If you asked me two years ago what my skincare routine was, I probably would have laughed. I am ashamed to say I used to be a lover of face wipes and rarely even moisturised, I still don't know how my skin wasn't terrible from the lack of attention it got. That's all changed in the last year, I now know what works for my skin and find that if I don't stick to my routine, my skin isn't one bit happy.
Cleansing is one of the most important steps in any skincare routine and even if it's three in the morning when I'm taking off my make-up, I always make sure to cleanse my skin properly. Most days if I'm wearing very minimal make-up I'll use the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water. This has been one of my holy grail products since it first came out. I pour some onto a cotton pad and remove my make-up, it's that simple!
Double cleansing is something I've recently started doing and I find it really effective. After using the Micellar water, I'll use the Lush Ultrabland cleanser, which is like a balm that melts into an oil when rubbed into the skin. I leave this product sit on my skin for a few minutes to dissolve all the make-up that's left and then use a warm (not hot as this can damage your skin) wash cloth and gently remove the cleanser. My skin is always so clean and soft after I cleanse with Ultrabland and I highly recommend it!
Boots Botanics is by far one of my favourite skincare lines and I've never tried a product from it that I didn't love. I recently picked up the Rosewater Toning Spritz and after I've cleansed, I'll spray this onto my skin and allow it to sink in. Twice a week if I feel my face needs it I'll use a face scrub to remove any dead skin. I don't like to use a scrub that's too harsh so the Purifying Face Scrub from Botanics is perfect as it does a great job and doesn't leave my sensitive skin irritated.
Another very important part of any skincare routine is moisturising. I have quite oily skin and used to think that because my skin was oily, I didn't need to moisturise it, this is not so! If you don't properly moisturise, your skin will produce more oil to try moisturise itself.
Before moisturising in the morning, I apply the Botanics Radiance Concentrate Serum. I've been using the Garnier Moisture Soft Daily Light Moisturiser for a while now as I find it difficult to find a moisturiser that doesn't irritate my skin. However I am on the hunt for a new moisturiser so if you have any recommendations be sure to leave them in the comments! On a recent trip to Lush I was given a sample of the Million Dollar Moisturiser and I really love it, but I'm not sure I can justify using such a pricey product.
Finally, I want to talk about oils and masks. These are extra things I do and use to give my skin a little helping hand sometimes. When I went to Lush, the Mask of Magnaminty was recommended to me and I honestly don't know what I did without it before. As there's peppermint in it, it does a brilliant job of getting the circulation going in your face, clearing out your pores and it's very refreshing.
As for oils, most nights after moisturising I will apply the Botanics Facial Oil, especially as the weather gets colder. I also love using plain old coconut oil, and my skin is always refreshed and glowing the morning after I use an oil on it.
Is there anything in your skincare routine that you swear by? If so share it by leaving a comment below. Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this post!
