Clean + clear: Skincare products you need for back to school

When I was 15 I experienced a bad allergic reaction which made it look like I broke out in acne over night. Since I was a fresh high schooler, I pretty much freaked out, so much so that my mom took me to the local Clinique counter and invested in their Three-Step system for me. I ended up sticking with that skincare routine much into my 20s and until I became beauty blogger, I was religiously using their products day and night.

Since I get to try out so many products, I never have the opportunity to use my beloved Clinique products much anymore, but thankfully I have found some amazing skincare items over the years that also do the trick. Seeing as how we are about to get into a new school year very shortly here, I thought I would share with you some new skincare items I’ve been digging.

Lierac Paris Hydragenist line

Lierac Paris Hydragenist line

This Parisian skincare brand adapts cutting-edge medicine into skincare to offer women efficient dermocosmetics treatments to correct esthetical disorders that appear with time on the face and body. Their skincare lines are divided based on your age, so since I fall within the 25 to 35 year mark, I’ve been using items from their Hydragenist line.

The Hydragenist Morning Moisturizing Mist (C$45) is an oxygenating spray that is supposed to rehydrate and replump the skin after you wake up. It’s inspired by Asian mists and offers immediate hydrating and replumping to your skin. I actually like to use this after my normal moisturizer as by itself I found my skin to be a little tight. It is a spray, however, I find it doesn’t actually mist out, so instead I spray it into my hands before applying it to my face, leaving it feeling nice and fresh.

Before that, I use the Lierac Double Toning Gel Lotion (C$29), which is a double toner to help remove impurities. It cleanses your skin, removing any impurities that accumulate throughout the day, including signs of pollution, and uses an innovative method that acts like a magnet to deeply cleanse the skin. It’s a gel consistency that turns into a purifying water, so I put some on a cotton pad before applying this to my face. It also contains euphrasia flower extract that tightens the pores.

Finally, at the end of the day you know when you cleanse your face but you still have some mascara left on?  I’ve been loving the Lierac Double Cleansing Micellar Milk (C$29), which cleanses the surface of your skin to remove impurities that accumulate throughout the day. It’s a milky texture, so it’s very gentle on the skin. I use this after my cleanser to wipe away anything that was missed. They say you don’t need to rinse this off, so it’s the perfect little finisher for your makeup removal at the end of the day.

Elizabeth Arden Advanced Ceramide Capsules Daily Youth Restoring Eye Serum

Elizabeth Arden Advanced Ceramide Capsules Daily Youth Restoring Eye Serum

Okay, so I know what you’re thinking. If you’re young why would you use a “youth-restoring eye serum”? Well, why wouldn’t you?! These anti-aging products actually act as a preventative measure, if you take good care of your skin now, then it will look younger as you age.  I’m 29 and I literally got ID’d everywhere in Vegas at the beginning of the month. I have a young-looking face, probably because I use anti-aging creams.

These little capsules have been around for a while, but these ones in particular have leveraged more than 25 years of research to update the existing formula, adding nine new ingredients that replenish essential, naturally occurring lipids, and support skin’s natural renewal process. It also targets the key signs of aging around the eyes for a younger, brighter look.

Since the skin around our eyes is thinner, it can be susceptible to signs of aging. In fact, they often say that the skin around the eyes is the first part of the face to show signs of aging and can often reveal your age. These capsules (60 capsules for C$77) give you immediate skin barrier protection, moisturization, and anti-aging.  Just grab one, squeeze the serum out and gently pat around the eye area with your ring finger.

Mary Kay TimeWise Vitamin C Activating Squares

Mary Kay TimeWise Vitamin C Activating Squares

Okay, I’m not going to lie, when I first got this product, I had no clue what these are and how to use them. Okay, that’s not entirely true, I knew they provided Vitamin C to your face, but they are these tiny little see-through squares that you apply your face, how does it give you Vitamin C?

Okay so turns out you don’t actually apply these squares to your face, instead they dissolve with the use of water and your favourite serum.  Pure Vitamin C degrades and loses its power over time when exposed to the elements, like air, light or water. The little squares dissolve to create a powerful Vitamin C elixir that supercharges your serum with an age-fighting boost. After two weeks of use, you may start to notice that your face looks more even in tone, more radiant, and fine lines and wrinkles look improved.

So how does it work? Each pack (C$30) contains 12 squares individually packed (the squares literally remind me of the Listerine Pocketpac things that dissolve when you put them in your mouth). Open a package then with the transparent square in the palm of your hand, cover it with three to four drops of water and mix with your finger until it’s dissolved. Add your favourite MK serum of choice (I used the Mary Kay TimeWise Repair serum) to the solution and mix to active the dissolved square, then apply it to your face before continuing your skincare regimen (you want to apply this after your cleanser and toner).

Mary Kay recommends using one Vitamin C square three times per week. They also mention that you must add a serum to the square since the serum will help to transport the squares’ boosting benefits to your skin.

I really like the idea of these and since there’s only 12 in a pack, I’ll be reserving these for special occasions or when my skin is looking drab. I think it’s a super cool idea on Mary Kay’s part (plus the squares are kinda cool!).

The skincare industry has evolved so much over the past few years, just a cleanser, toner and moisturizer isn’t really enough to cut it nowadays. If you’re heading back to school, the look of your skin should be the last of your worries. Keep it fresh and looking young with the help of some of these products.

What are your favourite skincare items?

Please note, products received by PR. All opinions are my own.

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