Quite awhile ago I shared with you my daily skincare routine, but since that time I have really done a lot of searching and product testing and have now found what I really think is my go-to routine. I thought it only made sense to give you an update, show you all the products I’m loving of late and hopefully be able to show you some products that maybe you’ve never heard of, or have been wondering about.
I guess I should give you a lil update on what my skin has been like to start with. It seems my chin has been having a breakout for what feels like months now. I’ve never had the most blemish-free skin, but lately it feels like a lot more than usual. I have not been able to pinpoint why, but I added some products into my routine that help with blemishes (or acne rather). The zits I seem to get are almost cystic (in my opinion) and last for weeks on end, so some of these products have been a real help with reducing redness, pain and size of those little demons.
MORNING
1. In the morning I like to give my skin a good wash and hydrate as much as possible. I have fairly dry skin and even more so in the winter, so Mario Badescu’s Cleansing Milk with Carnation and Rice Oil is a true god-send when my skin is being a flakey monster.
2. After cleansing, I use Wildcraft Care Bergamost and Rose Toner to tighten up my skin while leaving it with a cool, refreshing feeling. I like that this toner is in a spray bottle – the application is much easier and I don’t have to worry about having cotton balls on hand (although I always do so what am I saying).3. The moisturizer I have been using is by an Australian natural skincare brand called Sukin. I had never even heard of this brand before, but I quickly became a fan after using the Facial Moisturizer only a few times. The moisturizer is lightweight, but deeply penetrating and boasts an infusion of aloe vera, rose hip oil, avocado and sesame seed oil. Needless to say, it smells great, but it is also an awesome product for us dry skinned folk who do not want a thick moisturizer coating our face every morning (not good for the zitties, you know that I mean)
2. I have shared Kiehl’s Creamy Avocado Eye Treatment before, but it has remained a staple in my skincare routine for a long while now. To be honest, I don’t actually have dry under-eyes, but I do have some puffyness in the morning and I find the cooling sensation of the cream helps to wake my eyes up, which I feel both mentally and physically. It’s on the pricier side considering how small the tub is, but to be honest, a little goes a long way with this guy.
EVENING
1. Here is where I start talking about combating those god-awful blemishes. I have been using Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash with grapefruit for a ridiculous amount of years. It feels like the only product that has ever kept those blemish demons at bay. I wash my face with this every evening and it leaves my skin feeling refreshed, totally makeup free and I know it’s working it’s zit fighting magic at the same time. I know not every product works for everyone, but if you have blemish prone skin, I suggest trying this gal.
2. Simple’s Micellar Water is a newer product for me, but an instant favourite. I poor a bit of it onto some cotton balls and wipe all over my face, which removes any remaining makeup and leaves the skin hydrated. I much prefer this product to remove eye makeup than a designated eye-makeup remover – I find it doesn’t leave that odd oily feeling or make my eyes feel cloudy for a few minutes after.3. Clearasil Deep Pore Cleasing Pads is my true savior when my skin is at it’s worst. This product is not for those who really dislike a burning/tingly sensation on the skin. For me, I kind of like it because I feel as though it’s doing it’s job, but it is definitely not for everyone. However, in it’s defense, it noticeably reduces the redness and size of my zits over night, quite literally.
4. To finish off my night-time routine and give my skin an extra bit of love after all that acne treatment business, I use a combination of Notre Dame Apothecary Balancing Facial Serum and Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate. Originally I had just been using the NDA serum, but I got a tester of the Kiehl’s oil and thought why not put them together. Both these products leave my skin feeling nourished and hydrated for ultimate smooth skin dreaminess in the morning. The Kiehl’s recovery replenishes the skin, while I find the NDA oil helps reduce any redness and combats my zitty friends.
I hope some of you found this helpful. Let me know if you use any of these products and tell me about your favs!
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I have combination skin and it drives me insane. I’m prone to breakouts if I get lazy with my skin care. However, strangely enough the thing I’ve found that works best for me is to minimise the combination of products I use. A few years ago I started following Lisa Eldridge’s website as she has a fairly similar skin type to myself, but she has great advice for all types of skin.
In the evening I use a really gentle cleanser and micellar water – definitely agree with it being amazing for removing eye make up – no rubbing required, I just press the cotton wool pad gently onto my eyes for 10 seconds. I’ve also discovered how great cleansing oil is. I probably only use the oil twice a week to give myself a good gentle 20 minute face massage to stimulate blood flow, plus it has the added bonus of being utterly relaxing, especially if I come home with a headache. I used to use only micellar water on a morning, but found my skin started becoming dry and I actually got a tonne of spots starting to appear around my chin and creeping down my neck! A few months ago I stopped doing anything to my skin in the mornings, I now simply lightly exfoliate if I need to and then go ahead and apply a thin layer of moisturiser and allow this to sink in for 25 minutes before applying primer on my T-zone before my make up. It sounds gross in theory, but actually in practice me not being so harsh to my skin and drying it out with more products to fight any oiliness have actually helped to clear it up! I never use acne products because they make my skin worse – I found this out the hard way, all through my teenage years I tried a million different acne products which dried my skin so much that my skin was producing far more oil to compensate – catch 22 or what?!!
The only other thing I don’t do is touch the skin around my eyes. A makeup artist told me never to put creams on this area because the more you do the more wrinkled that skin will be come over time. Apparently, if you put moisturiser just below this area (i.e. top of your cheek) and leave under eye skin alone, this will make your under eye skin more taught, rather than softening it up with moisturiser and creams over time. If my eyes are puffy I run cotton wool pads under very cold water and press them to my eyes for a minute and that brings them right down.
I suppose ultimately it’s what works for you. I absolutely love reading about other people’s skin care routines – makes me feel like I’m not the only one that obsesses with my skin! Also, I will definitely be checking out that moisturiser – thank you!
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