My Current Night Time Skincare Routine (Spring 2012)

I start by removing all my make-up with a micellar solution.  I’m currently using Etat Pur’s Micellar Cleansing Water B01 (S) and as you can see from the pictures, I’ve almost finished the bottle.  I’d say this is almost as good as my Bioderma (I think Bioderma is ever so slightly quicker at dissolving make-up, but the difference is minimal) but at £6.40 for 190ml it’s a ridiculously good alternative that’s much more readily available.  I use this to remove all my make-up and I start by soaking two cotton pads in the solution and holding them over my eyes for about 10-20 seconds.  I then remove the bulk off my eye make-up and use the pads over the rest of my face.  This might sound a bit manky, but it’s mainly because I’m just making use of the solution soaked pads to start dislodging any facial make-up.  I then use another solution soaked pad to remove any residual eye make-up and finish off removing any facial make-up.  By this point, the pads are usually coming away quite clean, but this is what I’d use for everyday make-up, obviously if I was wearing heavier make-up then I’d need more pads.

After this I apply one of the Etat Pur Actives.  I’m using the Citric Acid (S) and the Salicylic Acid (S) on alternate nights.  Up until recently I’ve been applying this all over my face, but as I recently attended an event for Antipodes Skincare, I was given their Apostle Skin-Brightening and Tone-Correcting Serum (S) which I apply all over my face other than my chin area which is the area of my face most spot-prone and I’m too scared to use anything other than the Actives there!

So far so good with the Apostle Serum, but it’s very early days so I’ll report back when I’ve given it a more thorough testing.

Once I’ve given the serum and active a chance to settle in, I apply a moisturiser.  I’m currently using the daddy of all moisturisers (in my opinion) which is Erno Laszlo’s Velvet Night Cream (S) which my skin absolutely loves.  It comes with a hefty price tag and I was a bit nervous about trying it out as it’s very rich and my skin generally doesn’t get on too well with rich creams, but – and here’s something I never thought I’d be saying about a cream that costs £175 – I’ve started saving so I can replace it once I’ve finished it as there is no moisturiser that has had the same impact on my skin as this one.  Again, I’m still not at the full month mark with regards to it being eligible for review, but as soon as I’m there I’ll write a full review to give you an idea of why I love it so much.

I then apply an eye cream and I’m currently using Apivita Aqua Vita Eye Cream (S) which is a basic but very effective eye moisturiser.  I’ve been playing around with quite a few Apivita products recently (as has most of the beauty blogging world and from what I’ve read all appear positive) so I’ll be following up soon with a list of my pick of the products I’ve tried.

Lastly, I use Lanolips to give my lips a good chance at regaining moisture whilst I sleep.  Come rain or shine, I ALWAYS have lips that are either dried out or in the process of drying out, and I’d say that Lanolips is one of the best lip treatments I’ve come across.  I do tend to apply this straight from the tube to my lips (I really hate getting balm on my fingers as it gets under my nails and I hate that feeling!) which has resulted in the packaging getting a bit manky, but what can you do?  Clean it, I suppose…..

If I’ve got any angry spots then I’ll add Mario Badescu Drying Lotion to the routine, but for any tiny spots (which are all I really get now and that’s usually only around the hormonal time of the month) the Etat Pur actives kick-in and remove them by morning.

I was recently a bit poorly and neglected my skincare routine for a couple of days.  I was really shocked at just how quickly my skin started reverting back to it’s old habits of being both spot and dry prone, so this routine is really working for me and I’m thrilled to have found a routine that is doing such good things for my skin.  I’m now mostly spot-free with dewy, glowy skin which really is a dream come true!  Now I just need to start work on my pigmentation…..more of that in another post 🙂

For more info on Etat Pur click here.
For more on Antipodes click here.
For Erno Laszlo click here.
Apivita here.
And finally Lanolips here.