Skincare is one of those things that everyone uses, but most people don’t like to have to spend the money on it since it’s never especially cheap. Here are my picks for skincare items that I’ve especially enjoyed over the last year or so and some that I’ve even been given as gifts too.

Jealous Body makes gorgeous coffee scrubs in a variety of scents/flavours that are intended to target particular body needs (oily, dry, etc.). My favourite is the original Coconut* (review here), but I’ve also tried out the Grapeseed + Macadamia* (pictured above) and Cocoa + Almond* ones as well (second review here!). Each scrub is $18.95 CAD and will last you about 4-5 scrubs. Bonus? They’re a Canadian brand!

One of my most used products is the Bioderma micellar water (Crealine/Sensibio). I keep this in my bathroom and on my makeup table in our bedroom because it gets so much use! It’s great for removing makeup at the end of the day (not waterproof stuff though!) and for cleaning up makeup mistakes. Or even just for refreshing your skin at the end of the day if you’re feeling kind of greasy after the gym. I use this stuff CONSTANTLY! It’s average retail price is around $20 USD for the large 500 ml bottle.

My mom always used to put a bottle of Aveeno moisturizer in my stocking and I was always grateful for it. Since the daily moisturizer is about $25 CAD, it’s not an especially cheap product! While Aveeno is my favourite facial moisturizer, you can always pick up something that the person you’re gifting that you know they already love. That way they’ll have a backup when they run out.

This one is a relatively new discovery for me and it’s been a skin saviour as the temperatures drop in Toronto. (That being said, it’s mild as all hell today and it’s the middle of December. WHERE IS MY SNOW??) skyn ICELAND‘s Arctic Face Oil* is a deeply concentrated oil that will resuscitate your dehydrated skin and keep it healthy and plump throughout the dry months. (Full review here.) It retails for $40 CAD.

Bite Beauty‘s Agave Lip Mask (pictured above in Maple) is a gloriously thick lip balm that will heal your chapped lips while also tasting delectable. While the $30 CAD price tag is no joke, this item is definitely a splurge for a lucky someone. Good things DO come in small packages!

And how could I have an entire gift guide focused on skincare without pointing out the wonderful options from The Body Shop? Their body butters are a favourite of mine and I’ve been through many a scent (Shea Butter, Pink Grapefruit, Satsuma, Virgin Mojito, their older holiday vanilla and cranberry scents, etc.) in my time. My ultimate favourite is the Shea Butter one (pictured above) and I just recently picked up a fresh tub for myself! They retail for $20 CAD each.

I also recently picked up an ENORMOUS bottle of Pink Grapefruit shower gel from The Body Shop. Like the body butters, I have been through countless bottles of their shower gel and never once have they disappointed me. While the Pink Grapefruit scent is my personal favourite, they also have Fijian Water Lotus which is another one currently sitting in my shower as well. The grapefruit is nice and zesty, whereas water lotus is more aquatic and calming.

I hope that gave you some ideas! Let me know what kind of skincare YOU like to receive. 🙂

Items marked with an asterisk were sent to me for consideration.