This is my first post on #theSOProject and this week as the title suggests its about skincare.
A disclaimer before I start. I am by no means an expert in skincare, its a generalised post really and me just really only telling you a few products I like to use. I am still learning myself and everything I talk about in this post is of my opinion and by no means a professional one!
I find there are so many different products on the market for skincare that it can be overwhelming! The products I have mentioned below in this post are only a few I have tried in my 30 (something) years of life and believe me I have tried many, so don't want to bore you with too much of a list so picked the ones I had bought on more than one occasion, meaning I liked them!
Cleansing: Clean skin is the most important part of beauty and is a step to keeping your skin looking healthy (obviously eating habits and life style also play a part in how your skin looks).
I only use a face wash in the morning - I know there is a lot of talk about whether you should use a face wash or not, but I am someone that likes using one and will always use one! - the one I really like at the moment is Salcura (found it recently for about £8 on Amazon) which is Paraban/sulphate free it does not foam like most face washes and it doesn't leave my skin feeling too dry after I have used it. It is aimed at dry skin so it definitely does what it is supposed to do, admittedly I have only tried this face wash since my face has become dry so cannot compare it to others designed for dry skin.
Below is a few I have used in the past when i had oily skin:
Skin Clear Deep Clean face wash (£1.99 - boots)
Simple pure face wash (£2.59 - superdrug)
Neutrogena Visibly 2 in 1 (£2.66 - superdrug)
In the evening I normally double cleansing. The first cleanse takes the make up and the day's grim off your face and the second cleanse actually cleans your skin deeper than the surface.
I tend to stick with the creamy cleansers as you can normally use these on your eyes and I don't like to faff around with a separate eye make up remover when taking my make up off!
These are a few of the ones I have used and liked:
La Roche Posay Toleriane Dermo Cleanser (£11.00 - boots)
Garnier Clean and Fresh Cleansing Milk (£2.10 - boots)
Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish (£14.75 (starter pack) - Liz Earle)
Good Thing Stay Clear Purifying Cleanser (£4.99 - superdrug)
Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish is the most repurchased out of all the above. I am on my 4 bottle! It is a hot cloth cleanser and it really does take off all make up even stubborn waterproof mascara. I know it is pretty expensive but it is definitely worth the money.
As part of my cleansing routine I have use a face brush at night. I normally use this as the second cleanse as it penetrates deeper into the skin and it really does make your face feel clean and exfoliates at the same time. You do have to be careful not to overuse a face brush as it can break capillaries, really dry your skin out and cause sensitivity, but when used correctly you do notice such a difference to your skin and I have to say I am addicted!
Below is a few I have used in the past when i had oily skin:
Skin Clear Deep Clean face wash (£1.99 - boots)
Simple pure face wash (£2.59 - superdrug)
Neutrogena Visibly 2 in 1 (£2.66 - superdrug)
In the evening I normally double cleansing. The first cleanse takes the make up and the day's grim off your face and the second cleanse actually cleans your skin deeper than the surface.
I tend to stick with the creamy cleansers as you can normally use these on your eyes and I don't like to faff around with a separate eye make up remover when taking my make up off!
These are a few of the ones I have used and liked:
La Roche Posay Toleriane Dermo Cleanser (£11.00 - boots)
Garnier Clean and Fresh Cleansing Milk (£2.10 - boots)
Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish (£14.75 (starter pack) - Liz Earle)
Good Thing Stay Clear Purifying Cleanser (£4.99 - superdrug)
Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish is the most repurchased out of all the above. I am on my 4 bottle! It is a hot cloth cleanser and it really does take off all make up even stubborn waterproof mascara. I know it is pretty expensive but it is definitely worth the money.
As part of my cleansing routine I have use a face brush at night. I normally use this as the second cleanse as it penetrates deeper into the skin and it really does make your face feel clean and exfoliates at the same time. You do have to be careful not to overuse a face brush as it can break capillaries, really dry your skin out and cause sensitivity, but when used correctly you do notice such a difference to your skin and I have to say I am addicted!
