It's been over a year since I posted about my skincare routine, so I figured it's about time for an update. I'm going to run over my day and night routine, so get comfy. This could be a long one.
I'm not loyal to any particular brand, and I don't have any favourite products that I always make sure are in the bathroom cupboard. I always like to try something new, but there are a couple of things here that I would consider game-changers.
I recently went through a breakout due to weather and hormonal changes, resulting in drier-than-usual skin and sensitivity issues and so I had to look for some products that I normally wouldn't have used however, in a way I'm glad this happened because the change has helped my skin look better than it did before. And, note to self, use warm water instead of cold - your dry patches will be no more!
Let's start off with a cleanser shall we? I'll begin with the Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil by The Body Shop, which isn't pictured above because 1: it's almost finished and 2: it's not the prettiest bottle right now. That's because the oil tends to get pretty messy and it managed to escape from the bottle and ruin the label on the bottle. However, it's a total dream at removing makeup, it literally melts it all away! I only use it for removing makeup at night though, as I find it dries my skin out and leaves a film. I simply rub this onto my makeup and wipe it away with a warm, wet flannel.
Next is my morning/first cleanser, which is the Peaches and Clean Deep Cleansing Milk by Soap & Glory. The cleansing milk has made my skin appear brighter and seems to have prevented the formation of blackheads and spots. Even though it hasn't made my skin any less oily, it's still a great, simple cleanser. This is such a huge bottle, so it's lasted me ages and yes, it does smell of peaches!
Onto scrubs and masks. I use a face mask once a week, and a scrub later in the week but only if I need to. The mask I'm currently favouring is The Fab Pore Purifying Mask and Peel by Soap & Glory, which I featured in a haul post a while back. I've really enjoyed this because it's brilliant for oily skin, I've definitely noticed a difference in the way my skin looks after using this and it helps to smooth out the texture of my skin too. I've also found this to calm my skin if it's having a bit of a hormonal breakdown too. (sidenote: ignore the marks, this was floating in my makeup bag when travelling and it obviously made some friends and the packaging doesn't wash well-sigh)
Now, if I'm halfway through the week and I'm finding my foundation isn't sitting right or there are a lot of rough patches to be dealt with, I will use a scrub. I don't always have to but when I do, I use the Scrub Your Nose In It facial scrub by Soap & Glory (Remember when I said I wasn't loyal to any brands? Apparently I was lying). I've had this product for over a year, which you can probably see but it's amazing at exfoliating away any pesky dry patches. Again, this helps to control oil and reduces the chance of breaking out. I recently went through a breakout partly due to the weather, and partly due to a change in medication but this helped to smooth it all out. I use a grape sixed amount of this when my face is damp from cleansing, leave it on for a couple of minutes and then wipe it off using a wet face cloth, which makes me feel like I'm helping the exfoliation process!
After cleansing/treating my skin, I'll move onto an eye cream, which has been The Body Shop's Vitamin E Eye Cream, which has had a change of packaging but I promise this is the same product! This has helped reduce my puffy morning eyes, and leaves the under-eye area feeling nicely hydrated and noticeably smoother. This also helps with any fine lines that become more prominent when your skin is dehydrated!
The next step in my routine is toning. I only use a toner at night if I've been to the gym, or have worn a lot of makeup that day or sometimes in the morning if I didn't properly cleanse the night before (don't look at me like that, we all do it sometimes), and for that I've been using the Boots Botanics 100% Organic Rosewater Toning Spritz. I always find my skin to feel a lot smoother after using this, and it just makes me feel fresher. I will either spray this right onto my face or will use a cotton pad to remove any last traces of dirt that my cleanser didn't catch, or removing any pieces of face scrub/mask I missed.
I move onto a serum at night, but I forgo this step in the morning because I don't think my skin needs it before the day starts. The first is one I've used for ages, and it's the Essence Sublime by L'occitane. I didn't realise this when taking these photos, but I don't think it's sold in the L'occitane store anymore, I did however find it here. This is the most expensive item in my routine, but that's because it's filled with essential oils and general goodness. However, because it is quite concentrated I only use about half a pump - a little bit goes a long way. This tightens my skin, leaving it brighter and smoother - again, helping with those pesky oils.
My other serum is a total bargain in contrast. It's the Superdrug Simply Pure Hydrating Serum. Now this has been a complete life saver. Last month, my skin was completely breaking out, I think the bad Scottish weather was taking it's toll and my face was completely dried out and rough as hell. As someone with normally oily skin, I had no idea what to do. I bought this because a) it's cheap so I wouldn't be wasting my money on something that could potentially not work and b) it says 'hydrating' and 'for sensitive skin' so it had to work, right? Well, I was actually right! This made my skin look even better than before I used it. I have no idea what's in it, but my dehydrated skin is no longer an issue. I could rave about this all day but in a nutshell it has made my skin feel much softer, has erased almost all of my redness and it just feels much plumper and radiant after using this.
This last section is all about the moisture. Since we're pretty much into summer here in Scotland, I've began using the Garnier Essentials Hydrating Day Cream. Now, I haven't used this for very long but so far I can say it has a cream come gel texture that absorbs quickly and leaves the skin feeling smooth and fresh, and is accompanied by a grape scent, the perfect fresh scent for this time of year. I only use this in the morning right now, but I'll probably start using this in the night once the sun properly comes out.
For a night cream, I'm using the Simple Replenishing Rich Moisturiser. Now, don't be put off by the 'rich' part, it basically means it's more suited to colder months, hence why I'll be opting out of this soon. It's very hydrating and although it takes a little bit longer to properly sink in, that's because it is slightly heavier than lighter creams. During the winter, this didn't make my face any more shiny than usual, but like I said, it's not really suited to the coming months.
Last but not least is probably the most boring, taken for granted skincare product out there - lip balm. I always use the Nivea Original Lip Butter. Cheap and cheerful, this prevents flaking and helps replenish dried out lips. If I am suffering from flaky, dry lips though, I always treat them to a lip scrub from Lush!
I hope you enjoyed this long, chatty post. If there are any products you'd like me to review more in-depth, do let me know! -x
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