Ahhhh! I'm so excited about today's topic! It's all about skincare!! I've had people ask if I still use xyz from previous skincare posts I've done in the past and most of the time the answer is YES. I've found stuff I love, stuff that works for me and I tend to be pretty loyal. However, I do try out new products every once in a while and find something else I love just as much or even more, so I wanted to do an updated skincare post if you girls need recommendations.
Listen, friends, I'll be 40 in October so trust me when I say I need all the help I can get. The problem is that there are TONS of great options out there so it can get very overwhelming trying to make sure you pick the best one.
Every influencer on Instagram and every blogger here in the blogosphere has products they swear by and I have no doubt that they are all great. I actually found some of my favorites through bloggers and influencers. I'm showing what all is in my skincare arsenal. I literally just pulled everything out that I use on a daily or semi-regular basis. I do not use all of this every day. 😉 But I wanted to be honest about what I actually use and the truth is, I switch it up sometimes between favorites. So I wanted to make sure to include it all.
So...if you're looking for skincare options--some that can become YOUR new favorites--here are mine!
Ok, let's start with one of the best skincare brands out there in my opinion. Colleen Rothschild.
If you've been reading here long, then you probably know I adore this brand. I've been using their products for several years now. I started with the Discovery Kit (which is the best way to try out lots of their best-sellers in travels sizes before committing to the full-size products) and it was ON from there. 😉 I loved everything in it but ESPECIALLY the Radiant Cleansing Balm. It was THE BEST SKINCARE PRODUCT I had ever tried. I know that sounds dramatic but (in my opinion) it was and still is.
If you aren't familiar with the RCB, it is a buttery/waxy solid balm that begins to melt into your skin as soon as you touch it. It literally melts away your makeup, gets into your pores to clear them out, and just feels amazing. You apply it to a DRY face (a little goes a long way), massage it in, and then wipe it off with a wet, warm washcloth. It comes with a muslin cloth but I prefer the two below. (Both from Amazon.) They are cheap and 10x softer. I have these (the softer of the two) and these (still soft but I think these absorb water better). These are a cheaper version without the embroidery and I would bet are just as good.
When you wipe it all away your face will feel so good and look all glowy. 😍 Plus, the whole thing feels like a spa treatment. I do not use this in the shower since oil and water don't mix, but I will sometimes use it BEFORE I get in the shower. (I'll show you the cleanser I use in the shower in a minute.)
There are only 2 products I've ever used where I was like "Wow! I can actually SEE a difference!!". Normally, we use skin care products and just hope they are working to combat whatever problem we may have. And it's always very gradual. But with this Balm, I could see that my skin was looking more radiant, even, and brighter within the first week or two and it was also clearing up some random breakouts. I used to get small bumps on my forehead so I would use harsh acne washes. Come to find out, it was stripping away good oils my skin needed and actually working against me. I never knew that an oil cleanser could actually keep the breakouts away! So this is definitely 1 of 2 products that have ever shown me an undeniable result quickly. I will get to the second! 😉
I also wanted to point out that dermaplaning is the best beauty trend I've jumped on in a while. That little pink tool is all you need. Your basically shaving your face. Yes, it sounds scary at first but you are getting rid of dead skin and any peach fuzz and it makes your skin SO smooth and makes your makeup go on so much better. It does not grow in darker or like a man's beard. It's very easy to do. Just lightly scrape down on a clean, dry face. I've never cut myself and I've never gotten razor burn. It's super easy and very cheap. These are the best ones I've tried.
Now here is a quick rundown on all the other CR products I use. Some I use daily and some are swapped in and out for other comparable products.
2. Glycolic Peel Pads (currently out of stock but I've also used these before and they are amazing too) I use these maybe once a week.
3. Extreme Recovery Cream: This is a nighttime moisturizer. It is absolutely lovely and I'll go into detail more below.
4. Clarifying Detox Mask: If you're looking for a good charcoal mask, this is a good one! Goes on thick and smooth and when it dries you just wipe it away. (Use a washcloth you don't care will get stained.) I make my teenager use this!
5. Retinol Treatment (in the brown tube on the left): No longer available but retinol is so important!
6. Vitamin C Treatment: I use this every morning after I wash my face. It has helped the hyperpigmentation on my forehead so much (ughhh I hate melasma!!) It hasn't erased it but it definitely has helped fade it.
7. Age Renewal Super Serum: If you're looking for a product that does it all, I'd suggest this one. It helps with radiance, fine lines, tone, elasticity, dehydration, and texture.
