Hey it’s Cho, and with this year FINALLY winding down, I figured it would be nice to do a quick little recap of the best skincare products from 2020. If I had to describe the year with one alignment, it would be Chaotic Neutral. A lot of good shit happened to me: I established my business legally; I found my niche when it comes to content creation; I got my first affiliate deal with a skincare company and I finally improved the quality of my live streams. Those are just a few of many major accomplishments. On the other hand, there was a lot of financial destruction, physical ailments and many other consequences courtesy of Miss Rona herself. She’s the ultimate Sailor Moon villain.
This was the year of investing in Cho and finding out how I can improve myself from the inside out. I can’t stress enough that if you want to be “successful” in life, you need to water your plants. Yeah, I said water your plants. Investing in yourself for the long term isn’t a pretty answer. It’s quite boring actually, but it’s necessary for those who are serious about achieving success. I took some specific steps in watering my plants by doing the following:
- Taking online courses to increase my knowledge
- Establishing healthy boundaries both in the workplace and in my personal relationships
- Signing up for mentorship programs
- And of course, improving my skincare!
In today’s post, we’re going to focus on the last bullet point, because it’s the most fun! If you’ve been following my journey since the beginning of this blog 9 months ago, you will be familiar with all of these products. In order to save space, I will only be listing one product from the following categories: cleanser, moisturizer, exfoliant, treatment/toner and sunscreen. Now buckle up, because this is going to be a LONG one!
Cleanser: An Underrated Choice
To date this year, I have experimented with at least 7 different cleansers. You all know that I stan the Youth to the People Superfood Cleanser ($36). In fact, it was my very first blog post! However, it is NOT the best cleanser of 2020 for me, because it’s price point is just a tad bit too high for my tastes. If you have the budget, please buy it. Your life will be changed. But for the average person, I honestly don’t think you need to spend over $18 for a cleanser. That’s why the Paula’s Choice Gel-to-Cream Cleanser ($18) is my top cleanser of the year! This gentle cleanser won’t leave your skin feeling stripped of its natural oils, but it’ll get the job done! I’ve tried many other cleansers from PC, and the others seems to not cleanse as well as this one. It’s the perfect balance. Not to mention, the texture is pretty nice to see going from gel to creamy. It just feels nice!
Exfoliant: Duh
No surprise here, but I’m obviously going to go with Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant ($29.50). This is my holy grail and one of the biggest reasons why I was able to get my skin to a place that was satisfactory. I go into detail about how great of a product this is throughout many different blog posts, but TLDR: this chemical exfoliant helps to dig deep to unclog your pores from oil & debris. It slowly removes dead skin cells which reveals brighter more even toned skin! I can’t tell you how many people I’ve recommended this product to that have seen fast results to their skin complexion. If you purchase a skincare coaching package from me, just know ahead of time that I’ll most likely be recommending this product in some capacity. Of course, this is if you aren’t already using an exfoliant! haha I know y’all think I’m a shill for Paula’s Choice, (I’m not even affiliated with them yet, but I just know Paula is going to call me up ANY DAY NOW), but this shit works. Period!
Moisturizer: The Dark Horse
During the spring, summer and fall months, I would have chosen a different product, but the Paula’s Choice Omega+ Complex Moisturizer ($35) has really taken my face by storm this winter season. Obviously, you should know that your skincare needs will change depending on the season and your environment. Right now as we head into January, my skin is in massive need of ceramides, humectants, occlusives and emollients! These are all ingredients that help with maintaining proper moisture and hydration. And yes, this product is a power house in terms of those ingredients! It is my favorite moisturizer by far due to its effectiveness and the fact that it has the texture of a thick whipped cream. I’ll actually be sad when summer hits and I have to reduce my use as I think it’ll be a bit clogging during the summer.
Sunscreen: The Most Important Product
I’m still unsure why people don’t understand the MASSIVE value of wearing sunscreen on a daily basis. The science is undeniable. Yet, people will point at any anecdotal or circumstantial evidence as to why they don’t need to wear sunscreen everyday. Ok girl, if you want to look like a raisin by the age of 40, be my guest. BUT IN THIS HOUSE, we wear sunscreen daily. I will always tell my audience that the best sunscreen is the one that you will wear every day. Figure it out, and make it work. If you need help picking one out, I give you tips on how to do so.
However, for the purpose of the blog, I have to list one, and it’s easily the Pipette Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 ($16.50). They also have a travel size for $7 that you can try before investing in the full bottle. The reason this is so amazing is because you get so much product for a cheap price. This isn’t meant to be a drag, but why buy the more expensive name brands when this baby product is essentially the same formulation? Make it make sense. I promise you this product is the most slept on mineral sunscreen on the market. Watch my first impression video of it here.
Treatments/Toners: Ingredient of the Year
Lastly, let’s talk about treatments & toners. These types of skincare products are NOT necessary for a healthy well-balanced routine. I know that may sound controversial. And yes, as a gaming & lifestyle blogger with an emphasis on recommending skincare products, this may seem like an oxymoron. However, it’s the truth. I don’t make the rules. That being said, it’s also undeniable that treatments & toners can take your skincare to the next level and help you achieve specific goals. Toners specifically can help to hydrate and prep your skin for the following steps in your routine. Unless you count the 2% BHA by PC, I actually don’t use toners at all, so I don’t have one to recommend yet. Do YOU have any to recommend to me?
However, I have dabbled in lots of treatments and would recommend the Paula’s Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster ($44). I’m sure you’ve heard of this ingredient and its effectiveness. I would say this is the ingredient of the year and can be found in lots of formulations. The 10% booster by PC has specifically helped my skin texture to be brighter and smoother. Check this post out to see why niacinamide is such a powerhouse ingredient! I’m currently using the 20% formulation, but I recommend starting off at 10% to reduce the risk of any irritation. As an honorable mention, I’m also looking forward to further testing Evenprime’s Barrier Serum ($48) which has been adding massive amounts of hydration to my skin so far. I still need more time to test its claim of reducing fine lines and wrinkles. Look out for that post soon!
What Are Your Best Skincare of 2020?
Thank you to those that got this far! It was quite the long one, but I wanted to give you a well-rounded review of the best skincare this year. And yes, I know I recommend a lot of Paula’s Choice products. There’s specific reasons why I love this brand so much, and you’ll continue to see me recommend their products because of those reasons. I don’t simply try products and start recommending them to my audience. I like to take my time actually testing them out before putting my name on the line. So tell me, what were your favorite products of 2020, and what would you recommend I test in 2021?! Tell me all your thoughts over on Twitter & Instagram! As a reminder, using my affiliate links above to make your purchases is a FREE way for you to support me monetarily, and I appreciate you for doing so!
