By Kristen Chen And Aimee L

When the world first went into lockdown, none of us realised just how long it would last, and I bet none of us were prepared for the havoc it would have on our skin.

Unless you are the sort who stockpiles stuff in preparation for a zombie-type apocalypse, most of us normal folk out there don’t have a storage room piled high with every possible skin care product in the market.

When it comes to our skin, many of us have it kept in order on a strict regime of monthly facials or laser treatments and a myriad of specialist skin care products to ensure it does not go crazy. But after a three month lockdown, all the careful work of keeping our pigmentation, congestion and acne in check simply went down the drain, together with our tears of frustration.

After that nightmare, we have compiled a list of TRUST ME, YOU NEED THESE IN YOUR LIFE products that we have each tried and tested, to keep your skin looking beautiful if we ever have to go into another lockdown or God forbid our beauty stores have a global stock shortage due to flight restrictions or airport closures.

If Your Skin Is Feeling Delicate, Is Breaking Out Or Suddenly Allergic To Everything

Midway during the lockdown, my skin went berserk and I started to break out badly. If this happens to you, stop your usual skin care products and switch to something that is gentle, preferably unscented and made specifically for sensitive and allergy prone skin. These products listed below are my must-haves for daily use and especially when my skin starts to get irritated.

EHA Hydra Serum 30ml, $118: This product has made our must-have list time and again because it works! The key ingredient in this unscented and unassuming serum is Hyaluronic acid of a very high concentration and quality. The high viscosity enables this serum to form a thin yet highly protective layer over your skin to maintain hydration.

When my skin reacts and I breakout in a rash or a fresh bout of pimples, I apply a few extra pumps of this serum and gently massage it into my skin under an unscented moisturiser.

DR. ANDREW WEIL FOR ORIGINS™ Mega-Mushroom Relief & Resilience Advanced Face Serum 30ml, $123: This potent serum, made with reishi mushroom and fermented chaga and coprinus mushrooms works by strengthening the skin’s barrier to support and boost its resilience.

The serum is a godsend for sensitive skin, leaving it feeling calm and comforted. If your skin is acting up or you think its going to, gently apply a few pumps of this serum and it will keep your skin looking and feeling soothed and calm.

Charlotte’s Magic Cream 50ml, $150: This moisturiser by Charlotte Tilbury has a cult following for a good reason. Formulated with Vitamins C and E to brighten, Hyaluronic Acid, Camellia Oil and Rosehip Oil to hydrate and Shea Butter to deeply nourish, this beautifully scented cream is a thirst quencher for dry, dehydrated and irritated skin.

If Your Skin Is Prone To Clogged Pores, Breakouts And Overall Dullness Or Unevenness

I think those of us prone to congested, irritable and dull skin probably fared the worst during the lockdown. Unable to have our regular facials and laser treatments, our already difficult skin got worse. But I swear, these three products listed below will give you similar results to a gentle laser facial!

Drunk Elephant T.L.C Framboos Glycolic Night Serum 50ml, $190 / 30ml, $128: I am a HUGE fan of Drunk Elephant products and absolutely love this glycolic acid serum. This very comfortable gel serum resurfaces and exfoliates dull and dead skin cells away by gently dissolving the glue that holds them to the surface.

Formulated with a unique AHA/BHA blend including glycolic, lactic, tartaric, citric and salicylic acids, and blended with raspberry extract, it sinks in easily and delivers the results of a chemical exfoliation without harsh side effects like dryness or sensitisation. After just one week of daily use, your skin will look more even-toned and clear.

It reduces the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, discolouration, excess oiliness, broken capillaries and open pores and enhances the performance of other products by clearing the way for maximum absorption and is a must-have, especially if we ever go into lockdown again and are not able to go for regular facials or laser treatments.

Jyunka M+ Serum 30ml, $344: has to be the best vitamin C serum that I have ever tried. Encapsulating the purest of the L-Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) with patented Qu-some technology, The nano-capsules penetrate into the deepest layers of the skin, reaching the muscular level, stimulating collagen, elastin and skin cell production.

Sagging skin is visibly lifted, facial contours are more defined and scars are lightened.

Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream 30ml, $105 / 10ml, $40: One of the best anti-ageing skin care ingredients ever created is retinol, and ironically, it is also an ingredient that I can’t seem to use without breaking out in a horrific rash.

