These are all of the products that I incorporated into my daily skincare routine for the month of March for my very dry, sensitive, and acne-prone skin. The products listed below are not sponsored. My recommendations are 100% honest and authentic based on what has truly worked for me and my skin type.
1. Shea Moisture African Black Soap Clarifying Mud Mask
This mud mask isn’t anything too amazing. It smells pretty good. I usually keep this on for 15 minutes a night twice a week. My skin feels pretty clean and soft afterward, but the next morning I don’t notice anything out of the ordinary. It doesn’t stiffen up very much either which usually isn’t the case with many of the other masks that I’ve tried. This mask is priced at $13 for 6 ounces of product. I would not particularly recommend it.
2. Burts Bee’s Skin Nourishment Day Lotion with Royal Jelly
This day lotion is really weird. I feel like it leaves this rough-residue on my face. It’s got a pretty strong perfume scent as well which I thought was weird for a product being advertised as “natural.” It also leaves behind a white cast. I also noticed that it can make me extremely itchy around my jawline. I would not purchase this product again especially for $18.
3. Shea Moisture African Black Soap Toner
I absolutely love this toner. It has become a vital part of my skincare routine. This product smells amazing and I feel like my skin looks noticeably brighter and healthier within an hour or two post-use. It is also $12 for 4.2 ounces which I think is a pretty reasonable price. It’s a very cooling and calming product which I really enjoy.
4. Alba Botanica Hawaiian Detox Cleanser
I love this cleanser despite it’s weird fruity yet rubbery smell. I think that it really does what it claims to do. I’ve used this cleanser 6 times a week and I’ve noticed that my skin looks brighter and feels softer. I believe it really does the job when it comes to removing any gunk from my pores and for creating the cleanest canvas possible before applying makeup.
I must say that I really adore Alba Botanica. It’s not often that I purchase a product from them that I really don’t like. I also love that their products are made with 100% vegetarian ingredients, aren’t tested on animals, and do not contain any sulfates, parabens, or phthalates. This product is SO affordably priced at $8. I would suggest giving it a chance if you can push past the slightly off-putting smell.
5. Alba Botanica Hawaiian Detox Scrub
I absolutely love this scrub! It’s very grainy, super exfoliating, and smells good. I also use this product 3 times per week right after I use the cleanser. I love how gritty this scrub is. It really does the job of deep cleaning the pores and removing all of the dead skin from the skin’s surface. This product is affordably priced at $7.50 for 4 ounces of product. I just ran out and will be running back to the store for more!
6. Biore Deep Charcoal Cleanser
This product definitely isn’t natural, but it feels extremely cooling on my face because (it contains menthol). It also has a lot of gross ingredients such as methylparabens and artificial fragrance which lately I have been trying to avoid.
I’ll usually only use this product about once or twice per week as a preventative care measure or as a treatment method for acne flares. I don’t like to use it too often. I find that if I use it as a daily cleanser, it will strip my skin of its healthy natural oils, therefore making my skin feel way too dry. This product priced cheaply at $6.
I’ve used this product on and off since high-school so I could recommend this product because it does work, but I’m not going too. I think that there are definitely better alternatives out there that are all-natural, so I’ll let you know when I find something that works well after I finish up this bottle of the product (because I’m not trying to be wasteful by just throwing it out).
7. Biore Pore Unclogging Scrub
I use this product to treat and prevent acne similarly to the matching cleanser. I’ve also been using this product since high-school and it’s done the job, but again I’m looking for a more natural alternative. This scrub is priced reasonably at $6, but I recommend saving that money for something natural.
8. Lunaroma Bamboo Loofah Honey Facial Bliss
I got a free sample of this honey bamboo face scrub after interviewing the marketing team at Lunaroma in Vermont for a group project. It is very expensive at $17 for just 1 ounce, however, I loved using this scrub so much I actually recommended it to my mom and many of my friends.
