New Skincare Regime

Hey y'all!

I think it's really important to have lovely, cleansed skin and I find that if you have good skin you don't necessarily need to cake your face in foundation. So one day I woke up and decided it was time to chuck out my trusty Poundland face-wipes (as seen in my £1 beauty bargains post!) as I realised they were OK for removing make-up at the end of a night out, but not for a deep cleanse morning + evening. I chose to purchase some products from the Body Shop as I thought it was time I spent a bit more on good quality skincare! Their bestselling products were on offer at 20% off at the time so I figured there's no better time to overhaul my regime!

I followed the skincare regime guide on their website and found that the Seaweed products were best suited for my skin (quite oily; prone to breakouts; not particularly blemished).

The following products were delivered to my door :)

Cleanser

I chose to buy the Seaweed Cleansing Facial Wash as I really fancied something that gave my face a deep clean, but was safe enough to use twice a day. It's oil and soap free which is perfect for my oily, slightly sensitive skin. The first time I used it, a spot broke out on my cheek, but I think that's just because it was the first time in a while my skin had had a proper thorough cleanse so I half expected it! It smells really fresh and natural and I've used it every day since. I try and use it in the evenings but sometimes I'm so knackered I just use my trusty No7 face wipes. It's also great for removing make-up at the end of the day but I use a separate eye make-up remover as well. It's £6.50 (it was 20% off bestsellers when I bought it) but they sell a smaller version for £2.50 for you to try at a fraction of the price :)

Facial Buffer

I read a number of reviews on the Body Shop website of this product and a lot of people said they used it alongside their normal cleanser, whether it be from the Seaweed or Tea Tree range. It's basically a tiny little exfoliation mitt that you use on your face for a gentle buffer every day. I started by using it twice a day alongside the Seaweed cleanser, but my skin broke out and I decided to use it only in the mornings and the cleanser on its own in the evenings. It's worked out really well; I wet the mitt with warm water, squirt a little of the cleanser onto it and lather it up into a foam before applying it onto my face in circular motions. I've got into a really good routine now and my face doesn't feel properly cleansed without it!

Toner

I also purchased the Seaweed Clarifying Toner which is a lovely, light product. I only bought the miniature version of this (at £3 rather than the usual £5) as I hadn't been using toner for a while and I underestimated its importance. However I bought into the whole cleanse, tone, moisturise thing and so thought I had to try this as well :) Again it's a nice smelling product; very 'clean' smelling! I use it after the cleanser with a double sided cotton pad from Boots and wipe it along my forehand, cheeks, chin and neck to remove excess oil and make-up. As it was only a mini bottle, it ran out and I couldn't afford to buy another one so for a while I used Lush's Tea Tree Water toner which I'd initially dismissed but it was actually very good. However it wasn't quite as lovely as the Seaweed toner, which I recently re-purchased :)

Eye make-up remover

I had quite a good relationship with my Simple Conditioning Eye Make-Up Remover but it ran out and at the time I'd resorted to using my Poundland facewipes. The Camomile Gentle Eye Make-Up Remover was another one of The Body Shop's bestselling products with 20% off and the reviews of looked pretty good. I've recently started wearing contact lenses and my eyes are pretty sensitive so it seemed ideal. On the first day I used it my eyes became red and bloodshot; they were literally weeping, I couldn't see and my eye make-up was all over my face. It's been OK since but it does sting sometimes and it doesn't remove every single speck of make-up. I probably wouldn't recommend it to you to buy. I'm looking forward to trying the Bourjois Express Eye Make-Up Remover (as reviewed on the London Beauty Queen blog) or the highly reviewed No7 Cleanse & Care Eye Make Up Remover instead. Otherwise I'll be sticking to the trusty, purse-friendly Simple brand :)

That's all I bought new from The Body Shop, here's what else completes my current skincare regime;

Moisturiser

I've been using Avon's Clearskin Mattifying Moisturiser for a good few years now. I bought it on a whim from an Avon rep at uni (for something like 2 quid!) and it's definitely one of my faves. Having quite oily skin, but knowing how essential it is to moisturise daily, it's ideal as part of my daily skincare regime. You only need the tiniest amount but it moisturises my face effectively. As far as I'm aware the product has been discontinued, but luckily I've used the Neutrogena Visibly Clear Oil-Free Moisturiser before (as seen in my skincare regime YouTube video) with no problems so I'll just revert back to that when my Avon one run's out. Saying that, I've been using this particular bottle for a good few months now and there's at least half left so it should last me a while yet! :)

Face Scrub

As mentioned in my Top 10 Avon products blog post, this is one of my favourite face scrubs! It's such a bargain - I think I got it for about 2 quid, or 3 products for £5! If my face is feeling really grotty, I'll massage this all over my face and neck and leave it on for a few minutes, or until my face tingles! It's actually got more of a consistency of a face mask. I try and use it two mornings a week (Wednesdays and Saturdays, after my cleanser + toner) to really rid my skin of the dirt and grime it collects. I've used other face scrubs in the past, like the Garnier Pure Active Scrub but I much prefer this. I'm looking forward to trying the Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Face Scrub in the future as it looks fab and fruity! I have a bit of a soft spot for pink grapefruit as well so I'll let you know if I get around to buying that... and if it beats this bargain!

Face Mask

For more of a treat, I'll use my No7 Purifying Sauna Mask which is fab for a real deep cleanse and gentle exfoliation. I bought this a year or so ago with a No7 voucher after reading a review on beauty queen Lauren Thomas' blog. I also bought the 4-in-1 Face Wipes from the same brand and from what I've experienced, the No7 brand is 100% worth the price tag, even without the £5 voucher! This face mask is literally one of the best I've tried; nothing makes my skin feel softer and more cleansed. I actually cannot stop touching my face after I've used it (probably reversing its effects!) but I would certainly recommend you splashing out on it; it lasts for ages and it's amazing. Fact!

I believe that's all that makes up my skincare regime, as I said it's effectively cleanse, tone & moisturise twice daily, scrub twice a week and use a face mask whenever you want a treat... I tend to do mine on a Sunday :)

What skincare regime have you found works best for you? Are there any products you'd recommend for quite oily skin (prone to breakouts) like my own?

Thanks for reading!

Style by Sophia

xo