My Skincare Routine

So, I thought I'd do a post on my skincare routine. Obviously everyone's different but these steps have improved my skin SO much; I don't really break out at all now, so some of it might be useful to you!

In the Morning...

First I wash my face with warm water or in the shower, then 3 times a week I'll exfoliate with my Clinique 7-Day Scrub Rinse-Off Formula (£19, review here). It's quite an expensive product, but this is one of the few pricey skincare bits I do really think is worth the money; as it's so gentle but leaves my face really smooth.

I always use the Boots Vitamin E Gentle Eye Cream (£2.54), which is just amazing for the price! I like it a lot better than the Origins GinZing eye cream; although it does nothing for my dark circles it definitely stops my eyes getting puffy and tired. It also contains SPF for the delicate eye area, a lot of pricey eye creams don't even have an SPF!

Every day I apply the No7 Protect and Perfect Advanced Serum (£23.95). This isn't a crucial step in my routine; it's preventative and I thought it may improve some of the fine lines I already have, but I haven't noticed a huge difference. It's not that expensive for a serum and a lot of people like it, but for me I won't be buying it again once it runs out...

After this I use the Clinique Superdefense Daily Moisturiser SPF20 for Combination to Oily Skin (£39). Again, it does the job but I think it's pretty overrated; La Roche-Posay, Vichy and No7 all do cheaper moisturisers which are just as effective!

At Night

This is the really important bit that's improved my skin massively! 

I know face wipes get a LOT of hate from bloggers but personally I think they're fine for getting the first layer of makeup off, they just aren't sufficient in themselves. So I'll gently wipe my face with Johnson's (£3.05) or Simple (£3.25) face wipes for sensitive skin.

Next I'll use my Bioderma Sensibio H20 (£9.99) on a cotton wool pad to remove my eye makeup. It's so gentle and I hate putting gloopy things on my eyes. If I'm feeling lazy I'll remove all of my face makeup with the Bioderma, as I don't have to go the the bathroom and it's easier to get the bits around the hairline using a cotton wool pad. It's kind of hard to get hold of in the UK and it's a little bit pricey, so you can always try the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water (£4.99), which is meant to be a great dupe.

If I'm not being lazy, I'll dampen my face with warm water before applying my Vichy Purete Thermale Purifying Foaming Cleanser (£11.50, review here) and washing it off with a clean, damp flannel.

After this I tone with my La Roche-Posay Soothing Physiological Cleanser (£12, review here), which leaves my skin super smooth and gets any tiny bit of makeup still lingering around.

After this, I again use the No7 Protect and Perfect Advanced Serum and apply the No7 Beautiful Skin Night Cream for Normal Oily Skin (£13.50). I really like this night cream, as it seems like it'll be thin and greasy but it sinks into the skin really quickly, leaving it soft not sticky!

Whether this works for you completely depends on why you think you're having skin problems. My bad skin generally correlates to not eating well, drinking, lack of sleep and not removing my makeup properly, so this really works for me. I also have combination skin; parts are super-shiny and others have dry patches. I'm also prone to redness, blackheads, dark circles and large pores. So much of having good skin is down to genetics, but if you think yours could be improved by lifestyle changes I'd definitely recommend trying some of these products :)