My Skincare Favourites / Routine

Hiiiii,

Lockdown has really been effecting my work and motivation levels so sorry if I've been going on about this post for centuries but I've finally got round to it after finishing (the taught part) of my MA! Hopefully I will be writing a lot more regularly now I have got myself into a slightly healthier and happier mindset :)

To get to the point, this post is going to be (as you have probably guessed by the title) all about my current skincare routine. I've always had ok skin since I was about 18 but I only ever used to really cleanse, put moisturiser on and do the odd face mask but as I am getting slightly older I've really wanted to start looking after and investing in my skin properly because I don't enjoy wearing heavy skin makeup on an everyday basis. 

*The products that I am recommending and that I use range from really affordable to low end luxury prices and they are products that have worked well on my combination skin* 

1. Step One : Glossier Milky Jelly Cleaner (£15.00)/ Superdrug 'Simply Pure Gentle Facial Wash' (£2.99 !!)

I tend to use cleansers with simple ingredients because I think do what they are meant to without any risk of irritation or damage. The 'Milky Jelly Cleanser' goes on really nice in winter, I find, due to my skin being drier. It really works well to moisturise my skin when I need an extra boost. 

Tip: if you suffer with dry skin: don't cleanse in the mornings just wash the dirt from overnight with warm water and then cleanse at night. I find the oils left on my skin from sleeping are stripped whenever I cleanse in the morning so sometimes only do it at night.

When my skin is a bit more problematic and spot-prone I tend to use the Superdrug cleanser because it's a lot less moisturising for when I don't want excess moisture due to oil causing spots. It's suuuuper gentle on the skin (as the name would suggest) and leaves  my skin feeling smooth and clean.

Both of these products contain no alcohol which I do look for in all of my products to reduce aging effects and they also contain a lot of glycerin which is a great ingredient to boost the glow of your skin.

2. Step Two: Glossier Solution (£19)

Although this says you should use it daily, I only tend to use this chemical exfoliator 2/3 times a week. This product has received mixed reviews online but I can say it's done wonders for my skin. I don't really like exfoliators due to the fact a lot of cheaper/ affordable ones can contain walnut pieces that cause micro-abrasions (little miniscule cuts) in your skin but this one due to it being chemical is really tough in the right ways. I struggle a fair bit with texture on my forehead due to it always being a problem area for spots on my skin but this has really helped to smooth out any tiny bumps and has improved the tightness of my pores too. Again this has loads of amazing ingredients in and the only drawback is the slight use of fragrance.

3. Step Three: Boots Glycolic Acid Toner (£5.00)

I orginally started using the Pixi Glow Tonic last year but didn't really see much difference in my skin for £12 a bottle and stopped buying it. Just before lockdown I popped into Boots and saw this product for a fiver and thought I should give it a go because I have heard of so many people saying glycolic acid is amazing for helping to achieve glowy skin. I started using this product about 2 months ago now and my skin tone is so much more even than it has ever been before and my pores are shrinking everyday. I use this in the morning and within my night time routine also.

4. Step Four: Ole Henriksen Truth Serum (£42)

These next few steps will look like they are sponsored by Ole Henriksen because oh my god. If you've not tried any of the vitamin C range from Ole Henriksen you've not been living. This range literally changed my life. I got this as a gift for Christmas because I didn't want to buy it myself and not like it due to the price point but I've repurchased since then because I don't think I could live without it. It's a collagen boosted serum and it has worked to again solve issues with the tone of my skin, has caused my skin to appear more bouncy and full (? if that's a thing) and has just improved the glow of it. I love putting this on on days where I only wear concealer under my eyes and light makeup or before I go to sleep though as it does have a tendency to ball up under makeup due to it's tacky consistency. 

5. Step Five: Ole Henriksen C-Rush Brightening Double Creme (£36)

This is great to wear on no-makeup days as it absorbs into the skin really well and quickly due to it being more of a gel consistency. I use this morning and evening and it leaves my skin feeling smooth, bright and overall improves how healthy it looks.

6. Step Six: Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Eye Cream (£32)

As weird as it may sound, I've never really believed in eye cream. I always thought it was something you use when you get a bit older but this has changed my mind. I suffer with dark circles around my eyes a fair bit due to fatigue and have done for years. I never really thought about using an eye cream to fix this but when I saw this and the reviews I thought I'd give it a go. I use this again twice daily and my undereyes are so much brighter, fine lines have disappeared and the puffiness I often suffer from in the early mornings has reduced massively. 

7. Step Seven: Olay Complete Lightweight Day Lotion SPF 15(about £5-7)

This was the first moisturiser/ SPF I ever bought when I think I was about 13. I've tried out other products but this is the one I always come back to. I love it because it's so lightweight that I can wear it on top of my other products without it feeling like I have too much product on my face. It contains no alcohol (or very low levels) which again is great beacuse it helps with anti-aging. For the price you can't really go wrogn if you are looking for a simple facial SPF.

Makeup Remover: Clinique Take the Day Off Balm (£20)

This isn't really a step but I just wanted to include it beacuse it is worthy of a mention! I've repurchased this a few times now. It's such a lovely product that provides moisture to your skin whilst also taking your makeup off. I love it because when I get in from a nightout I can never be bothered to do a full routine with moisturiser and serums so this quickly takes my makeup off and also provides me with a bit of moisture so my skin doesn't get super dry overnight. 

I have also started recently using the Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid (£5.90) I've only been using this for a couple of weeks so I don't want to commit to recommending it yet but my skin does seem to be a lot glowier on the days I use it and it has helped with my skin's texture.

Hope you enjoyed reading this post and let me know if you have any tips let me know!

Rach x