With so many beauty bloggers and YouTubers talking about makeup and skincare and their favourites, it is easy to get confused about it all and ignoring what your skin really needs. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a self confessed cosmetic obsessive that can’t help picking up something new and trying it out even if I don’t need it. But I have neglected any form of a proper skincare routine and looking at my face, there’s no glow, quite a few breakouts, it’s dehydrated and it just looks tired and dull. So I have been rifling through my stash and placed a few sneaky orders and using the basic steps - cleanse, tone, serum, moisturise – I have tried to build up some sort of routine and I am almost a new woman.

1. To remove makeup I use the L’Oreal cleansing oil which effectively removes makeup including waterproof mascara and helps smooth as well as balance out the skins natural oil production. Bonus. Sometimes if I am being lazy or wearing lighter makeup I will use the L’Oreal Micellar water for the face and the Garnier bi-phase makeup remover for eyes which gets off waterproof mascara like a dream.

2. Next up is cleanser and a sneaky order to feelunique.com was made for the Emma Hardie Cleansing balm – we all know what it is and what it does yadda yadda – but it works, and my skin feels and looks so much better because of this. 

3. So toner, many people think this is a pointless step which admittedly I did at first. But I actually love this step now and think this is very important and vital to your skin. I have three toners (you don’t need to tell me it’s too many, I’m aware) but they all do different things and are used at different times. First up I have the Michael Todd anti-bacterial toner. The scent may put you off but don’t let it as this is brilliant if you have acne prone skin or even just the odd breakout. It removes dirt and grime with just a swipe of a cotton pad and I love how this feels on my skin. MT thrive on being truly organic and it’s not easy to find and stick to products that are 100% organic. The next toner is a recent addition to my routine which is the Clarins exfoliating toner. Being such a lover of a chemical exfolliant it was only a matter of time before I get my hands on it. It makes my skin so soft and it smells calming (weird, I know). I love what this does and I am so glad I have this in my routine. On days where I use this - as it does have AHA’s in - I spritz a nourishing toner over the top and for that I use the Simple Soothing Toner which was the first toner I ever purchased. It really hydrates my skin and it’s just a no fuss, no alcohol and no nasty stuff toner which my skin soaks up - as soon as I spritz this on my skin drinks it up almost instantly. So that’s why I have three toners but I don’t use them all at the same time.

4. On to my favourite part, serums. Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum II is by far the best one I have tried. It’s a breath of fresh air. It keeps my skin smooth and soft and balanced and a lot more things that I won’t go in to but if you want to see my blog post on the ANR then click here But I love this and I think it is worth the hefty price tag. I think this is truly amazing and I recommend it to everyone – young, old, spots, dehydrated, uneven skin, everyone. It just ticks all the boxes.

5. Eye Cream now, and I use the Simple smoothing eye balm, I don’t really think much of this product, I’m looking for another eye cream but there’s so many out there and with so many mixed reviews I’m struggling to pick one that does what I want it to. I want one that will plump up my eye area as well as moisturise it and be a good enough base for concealer so it won’t crease or rest in fine lines. If you have any recommendations then please let me know. 

6. Finally we have moisturiser. I use either La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo or K (just for any active breakouts or to prevent any spots lingering under the surface) and use that as an all over moisturiser and I will then apply my Ponds Hydro-nourishing cream. I am on the lookout for another moisturiser but the Ponds one does what it says and is very affordable. But I don’t feel it moisturises my skin enough to help with the dehydration so I do actually put Argan oil over the top or mix it in with my moisturiser to add that extra bit of oomph to it which I do find really helps my skin and the next day it doesn’t look so dull and dehydrated but it looks healthy. So again any recommendations then let me know.

So there are my evening skincare products. I have stuck to this routine for about a month to 6 weeks and I am so pleased with the results and hope to see some more as I continue it. It may seem like a lot of products for some people, this is what works for me, and they’re not all used every single night, and I am a true believer in listening and looking to what your skin wants and give it that moisture and exfoliating and breakout treatment if that's what it needs. Layering the products I have found has really helped my skin and using spot treatments that dried out my skin and were too harsh did nothing good for my skin at all.

Links below if you want any more information on any of the products or if you want to buy them. 

Emma Hardie Amazing Face Natural Lift & Sculpt Moringa Cleansing Balm Michael Todd True organics Blue Green Algae Antibacterial Toner L'Oreal Paris Skin Perfection 15 Second Miracle Cleansing Oil Face & Eyes Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner Simple Kind To Eyes Soothing Eye Balm 15ml La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo La Roche-Posay Effaclar K Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II Ponds Hydro-nourishing Cream Pure Organic Argan Oil

Sophie 

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