Written by Sasha


Sasha, I'm 24 years old and I GREATLY fear the wrath of wrinkles. Thankfully I've got good genes to work with and a baby face = ) So I'm on the hunt for a good skin regimen, something to fight wrinkles early on (I've read you should start a regimen in your mid twenties) but I want a regimen that also takes the makeup off, fights the wrinkles, battles the occasional breakout, and maybe includes some type of moisturizer with spf. The tricky thing is my skin is sensitive and can't take products that are too oily or have too much chemicals. I've tried looking for myself but most of it is marketed towards older woman who already have wrinkles. I've heard raves about Oil of Olay but feel it might not be right for me just yet. Right now I'm simply using a bar of soap and face moisturizer because I have no clue as to what products I should be using!!! HELP! - Babyface

One of the kick ass things about my job is that I get a crap load of beauty products to try so Babyface, I thought it would be a good time to share some of my favourite face products that I actually use and love. So here we go.

GET THE DIRT OFF:
Now one thing I know for sure is that you’re going to have to toss that bar of soap out STAT – it’s way too harsh for your face. So when it comes to face wash you have a few options. If you don’t wear a lot of make up then Cetaphil or Spectrum will totally work. But if you want something that really makes your face feel glowy then you need to try Shu Uemura’s cleansing oil – I told my friend Amy about it and she said, quote, “It’s a f-cking miracle”. But it ain’t cheap. So for a more budget friendly option try Consonant Organic Foaming Face Wash. I really love this product and it will totally do the trick.

SCRUB N’ TUG:
So a new thing I learned this year is the power of exfoliation…and lately I’ve come across a few great products. First, let's go the dirt cheap route: put a teaspoon of baking soda in your palm, drop some water in until you get a good paste and slather that sh-t around until those dead skin cells are gone. Now, if that’s too low brow for you, then some standouts I love are Dermalogica's Skin Prep Scrub, France Laure's Gel exfoliant, and Fresh's Soy Face Exfoliant.

SERIOUS SERUMS:
When it comes to serums, I think you’re still too young for them but when you do reach the dinosaur decade of your 30’s, give Vivier 10 serum or Bobby Brown’s Repair Serum a whirl. F-ck if I know really what these things do but when I slap them on, my face feels great, and that’s good enough for me. Now if you’re loaded to the tits then Sisleya’s Global Firming Serum is the mutha of them all. Would I actually ever buy it? – Never. Does it work? – Hellz yah.

GET READY TO CREAM YOURSELF:
While I totally don't believe you have to spend a lot to find the best, I’ve gotta say I’ve never been blown away by anything cheap. Now obviously there are brands like La MER that get major love but I don’t buy into the hype - it’s just ohh-kay. I like mid to high quality brands like Revive Renewal, Lancôme’s Genfique or Chanel’s Sublimage. You really can’t go wrong with them. But the latest brand that has really changed the way my face looks and feels is called Clayton Shagal. Now I’ve always been a sucker for prissy smelling face creams but this line is not like that at all, it’s straight up business. It has something to do with collagen, who knows, who cares, it’s great. I use the Elasten Gel II in the morning and the Collagen Gel II at night and then just put whatever moisturizer on top. Really, my skin looks and feels so much tighter. Enough said.

PEOPLE THINK I EAT TOO MANY CHOCO-LATE BARS (remember that?):
Now when the zitty teen in you wants to come out and play I have a great go-to. When I was in Mexico a couple years back I don’t know what the f-ck started to grow on my forehead, but I’m pretty sure it developed its own respiratory system. Anyway I had these rando Mario Badescu samples of this cleansing lotion and I swear - it worked. I’ve been a believer ever since.

FACE TIME:
As for masks – there are a lot of great ones out there, from Kiehl’s to Bliss, but I’m currently loving My Face Works. I have the starter box which comes with 6 different masks depending on what mood your face is in. They’re the old school kind, y’know the ones that are like a sheet of paper with cut outs for your eyes, nose and mouth. My face feels super hydrated after and to be quite honest, it forces me to lie down with my eyes closed for 20mins and that’s a big enough sell for me these days.

PUCKER UP:
Oh and do you care about lip balm? If you do B Kamins bio maple lip balm is the bomb. (Yes, I just wrote that).

BAGGAGE:
Okay now to eye cream – honestly, nothing has ever blown me away. I’m currently trying out two products - Nuxe’s Nuxuriance Eye and Lip cream and Lancôme’s Renergie Yeux – Multiple Lift. So far I ‘like’ both. If I get to love status I’ll let you know.

THE SH-T:
I’ll finish this post on a high note. This next cream I’m about to tell you about is the best thing I’ve ever used. If you’re mega dry, have a rash, scar, scrape ….sh-t, if you have any sort of skin irregularity of any kind on any part of your body you have to use THIS – it heals all. I have never been more impressed by anything out there EVER.