The Dorky Diva

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Welcome to The Dorky Diva! I'm Savanna, a Star Wars fanatic who tries to sprinkle fandom into every day life. Follow along for new cosplay updates, outfit inspiration, beauty reviews, convention coverage, and more!

Top Skincare Products of 2018

End of the year recap posts are better late than never, right? 2018 was a great year for me in many ways, but if you follow me on social media you've probably heard all about that so I'm here to share something new. As you guys probably know, 2017 was a monumental time for me when I discovered how to slay my bad acne forever. It's been a total dream to live my life without feeling self conscious about breakouts or worry about how long my skin will look damaged, but it's always a challenge to keep my skin looking glowy and fresh! I tested out lots of new skincare products last year and wanted to share with you the ones that I purchased again and again.


Dry Skin Heroes 

I dealt with some major dry skin problems last year which is totally abnormal for me as my skin is usually slicked with oil. My T-zone was particularly dry and patchy, but after a few weeks of testing various products, I found some champs that have kept my face nourished. First is the Priming Moisturizer Rich from Glossier. I used to wear their regular priming moisturizer every day over the summer, but when winter came around I needed something that packed a bigger punch and PMR totally knocked it out of the park. This product is a little pricey ($35), but I've been using it twice a day for almost three months and I still have half a jar left. It also smells incredible.


The next product that saved my dry skin is Trader Joe's Hyaluronic Moisture Boost Serum. Guys, the hunt for a good hyaluronic acid serum has been real. I tried Glossier's Super Bounce (amazing product, but too expensive for how fast I went through a bottle) and Instanatural's hyaluronic acid serum (didn't like the scent and saw no improvement), but came out disappointed. Thankfully I grabbed the Trader Joe's version and was impressed with how it improved my skin. It's also only $9 and one bottle lasts for several months- a great value! If you're curious about how hyaluronic acid improves your skin, check out this article.



Lastly in this category, I finally got myself a bottle of Glossier's Milky Jelly Cleanser. I've always wanted to give this cleanser a shot, but I didn't want to spend $18 on a full size bottle only to end up not liking it. They now offer a travel size for $9 and lemme just say, the hype is real! I still use my oil cleanser to remove makeup at night, but this one is great to use in the morning to wash my face without stripping it from all the good oils that I need to keep in my skin. The travel size is great because the last few times I've traveled with my Trader Joe's facial cleansing oil, it ended up leaking all over my cosmetics bag. The Glossier cleanser pump locks into place and seals tightly so it doesn't get all over your stuff when traveling. 


Texture Warriors


Some of my deep acne scars are still hanging around, so I've done lots of research on acid exfoliators to see if they would improve the texture of my cheeks. I bought Glossier's Solution and used an entire bottle, but decided not to repurchase as the results weren't as phenomenal as I thought they could be after a month of use. I ended up trying a sample size of the Pixi Glow Tonic and saw changes in just a matter of days. Now I use this product once every morning after washing my face and it's incredible. I think it'll still take a while for my deep acne scars to vanish, but this tonic is definitely speeding up that process and keeping my skin smooth.


Okay, this is gross, but I have a really bad habit of picking at my lips when I'm anxious. This mostly happens when I'm watching really intense shows (I'm looking at you, Dexter) or stressed out about work. I don't even realize I'm doing it until after the fact when my lips are all cracked and messed up. Most lip scrubs don't help heal the actual damage I've done to my lips- they only rub off the dry skin. Burt's Bees Conditioning Lip Scrub is amazing though! It buffs off the flaky/dry skin while nourishing my lips and keeping them soft. I only use this once every couple weeks, but it's a must have on my skincare shelf.


I think the glowy skin trend is here to stay for a while. Years ago, I wanted my face to look as matte as possible since I've dealt with oily skin for so long. I'm really embracing the glowy look lately though and it's been really easy to achieve with some new products by Herbivore Botanicals. Just a forewarning- I think their products are priced too high, but I got super lucky during a Black Friday sale and scored one of their mini kits for less than $30. The Balance + Clarify Set from Herbivore is incredible. It comes with an exfoliating serum, facial oil, toner, and mask. I've been loving all of these products minus the blue tansy mask, despite all of its amazing reviews. It has a really strong scent that I can't manage to deal with so that product has been sitting on the shelf without use. The other three products are great though and I mix them into my usual skincare routine about two to three times a week. I'm not sure if I'd ever pay full price for any of these items, but at the price I paid, they are great.


Battle Buddies Forever


I've talked about these products in the past, but I wanted to mention that they are still in my daily skincare routine despite using/trying other products. The Instanatural Vitamin C Skin Clearning Serum is still my favorite item on my skincare shelf. I actually stopped using this product for about a month over the summer just to see how my skin would react without it. Long story short- NOT. GOOD. I added it back to my list of staples and have been living blissfully ever since! It's gone up in price a little bit lately, but it's still totally worth the extra dollars. Second on the list is the Facial Cleansing Oil from Trader Joe's. This stuff knocks off makeup like no one's business and continues to keep my skin soft. Lastly is Glossier's Balm Dot Com. I use this stuff throughout the day and absolutely love how soft it keeps my lips. My tube of the cherry flavor is almost completely out!


One of my skincare goals for the new year is to find an SPF that I really enjoy using. I've been trying a few different ones lately, but all of them seem to leave my skin tacky and feeling gross. If you have a daily SPF that you recommend, please let me know!

I hope you enjoyed this post and take your skincare routine seriously this year. If you found a stand-out product last year that your face is loving, drop it in the comments below! I'd love to hear which products made it through your 2018 cycle. Also, before you go, check out the.skincare.diary on Instagram. Kate has posted some amazing content in the last year that has really educated my views on skincare and I think she deserves a shoutout. Wishing you all beautiful clear skin for 2019!

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