There is something really wonderful about the grittiness of this scrub. It leaves the skin on your face feeling soft, exfoliated, and hydrated. This product is 100% all-natural, high-quality, and organic which is a huge plus in my book. I am also a huge fan of skincare products that have honey in them as it can really help to treat cystic acne while hydrating skin simultaneously. I would highly recommend giving this scrub a try if you can afford to do so. It’s so good!
9. Burts’ Bees’ Cleansing Oil
I have a love-hate relationship with this product. I’ve gone through about two or three bottles of this cleansing oil for removing my makeup in the past two years. It leaves my skin feeling very soft and hydrated. The product also removes foundation, powder, bronzer, and blush exceptionally well.
However, I feel like I have a really hard time getting all my eye-makeup off with this product and it can stick on my eyelashes causing my eyes to become very irritated. So, I usually have to go in with my La Roche Posay Micellar Water and a cold, damp wash-cloth to remove whatever is leftover of my makeup and attempt to soothe my burning eyes.
I also would not recommend traveling with this product because it will seriously leak all over your stuff. The packaging and pump are not made well at all. This product is $16 which is pretty expensive for what it is. I will not be purchasing it again.
10. La Rosche Posay Micellar Water
I use this micellar water on a cotton round to remove any leftover makeup on my face after going in with the Burts’ Bee’s cleansing oil. It does a really good job of removing makeup without irritating my sensitive skin. It even feels pretty calming, refreshing, and soothing. It is priced at $15 for 6.76 ounces. All and all, I wouldn’t say that it’s something to write home about, but it’s pretty good and it does the job. It does, however, sometimes leave a sticky residue which I don’t like.
11. Dove Pear and Aloe Vera Scent Body Wash
I absolutely love the smell of this product, so it’s really a shame that I hate using it. It leaves the pores all over my body clogged with white-heads and it agitates my eczema. I will not purchase this product again, but since I loved the smell so much I might give the deodorant a try.
12. Skin Science Serum
This serum is pretty damn bad. It leaves your skin feeling oily and greasy long after application. It will make my skin sticky and itchy too. I’m just trying to use it up before purchasing another serum. I got it from T.J. Maxx for $4, so I luckily I did not have terribly high expectations.
13. Freeman Feeling Beautiful Facial Clay Mask Avocado & Oatmeal
This mask smells like baby powder or baby oil which is slightly off-putting. It does, however, do a pretty nice job of cleansing the pores and brightening the skin.
I will usually place a hot wash-cloth on my face for 1 minute to open up my pores prior to applying any face mask. I will then apply the mask, leave it on for about 15 minutes, and wash it off with cold water. After using the mask, my skin feels soft, smooth, and firm. This product is only $4.29 so it’s totally worth adding to your skincare arsenal. I would definitely recommend it if you’re looking for skincare on a budget!
14. RoC Retinol Correxion Anti-Aging Eye Cream
This eye cream has a nice consistency and glides on. Other than that, I like this eye cream but I think it’s very overpriced and over-hyped for what it really is. I didn’t really notice much a difference, even after using the product consistently for 3 months. I was really disappointed by it—especially considering it was $18 for a tiny 0.5-ounce tube of product. I didn’t notice much of a difference at all in decreasing the visibility of under-eye circles or the crow’s feet above my eyes.
15. Aveeno Positively Smooth Shave Gel
After trying so many different shaving creams and gels over the years, I finally found one that I like. I got a four-pack of this shaving gel for just $21 at Walmart. It soothes my eczema and leaves my legs feeling silky smooth after shaving.
However, I would not say that this product prevents nicks, cuts, and razor burn so be gentle on your skin when using this product. I believe that it can actually make your skin softer and more prone to nicks, cuts, and razor burn in my experience with this product.
These are all of the products that I tried this month for skincare. My top recommendations are the African Black Soap Toner by Shea Moisture, Bamboo Loofah Honey Facial Bliss by Lunaroma, and the Feeling Beautiful Facial Clay Mask Avocado & Oatmeal by Freeman.
Do you have any recommendations for skincare products? I’d love to hear from you!
