I don't know about you guys but I love posts like this! I always enjoy hearing about what products other people use, particularly if they look healthy and glowing and have lovely skin...I'm always keen to hear other people's secrets! I was tagged by a friend on instagram to share my daily beauty essentials and obviously there's only so much detail you can go into on there (!) so I thought I'd share on here. Lucky you :)
I can't remember if I've ever mentioned on here in any great detail but for the longest time, pretty much from my late teens to my late twenties, I didn't really have a skincare regime at all other than avoiding pretty much all oils and moisturisers because my skin broke out very easily, and then avoiding anything that would sting or irritate when my skin became incredibly sensitive while I was on Roaccutane in 2005-06.
Roaccutane is a very strong treatment for acne and has been a bit controversial over the years because of the adverse side effects. I got the standard side effects - dry lips, dry skin, eyesight affected at night - but very little else. It was one of the best things I ever did.
Anyway, prior to being cured of acne, my beauty regime was limited to say the least because there was very little that wouldn't aggravate my skin. Cetaphil (a very light cleanser) and sunscreen was the extent of my skincare, for the longest time. But once I was off the medication and "cured", all of a sudden...I could use moisturiser! I could wear foundation! I could enjoy face masks! Such joys I no longer had to miss out on.
Of course, moving to a new hemisphere where the winters are far more brutal but by contrast the summers are not as fierce, changed the skincare regime too. All of a sudden I needed moisturiser.
So, this is the extent of my skincare regime these days:
Cleansing
I use a gentle cream cleanser on my face - apparently after age 30 you should use cream cleansers, rather than gel cleansers, interestingly! - and I alternate between Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish and Sukin's Cream Cleanser, pictured. I love both of them, not just because they smell beautiful (Sukin has a slight edge over Liz Earle, it does smell really lovely) but because they remove make-up while cleansing too. Nothing annoys me more than when I've just washed my face, I look in the mirror and see panda eyes looking back.
I discovered Sukin on a trip back to Australia in May this year - I bought the rosehip oil (see later) which had a sample of the cleanser with it. It was a nice handy travel size so I started using it and ended up loving it so much I bought more to take home. Turns out it's available in the UK now too! Yay!
Toning
Toning is something relatively new to my regime - I'd always written it off as an unnecessary step. But a few weeks ago, a friend from Oz was visiting and she generously treated me to a day at the Sanctuary in Covent Garden (also highly recommended) where we had a skin consultation. I put my face into a machine and then the therapist walked me through the detailed scans that resulted. It turned out there was a bit of bacteria on my skin! I was horrified. She said it was often the result of living in a city like London, or even just catching the tube in the mornings. Toning can sort all that out because it closes the pores after you've cleansed. If your pores are still open and then you get on to a crowded bacteria-factory like the London Underground (!) it's all going to seep right in! I have toned religiously ever since.
I got this toner from Sephora in Balzano when I was there in July and it's really lovely. Sadly, according to the link, it looks like it might be discontinued now! I might go for nice simple rosewater when it runs out.
Moisturising
Since coming off Roaccutane, my skin has been lapping up moisture and rosehip oil has been a favourite for many years now. I find it really helps with the harsh winters. I also really like the mattifying skin serum in the picture, from Aromatherapy Associates who do beautiful stuff. I've been using it for a few months and my skin is noticeably smoother after a nightly bedtime application.
During the day, it's still sunscreen all the way. I've used lots of different brands over the years but I really like the Garnier Sensitive because 1) it doesn't sting my face like so many other sunscreens do and 2) it has an extra high protection factor of 50+. Apparently it's hard to find that level of protection over here so I really lucked out that random night I found myself in Sainsbury's in need of sunscreen!
So, that's my current regime. What's yours?
This is not a sponsored post and any links are not affiliate links - these are just products I bought and use and love :)