CURRENT SKINCARE ROUTINE

My skincare routine has had a little bit of a change around recently - mainly because I have been taken off my prescribed skin solution so its more or less a battle of keeping breakouts at bay, and as most bloggers would, I thought it was worth sharing. I seem to have streamlined things a lot more than I would usually which deserves some credibility.

The Garnier Micellar Water has become a favourite again for the first step of the routine, because it just gets makeup off really quickly, which is a key part of my criteria. The Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Oil has been a firm element of my routine for a very long time now, and I'm yet to find anything to replace it. The only problem I have is that it's hard to travel with - I can't take the entire bottle but it also seems to leak if I empty it into a smaller bottle? Nonetheless, it's a staple in my routine.

In the mornings, I'd then follow up the cleansing with the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo +, and although I'm not entirely sure how much it does for me, it's more so what it doesn't do when I stop using it. And it acts as a good base for makeup alongside my moisturiser. In the evenings I'd most likely follow up my cleansing with the Boots Botanics All Bright Radiance Concentrate Serum - a lightweight, glow giving serum that is a rather decent price too.

Then, whether morning or night I'll follow this with the Botanics All Bright Night Cream as I find it suitable for night for enough nourishment, and in the morning too for a light slick of hydration as it seems to create a lovely base for makeup. I don't like the day cream versions in this range as they contain SPF and I prefer to apply my own SPF and they seem to make my face look a little paler because of the SPF anyway.

I'm thinking I'll be sticking to this routine for quite some time now as these products all seem to go hand in hand rather well.

THE BODY SHOP CAMOMILE CLEANSERS

A few weeks back I started to run low of my Origins Clean Energy Cleansing Oil I was on the hunt for a replacement, as the price tag just wasn't selling a repurchase to me. Mum whipped out a £10 off body shop voucher so immediately I went and picked up two of their highly raved cleansing products.

The first was the Sumptuous Cleansing Butter, sort of like a balm. This one was £12 (but I only paid £2 and then the full price of the oil), for 90ml of product. I take this on dry skin and massage it in - it takes a matter of seconds to melt into an oil and then can take off all makeup (even waterproof) or just cleanses the skin really nicely if your makeup has already been removed. It's nourishing and just leaves my skin feeling clean, but by no means stripped.

The second offering is that of the Silky Cleansing Oil. This is quite a light consistency for an oil, not thick at all and one pump or so can cleanse my whole face - I did use waaaay to much the first use, but you get used to using the correct amount. This can remove all traces of waterproof makeup too, and seems to leave my skin feeling plumped and nourished too. This costs £10 for 200ml so is realy quite a good value product.

I was wary these would break me out as lots of new cleansers I try seem to do, but these actually have left me with no problems as it stands. I'm impressed, and could see these being repurchased in the future...

URBANVEDA SOOTHING FACIAL POLISH

I don't tend to use physical scrubs very regularly since the likes of Caroline Hirons steered us blemish-prone folk away from them, but every now and then I need a little something something to leave my skin polished, which is where the UrbanVeda Soothing Exfoliating Facial Polish* comes in.

It's a natural brand I believe, and the scent definitely smells quite herbal which I always think is nice in a face product. Whilst claiming to exfoliate it definitely isn't harsh product, its more of a creamy cleanser with some fine sand like grains put it, really nothing vigorous.

Although a short but sweet review, there's not a great deal more to this cleanser, and to be fair, I think simple is the best way forward with a scrub, and I look forward to using this more in the future, and perhaps even trying more from the range.

MARIE CLAIRE - AROMATHERAPY ASSOCIATES SKINCARE GIFT

I have an obsession with magazines, but I get even more excited when I find a magazine with an interesting free gift. When my mum came in with Marie Claire's June Issue in tow, and I spotted the Aromatherapy Associates logo I jumped for joy (and ran to grab the camera).

The magazine itself is actually £2.50 which isn't bad at all and you get 3 adorable minis alongside from the Hydrating Rose range. The one I haven't tried yet is the 15ml Hydrating Rose Face Mask, which is a surprisingly thin, clear gel mask so I am intrigued to give this a go. Just a heads up, if you aren't a massive fan of rose these may not be for you, but speaking as someone who doesn't worship overly floral fragrances it isn't unbearable.

The 10ml Hydrating Renewing Rose Cleanser is actually really nice, its a lot thinner than a general cream cleanser, but a little goes a long way and it leaves me feeling nourished as well as cleansed. On first impressions I also enjoyed the 5ml Hydrating Triple Rose Renewing Moisturiser, which was hydrating enough for night time but also didn't overload my face when I used it the following under makeup.

So not only do I have a good magazine to flick through I also have some awesome samples to try out, and I would say that this is worth picking up if you like to trial new skincare, or are off anywhere over the bank holiday..

TWO BUDGET CLEANSERS

Being a teenager, I have a lower budget than most of the beauty bloggers out there, so the majority of the products in my collection are budget based (and I don't think there is anything wrong with that personally), because there are so many gems in high street/drugstore, and by the looks of it, that's no different for when it comes to cleansers.

