LEIGH CAMPBELL: 3 beauty products I wish I discovered earlier.

What would you tell your skin if you could go back in time?

Erin Docherty wrote a really interesting piece for Mamamia this week in which she relieved the six products she wished she’d used for her dry skin decades ago.

It got me thinking about the products I’ve avoided in the past, or wish I'd discovered earlier, for my combo skin.

So, I thought I'd share them with you.

Face oil.

Image: Ipsum; Jojoba Company; Canva.

I avoided face oil for so, so long because I assumed it would make my oily bits… oilier. Turns out the opposite was true. All skin types can benefit from face oil. 

While I don't use it in the morning because it makes my makeup too dewy, I love using face oil at night on top of my hydrating serums and lotions — it locks in all the moisture and I always wake up more plump and dewy than if I don't use it. And guess what — my skin wasn't oilier. In fact, it helps to regulate the oil flow in my T-zone. 

My current faves are The Jojoba Company Jojoba Oil, $19.95, and Ipsum Skin Best Skin Face Oil, $48.

Eye cream.

Image: Naturium; The Ordinary; Canva.

I’ve had an on-again-off-again relationship with eye cream over the decades. Reason being, I feel like so many of them don't really do much — or at least, don't do anything more than my hydrating serums do. 

But, now in my 40s I've found that my eye area needs a bit more attention, and I've found some eye creams and serums that really do make a big difference to the lines, puffiness and circles in that area. 

My current faves are The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Eye Serum, $39.50, and Naturium Multi-Peptide Eye Cream, $31.50 (I must have a thing for peptides!).

Gentle exfoliants.

Image: Go-To; Dermalogica; Canva.

I used to use strong exfoliants frequently and aggressively because it felt like it stripped my oil away. And it did — but then my skin would overproduce more oil to compensate, and I was stuck in a cycle. 

Once I discovered I could get beautiful smooth skin from much more mild exfoliants (and that protecting my skin barrier was key), my skin has been much happier and my combo skin has been better behaved. 

My current faves are Go-To Glow Exfoliator, $40, and Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant, $105.

Want to share what products you would tell your younger self to use? Share with us in the comment section below.

Feature image: Instagram/@leighacampbell/Canva.