Emmie’s Beauty Life: Best in Beauty 2021 – Part 2 – Skincare

And we are back with part two of my Best In Beauty series. As you can see from the title, today we are talking all things skincare. And much like the makeup, this was a hard list to narrow down completely But many of these are products that have stayed at the to of my mind for the majority of the year and are well worth shouting out. So, let’s wrap 2021 up in skincare style!

Em’s Note – like last year, the skincare side of things is the more PR heavy side. I have marked all PR items with an asterisk.

My morning and oil cleanser faves haven’t changed from 2020. And lord knows I still love my CeraVe. But I had two new cleansers that really impressed me. The first being the YOUTH TO THE PEOPLE KALE + GREEN TEA SPINACH VITAMIN SUPERFOOD CLEANSER*. The other being the SUMMER FRIDAYS SUPER AMINO GEL CLEANSER. And to be completely honest, I like them both for the exact same reason. They are both super gentle on the skin and they don’t leave my skin feeling stripped or tight. Both of these cleansers are also super light on the actives as well. Which I do tend to prefer these days. I know that the Summer Fridays has been repackaged and possibly reformulated, so I’ll have to check that out when it launches over here. But if you’re in the market for a new cleanser, I love these two.

My favourite toner mist hasn’t changed from 2020 either (still love you Henry & Lexi). But my mind was blown by how good the GLOW RECIPE WATERMELON GLOW PORE TIGHT TONER was. Unlike a lot of the exfoliating toners that I’ve tried in the past, this one actually is gentle enough for me to use everyday. Having said that, I do only use this one at night. I love soaking a cotton pad with this and letting it rest on my t-zone for 10 minutes. I find that really helps clear out the pores. Also, it smells real good!

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I tried a ton of face masks throughout 2021 and to be totally honest, none of them really beat out my beloved Flavanone Mud. But these two came super close! I have the YOUTH TO THE PEOPLE SUPERCLAY PURIFY + CLEAR POWER MUD* and the GO-TO THE REMOVALIST as my standouts for the year. Both of these are clay based detoxifying masks that are also gentle on the skin. Neither have that uncomfortable dry down feeling. If I had to give an edge to one, I’d have to say The Removalist. But only because it smells really good too!

I’m going to slip these into the mask category too. The SKIN CONTROL AM+PM PIMPLE PATCHES. You have definitely seen these in my empties throughout the year. My favourite thing about them (besides the fact that they work so well) is that unlike a lot of the pimple patches that I’ve seen on the market, these come in multiple sizes for different sized pimple emergencies. And while they aren’t the thinnest patches I’ve ever tried, they adhere to the skin really well. These are less than $10 at Woolies and I can’t recommend them enough.

A few spicy serums now (AKA exfoliators). And I have four that I’m still totally in love with. The first being the PAULA’S CHOICE DAILY SMOOTHING TREATMENT*. This is a Glycolic Acid based exfoliant that took me a little while to get into (not wild about the pump on this one). But now, I can’t live without it. Next, THE INKEY LIST TRANEXAMIC ACID NIGHT TREATMENT*. Does this smell like hotdog water? Yes. has it helped clear up a lot of my dark spots? Also yes. Alongside that, we have the OLE HENRICKSEN DEWTOPIA 20% ACID NIGHT TREATMENT. This is easily one of the more hardcore serums in my routine and I did have to build up my tolerance for it. But this is what I use when my skin is truly freaking out. Finally for exfoliators, we have the WISHFUL YO GLOW ENZYME SCRUB. Funky scent aside, this is still one of the best physical scrubs that I’ve ever used. It leaves my skin looking radiant and unlike a lot of scrubs that are in a similar vein, this is very easy to rinse off.

Getting into my daytime serum faves now. And I have to start with the EMMA LEWISHAM SKINRESET CONCENTRATED EVEN SKINTONE SERUM. This is, no bullshit, my skincare product of the year. This made more of a difference in my skin’s overall appearance in the six months that I was using it than anything else. And while I have tried a few other Vitamin C based serums throughout the year, nothing has topped this.

I also have a few more goodies from Glow Recipe (probably my skincare brand of the year, tbh). I have the WATERMELON GLOW NIACINAMIDE DEW DROPS (yes, they are as good as TikTok says they are) and the PLUM PLUMP HYALURONIC SERUM. I adore these two together as part of my morning routine. Especially in winter when my skin needs all the help it can get in terms of hydration and dewiness.

As far as moisturisers go, I have quite a few that I loved. For the morning, I haven’t tried anything that I have loved more than the SUMMER FRIDAYS CLOUD DEW MOISTURISER. This one has been a popular favourite online and it’s so easy to see why. A little bit goes such a long way to hydrating my skin and the dewiness it gives? *Chef’s kiss*

I actually have a few night creams that I loved in 2021. The first being the FENTY SKIN INSTANT RESET OVERNIGHT RECOVERY GEL– CREAM. While I wasn’t huge on a lot of Fenty Skin’s offerings, this was a slam dunk from the first go. Super luscious and hydrating, this was my summer go to.

For the winter time, however, I need something a bit richer. And the duo of the ELEMIS PRO COLLAGEN MARINE CREAM* and the SWISSE BEAUTY POLYPEPTIDE RENEWING SLEEP MASK* was the combo my dry skin craved. The Elemis is already hugely raved about online, but the Swisse Sleep Mask deserves all the hype in the world. If you’re someone who finds overnight masks to be uncomfortable to wear, this is the one you need to try.

It wouldn’t be a skincare post if I didn’t mention sunscreen. And I have two super affordable favourites to share. The first is the LA ROCHE POSAY ANTHELIOS ULTRA SPF 50+. This super hydrating cream is thicker than I would usually go for. But it feels amazing on the skin. The other is the BONDI SANDS HYDRA UV SPF 50+. This has the super light texture that I adore and thee glow it gives? Perfection!

Finally, we have lip balms. As I mentioned in part one, I was wearing lip balm more often than not throughout 2021. And these are the three that have been rocking my world. The LANEIGE LIP GLOWY BALM in GUMMY BEAR, the BREEZE BALM LIP BALM in WATERMELON CRUSH*, and the LANOLIPS 101 LIP TREATMENT in WATERMELON*. The Lanolips needs no introduction. It’s been a fave for years. But the Breeze Balm and the Laneige have both impressed me so much.

And that is all for my skincare favourites. And that is all for 2021! Thank you so much for reading and I can’t wait to truly get stuck into 2022!

Cheers and love
Emily xo