The first of the duo is one I have mentioned a few times now, and as I had a new bottle sitting in my drawer (my third bottle of the stuff) I feel like it deserves to be in this post. The Superdrug Naturally Radiant Hot Cloth Cleanser is a thick, cream/hot cloth cleanser which does a good job at removing makeup in the first cleanse, or fully cleansing as the second cleanse. I also really like this one in the morning, and it doesn't leave any kind of a tight feeling on the skin.

A recent discovery for me is the No7 Melting Cleansing Gel which I got when I had the ever so famous £5 off voucher. Don't be fooled, this is called a gel, and at first it is a balm-like gel. Once you start massaging it into your face though, as it warms up it turns into an oil texture, and then upon rinsing, washes off more like a milk. I prefer this for the second cleanse, and although it does remove the majority of makeup, I had a little eye-stinging action with this when trying to get of the remains of my waterproof mascara - so keep that in mind.

If you know of any budget oil-cleansers out there, do let me know as that is what's next on my skincare wishlist.

NEW SKINCARE ADDITIONS

I think it's safe to say that I have an addiction to buying new skincare products. The amount of cleaners I have is unhealthy, and my eye cream collection is overflowing, but I always see myself buying more, and trialling more. Some have been good, some have made my skin go absolutely cray, but these are the products I have recently added to my stash. 

As the weather is warming up I decided it would be wise to incorporate a facial SPF into my routine. I have the Proactiv Daily Protection Plus Sunscreen SPF30* which I have only tried once but it isn't too bad. I feel like it could sink in a little better, but other than that it worked well under my makeup, so we'll see how it goes. 

A few days back I popped into Boots with my No7 voucher in hand, and I came out with the Melting Cleansing Gel. Don't be fooled by 'gel' - this is more like a balmy texture which once you massage it into the skin transforms into an oil, and rinses off as a milk. On first impressions, I really like this. 

As you know, I have troubled skin. I got the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo+ from Escentual in the hope that it would clear up some of the problems, as the original formula did good for me. After using this for a few days I have already noticed that my skin is looking clearer, so I am hoping it'll keep working further. 

If you are a regular reader, you will know that I got these two products in my 'Post-Spending Ban Buys' post. They belong to the Boots Botanics All Bright range, and they are the Night Cream and the Cleansing Toner. I think these work towards that whole 'chemical exfoliant' thang, and so I have been using these almost every night I think. 

What has your skincare routine included recently?

MERUMAYA MELTING CLEANSING BALM

I am always buying new cleansers, but recently I have been into trying more oils and balms, and with one of my New Year's beauty resolutions being to purchase a cleansing balm, I was excited to see this mini of the Merumaya Melting Cleansing Balm* came through my letter box to give it a try.

So, this is a pretty thick balm like texture as you squeeze it out, and as you massage it into your skin, it melts down into an oil-like texture which emulsifies makeup really easily, and with a bit of water and a flannel your face feels so clean and plump after. This balm really nourishes the skin, but still doesn't leave too much of a residue on the skin.

For simply cleansing the skin rather than removing makeup, this does a great job too. It is really nice to rub in and just feels luxurious on the skin. I recently saw that Essie Button did a post on this a week or so ago, and she really likes it, and when one of my favourite bloggers likes a product, I know it is a good'un!

The full size of this is £14.50 so is no Emma Hardie price, which I think is nice to see on the market. You never know, I might buy myself the full size at some point....

 

A'KIN SKINCARE BOLT-ONS

A'kin is a brand which is pretty new to me, but my skincare cupboard is always open to new housemates. When these products dropped through my door, I almost squealed.

First up is the Rose and Geranium Pure Facial Creamy Cleanser & Toner*, a thick, hot cloth esc. cream cleanser, which not only cleanses well and feels glorious on the skin, it removes makeup fairly well too. This has been getting almost daily use from me since I got it, so that proves it's a good'un.

Then, I'm sure this has made an appearance in a few of my posts, but this is the Kaolin Clay & Activated Carbon Express Purifying Facial Masque*. This is pretty much a breakout buster, because it really drags out every sing impurity that could possibly in your skin. It does get a little tight after you remove it, but a good coating of the next product and you're good to go.

So, for that moisture boost, I have been loving the Chamomile Unscented 24HR Pure Moisture Cream*, which is light enough for day wear, but then can be applied more liberally at night and still moisturise enough.

It's safe to say that I am a little bit of an eye cream junkie, being blessed with the biggest, puffiest, rings under my eyes, I'm always on the hunt for something to help me out. The Brightening and Tightening Eye Day Cream* has been getting quite a lot of use from me recently, and although it isn't de-puffing all that much, it definitely moisturises and soothes any dry or irritated areas on my eyes, and wears rather well under concealers too.

Oh, A'kin, you are good. Perhaps one day I will get my hands on their Rosehip oil which I am desperate to try...