My ideal holiday is somewhere cold with a proper good Boots. The kind that have cosmetics counters, not the little rubbish ones you get in train stations. Though, I have been known to spend just as much time in those. If you didn’t know already, SPF is my passion. Night cream, my way of life. But in 2022, I needed to go back to basics.
I’ve picked my top three products of the year: a cleanser, moisturiser and SPF. Looking back, I’m not shocked in the slightest. These were by far, some of the most pleasant, easily accessible, and affordable options.
As the year began, all bets were off. I was trying products left, right and centre. But as the year went on, the unthinkable happened: adult acne. I’d been lucky to avoid any issues with my skin for most of my life, minus some eczema as a child. But when I started to get painful blemishes, I turned to tried and trusted Differin Gel, and a whole load of gentle soothing alternatives to the products I was using.
Starting with cleanser, my favourite product of the year has to be Aveeno’s Calm + Restore Nourishing Oat Cleanser.
If you’re a fan of Cerave’s Hydrating cleanser and unsure how cope with the rising tide of Cerave’s prices, I implore you to give this a go. It is every bit as gorgeous as it sounds. Colloidal oats soothe and gently cleanse, helping to keep my skin barrier from taking any further beatings. It’s also just small enough to fit in my toiletry bag – perfect for travelling.
Aveeno feature again in my top three, this time though it’s their Calm + Restore Oat Gel Moisturiser.
Every time I open this jar, I look forward to the cool loveliness of the gel cream. Gel moisturisers are a great option in general for anyone prone to oiliness or dealing with acne, but what Aveeno nail with this product is the simplicity. With glycerine as the main humectant, colloidal oats to sooth, and no added extras like niacinimide, this helped guide my skin back to it’s former glory.
I used to be a huge fan of Cerave’s PM Lotion. A product I would have recommended to anyone looking to consolidate their routine and save money on serums and night creams. But as the price crept up, and my skin seemingly lost it’s ability to tolerate niacinimide, I was desperate for an alternative. I thank God for this perfect all round facial moisturiser.
Finally, please give a warm welcome to a seemingly impossible product. A deliciously moisturising mineral SPF, with PA++++ UVA coverage, that doesn’t leave me looking like Casper the friendly ghost. What’s more? It’s not even tinted!
Within less a few minutes this product disappears, leaving my skin with a lovely healthy glow. The trick? Just let it sit. You might find on initial application that you aren’t convinced, but give it a minute or two and you’ll be wondering where all that product went as it dries down into the perfect moisturising, blended finish.
I opted to try some mineral SPFs early on in the summer as my regular chemical faves started to cause some irritation when I applied. I now chalk this up to a damaged skin barrier. But whatever the cause, I needed high protection, and I needed it not to make me glow tomato red before I even left the house!
Enter Rovectin Skin Essentials Aqua Soothing UV Protector (SPF 50+ PA++++).
Rovectin are known for their gentle barrier loving formulas. I’ve loved this product so much, I’ve repurchased from Stylevana over and over and over again throughout the year. It provides high protection that is easy to reapply without leaving a wild white cast.
In the UK, we’re flooded with so many amazing chemical SPF formulas that nobody wants dodgy sun cream that leaves the m looking like a snowman. That’s why I was so excited to see people raving about the previously inconceivable: an untinted mineral SPF from a cruelty-free K Beauty brand, that leaves no cast and gives properly broad spectrum protection from both UVA and UVB rays. Having and tested it all summer (and winter), I can’t recommend enough!
Let me know in the comments if you’ve discovered any new favourites this year!
Tim Wynne 