8. Retinol Supreme Night Oil: This stuff is BOMB as the kids say. 😂 I mix a squirt or two of it in with my moisturizer (lately it has been the Cellproof one I'll talk about below) but it'll be great with any of them. Yes, your face will be all shiny like a glazed donut but it's going to work itself into your skin overnight and you'll wake up all glowy.
9. Retinol Supreme Eye Serum (they've changed the packaging recently) is a fantastic option for all your aging eye needs. But I also have...
10. Complete Eye Cream: Hand to God I have no idea which one works better. One is a serum and one is a cream so if you prefer one over the other maybe choose that way? I just rotate them. 🤷♀️
11. Micro-mineral Resurfacing Scrub: It's amazing and such a great way to slough away all that dead skin to reveal smooth, radiant skin. But it's currently sold out. I've also used the R + F one before and it's also great.
And I forgot to include this in my picture but I love the toner! I use it after I wash my face to get all the leftover makeup or dirt/oil I may have missed. It gets down there and really pulls it all out. I use this daily.
Now another product line that I'm loving is Modere's Cellproof products. I have been with Modere for 9 months now and it took me a while before I even tried their skincare because I was so sure CR was better. I shouldn't have automatically assumed that though. Shame on me. Modere has great skincare that is a clean label formula, not tested on animals, and has no artificial fragrance. But it has all the good stuff that will help your skin in every way you need it to. I actually love that they keep it basic. They have just a few choices but they are all exactly what you need. So if you're overwhelmed by all the products, this line is a great place to go. Moisturizer, serum, mask, eye cream. Done. (But get the Balm from CR!!) And do NOT forget your collagen. We will get to that...😉
1. Cellproof Eye Cream: I love the texture and consistency of this one compared to the CR ones. It is more like a traditional cream as opposed to the CR serum and the CR "cream" one feels more like a gel almost. This one is also significantly less expensive too.
2. Cellproof Infusion Mask: Y'ALL. I LOVE this mask!!! It is so cool!! It is a "bubble mask" meaning as soon as you put it on, it starts to fizz like tiny champagne bubbles popping all over your face. It only takes about 5 minutes. Once all the bubbles pop, you can wipe it off (no giant mess). It leaves your skin tighter, more radiant, and dewy. Even if this did none of that, I'd probably still want it just because it feels so good. 🥰
3. Cellproof Serum: See results in 5 minutes, y'all! I've started using this more and more often (as opposed to the CR Age Renewal Super Serum) because I love the tightening effect along with all the other standard things they all do to improve your skin.
4. Cellproof Moisturizer: OK, so THIS IS MY FAVORITE MOISTURIZER EVER.
Before this one, it was the CR Extreme Recovery Cream. I still love that one too but the very first time I used the Cellproof I knew it bumped CR from the top spot.
The CR one is light, bouncy (I don't know how else to describe it) and a little wet feeling. So good though and very moisturizing!
But the Cellproof one is thick, creamy, and is just exactly what my skin begs for. It is just perfection for me. It also absorbs enough so that I'm able to wear it under my makeup. I literally crave it and can't wait to slather it on after I wash my face. It's right up there in the top 3 skincare products I've ever used. It comes in at #3 actually. My top 2 are tied. (The Balm and we'll get to the other one!)
Again, both of these are so good. But I just think the Cellproof edges out CR in this category.
My link here will get you $10 off your first order or you can use the referral code (not a promo code) AMANDA10 and it'll take off $10 at the very last step of checkout. For all you current customers, you can add any of these to your smartships to help get you to that next discount level or of course, just purchase as needed.
This link will also show you all the skincare sets and ways to save a little if you get them in a collection as opposed to adding them individually. I am always trying to get y'all the best price possible!
This is my real-life friend, Julie and her results after a couple of months.
Want more before and afters? You can join this group here where thousands of people come to share their testimonies with the products.
Now, remember me saying there were only 2 products I have ever tried that I've seen undeniable results from? One was the Balm and the other is...the Liquid Collagen. (shocker I know.)
This stuff is what made me a believer, a fangirl for life, and has made me proud to be part of the company that sells it. I knew the results were so good that everyone else in the market for a really good collagen would want it too. I never saw results from the powders I bought at the store or from Amazon and the gummy supplements made my face break out and upset my stomach. I bought them with the hopes that would do something but they never did. They were just not for me. But this was!
