Since we are now officially in 2014 it’s time for 2013 beauty favourites. 2013 was a good year for discovering new amazing products. Here are a couple of my absolute favourites from last year. These are my staple products: products I have repurchased and will continue to buy in the future.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar K 30ml
The Effaclar range has been raved about in 2013. While most beauty gurus and bloggers recommend Effaclar Duo I have been using Effaclar K – for combination to oily skin. This amazing moisturiser/treatment exfoliates your skin helping to prevent breakouts and imperfections. Although it’s designed to be a treatment and, in theory, you should not use it as your daily moisturiser, I have used it every day between March-November of 2013. My favourite thing about it is that it provides a great base for makeup and mattifies my skin. It’s also paraben-free.
MAC Cleanse Off Oil
This is my second full size bottle of this product. It’s perfect for removing eye makeup without having to rub your eyes or use cotton pads. It’s very gentle and doesn’t irritate my eyes. I’m a big fan of cleansing oils and also use the DHC Cleansing Oil. However, the MAC one is much better at getting rid of eyeliner, concealer and mascara.
Antipodes Avocado Pear Nourishing Night Cream 60ml
I got a sample of this cream last year during an anti-aging beauty show and fell in love. This makes my skin so soft. I will be posting a full review of it soon. It’s paraben-free.
KMS California, Free Shape 200ml
I have used two bottles of this product already – this is my third. I was given a sample over a year ago and have been using this blow drying lotion ever since. I wrote about Free Shape in my April 2013 haul post (here). It conditions my hair, doesn’t weigh them down and shortens drying time. I have tried a fair number of similar products and this is the only one I liked. I will be posting a review of some of them in 2014.
Lush Cynthia Sylvia Stout Shampoo 250ml
I love Lush and love this shampoo. I got this after my first Yuko when a hair stylist told me my hair is very damaged and dry. I decided to start using a gentler shampoo and found this one. It has stout, cognac, lemon juice, sea salt, yeasts and balsamic vinegar in it. It smells divine, lathers well and really conditions my hair. This is my second large bottle and I will continue to use this product for a very long time.
Blend Collective Sandalwood, Frankincense, Cedarwood and Neroli hand cream 75ml
I am completely obsessed with this Blend Collective hand cream. It has won a number of awards and is now available at Wholefoods as well as online. Blend Collective is a relatively unknown brand but their hand creams are amazing. The best thing about this one is the scent. Sandalwood and frankincense are two of my favourite fragrances and this product combines them really well.
Laboratories Filorga Paris Optim-Eyes 15ml
I have been raving about Filorga for a while. It is my absolute favourite anti-aging brand with years of expertise in aesthetic medicine and fantastic products. It’s no surprise that Optim Eyes is my favourite eye cream. You can read a full review here.
Kielh’s Rare Earth Pore Cleansing Masque 142g
It’s a white clay and oatmeal purifying and pore cleansing mask which in my opinion is as good as or better than Glam Glow products. It leaves the skin really clean and reduces the appearance of pores. It helps to eliminate surface impurities and toxins from the skin. It’s paraben- and nasty chemicals-free.