Happy New Year! I hope you all had a properly restful Christmas and managed to switch off, even briefly. I took a short festive pause myself, but I’m back and thought the most sensible way to ease into January was with a round of empties. Nothing says fresh start quite like a bin full of finished skincare.
❤️ – Already repurchased
😍 – Would repurchase
😢 – Not for me
😍 Torriden Dive In Cleansing Foam*
If you like a foaming cleanser but usually find they leave your skin feeling tight and regretful, this is worth a look. Despite the foam, it’s surprisingly creamy and genuinely hydrating. As someone with dry skin, I’m usually wary of anything that lathers, but this never left my face feeling stripped or uncomfortable.
😍 Tatcha The Rice Wash
Love at first cleanse. This sits in the same comforting, quietly luxurious bracket as Kate Somerville’s Goat Milk Cleanser. Creamy, gentle, and softly foaming once you work it into damp skin. It feels like a small daily indulgence, which is exactly what I secretly love from a cleanser.
😍 Dermalogica Biolumin-C Heat Aging Protector SPF50*
This got a lot of use over the summer when I wanted something efficient and no-nonsense in the heat. It carried on earning its keep into colder weather too, doubling up as a nicely moisturising base when my skin started feeling drier. A good one and done option.
😍 Geek & Gorgeous Stress Less*
Calm in a bottle, truly. Lightweight, fragrance free and reassuringly good. Beta-glucan and madecassoside do the soothing, saccharide isomerate handles hydration. Brilliant for reactive, red or easily annoyed skin, and an easy layer to slot into almost any routine.
😍 Tatcha The Silk Serum
I used up a mini I’d had knocking about and was reminded just how good this is. Plumping, brightening and instantly flattering, with that luxurious Tatcha feel. It’s one of those serums that makes your skin look like it’s had a good night’s sleep, even when it hasn’t.
Body Care
😍 Murad Heartleaf Soothing Body Cleanser*
A genuinely gentle body wash that does exactly what it says on the tin. It cleans without stripping and leaves skin calm, comfortable and quietly hydrated. There’s no fragrance, which might disappoint if you like your shower to double as aromatherapy, but if your skin is sensitive, reactive or prone to sulking, that’s very much the point.
😍 Caudalie Lip Conditioner
This keeps lips soft and comfortable without that thick, waxy feeling that can make you oddly aware of your own mouth. It moisturises properly and does just enough to stop lips chapping when the weather turns cold and rude.
❤️ Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Resurfacing Body Scrub
This is not a gentle suggestion of exfoliation, it gets the job done. In three minutes flat, it buffs away dullness, smooths out bumpy patches and leaves skin absurdly soft. The sort of soft that makes you keep stroking your own arms absent-mindedly all evening. Slightly ridiculous, but entirely worth it.
