Last year – Phew! What a year it was for everyone, including the skincare world! New brands popped up almost every other week. Celebrities released their own skincare collections. Products gained new cult followings through apps like Tik Tok.
However, despite all the trends and novelty, I decided to take a step back and focus on products that I really loved and knew were good for my skin. And that’s how I managed to achieve healthy glowing skin in 2020!
My skincare focus in 2020?
My 2020 skincare goal was all about having healthy skin. With healthy skin comes a healthy glow! I didn’t obsess too much about trying to erase all traces of past skin issues. If my skin was feeling good and looking glowy, I was happy.
So what three products helped me to get healthy, glowy skin the most? The Atoclassic Real Tonic Soothing Origin Essence, Dr Different Vita A Cream Forte, and Sioris You Look So Young Night Cream!
Why are these my top three skincare products of 2020?
My skincare goal has always been to focus on my skin health. These three products have done just that. All in their own unique ways, they’ve given me the most healthy feeling, and healthy-LOOKING skin I’ve had in a long time!
Let’s start with a short overview on what the products are, are what they’re for:
- Atoclassic Real Tonic Soothing Origin Essence – an essence made with Golden Chamomile and a unique Hanbang (Korean traditional medicine) blend. Treats skin conditions like rosacea (that I have a mild case of), eczema, acne, and overall skin sensitivity.
- Dr Different Vita A Cream Forte – a Retinal (that’s not a spelling error – Retinal has the same effects as Retinol, it just works up to 11 times faster!) treatment that contains Hyaluronic Acid to lessen irritation. This can be used either nightly or a few times a week depending on your skin’s tolerance.
- Sioris You Look So Young Night Cream – my favorite moisturizer for any weather and any skin condition. This cream contains both calming Centella Asiatica and Tamanu Oil that helps with lightening my old acne scars.
From angry and dehydrated skin…
You might have looked at my list of products and thought:
“Retinal and acne-treating essences, I thought you said you focused on gentle products for skin health the past year?”
You’re right! I did. Sure, most acne-treating products and retinol-related products might be pretty harsh on the skin (full of acids and other no-nos for sensitive skin). But the products I mentioned have actually been gentle enough for my sensitive skin to use year-round! Even though they’re gentle, they’ve significantly improved the condition of my skin. My skin hasn’t looked this good in years!
I started out 2020 with skin that felt angry and dehydrated. Mainly from a lack of care and the sudden need to wear masks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I had new breakouts, old scars, and a face that was extra oily in the t-zone and painfully dry along the edges of my face.
Like the impulsive Aries that I am, I immediately reached for my acid masks and strong acne-treatments. I wanted my face acne-free and without any scars – immediately! However as you might have guessed, that didn’t quite work. Piling on strong acids and irritants was not how I achieved healthy, glowing skin in 2020 – that’s for sure!
…To healthy glowing skin
After joining the Be Mused Korea team, I decided to switch my focus. I was introduced to both Atoclassic and Sioris – two brands I was initially not particularly interested in due to their “gentleness” but I soon changed my mind.
After using the essence and cream in my night time routine for a month, I suddenly noticed that my skin wasn’t feeling tight and uncomfortable anymore. Even better: my acne (and scars!) were slowly fading.
About a month later I decided to introduce the Dr Different Vita A Cream Forte into my routine as my previous prescription Retin-A had run out. As I’ve mainly used prescription strength Tretinoin in the past, I was a bit worried about not getting any results from this seemingly gentler cream. But, I was pleasantly surprised to see that my skin was not only keeping up the results I had gotten with my prescription Tretinoin – it was giving me the same results without the irritation!
Healthy, happy skin!
Why I’ll never stop using these three glow-getters
With the Atoclassic Real Tonic Soothing Origin Essence, Dr Different Vita A Cream Forte, and Sioris You Look So Young Night Cream, I feel like I’ve found the perfect foundation for healthy, glowy skin no matter what other products I choose to introduce into my routine. I thank Retinal, Golden Chamomile, and Tamanu Oil for that!
Of course, these three products aren’t the only products I use. However, they are the three that have become staples in my routine. Some days I use a foam cleanser, other days a gel cleanser. Some days I like to use a calming ampoule. Sometimes I opt for a stick SPF over my usual lotion type sunscreen. No matter what I do, as long as I have these three products, I feel confident that I’ll have soft, moisturized, and glowing skin every time I wake up.
Having achieved my goal of having healthy, glowing skin in 2020 I feel reassured that my skin will look great in 2021 too. That means one less thing to worry about as we enter an uncertain time for everyone.
