Monday 26 May 2014

Beauty: Skin Care Routine May 2014

I posted my last skin care routine this time last year. I've mixed a few bits up since then, so here's what I do now. 

I've got normal-oily skin. I don't have a problem with acne, but I do have a problem with blackheads. As disgusting as it is, I can’t seem to get rid of them. I’ve only got myself to blame – I didn’t see the need in washing my face every day till far too late into my teenage years, and by that time puberty had done its damage. If you’ve got any recommendations for how to get rid of them, I’d love to hear them!

At the moment I use 5 main products on my skin.

1)     Simple - Kind To Eyes Nourishing Eye Make-Up Remover Cream
2)     Simple - Kind To Skin Vital Vitamin Foaming Cleanser
3)     Simple - Kind To Skin Smoothing Facial Scrub
4)     Simple - Kind To Skin Soothing Facial Toner
5)     Olay – Essentials Complete Care Normal/Oily SPF15 Daily Fluid

If it’s the evening I start by removing any eye make-up I’ve got on (usually some combination of eye shadow, liquid liner and mascara, as well as some under-eye concealer) by applying a small squirt of (1) to a cotton pad and rubbing it gently over my eyelid and through my lash line. I cannot fault this product, it does exactly what it says on the tin, but if it gets in your eyes it still stings a little, so apply this carefully. Besides, it’s not good to apply pressure to your eyelid. I rub my eyes till a majority of my makeup is off and the pad is nice and dirty. If it’s the morning I don’t have anything on so I skip this step.

I then dampen my face with warm water, squirt a couple of pumps of cleanser into my fingers and massage it over my face, focussing on my T-zone. This also gets rid of any face-makeup I’ve got on (not that I often do a full face).

I rinse that off, squeeze not even a penny sized amount of exfoliator onto my hands and rub all over my face – focussing on my nose and cheeks (I suffer from a skin condition which means I have over-reproductive skin cells on my cheeks and upper arms. It’s mostly gone away on my face now, but if I don't remove the dead cells I can get small lumps, and it means that my cheeks are constantly rosy).

I rinse all that off too and pat my face dry with a flannel. Using another cotton pad apply a little toner in upwards motions over my face and let it dry for a few moments whilst I brush my teeth. I then apply a 20p sized amount of moisturiser to my face and neck. I never used to moisturise as I always thought my skin was too oily for it to be necessary, but I’ve since learnt that all the harsh oil-removers I was using was only causing my skin to think it was de-hydrated and needed to produce even more oil! Since I’ve started applying moisturiser twice daily I’ve noticed a huge difference in how my skin looks and feels, as well as how much oil it produces.

That’s pretty much it. I don’t always do everything, and I don’t always do it twice daily – it just depends how much of a rush I’m in. If I have got a few extra minutes to spare, I’ll also use Superdrug Dead-Sea Mud Mask. My skin always looks and feels so much nicer after I’ve used it, and the great thing about it is you can actually see the oil being pulled from your skin – which is disgusting and interesting all at the same time. If I apply this, I’ll do it after my wash routine, but before my moisturiser. Most Superdrug own brand products are also cruelty-free, and as I’m trying to make all my facial care cruelty-free next time I run out of any of the above products I’m going to try an own brand alternative. I’ll keep you posted!

It also goes without saying that I use a clean flannel (I try to change them weekly) and always wash my hands before touching my face. IIf it’s the morning I try to have a drink of water (hot with a slice of lemon is my favourite, or black or green tea with lemon if I need a caffeine boost). Hydration is the key to healthy glowing skin, and every night you breathe out a load of water, so it’s best to revitalise that as soon as possible.

Let me know if you know any affordable cruelty-free duplicates for any of the products I’ve used – particularly the eye make-up remover cream and the daily fluid. You can leave recommendations in the comments or tweet me @VickiMaitland


xx

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