Since lockdown started my skin has been on an up and down journey and so the past week I’ve been trying to re-balance it out. I was getting breakouts, my skin felt both oily and flaky, it looked red and irritated and it needed some work to make it healthier and happier. So I went back to my skincare cupboard, and pulled out all the products I know work for me to create a skincare routine to fix these issues.
The reasons for many of my skin problems come down to not leaving the flat I think. I haven’t really had a lot of sun, and Vitamin D helps your skin quite a lot so it’s missed out. I’ve been wearing foundation less… but that means when I touch my face I’m more likely to transfer dirt and bacteria as well as pick at problem areas. Plus my diet has also been up and down, so increased sugar probably was not helping.
Morning Routine
The first step in my morning routine is to gently cleanse my face, so I’ve been using REN Gentle Cleansing Milk. This cleanser is so gentle, but makes my skin feel super clean without drying it out. It’s perfect for anyone with sensitve skin too, so my irritated skin was being cleaned, moisturised and soothed immediately after waking up.
Next I chose my favourite toner, the Clinique Clarifying Toner. This tones but also helps exfoliate my skin which is what I need when my skin feels or looks flakey. I also tend to focus on areas of breakouts with this toner as I find it helps to heal them up better when using an exfoliator. Using an exfoliator usually helps my skin look and feel smoother, which makes it the perfect base for my makeup.
On days where my skin feels extra dry I will also use the Body Shop Vitamin C Microdermabrasion which is a manual exfoliator. This product is a bit rougher to my skin so I don’t use it everyday, but if my skin looks dry and dull this gives it a little extra boost.
For days where my spots were looking particularly bad, I would then use the Sukin Blemish Control Spot Banishing Gel. This is the best treatment gel I’ve found in a long time, as it both reduces the size in a day but it doesn’t dry out or irritate the skin around the spot.
My go to moisturiser is Clarins Hydraquench which has SPF in (although not that I need it right now…). Especially after using the exfoliating products, I need a little bit of help with re-hydrating my skin. Since I’m getting bot dry patches and oiliness, it’s needed so much. For this same reason, on days I won’t be applying foundation I would also use The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil for an added moisture boost.
Evening Routine
Whilst in the morning I’m focused on making my skin a smooth base, the evening is spent trying to moisturise it and reduce the overproduction of oils. First up I clean off my makeup using Garnier Micellar Water which I’ve been using for years. This helps get off most of my makeup and helps clean my skin from any dirt and dead skin cells that have accumulated through the day.
Every few days I’ll use a face mask too, I’ve been using the Inkey List Kaolin Clay Mask which helps clean the skin whilst being hydrating too. I don’t see too much of a difference when using it, but I need to use up more products so that’s my main reason for continuing its use. After that I’ll use the Clinique Clarifying Toner again to make sure my skin is clear and ready for the next couple of products.
Next I like to use a serum and my go to at the moment is The Ordinary Buffet Peptide Serum. This helps my dry skin, but it also makes my skin feel look and feel brighter too. It’s just a bit extra before using moisturiser. After my moisturiser I use The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil again in the evening, especially when my skin needs more hydration.
The moisturiser I do use however is Avène Tolérance Extrême Emulsion! This doesn’t use SPF but has emollient ingredients so I find that it works better as a night cream rather than in the day. It’s also a thinner formula, which allows my skin to breathe overnight as it repairs itself.
Seeing it in Action
Last week I also worked on filming what it’s like to use these products, the order I use them in and show off that I don’t need to use all the products every day. Checkout my skincare diary entry to see the difference it makes.