Wednesday 15 August 2012

Daily Skincare Routine

Following a bad experience from trying the new YSL foundation I've had a bit of a skincare shakeup to cure my heavily blemished skin. The result is that I'm currently really happy with my skin's texture and appearance. I thought I'd share the products that I've recently been using and loving. For reference my skin type is combination with an oily t-zone & dryer cheeks, prone to blemishes and slightly dehydrated.



Morning
REN Mayblossom T-Zone Control Cleansing Gel, Caudalie Beauty Elixir,
Caudalie Vinosource SOS Thirst Quenching Serum, Alpha-H Daily Essential Moisturiser SPF 50+

In the mornings I try to keep the products down to a minimum. Partly because I don't have much time to get ready and partly because I'm gonna pile a ton of makeup on top of my face anyway. A good cleanser is probably the most important step and at the moment I adore this gel cleanser from REN. Its meant for combination to oily skin types and does a brilliant job of balancing out your skin without stripping it. It helps to unclog my pores and leaves my skin looking clearer and brighter. It foams up just the right amount. I sometimes use this with my Clarisonic but it works just as well without it. I then give my face a generous spritz of Caudalie Beauty Elixir. I'm sure everyone has heard about what a fab skin refresher this is and I love how it works on my skin. I've gone through three big bottles of this now and its something I couldn't live without. A recent addition is the Caudalie Vinosource SOS Thirst Quenching serum. I tried a sample of this in a Glossybox and really liked it. When I went for my facial last month I was told that my skin was a bit dehydrated so I decided to purchase the full size one and its definitely helped to replenish my skin. I finish off with two small pumps of my Alpha-H Daily Essential Moisturiser SPF 50+. Its perfect for my skin type and gives me the high sun protection that my skin so desperately needed.



Makeup Removal
Bioderma Créaline H2O, Boots Botanics Face Soothing Cleansing Balm

What I use to remove my makeup depends on how lazy I'm feeling. If I want something quick and easy then Bioderma is the way to go. A few cotton pads full of this will remove every trace of makeup on my face with ease, even when I've piled on the mascara. Sometimes I feel like my face needs a more thorough clean so I remove a bit of my eye makeup with Bioderma and then I use this Botanics cleansing balm. I really like this balm as massaging this into my face feels wonderful. I use a Liz Earle muslin cloth to remove it from my face and it leaves my skin feeling really smooth and does a fab job of cleaning out my congested areas. Sadly Boots have just relaunched their Botanics range and the ingredient list of this product has now changed. I have no idea if the new cleansing balm is as good as this one but I sure hope so. I fell out of love with Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish as I felt it wasn't really doing anything for my skin anymore. This balm was better, cheaper and made my skin so much nicer. Perhaps because this is more akin to the Eve Lom cleansing balm that Liz Earle tried to emulate long ago.



Night
REN ClearCalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser, Caudalie Beauty Elixir, Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré,
Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair, Clarins Lotus Face Treatment Oil, Alpha-H Liquid Gold

At night is when your skin your skin repairs itself so this is when its most important to provide it with some TLC. I begin with another REN cleanser in the form of the ClearCalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser. This range of REN products is meant for blemish prone skin so it helps to clean out any impurities in your skin, shrink pores and clear up blemishes. Its really creamy and relaxing to massage in. It definitely helps to soften and calm my skin. Its so refreshing to find a skincare range for blemished skin that doesn't strip your skin or leave your face feeling tight. I either remove it using my Clarisonic or a Liz Earle muslin cloth. I then treat my face to some more Caudalie Beauty Elixir. I rotate the next few products throughout the week. Most nights I use some of my Embryolisse moisturiser with a few drops of Advanced Night Repair mixed in. I tend to use the Clarins Lotus Oil once or twice a week to give my skin an extra boost of moisture. This oil is suitable for combination or oily skin so you don't have to worry about this product breaking you out at all. Twice a week I use my holy grail skin product - Alpha-H Liquid Gold. I've raved about this product enough but this is just so good at clearing up any spots you have (including those that lie deep under the skin such as closed comedones), brightening your complexion and reducing scarring.

Theres some other bits and bobs I use once a week such as masks & spot treatments but those will be coming up soon in separate posts. I hope this helps some of you with combination skin as it can be difficult to find the right products for this skintype.

14 comments:

  1. I have combination skin and it's completely confusing when buying products, most things i pick up seem to be tailored for oily or dry! Lovely post, i love reading about other bloggers skin care to see if i can spy any nice products i haven't heard of x

    Currently hosting a giveaway on my blog for a pair of galaxy print leggings! This is the last few days so hurry if you'd like to be in with a chance of winning!

    http://laurenjadem.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. I find all these things very confusing. I have no idea what I should be doing for my age/skin type. 25 now so I should start treating my skin better now ...

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    2. gem if you're totally stuck you should just go for a basic facial or visit a dedicated skincare counter and they should be able to help you out! they can determine your exact skintype and recommend products for you. i think the origins counter is a good place to start as they give you loads of samples to try out first and have a big selection of products for all skintypes xx

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  2. These all sound great - I'm glad you've found something that works so well for you! I'm desperate to try Alpha-H Liquid Gold but at the same time I just don't have the spare £££ at the moment! xx

    talbsx.blogspot.com

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  3. Sounds amazing! I really need to be more thorough with my skincare routine! I love the sounds of the Alpha-H Liquid Gold, I must give it a try!! Xx.

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  4. Practically drooling at all of this gorgeous skincare! ;)
    Really gutted I never got to try the old botanics balm, bit hesitant to try the new one as I've not seen any reviews on it! I have picked up their new facial oil though to try, it's very rich compared to clarins and my skin takes almost forever to drink it up, but I do like it for making my skin soft! :)

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  5. I'm desperate to try Liquid Gold, I'll certainly be picking some up on payday!

    Sarah xx

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  6. I have similar skin to you and use many of the same products. I have just ordered the Clarins Lotus Oil so I hope it works as well for me as it does for you.

    Laura
    www.whitewintersblog.com

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  7. I really want to try the Liquid Gold... I can't separate with the money just yet. Boo!

    LaceyLoves

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  8. love these type of posts! ive had problem skin lately and have removed all chemical induced products i have! love my REN cleansers, i havent tried the clay one with my clarisonic, might have to give it a go! :)

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  9. Love the Botanicals cleansing balm, it's a amazing
    Beauty Fiends Blog

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  10. I really want to try the Botanics balm x

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  11. I really wanna try that Botanics balm... do they still do it even though they have rebranded themselves?

    LaceyLoves

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  12. Great post. Would love to try that botanics balm.

    http://herribbonsandherbows.blogspot.co.uk/

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