I started using this Liquid Collagen/Hyaluronic Acid mix back in October mainly because it was just so dang convenient. Two tablespoons a day (if you're also taking Trim you just need 1) and it tasted like grape juice. The company went through tons of research and development with doctors and scientists and had clinical trials done. (Can't say the same for the powdered stuff I WAS taking...that's for sure).
Finally got brave and added in my own before and afters.
This was just everything I needed it to be. Convenient. Great taste. Very effective. Done and done. Search over.
I started in October 2020 and within 3ish WEEKS I was noticing changes in my skin. I would wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and have to do a double-take at my face. It was just noticeably brighter, more even, and had that cliche glow that so many of our collagen customers talk about but it's just so true! It just looked like younger skin.
You know how babies have those soft, plump smooth, bouncy cheeks? I feel like that's what mine have turned back into after they were starting to feel a little thin and just...old. I've always had very full cheeks to begin with but this brought back the youthful texture and firmness that had started to disappear. My under eyes started to look less crepey too. Not saying this will erase all the age-related issues on your skin, girls. Do not get me wrong. I want to be 100% honest about what it can do and can't do. It cannot take 20 years off your face in 30 days...or ever. 😂 It CAN help bring back plumper, firmer, more hydrated skin, brighten and even out your complexion and just bring back that glow that we lose with dull, aging skin.
It has been 9 months now and I just put these pics together for the first time today. I shocked myself with my results. When you see yourself every day you don't really notice these things so TAKE THE PICTURES! When you think it's not working, go back and check...
My friend Katie said the same thing when she had been using git for a few weeks. She thought maybe she must have gained a little weight because her skin was just plumper. (She did not. She is a total health nut, very natural, and works out all the time. There is no fat on that girl.)
This was her after just 14 days. She was so excited to show off her results that she wanted to post a before/after just 10 days and I was like "Dang girl, slow your roll! Let's wait until you're at least at your 2-week mark so people will believe you!" 😂
It has also greatly improved my nails which I don't actually care about because I keep them super short but as they grow (way too fast for my liking) I know they are very very strong. My hair has also never grown this fast and I have new hair that has come in along parts that were thinning along my hairline giving me a major Dracula vibe.
(Before you comment on my skin in these pics, I was using a sparkle filter so ignore that. At least I was for sure in the 3-month pic. Since I was only using it to highlight my hair growth I figured it didn't matter. You can't filter hair growth. 😂 But my skin was definitely not that baby soft perfect in real life, just for transparency sake. I can't remember if I was in the first but I was only taking it really to send to a friend. I never intended it to be an official "before" shot.)
Anyway, I HIGHLY recommend this collagen, y'all. If you are in the market for the best, most effective, most bioavailable one, (meaning it absorbs into your body the easiest), I will definitely point you to this. I'm not doing it because I'm getting a commission for sharing...I could use an affiliate link to share other collagens too. I'm telling you this is the best one I've ever tried. Not saying I've tried every collagen on the market but this is not JUST collagen and I think that's what makes it so much more effective. It's a liquid collagen/hyaluronic acid matrix so you're getting all the benefits of the collagen PLUS the benefits of the HA which is what gets into your body and plumps and hydrates your cells--thus plumping and hydrating your skin.
It's not rocket science, but it is science. ;)
You can read the full article HERE.
Here are the 4 different liquid collagen (Liquid Biocell) formulas you can choose from. I started with Life and now use Skin and Life interchangeably. Life is my favorite taste-wise. It doesn't come in flavors per se but they all taste different because they have different added ingredients. All of them start with the liquid biocell/ha matrix which will handle all things hair, nails, skin. Then you can just kind of choose what other benefits that fit your goals or your lifestyle. (Life has added things for joint and heart health, skin has extras for skin, pure is strictly the biocell/ha matrix with nothing else added, sport has added things for muscle recovery etc)
You'll also notice Trim at the bottom of this chart. It is a fat-burning collagen and a completely separate product. So it has the biocell/HA matrix in it for all your hair/nails/skin etc but it also CLA which is the fat-burning goodness. I've seen people say "Collagen cannot help with weight loss! They are scamming people!" And they are partially correct. 😉 Collagen isn't meant for weight loss. But CLA is... So the people screaming scam have no idea what they are talking about it and it drives me absolutely crazy. Its the CLA in the Trim that promotes lean muscle and helps inhibit fat storage. So when we say "fat-burning collagen" we mean it has fat-burning ingredients along with a dose of that good collagen in it as well.
