New year, new routine: The skincare items you need to try this January

New year, new skincare routine.

Maybe your new year’s resolution was to lose weight, cut off toxic people, drink more water, or even take care of your skin.  I can’t really talk about the other resolutions too much, but if you want to up your skincare routine, then I can definitely help out in that department.

The skincare world right now is a great time to get into since there are so many amazing products, with brands releasing new and innovative items pretty much every single month.  When it comes to the beauty world, I feel like skincare is definitely top of mind for most people, with people investing more money and knowledge into what they put on their skin.  Truthfully, you can have all the best makeup in the world, but if your skin isn’t healthy, then it’s not going to do too much for you when you cover it all up.

So this brings me to today’s post. All the items I’m going to talk about I received at the end of last year, but they are (I believe) all relatively new products. Since I get so many skincare products every month, I’ve decided to just compile a round up of my picks for the month, so without further ado, here are my top choices for January.

Frank Bod Cinnabuns scrub and glow mask

Frank Body Cinna-buns Scrub and Glow Mask

If you haven’t heard of Frank Bod yet, don’t worry cause I didn’t hear about it until my New York trip in September.

Frank Body hails from Australia and is a line that started off as a coffee scrub. Their products are non-toxic, contain natural and naturally-derived ingredients, and all their products smell so amazing. You can find them at Ulta here in the States, or you can order their products online as well. What started off as just scrubs, soon expanded to a full line of body and skincare products.

If you are new to Frank Body, then you definitely need to try out one of their scrubs and a skincare item. My top choices are the Cinna-Buns Scrub and Glow Mask.

The Cinna-Buns Scrub (C$18.95) is their limited-edition scrub that smells like cinnamon buns and is a delight to apply in the shower.  The scrub has all the same benefits of their coffee scrubs (that is 100 per cent natural and vegan, and targets breakouts, scars and marks), but also has antibacterial ingredients thrown in to combat body breakouts.

Ingredients in this scrub include coffee (to boost circulation and get rid of dry skin, marks and scars), cinnamon (to heal, hydrate, and nourish skin), honey (to fight acne and leave skin feeling moisturized and soft), and ginger powder (to product against free radical damage and premature aging).

Use this scrub once or twice a week in the shower. Just apply it on wet skin in a circular motion, wait a few minutes, and then rinse off.

For the face, take a look at their Glow Mask (C$21.95).  This hydrating mask is great to throw on when you don’t have a lot of time on your hands, since the brand only recommends five minutes for it to work.

The mask, which includes ingredients like coffee seed oil (to reduce puffiness and simulate blood flow and collagen production), shea and cocoa butters (to hydrate skin), goji berry extract (for its antioxidant powers to leave your skin looking radiant), and cranberry and raspberry seed oils (to make skin bright and bouncy), is a great pick me up, whether you’re just waking up, destressing, getting ready for a night out, or as a Sunday night reset.

Kiehls Facial Fuel and Multi-Action Cream

Kiehl’s Facial Fuel Daily Energizing Moisturizer for Men

If you want to up your man’s skincare game as well (or if you are a male reading this blog), then take a look at Kiehl’s Facial Fuel Daily Energizing Moisturizer for Men (C$37).

This moisturizer is targeted for all skin tones and is targeted to wake up fatigued and dull skin.  It contains ingredients such as chestnut extract and soy, as well as Vitamin C and E to revitalize skin for a healthy appearance.

This moisturizer is great since it absorbs quickly and leaves no residue. It’s also specifically formulated for men’s skin, so all they have to do it apply it, forget about it, and go about their day.

Kiehl’s Multi-Action Cream SPF 30

If anti-aging is your main skincare concern then take a look at Kiehl’s Multi-Action Cream SPF 30 (C$91).

The cream, which is suitable for all skin tones, is targeted to lift, smooth, sculpt, moisturize, and retexture skin.  It also contains SPF 30 in it, making it ideal for everyday wear since it helps to protect skin from early signs of aging caused by exposure to sunlight.

The formula contains jasmonic acid, hyaluronic acid, and beech tree extract and is designed to give you healthier, younger-looking skin.

Biotherm Life Plankton Elixir, Kerastase Overnight Serum, and IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Toner

Kerastase Nutritive 8H Night Serum

Okay so this next one isn’t a skincare item, but you should be practicing a good haircare routine as well.

From high-end haircare brand Kerastase comes the Nutritive 8H Night Serum (C$65). This serum, which is designed to be applied to hair at night, helps to boost dry hair. You can apply this to your hair either wet or dry and no rinse out is needed afterwards.

Apply this to your locks before bed to help reverse the daytime loss of nutrients to your hair.  The formula is enriched with iris root extract and a blend of five vitamins to help restore hair’s balanced nutrition levels. While you sleep, the formula will penetrate the hair for 100 per cent absorption and then when you wake up, your hair will look and feel healthier.

This product is ideal for all hair textures.  I really like this stuff, and although I don’t usually like to wash my hair right before bed, I will apply it, blow dry it, then bun my hair before sleeping so I wake up with volume at the roots. I have felt that this leaves my hair looking more nourished and healthy, and although it’s quite pricey, if you wash your hair at night regularly, I would recommend picking it up and giving it a try. I also want to note that it does have a pleasant, relaxing smell, which helps to whisk you off to sleep.

Biotherm Life Plankton Elixir Serum

Biotherm Life Plankton Elixir Fundamental Skin Regenerating Serum

Biotherm is known for their Life Plankton line and new to the collection is the Life Plankton Elixir Fundamental Skin Regenerating Serum (C$94/50ml).

This serum helps to defend, soothes, and regenerate the skin, promoting the cell renewal process. No matter what your specific skin concern is, it will help to combat it.

Formulated with their life plankton essence, this stuff contains 35 nutrients, proteins, vitamins, amino acids, glucids, lipids, and trace elements to help revive the skin’s vital functions that are essential to its health. This particular product is infused with their Life Plankton ingredient at its highest concentrate meaning that it will help to visibly improve skin, leaving it smoother, more even, and reduce the signs of aging. Apply this as a step 1 serum in your skincare routine.

IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Leave-On Solution Pore-Refining Toner

IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Leave-On Solution Pore-Refining Toner

Finally, if you are looking for a toner and suffer from large pores, then you need to check out IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Leave-On Solution Pore-Refining Toner (C$45).

I feel like when it comes to skincare routines, toners can often get leaved out, but I find them to be a necessary step that if you don’t have one already in your collection, I recommend picking one up.

This particular toner is part of their infamous Bye Bye Pores line and is a daily toner that helps to mattify and smooth out the skin, while minimizing the look of pores. The formula contains kaolin clay to help absorb excess oil, silk to smooth, soften and condition skin, and coconut water to hydrate and revitalize skin.

Apply this toner via cotton round or pad to skin after your cleanser to help combat dullness, uneven texture, and oiliness. I found that my skin felt tight after using it (which is common with toners) and smooth-looking.  I love IT Cosmetics products in general, so I highly recommend this one.

When it comes to skincare products, there are literally a million different ones to try. It can be kind of tough trying to decide what will work best for your skin since there are so many options, so make sure you do your research first. Let me know if you decide to give any of these a go, and if so, how they have helped your skin.

What skincare items are you dying to try out this year?