It is insanely hard trying to find the right skincare routine. Every brand now offers copious amounts of moisturisers, serums, eye creams and it's pretty daunting on knowing where to start, never mind what will actually work for you. My first piece of advice is to actually listen to your skin and work out what it needs. From working on a counter I know first hand that every claims to be either 'oily' or 'dry', are you really though? If you would like a break-down of skin types then please let me know, this may help a lot of people out there who aren't entirely sure. I personally am mostly normal but occasionally dehydrated - not dry, dehydrated. What I have found is that I was applying far too much onto my skin that not only took forever in the morning, it really wasn't working for me and was actually making my skin work. I have now stripped everything back and have quite a basic routine.
First up,
cleanse. I prefer a balm/ cleansing oil type for this and do use different ones day and night. For the morning I love to use
Clinique 'Take the Day Off' Balm which I have used for almost a year now, this is my third tub - love the stuff! This could be used at night as it also removes makeup, but I like the feel for the morning to wipe off any excess dirt and oils from the previous nights sleep. To apply, take a small blob, rub into face - including eye area, take a flannel or muslin cloth and wash off.
I then move onto a
face wash.
Clarins Wake-Up Booster is what I have been using recently, would I say it's wow factor? No, but it is nice enough and refreshing for the morning. This too is a cleansing wash and could be used as first in your routine. I am not a fan of foaming face washes, each to their own but wouldn't recommend. Personally, they strip my skin and I believe that's what caused the change in my skin in the first place! This says on the website 'foaming' but it's definitely not, it has a gel consistency which I just pop onto my hands, rub into skin and again remove with flannel.
Where I used to
tone, I no longer do. I honestly feel like toner is just flavoured water and does nothing for the skin. I use a Clarins one at night after my make-up remover to take off any remaining makeup that may still be hanging about, and that is it! Instead, I go pop on a pump of
Clarins Cleansing Milk, the salon sizes are absolutely amazing value and has lasted me a whole year! One pump, and apply to the face and I just leave it, you can also tissue off but I love the extra hydration. I have used this product consistently for over a year now and won't remove it from my routine. Ever.
Now that the face is thoroughly washed and cleansed I move onto the good stuff. First up
eye cream. How many of us apply serum and/or moisturiser first? The reason for applying eye cream first is due to it being the thinnest layer of skin and so applying any products first creates a barrier, which makes it harder to get to the source. This will also make a heavier moisturiser and could cause puffiness. Moral of the story? Apply eye cream first! I love
Benefit's It's Potent Eye Cream. It contains Burnett, a Chinese remedy, which helps with smoothing out any unwanted lines and wrinkles and also Cocoa Extract to counteract against darkness - exactly what I need!
Then to
serum, Serum is so incredibly important and I feel everyone really should invest in one. This is the only skin we get so please respect it! I was using Benefit's which I do love but have recently moved onto
Clarins Double Serum for daytime. I do like it, it leaves my skin feeling refreshed, plumped and smells gorgeous but I have found that it runs out really quickly and I only use one pump of it in the morning. Not impressed with that considering the price tag! I haven't yet found my perfect serum so any recommendations are welcome.
Then last but certainly not least I apply
moisturiser and my choice goes to
Clinique Moisture Surge Intense. I cannot recommend this moisturiser enough to anyone who suffers from dry and/or dehydrated skin. This is what I believe to have seriously helped in taking away that tightness to my skin. It contains Olive Extract which allows the skin to retain moisture making it much healthier! Especially good during the colder months when our skin needs extra moisture!
There we have it, my morning routine! It may seems loads to other people but it's really not, it takes me 10 minutes tops and it is so, unbelievably important to not only have a skincare routine but to get the right one for you! We have all wasted money on products that have sat in our drawers so please get a sample first.
Are you a fan of any of the above products?
- Lori x
