Good morning readers, and Happy New Year!

For the new year, I decided to do a small purge of my skincare collection. As the seasons change, and as I’ve continued on with my Epiduo and spironolactone treatment, my skin has changed a bit. Products that I used to swear by and considered HG status at one point just don’t work as well anymore. That’s not to say I don’t consider them good products anymore, I would still recommend them to someone with a particular skin need.

So, here is a list of products that are going into my “on-hold” stash, or in the trash, for 2020, despite their previously coveted “holy grail” status in my reviews.

Cerave Hydrating and Foaming Cleanser. The foaming cleanser has always gotten a bad rap for being a little too harsh, and I agree with that. It’s also, for some reason, not very good at removing makeup. The hydrating cleanser tends to leave behind a film, and quite frankly won’t really make you feel clean. I’ve replaced both of these with CosRX Low PH Cleanser.

Cetaphil. Ditto the above. It was leaving a slight film on my face, and didn’t seem particularly hydrating.

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel. I don’t know what happened to this moisturizer in the past two years, but it burns my skin like crazy, and then leaves a tacky feeling after it dries! There are a couple reviews online that now cite the same issue. This was one of my very first HG moisturizers, so I’m sad to have to trash it. I think I’d still recommend it to beginners, because I think, despite all the usual preservatives you find in many moisturizers, there’s nothing that sticks out as “terrible”. I replaced this with Clinique’s Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel. (However, I still love the Hydroboost lotion — link to my review here!)

Sunscreens. I’m not about to ditch the sunscreen step in my skincare routine — it’s too important! But I haven’t been able to find a sunscreen that works for me, without breaking me out or making certain parts of my skin red. For the most part, ditching American face sunscreens helped the breakouts to stop. But lately, Asian sunscreens have been causing a little irritation to my skin, including my beloved Rohto Skin Aqua UV Moisture Milk. I’ll take a little redness over sun damage and acne, since it’s nothing a little foundation can’t cover up. Still, I wish I could find my long-term sunscreen magic bullet.

For anyone going through a break-up with a former HG product, don’t worry — you’re not alone. Your skin and skin needs change over time, and sometimes products themselves change as well. ~A