrates your skin without leaving you feeling oily. I also love the smell! 

Instant Detox Mask: This is the perfect mask for sensitive skin! I love the clay texture and love how soft and smooth my skin looks and feels after using it! 

Beauty Elixir: As one of Caudalie's best sellers, I have quickly become hooked on this product! This is the perfect refresher to not only set makeup, but to tone skin and tighten pores. I use a spritz or two a few times a day and love the smell! It is the perfect pick me up for a quick skin refresh that leaves my skin looking and feeling radiant! It also helps keep my makeup in place all day! 

Colleen Rothschild combines simple ingredients to create luxurious products that lead to seeing results. I love how radiant my skin looks after using Colleen Rothschild products! 

Colleen Rothschild Radiant Cleansing Balm: I LOVE this balm!! This product is perfect for deep cleaning and nourishing your skin! The consistency of this balm reminds me of vaseline. I take a dime size and rub it between my hands before applying it to my face. It removes ALL of my makeup (even stubborn eye makeup) and leaves my face feeling clean and smooth. This has become one of my must haves!

Clarifying Detox Mask: This is the perfect mask for clearing up pesky cystic acne without drying out your skin. This has worked wonders for my chin, which is acne prone. Since using the detox mask, I've noticed my skin is smoother and I have had less breakouts. I also love the cool feeling this mask gives when on!

Face Oil N°9: This oil is amazing! While it is pricey, it is worth every penny. I love how this makes my skin look and feel. It hydrates without leaving your skin oily or greasy and leaves my face looking glowy. It's the perfect way to pamper yourself and I love that it has definitely attributed to my new confidence in going makeup free!

Mario Badescu Drying Lotion: As mentioned above, I get cystic acne one my chin. With this drying lotion, whenever I feel one coming on, I dab a small amount of this on the spot with a q-tip. The next day the spot is GONE. For those pesky cysts that make their way to the surface of my skin, this product is a must. Usually, those cysts hang out for a couple of weeks, but with the drying lotion, they are gone in a matter of days (or overnight). 

Makeup Forever Primer: My favorite primer! I love the hydrating one (pictured above) and the mattifying option. Both help keep my makeup in place all day! 

Bare Minerals Bare Pro Foundation: This is my new favorite foundation. While I received this foundation for free, I will definitely be purchasing it again! This foundation has been a miracle worker for my sensitive skin! I have been a Bare Minerals fan forever, and am loving this new liquid foundation. It is lightweight, but has an instant matte finish. It's not oily or greasy and stays on my face ALL day. This is a particularly big deal for me at work as I feel like my makeup has always melted off or pooled in my T-Zone after a long day at work (I swear it's the flourescent lights...this never happens unless it's a school day!), but with this foundation that doesn't happen. For me, this truly is a full day/full coverage foundation and I love it! 

Invisibobble Hair Ties: While not a skin product, I have to rave about these hair ties! These are perfect for throwing your hair up. If you go a few days between washes, they are a must! Put your hair in a pony or bun without leaving creases. They also prevent slipping. I love that I can throw my hair in a bun without having to worry about pieces coming loose!

Mario Badescu Rosewater Spray: Every girl needs this spray in her life! A spritz or two of this will brighten your skin and leave you feeling refreshed. It doesn't hurt that it smells AMAZING! 

Vanity Planet Palette Brush Collection: I'm pretty picky about my makeup brushes, so when I received these I was skeptical, but I've quickly become obsessed! This collection includes 15 brushes for all of your makeup needs and they are EXTREMELY soft. I love the pouch they come in as well which is convenient for storage and organization.  

Now I know these aren't really skincare products, but they definitely deserve and honorable mention! LONDONTOWN polishes are my FAVORITE. I don't know what it is about these, but they make me feel like a professional when I do my nails. Usually I am terrible at doing my nails, getting the polish everywhere or smudging at least 5 fingers, but my nails actually look pretty fantastic when I paint them using these! I start with the Nail Hardener and Base Coat that preps the nails, followed by a gorgeous polish (so many colors to choose from) and topped off with the Gel Genius Top Coat. Any smudges can instantly be fixed with the Instant Smudge Fix, that is truly a miracle worker when it comes to smudged nails. Unlike regular polish, this polish is long lasting, giving me up to a week of fabulous looking nails. I am usually a repeat customer at my nail salon, but actually haven't been in THREE MONTHS because I've been loving doing my nails myself! 

Shop the Post 

2 Simple Link-Up ‘Rules’

1. Follow your hosts on Bloglovin’: The Red Closet Diary & Twenties Girl Style

2. Link back to our site from your post!

An InLinkz Link-up