I wanted to talk today about my facial skincare routine and why I opt to use as few and as natural products as possible. Firstly, I am not one who seeks out entirely natural, chemical-free products, but at the same time I try and and get most of my skincare products from nature itself as I believe nature can provide everything we need without having to turn to harsh, man-made, chemical solutions. Like I said, I try to go natural with skincare, but sometimes there's a better solution from an established brand.
First thing's first, when I wake up in the morning I wear my The Body Shop Vitamin C Daily Moisturiser with an SPF of 30. This moisturiser is incredibly hydrating and lasts all day and night without having to moisturise again. As a girl with tight, dry and flaky skin, this moisturiser hits the right spots and revitalises any dullness. I should also mention that I apply this moisturiser with the Real Techniques Buffing Brush because it's less harsh on my skin than my hands, and gently buffs away any flakiness that I might not be able to see before the moisturiser is applied.
SPF is incredibly important to me and is the difference between waking up as a 40 year old with lines and wrinkles, or waking up with the youth of a 20 year old. I was talking to a cosmetic nurse a few months ago as I had problems with my baggy skin between my eyebrows and eyelids. She told me that wearing an SPF of at least 30 every single day will prevent my eyelids from sagging further as I age when the process naturally begins to take place. I have no doubt that when I get older I most probably will have some surgery to remove excess skin, but for now I can take measures to lessen the effects of it.
I then use another skin moisturiser like Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream on my lips whilst I apply the rest of my makeup. This cream is a cult beauty product and I can absolutely see why. I got this along with a 30ml hand cream in ASDA for a grand total of £3. Yes, I thought there had been some kind of mistake! It comes out as a thick, transparent gel which you can apply to any area of your skin that needs some serious hydration. A little goes a very long way with this product and as I gently take it off before I apply my lip products, I am left with soft, hydrated and gently exfoliated lips which provide the perfect base for lipstick.
When it comes to taking the days makeup off, I have used one product for over a year and never looked back. That product is coconut oil. Although the brand is usually irrelevant so long as you choose unrefined oil, I have been using Goan Coconut Oil that is 100% virgin. You will often find that unrefined coconut oil is the oil in its most natural state. It smells like coconut and comes in a thick, solid consistency. Refined coconut oil, which I made the mistake of buying first, has had the coconut scent removed and has been processed in some way. I found this oil to be a little more even in texture and I guess more 'consumer friendly' in a way, whereas the unrefined oil can become a little gritty. Although I like the even texture, I still prefer the unrefined coconut oil as I am safe in the knowledge that it hasn't been tampered with.
So coconut oil is incredible in the way that it simply melts off any makeup. It is yet another dry skin saviour and has the added benefit of diminishing the appearance of under eye circles and uneven skin tone. It also helps your eyebrows become thicker and your lashes grow longer. You can see why I love it now, right?
Whilst in the bath or shower I find it important to exfoliate my face once a week maximum. Any more than that and I tend to create dry patches as opposed to targeting them. To coincide with my Body Shop Vitamin C Moisturiser, I combine this with the Vitamin C Microdermabrasion, which I promise isn't as scary as it sounds. This product is a 'weekly home-spa exfoliation with vitamin C rich Amazonian camu camu and Community Trade Shea butter', and it contains lots of tiny, sand-like exfoliating particles which will literally give you the scrub of your life! Unlike many other exfoliators out there, this product feels like it has almost twice as many exfoliating particles that target every morsel of your face.
When I come out of the shower at night I am not particularly picky about which moisturiser I use, but I usually opt for a more intensely moisturising night cream. The past few weeks I have been using Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion that comes out transparent and has a very watery, gel-like consistency. It sinks in incredibly quickly which is useful for people who hate the feeling of wet, tacky skin after applying moisturiser. I am not entirely sure what makes this product 'dramatically different', but it works for me and I'm fine with that!
So there you have my most minimal skincare routine. I stopped wearing foundation many months ago so skincare is obviously very important to me. I started to notice that my skin actually looked better without foundation than with it, as it only emphasised dry patches on my face. No matter how much exfoliating I did, and how many foundations I tried, I couldn't help but feel too 'made up' and hated having to deal with the inevitable patchiness as the foundation wore off during the day. The most important thing, though, was the realisation that I am lucky to have soft, even skin with rarely a spot in sight. Seriously though, I get about one spot every 6 months or so, and am eternally grateful for this!
What skincare product could you not live without?
No comments:
Post a Comment