I’ve had a love/hate relationship with skincare. I’m definitely not the person who has always had a retinol, or a vitamin C, or gua sha in her skincare routine. Instead, I’m a solid: I put moisturiser on regularly and I clean my face before bed every night. I’m interested in the rest of it, but I’ve never really taken the time I needed to learn about skincare in a deeper way. Until now, that is. I’ve not been wearing much makeup lately, and I’ve replaced my makeup ‘me time’ with skincare ‘me time’!
Where I learned about skincare
Most of what I know about skincare has come from one episode of Estée Lalonde’s On The Line podcast with Anjali Mahto. And, from this one video of an esthetician (Cassandra Bankson) reacting to Madelaine Petsch’s 38 step skincare routine. That’s it. If you have any recommendations, let me know! Especially if they’re podcasts/videos. I love that stuff.
What my skin’s like
Let’s face it: everyone’s skin is different. So take this as a “what works for me might not work for you” and all that. For clarity’s sake, I have super sensitive skin. It’s generally quite clear, I’ve never suffered from acne and only get the occasional spot. Instead, I’m blessed with eczema. I get dry patches year round, and will break out with them more if I’m not careful with the products I’m using.
My morning skincare routine…
I’m a big fan of just washing my face with water. If I’m not running late I might use a toner, like the Body Shop’s rose toner (aff link), which I mostly love because it’s pink and smells nice. Before moisturising, I pat on some of the Body Shop’s Drops of Youth concentrate (gifted – aff link), which helps protect against pollution. A great alternative to this is Alex Steinherr’s Pollution Solution range from Primark – vegan, cruelty free, and super affordable. Now onto some products I use most mornings…
Facial moisturiser
I usually just use whatever. Seriously. I’ve used generic body moisturisers (Nivea’s is my favourite). But, since working with the Body Shop I’ve tried both their vitamin E and vitamin C moisturisers (aff links). I prefer using the vit C as I find it more moisturising and I don’t have vit C anywhere else in my routine. Vitamin C apparently aids in regeneration and everyone is supposed to have it in their regimen (news to me) so I like that I tick two boxes with this product: face is moisturised, vitamin C is on.
Witch Hazel
My go-to for spots. I bought some diluted witch hazel ages ago and it’s perfect for the odd spot, and the odd bug bite. It just soothes everything and I think you should have some if you don’t already.
Aloe Vera
Again, you should have some if you don’t already. Perfect for the days your SPF fails, aloe vera soooooothes it all! I use it after I go for a run and my face turns into a tomato. It instantly reduces redness, and it’s all natural and very cheap from your local hippy dippy health foods store. I got mine for £6.
Lymphatic Drainage
I do also like to do a little facial massage and lymphatic drainage to start my day. But, to be honest I just do this anytime I’m putting something on my face. Or washing my face. Whether it’s toner, a cleanse, a face wash or moistruriser, I’m always wiping from the middle of my face outwards. That’s it.
I also have the facial stimulator from the Body Shop (gifted – aff link). I wanted a metal one that I could put in the refrigerator, but went with this instead. It’s soft but spiky, and when it rolls it’s like getting a little Swedish facial, courtesy of Karlie Kloss’s Victoria Secret show skincare routine. So I like it. Stimulates the skin, feels funky and looks freaky, tick, tick, tick.
No SPF?
Sadly, I do not have an SPF product. Instead I just use actual SPF. Not ideal. Please comment your fav SPF bb/cc creams!
My night time skincare routine
On one hand there’s nothing I hate more than having to go take off my makeup when I just want to crawl straight into bed. On the other, I love the little diddy of self care time it forces me to do. I always start by taking off my makeup with micellar water and a muslin cloth: standard.
Face washes
I have two face washes/cleansers that I alternate using after taking my makeup off. The Body Shop’s vitamin E face wash (gifted – aff link) and their Himalayan charcoal face wash (not gifted – aff link). While I loooove how soft and smooth my face is after using the charcoal, it’s just a bit too harsh. I only use it once a week, max. Most nights I use the vitamin E face wash.
Vitamin E everything
So. You may have noticed there’s a lot of ‘the Body Shop (gifted)’ going on in my skincare routine. I’m one of their Instagram ambassadors, so I get to pick out free products to receive throughout the year. I work with them on a gifted basis because I really like their products, they’re cruelty free and have tons of initiatives to battle climate change. Would I try other brands if I had money? Yes. Do I have money? No. So I stick with what I’ve got!
The Vitamin E range is my go-to from the Body Shop. All of it has been gifted to me at this rate because I always pick something from it each time I do an ad. So, my night time routine is now vit e face wash, followed by vit e serum, followed by vit e moisturiser. Overkill? Maybe.
PS. Aff link = affiliate link. It means that I would get a percentage of a sale to anyone who makes a purchase by clicking that link. It’s like a commission for influencers, and it’s the main way most of them make money. I have made a whole £2.50 from them in the past month, but a girl’s gotta keep the faith, am I right?
My favourite product
Out of everything I’ve mentioned, the Body Shop’s Vitamin E overnight serum (gifted – aff link) is top tier. I don’t use a moisturiser afterwards unless my face is really dry, as the serum is moisturising enough. It smells lush, a little goes a long way, and it sinks right into the skin. Love. It.
If you have any holy grail products, favourite skincare experts or videos, leave them in the comments! I find skincare so interesting and I’m keen to learn more.
Here are some other posts you might like…
- Alex Steinherr Primark Range Review
- RMS Beauty Un-Cover Up Foundation/Concealer Review – one of my all time favourite beauty products!
- My Beauty Must-Haves (2019)
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