Paula’s Choice Skincare Review + Giveaway

This post was sponsored by Paula’s Choice.

As of a month and a half ago, I definitely didn’t consider myself a skincare junkie of any sorts. In fact, other than taking off my makeup with makeup removal wipes before bed, washing my face when I took a shower and moisturizing with whatever I could find, I didn’t really put a whole lot of effort into skincare (obviously). And while I don’t have acne-prone skin, my slacking WAS beginning to show. My skin was dull and had literally zero glow to it. Lucky for me, my current skincare regimen has got my skin back on track and has actually made me enjoy taking care of my skin!

So, let’s get to it. I’ve been using a full Paula’s Choice skincare regime and I LOVE it (and apparently my skin does, too). Their products are non-irritating, fragrance-free and they don’t do any animal testing. I had a phone call with a Paula’s Choice consultant named Jaime who was SO nice and so helpful, and she picked out all of the products that I would need after I told her my skincare concerns. She really addressed everything and the products she chose for me have been working so well together. I highly recommend taking the time to have a consultation with one of their skincare experts!

So first up for products in my regimen is the hydrating cleanser and replenishing toner from the Resist line. Because anti-aging is a big concern of mine (hey, I’m all about that prevention), most of my regimen that my consultant put together was from the Resist line of products. The cleanser is creamy and perfect for my prone-to-dryness skin. I haven’t experienced any drying with this at all, and that’s a big deal because most cleansers suck the life right out of my skin. As I said in my last skincare review, I’m still not really sure what the purpose of a toner is, but I have heard that it helps serums absorb better so I have been sure to use this after cleansing. I feel that it’s especially good to use after I’ve cleaned off a full face of makeup, because it picks up any traces of makeup left behind.

These next two products were where my skin consultation really came in handy. Normally, when I’m looking at purchasing anything skincare related, I’ll stick to one specific line of products rather than mixing and matching. My consultant addressed my issues with redness around my nose with a redness relief product that feels very nice on the skin as it has a bit of a cooling feeling. It’s perfect to use if other products or makeup I’ve been using have irritated my skin. Jaime also recommended switching out the AHA exfoliant for a BHA exfoliant which would be more gentle, yet still effective, on my sensitive, dry skin. I have seen almost immediate results using this product! I don’t even notice that I have it on, it doesn’t irritate my skin at all, but it’s been purging my pores like crazy. I had one breakout after using this for about a week and since that’s cleared up, my skin is looking so good. I love that it goes on like a moisturizer and I just wear it under my makeup- I’ve never used an exfoliant like this and I am obsessed with the fact that it gives me the results I want without the abrasion my skin can’t handle with regular exfoliating.

Back to my paranoia about my skin aging. My consultant addressed these issues with two more products from the Resist line. The one on the right is a retinol serum that I apply both day and night after cleansing and toning, and it really gives my face so much more moisture throughout the day as opposed to when I only use moisturizer. As well as it’s anti-aging properties, it is also supposed to help repair sun damage and reduce dark spots (hello, freckle face over here), so extra points for this product from me! The only thing with this product is that for daytime use, you need to apply it quite a while before putting on your makeup as it needs a while to fully absorb into your skin. The other serum she sent, which is a super antioxidant concentrate serum, is more of a targeted treatment, and I have just been using this one at night time on my forehead where I have expression lines. As for visible results, it’s too soon to tell, but it does give me some extra hydration which is nice.

And last but not least, the most important product to me in my whole skincare regimen: moisturizer. I am super picky about moisturizers because my skin can dry out so easily, but these two pass the test. During my consultation, I let Jaime know that my skin often reacts very badly to products with SPF in them. I don’t know what specific ingredient causes this reaction, but certain areas of my skin will start to sting with some SPF products. Because of this, she decided to send me two moisturizers- one without any SPF that I could use when I wouldn’t be going out that day (which is the barrier repair moisturizer– it’s light on the skin and absorbs quickly), and one that was a mineral sunscreen, which she said was less likely to cause this reaction with my skin. Turns out that she was right! This moisturizer with SPF doesn’t react badly at all with my skin and also isn’t heavy on the skin like some SPF products can be. I really love it and will for sure be repurchasing this. I highly, highly recommend trying this product if you’ve ever had issues with SPF products on your skin as well!

Now, I’ve got two perks for you today. The first one is that you can save 20% off (and get free shipping) on any one product from Paula’s Choice (I vote for the mineral sunscreen!) by going here before placing your order. Your discount should automatically activate. The second perk is that Paula’s Choice has been so kind to offer one lucky winner a FULL skincare regimen! You can enter using the Rafflecopter below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you were wondering about Paula’s Choice makeup products, I’ll have a post up very soon reviewing (and probably demoing) their Nude Mattes Eyeshadow Palette that they created in collaboration with makeup artist Wayne Goss as well as their new and oh so gorgeous Blush It On Contour Palette. I can’t wait to share these with you guys, because they are perfeeeeection. Just you wait ;)

What are your main skin concerns?