But because it was by Drunk Elephant, I just had to give the product a try and I am so glad that I did! This clean, cutting-edge formula combines 1.0% vegan retinol with nourishing, superfood-rich ingredients to dramatically diminish the appearance of fine lines, deep wrinkles and sun damage, to reveal vibrant, younger-looking skin.

Vitamin F, along with a curated blend of comforting passionfruit, apricot, marula and jojoba oils replenish essential lipids and moisture while antioxidant-packed kale, winter cherry and xanthophylls defend against environmental stressors.

This is one product that I would definitely say you can’t live without. It’s literally like rebooting your skin back to it’s most healthy, youthful state. To grab yourself a bottle, go here.

To Keep Your Skin Looking Like It Just Had A Facial

I am not a high-maintenance sort of person, but not being able to go for my monthly facial did a number on my skin. In that short space of time, without access to my usual facialist, my skin got congested, dull and lacklustre.

JK Professional Tri-Hydro Concentrate 5 x 3ml, $61: This professional and intensive hydrating serum restores moisture, boosts the skin’s water binding ability, strengthens the skin‘s support system and helps calm reactive skin.

Although it can be used as a serum under your regular moisturiser, when paired with the Absolute mask, it doubles up its efforts, lifting, hydrating and plumping up the skin, leaving it looking refreshed and energised!

Jyunka Absolute Mask 1pc, $32: This mask is so awesome that it made our list of Best Sheet Masks. This superfine biocellulose mask clings onto the face and leaves skin looking radiant and supple after just 20 minutes.

While it does a wonderful job when used on its own, combining it with the Tri-Hydro concentrate (above), redoubles its results and is a must when you need to look fabulous or when your skin is feeling parched, dull, irritated or saggy.

Daily Essentials Your Skin Needs To Keep It Protected And Looking Fabulous

If there was one thing we learned during the enforced lockdown, was the need to whittle down our skin care regimen to only include products that did double duty. After all, it didn’t make sense to layer load of ‘okay-ish’ skin care onto our faces, when we could simply save time and energy and focus on those products that we knew worked hard for us.

Jyunka Ageless Eyes 15ml, $142: It’s safe to say that we are all obsessed with this eye cream, not so much for its ability to de-puff the eye area and lift sagging lids and dryness, but more for its amazing lash lengthening ability.

When I first tried it for this article, I couldn’t believe how long and lush my lashes seemed to get after just a week of use, and lets not forget the fact that it is actually is a really good eye cream as well, which explains why it made our favourite eye cream list.

EHA Sun Shield 24 Hr 30ml, $98: It’s safe to say that over the years, I have tried hundreds of different types and brands of sunscreens, and yet the only one that I use is the one by EHA Skincare. This skin-cooling, non greasy, lightly tinted (almost sheer) Japan-made sunscreen has an SPF of 100 and has been proven to block both UV-A and UV-B rays by 99%, for a period of 24 hours, with just one application.

It is super lightweight on my face and I love how it gives an almost airbrushed look to my skin. If you are looking for a sunscreen that is not oily, that won’t leave you looking shiny and one that you don’t need to touch up every few hours, then this is it!

EHA Suncare Facial Wash SPF30 236ml, $65: I personally hate applying sunscreen everyday and while I know its important and the first step to prevent ageing and pigmentation, I just dislike applying yet another layer on my face, which is why I am obsessed with this SPF30 facial wash by EHA Skincare.

Using revolutionary user-friendly SPF technology, the unscented and gently foaming wash encapsulates all the active ingredients, providing a layer of sun protection and skin care in one easy step. It is also infused with soothing antioxidants with anti-ageing benefits that leaves skin supple and soft with no greasy residue. If you hate sunscreen as much as I do, you should consider getting yourself a bottle. They even have one for your body and hair.

EHA Repair Serum 30ml, $220: This serum with its DNA Repair Technology promises to reduce signs of photo-damage and improve skin texture and tone with frequent use.

With topical sunscreens only able to protect the skin up to 68% against DNA damage, this serum addresses the damage caused by environmental and UV exposure on both the skin and its DNA, repairing the damage and reducing its effects by up to 93%.

We hope that you find this list of products that we have personally tried and tested useful. The lockdown really did a number on our skin and since then, we have been trying to streamline our skin care regimen to include products that do double duty and can take us through a similar situation, should it ever occur.

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