My skincare routine has changed quite a bit over the years as I've progressed through my twenties and as my knowledge on the subject has developed but I can now confidently say that I have never been happier with my current routine. I'm going to talk you through everything in the above picture
and the order in which I use them whilst trying not to ramble on too much in my love for these products.
Starting with my first step, cleansing, I rotate the two Tata Harper products, using the Purifying Cleanser most mornings and the Regenerating Cleanser (this is the old packaging) usually every third morning or if my skin in particularly rough or flaky. I absolutely love the Tata Harper range, it is quite pricey but the products are 100% natural, smell amazing and most importantly do a bloody good job. The Purifying Cleanser almost has an oily feel on the skin and is so beautifully smooth, it also has the added bonus of smelling like citrus sherbet (well that's what I get from the scent) whilst making your skin feel nice and clean but not stripped or tight in any way. The Regenerating Cleanser has an effective but very fine grit to it which gently exfoliates your skin, leaving it glowing and smooth and again not leaving it dry or tight in any way which some exfoliating cleansers can be guilty of.
The next step is toning and whereas in the evening I like to use an acid, I prefer something a little gentler for the morning so I turn to REN Clarifying Toning Lotion. This is a toner suited to all skin types but is particularly good for congested skin as it unclogs pores, minimises future breakouts and helps remove dead skin cells. I always follow this up with a hydrating spray toner and I've been using Clinique's Moisture Surge Face Spray for a couple of months now and I absolutely love it. It's more than your normal spritz and in fact it's almost a moisturiser in spray form which I love for the morning as it makes my face far more plumped and hydrated for makeup which I tend to need nowadays.
Now when it comes to eye cream I'm not too fussy, I've always loved Origins Ginzing but I think the majority of eye creams do a fairly decent job and as I spend far too much money on the other aspects of my skincare routine, I try to save a bit on the eye area so I basically live off of eye cream samples and actually very rarely run out of them. When I'm buying things from Space NK or Cult Beauty or wherever, when at the checkout they ask you to pick some samples I always go straight for the eye cream option and you normally get it in a little tube rather than just a sachet, like the Clarins Super Restorative Total Eye Concentrate pictured above which I have to say is very nice, hydrating, smooth and is great under concealer.
Next, on to serums and I am currently using two, the first is by Caudalie and is their Vinoperfect Radiance Serum which gives you a lovely glow without looking greasy and has a rather liquidy consistency which absorbs quickly into the skin. The next is a hydrating serum which is something I really can't do without at the moment and after trying many different ones I decided to pick up the Vichy Aquaria Thermal Dynamic Hydration Serum after hearing so many great reviews and I love it. I've had M.E. for the past five and half years and during this time my skin has changed a lot and has gone from being oily to oily and very dehydrated which makes foundation application a nightmare especially when you throw large pores into the mix as well. A hydration serum therefore is a must and this one ticks all the boxes, it's lightweight, smooth, smells lovely and really does a great job. I've only been using it for about three weeks and I feel like my skin doesn't look dehydrated anymore, it feels better, looks better and my foundation is applying much more smoothly so if you suffer from dehydrated skin or just dry skin then I would seriously recommend this.
My last step in the morning (are you still with me?) is moisturiser and for this I use another product from Clinique's Moisture Surge range and this is their Extended Thirst Relief moisturiser. Another product great for dehydrated or dry skin but is also great for my oily skin and I expect many others even if they are not dehydrated because it has a light gel consistency which is so light on your skin and really hydrates without ever feeling like it will make you oily. Over the past five years or so, as someone who has very oily skin, I've really learnt that hydration is your friend and instead of making you more oily it will actually do the opposite. If you're very oily but have always shied away from using more moisturising products then I urge you to give it a go and as long as you don't use incredible heavy creams in excess then I think you'll see some great improvements.
You may notice that there is also a pot of the Lush Mint Julips Lip Scrub, I won't go into too much detail here cause hey it's just a sugar scrub but I use this every few days or if I'm going to wear a bold lip, just before I cleanse in the morning. Also one very important note, I always use a flannel to remove my cleanser, it really is the best method as it holds the warmth of the water and gently exfoliates your skin whilst being very effective at removing all traces of your cleanser.
I'm going to upload my evening skincare routine next week which has almost completely different products so keep an eye out for that one.
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