There are many brushes on the market but the most popular is the Clarisonic which is around £175 (QVC). I have recently bought this brush and think it is amazing. Rio does a cheaper version for around £48 (Amazon) which I think is just as good. If both of those are out of your price range then Body shop do a great little hand held face brush for £4.00. I normally use my normal face cleanser or face wash with my brush.
Serum: Once you cleanse and your skin is slightly damp you use a serum.
Serum is really important, it is designed to penetrate deeper into the skin and does the job your moisturiser does not.
There are three main ingredients used in serums and that is (i) Hyaluronic acid, this helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, it also helps with retaining water in your skin keeping it looking hydrated; (ii) Vitamin C, this is used to brighten the skin and help with reducing the appearance of age spots and pigmentaiton; and (iii) Gylocolic Acid, this is used an exfoliant and I have used Alpha H Liquid Gold which is a Gylocolic Acid. I tend to use it alone with no other moisturiser and at night only.
The good thing about a serum is you can use it with all skin type including oily/combination skin because even if you have oily skin your skin can still be dehydrated.
Here are a few Serum's I have used are:
Optimum Swiss Apple Skin Renewal Serum - (£9.99 - Superdrug)
Aveeno Positively Radiant Triple Boost Serum - (£11.99 - Boots)
Hydraluron - (£16.66 - Boots)
Green people Hydrating serum - (£11.95 - Greenpeople)
La-Roche Posay Effaclar Duo (£13.00 - Boots)
More recently, I have started using a Botanics Rose Face Oil instead of a serum at night. I still put my moisturiser on top of the face oil as usual.
Moisturisers - face/eyes:
Eyes: Again, your morning and evening is normally different as your skin needs different things in the morning than at night.
You should ALWAYS use an eyecream. It does not matter what age you are, the sooner you get in to the habit of an eye cream the better. Your eyes are so delicate and sensitive and are easily damaged, eye cream is the extra help it needs. Normal face cream is not rich enough for your eyes so it is always best to use a separate eye cream.
Below is a mixture of eye creams I have used:
Green people rejuvenating eye cream (£9.50 - greenpeople)
Aveeno Positively radiant eye cream (£9.99 - boots)
No 7 Perfect and Protect eye cream (£15 - boots)
Ponds eye contour cream (£7.99- boots)
Superdrug Vitamin E SPF15 Radiance Eye Cream (£2.99 - Superdrug)
Face: You should also use a moisturiser no matter what skin type you are. Most people who suffer oily skin seem to think they do not need to moisturise, this is wrong! Even oily skin need moisture. The more you try to dry your skin out with harsh washing and lack of moisturiser the more sebum/oil your skin produces and if you are prone to acne/spots like myself (pre-roaccutane) then this will cause more breakouts as your pores will clog due to the excessive sebum being produced to make up for lack of moisture.
These are the face creams that I have repurchased time after time and have loved:
Nivea Visage Daily Essentials oil free moisturising cream. (£3.99 - boots)
Liz Earlie - skin repair light moisturiser (£19.95 - Liz Earle)
Boots skin clear oil free mattifying Lotion (£1.99 - boots)
Good Things Miracle Mattifier Lotion (£5.33 - boots)
Oilatum Face Repair- (£7.65 - boots)
To be honest I have only been using night cream for the last couple of years and there is only one cream that I have used:
Nivea Daily Essentials Rich Regenerating Night Cream (£4.07 - Boots)
Tips for applying cream:
When putting on eye cream always start from the outside working in. So you start at the outside lower eye working inwards towards your nose and move to the upper lid and work out....making sense?
When applying cream/serum on your face you should always use small cicular motions working in, up and out on your cheeks. on your forehead, you use circular motions from the the inner brow to the outer brow. On your chin you use circular motions from middle of your chin out and the same with moisturising your nose.
I know this post was very text intensive but I do hope it has helped you.
Please remember I may have linked all products (none are affiliate links), I am not saying you need to go buy the products I have mentioned, they are just links for ease if you wanted to go and see the products for yourself.
I will see you same time next week.
Ciao for now xx
Serum: Once you cleanse and your skin is slightly damp you use a serum.
