It has taken me quite a while to find myself an effective skincare routine, to be honest I think this is the first proper one Ive had and stuck to. If you read my acne story, youll know about my skin type and that I tried countless products. For those of you who dont know, I have the very annoying combination type skin. By which I have an oily t-zone, which can at the same time get dry and flaky, alongside normal cheeks. Finding products that dont completely dry out my skin, but at the same time dont send it shooting up to the oily end, is pretty difficult. So I try and balance out the products I use to suit all my skins needs.
First of all, at night anyway, I remove my make-up. It may sound strange, but I dont use the typical make-up removing wipes or some kind of special make-up removing lotion, I use baby wipes. Okay, I know it may not remove make-up as well as other methods but I personally wear very little - a bit of concealer, mascara, eye-liner and a dab of powder, and I find they work just find. In my opinion, they are much gentler on the skin with no harsh chemicals, as they are made for babies. Im using Simples Soothing Chamomile Moisturising Wipes. An added bonus is that they are more economical - around £1/£2 for 80 wipes opposed to 25 wipes specifically for removing make up around the same price.
Next, Ill cleanse with Clean & Clear Deep Action Cream Wash. I use this both in the morning and at night. I find this product to be really effective whilst still feeling gentle on the skin. As it is a cream wash, it feels so nice when applying to to the skin and afterwards my skin doesnt feel dried out and tight, which I have found with quite a lot of cleansers. Furthermore, its oil free!
Around 2 or 3 times a week I will use St Ives Apricot Scrub - only at night time. Im sure youve heard many people talk about this product and quite a while ago too. Im not late jumping on the band wagon as Ive been using this for around 2 years now and, once I learnt that its not to be used every night, I could see why everyone loved it. Its a product aimed at oily/blemish prone skin, and although it doesnt have a major impact on my skin, the salicylic acid in it helps to keep some control over blemishes. This is oil free too.
After cleansing, Ill use Simples Kind To Skin Rich Moisturiser. Ive wrote a full blog post review on this (here), but it is perfect for adding the right amount of moisture my skin needs.
Last of all, every night Ill apply a small amount of Duac, which is initially a benzoyl peroxide gel. Again, if you read my acne story, youll know that my doctor put me on prescribed medication and this is the product Im using at the moment and it works much better, on my skin, than salicylic acid.
Around once every week or fortnight, Ill use a face mask. I have a choice of 2, depending on what I feel my skin needs. If I think it needs a nice deep clean Ill use Botanics Ionic Clay Mask. This was the last product to be added into my routine and I love it! You can really feel a difference after using it, my skin feels so soft, fresh and clean. With many clay masks, Ive found them very over drying on my skin, but this one not so much - I tend to put a little extra moisturiser on afterwards.
On the other hand if I feel my skin needs a little umpf, Ill use a honey mask. Simply applying a thin layer of honey all over my face, massaging it in and then leaving it for 10 minutes before washing off. Honey has many benefits for the skin, it helps soothe and fight acne, moisturises and gives a healthy smooth glow.
And thats pretty much it. Whats your favourite skin care product at the moment?