If you're interested in Trim, you can read more about that HERE.
If you are like, just tell me where to start. There are so many options, I can't even begin to choose. Here's what I recommend.
This is THE BEST deal possible on Modere's entire website I think. I really can't think of a better one. You save over $100, you get free shipping and 3 freebies.
This bundle gives you 2 bottles of Biocell (you can choose Skin, Pure, Life or Sport) which is a month's worth if you take it twice a day as recommended. (Again, unless you are also using Trim in which case you only need 1 dose of each per day.)
It also gives you those rockstar skincare products: the Serum, the Bubble Mask and the best moisturizer ever! PLUS when you add the handwash, toothpaste, and mouth wash and put it on smartship, you'll get it all for $205 instead of $310. For instance, a regular single bottle of Skin is $75...two would be $150. Add in the skincare and it's another $160 which comes to $310. BUT when you put it in this bundle, we can get it down to just $205 for allll of that. Plus freebies.
If you want this deal, here's how to get it.
Choose 1 and add to cart:
Add these 2:
Then click on "checkout with smartship and save" and your discounts will fall off. Make sure my name shows (Amanda Nall) as your referring person so you'll get the full amount off. (thank you!!)
Reminder that smartship is completely in your control. You can go in at any time and adjust it. Add products to your next shipment, delete products from your next shipment, push back the date or bump it up or delete everything so it is "cancelled". They send you email and text reminders a few days in advance and they also give you loyalty rewards in the form of shopping credits after you've been on it for a few months without skipping.
One more before and after b/c I just saw it posted in our group. Kristen was using Trim and Bicoell Life for her collagen doses! She has that glow that I feel like all the Biocell before and afters tend to have!
*Life is currently back-ordered and is expected to start shipping again in mid-July.
*Life tastes the best like a tart grape/apple juice.
*Skin tastes kind of like a watered-down grape/apple juice.
*Pure has no fruits in it so it's not going to taste as good as the others. But I heard it's not terrible. I have my first bottle of this coming any day now because I'm wanting to try it.
*Sport: I've heard it has a pineapple-y flavor? I'm honestly not sure.
It's 1-2 tbsp a day, friends. You can do it. 😉
REMEMBER TO KEEP THIS IN THE FRIDGE!
Ok, so those are all the biggies. Let's get to some random ones I love.
This is the cleanser I told you I tell you about that I use in the shower. This gets your skin SUPER clean, has a unique lather and smells great. I love this stuff.
I'm also a fan of Drunk Elephant products. I was using them before I found Colleen Rothschild and they still get super high marks from me.
These are two that I reach for sometimes to switch things up. (Why are there so many great products and not enough days in the week to use them all?! 😂)
I use B-Hydra more in the winter when my skin is super dry. The TLC serum though is something I should probably use more often after I just checked out the reviews for it while I was grabbing the link! It is pricey but people seem to love it!
This Tula Makeup Melt was a random purchase at Ulta the other day because I'm so obsessed with balms and I'm always looking to see if anything else can compete with the CR balm. This cannot compete (sorry Tula) but it is still a cool product and works well. It would be an easy travel balm to have with you. It has pretty great reviews but I honestly feel like those people have just never tried the CR balm before. 😂
Other things in my little arsenal:
Isle of Paradise Drops. I use these mixed into my moisturizer at night and wake up with a nice glow. (You only need 2 or 3.)
I also just started using this Mychelle Liquid SPF 50 in Medium/Dark and I really like it. I probably should get it in Light/Medium as well for the times when my self-tanner on my body has faded. But this gives color and spf 50 and I can add some concealer and a little blush and be good.
Mary Kay ClearProof Spot Treatment is perfect for blemishes. My teenager uses this too. I got mine from my friend Karla.
Whew!!
That was a LOT. I know. But I clearly love to be thorough. I hate to feel like I'm flying past stuff without giving it a proper explanation and just dropping links all over the place just to drop them. This is what I really use, really love and really think you'll love too.
Please let me know if you need help with anything, have questions, or just want to say hi! I am quick to respond to Instagram DMs since I get the notification right away and don't have thousands of followers or anything. 😂 You can find me @amadnanall.
And that's all for today, friends! Feel free to pin an image so you can find it for later!
Don't forget there's a 15% off sale going on in my Etsy shop right now AND there's a giveaway in my Deals Group! Come join us!
We have so many faves in common!! I looooove reading about your routine! I might have read this post twice ;) .
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