Serum is really important, it is designed to penetrate deeper into the skin and does the job your moisturiser does not.
There are three main ingredients used in serums and that is (i) Hyaluronic acid, this helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, it also helps with retaining water in your skin keeping it looking hydrated; (ii) Vitamin C, this is used to brighten the skin and help with reducing the appearance of age spots and pigmentaiton; and (iii) Gylocolic Acid, this is used an exfoliant and I have used Alpha H Liquid Gold which is a Gylocolic Acid. I tend to use it alone with no other moisturiser and at night only.
The good thing about a serum is you can use it with all skin type including oily/combination skin because even if you have oily skin your skin can still be dehydrated.
Here are a few Serum's I have used are:
Optimum Swiss Apple Skin Renewal Serum - (£9.99 - Superdrug)
Aveeno Positively Radiant Triple Boost Serum - (£11.99 - Boots)
Hydraluron - (£16.66 - Boots)
Green people Hydrating serum - (£11.95 - Greenpeople)
La-Roche Posay Effaclar Duo (£13.00 - Boots)
More recently, I have started using a Botanics Rose Face Oil instead of a serum at night. I still put my moisturiser on top of the face oil as usual.
Moisturisers - face/eyes:
Eyes: Again, your morning and evening is normally different as your skin needs different things in the morning than at night.
You should ALWAYS use an eyecream. It does not matter what age you are, the sooner you get in to the habit of an eye cream the better. Your eyes are so delicate and sensitive and are easily damaged, eye cream is the extra help it needs. Normal face cream is not rich enough for your eyes so it is always best to use a separate eye cream.
Below is a mixture of eye creams I have used:
Green people rejuvenating eye cream (£9.50 - greenpeople)
Aveeno Positively radiant eye cream (£9.99 - boots)
No 7 Perfect and Protect eye cream (£15 - boots)
Ponds eye contour cream (£7.99- boots)
Superdrug Vitamin E SPF15 Radiance Eye Cream (£2.99 - Superdrug)
Face: You should also use a moisturiser no matter what skin type you are. Most people who suffer oily skin seem to think they do not need to moisturise, this is wrong! Even oily skin need moisture. The more you try to dry your skin out with harsh washing and lack of moisturiser the more sebum/oil your skin produces and if you are prone to acne/spots like myself (pre-roaccutane) then this will cause more breakouts as your pores will clog due to the excessive sebum being produced to make up for lack of moisture.
These are the face creams that I have repurchased time after time and have loved:
Nivea Visage Daily Essentials oil free moisturising cream. (£3.99 - boots)
Liz Earlie - skin repair light moisturiser (£19.95 - Liz Earle)
Boots skin clear oil free mattifying Lotion (£1.99 - boots)
Good Things Miracle Mattifier Lotion (£5.33 - boots)
Oilatum Face Repair- (£7.65 - boots)
To be honest I have only been using night cream for the last couple of years and there is only one cream that I have used:
Nivea Daily Essentials Rich Regenerating Night Cream (£4.07 - Boots)
Tips for applying cream:
When putting on eye cream always start from the outside working in. So you start at the outside lower eye working inwards towards your nose and move to the upper lid and work out....making sense?
When applying cream/serum on your face you should always use small cicular motions working in, up and out on your cheeks. on your forehead, you use circular motions from the the inner brow to the outer brow. On your chin you use circular motions from middle of your chin out and the same with moisturising your nose.
I know this post was very text intensive but I do hope it has helped you.
Please remember I may have linked all products (none are affiliate links), I am not saying you need to go buy the products I have mentioned, they are just links for ease if you wanted to go and see the products for yourself.
I will see you same time next week.
Ciao for now xx
I've always steered clear of face brushes fearing that they would be too harsh on delicate face skin. I dry brush my body all the time though so maybe it's time I brave it and give it a try!! Can't wait for the rest of your #SO posts xx
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http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/7392713
Thank you!
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you try the Bodyshop brush first it is the softest out of all the three I mentioned. It is a good "starting out" brush. Work yourself up. The Clarisonic is an excellent brush and does come with a senstive brush but it is a lot of money if you decide you don't like using brushes.
xx