Because I’m a Beauty Writer, much of my job involves receiving, testing, and reviewing a cornucopia of products round-the-clock. Even though a portion of beauty deals with aestheticising and enhancing, my closet continues to burgeon into a sea of self-love — negating the idea that the space doesn’t go beyond surface-level superficialities and pretense. Beauty isn’t one-dimensional or frivolous. I know because self-care, patience, and love form the very tenets of my 7-step routine. The concept of a self-care routine has anchored me on low-energy days, and for that, I’m eternally thankful. I have with me a cartage of products — old and new — that have inspired me to prioritise myself on all days — and have only continued to prove their prowess to me. Because I’m not one to gatekeep, here are the best skincare brands and products that sustained and grounded me last year.
New Year’s Resolution: Never Leave Behind These Products
Best Face-Wash: Pilgrim Red Vine Face Wash
Pilgrim’s oven-fresh range, alias Red Vine, has inspired in me an appreciation (read: addiction) for cleansing. While I’ve turned into a Red Vine-loving loyalist, this lushly-textured, gel-soft face-wash forms the core of the launch (IMO). It boasts all the characteristics of jelly — in appearance and in the way that it caresses my skin in rivulets of softness. The face wash collaborates the efficacy of French beauty with some of the most well-researched ingredients. A star-studded line-up of Red Vine, Vitamin C, and Aloe drive home all of the product’s propositions — from boosting the production of collagen to brightening and hydrating, this one preps and primes my skin for the rest of my routine.
Best Skincare-Infused Lip-Gloss: Type Beauty Light Up Lip Lustre
This light-up lip lustre has left in its trail a barrage of heart-eyed admirers that inquire after the name of the product excitedly. The ultra-glazed formula is endowed with long-stay ambitions that promise you a full-bodied pout for six hours on end. While most of my glosses fail to survive outdoors, this one has reinstated my faith in the category. I adore this lip lustre simple because it goes beyond the idea of just aestheticizing your look — it also nourishes, heals, and fades pigmentation courtesy of ingredients like Niacinamide and Vitamin C. Thanks, Type Beauty. I needed this.
Best Body-Butter: Iris Cosmetics Nourishing Shea Body Butter
This body butter reinforces my loyalty to the clean-girl aesthetic. The pillow-soft whip exudes barely-there whispers of shea interwoven with almonds and all-natural oils that don’t overwhelm your senses with a barrage of scents. The butter is much more lightweight than your run-off-the-mill lotions. I just run a dollop over my body after showering. It heals and cools inflammation and dryness almost instantly — and it doesn’t leave behind a sticky build-up or residue typical of other products.
Best Toner: MyGlamm Glow Iridescent Brightening Toner
I will not stop gushing over this mist. It has singlehandedly salvaged my winter-dry skin. I always embellish my A.M and P.M routines with this fresh, dewy-skin staple, and it has never failed me. The formula is enriched with skin-loving non-negotiables like Rosehip Oil and Hyaluronic Acid, and the end result is a product that lightly rouses you out of your exhaustion. You best believe this goes everywhere I go.
Best Spot-Treatment Gel: SNP Prep Salironic Spot Gel
This Salicylic Acid-infused spot-gel has the tag ‘blemish-eraser’ embossed over it. Though the proclamation is ambitious, it delivers. My skin isn’t acne-prone — it hardly ever breaks out. But back-to-back waxing and threading did catapult into a recurring affair with redness and pimples recently. A pea-sized portion of this gel resolved the issue overnight. Yup. Not your conventional body-building knight — even better.
Best Face Mask: Happier Powerblend Exfoliating Mask
I reserve Saturdays and Sundays for masking. This Papaya-infused power blend effortlessly wedges itself between my cleanser and serum. It reclines atop my skin for a couple of minutes — dispatching superfoods-charged goodness to my face inside-out. It contains glow-inducing papaya along with exfoliating pineapple and pigmentation-scavenging rice. The best part about this formula is that it doesn’t latch onto your skin on drying. It feels comfortable and washes off easily.
I’m re-ordering these as soon as I run out.
Featured Image: Instagram
