Best of 2023: skincare and makeup I love

Which starts with a confession, and goes on to some amazing products. From drugstore to high-end, from German pharmacy to A-Beauty brands.

I’m a shit reviewer. No, I really am. And no, the reviews themselves aren’t shit: I’m fairly confident that they’re exhaustive and give you all the info to decide if you might like a product or not.

No, it’s me. I never buy a product that I might not like, or just buy one to review it. That’s not how I roll. I do want to lead a somewhat sustainable life, and just getting products for review seems contradictory to that. (No, I can’t just give away slightly used products.)

In conclusion: all products I review will be tailored to my skintype and my taste. Sorry.

On a more personal note, if you read my December favorites, you’ll know that I had a rather shitty 2023. That also means that for 2024, my only resolution is to have fun: fun with this blog, fun with skincare and fun with makeup.

The skincare I like

On top of the shittiness, I had the great skincare crisis of Summer 2023, concluding – I don’t review a lot of products any given year. I need about three weeks of use to form an opinion, and – you do the math. So, here we are. Favourites. For the sake of this post, a favourite is a product that I like so much that I want to rebuy it, or have already bought it, and also, it came into my life in 2023.

The products are a bit of a mixed bag, because in the middle of the year I decided to start with Tretinoin, and my skin is drier and more sensitive since then. (You could also say that my skin barrier and I aren’t on very good terms.)

• Here’s my current AM and PM routine.
• Here’s the great skincare crisis of Summer 2023
• And here’s my start with Tret.

Biggest resurrection of the year

Oh hiiiiiiiiiiii The Ordinary, welcome back! In a bit of a turnaround, TO said goodbye to their single-ingredient-strategy and now offers some new, amazingly formulated products. I do like their Beta-Glucan Moisturizer (here) a lot, and have, since Black Friday, been trying out their Soothing & Barrier Support Serum. I’m really, really curious what 2024 will bring for them, and will follow their journey with great interest.

A drugstore miracle

I honestly don’t know why drugstore’s own in-house brands took so long to catch up with brands like The Ordinary and The Inkey List. I’ve got a feeling that now the wave has peaked, they somewhat catch up – I mean, at least Germany’s biggest drugstore chain dm’s own brand balea does. They managed to come up with some affordable, well-formulated products: the Hydration Toner has replaced Paula’s Choice’s Resist Advanced Replenishing Toner in my routine without any ill-effects (I actually like the watery texture better) and their Ultra Sensitive Barrier Creme is an astonishingly rich and soothing cream that does exactly what it says. Amazing.

The best toner I’ve tried…

… is from a pharmacy brand, affordable, and super simple. That’s not a bad thing: I’ve raved about Eucerin’s Hyaluronic Acid Face Mist a lot on this blog, and its simplicity and the super fine mist is what makes it great. It offers moisture. That’s it. It’ll never interfere with any other skincare you might use.

Best serum I’ve tried…

… is Beyer & Söhne’s Hautgel (review). Yes, pricey – but honestly, for that you get a great mix of antioxidants, hyaluronic acid and ceramides. It’s basically a three-in-one gel serum that’s very pleasant to use and doesn’t suffer from the setbacks that ‘natural’ skincare products often suffer from.

Runner up is Allies of Skin’s 20% Vitamin C serum (review), which is neither affordable nor easy to use. Still, I like the weird texture comparable to royal icing. You have to apply it to nearly wet skin for a super pleasant, soft-focus finish that leaves your skin on the good side of glowy.

The best mask I’ve tried…

… Skin1004 calming pads (review). First, no huge waste problem because 60 pads drenched in soothing, moisturizing goodness come in one huge, well-sealed pot. They’re cut into somewhat funky shapes, but if you roll with that (or even cut them yourself) they’re easy to use. I usually use them not only beneath my eyes, but also on my forehead and chin. Super refreshing in summer, when used straight from the fridge.

The makeup trend I loved…

… juicy lips, and all the lip oils that came into the market. I LOVE a moisturized, slightly coloured lip, and the possibilities really were endless. If you want to go high-end, both Dior and Clarins still are the benchmark (I’m firmly in the Dior camp), then there was NYX Fat Drip Lip Oil which I loved, and so many drugstore options. Right at the end of the year, the best Dior dupe I’ve encountered during 2023 came into my hands: the elf Glow Reviver lip oil.

Oooooh look A-Beauty eyeshadows!

I’ve never been a fan of any A-Beauty eyeshadows I’ve tested, ever. They often come in desurated tones with little pigmentation, and are diametrically opposed to the eyeshadow trends in the Western world, where more is more. This year, though, the love for glitter and sparkle seemed to unite both worlds: Euphoria makeup from the West encountered the A-Beauty love for glittery neutral eyes. I carefully delved into two (new to me) makeup brands – Klavuu from Korea, and Judydoll from China, and both make easy to use, super impactful glitter eyeshadows that combine a neutrally base with blinding glitter. I love the taupe-ish Glam Brown from Klavuu and have worn it loads in Fall. (It also features in the recent one-and-done eyeshadow post).

And there you have it: 2023 favourites. Any you like to share? I’m curious.   

Please note that this post is not sponsored in any way! Twindly is an independent blog, and our reviews reflect that. Sometimes we’ll use affiliate links that will be clearly marked. Affiliate links mean that if you choose to buy a product through this link, I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost for you. If you decide to do that, thank you for helping to keep the blog afloat! (No matter if the link is affiliate or not, the reviews will always truthfully reflect how any product performed when I tested it.)