Current Skincare Routine: July 2015

I’m still absolutely loving skincare at the moment, and I really love my routine too – apart from a bit of chemical exfoliation in the form of Biologique Recherche P50 (what else?) the rest of my routine is all lovely, gently, soothing and calming products and I do think that my routine, paired with my laser treatments and a few handy gadgets have given me my best skin yet.  I’m also able to dabble with products without breaking out, so hopefully major, heavy breakouts are a thing of the past!

If I’m being particularly good, I’ll whip my make-up off as soon as I get home using the Simple Kind to Skin Micellar Cleansing Water (or if I’m struggling with energy, I’ll use this as my first cleanse – here’s my full review) then later when doing my full routine, I’ll start off with a cleansing oil.  My current favourites are Clinique Take the Day off Cleansing Oil (link) – a brilliant product that comes with a downward facing spout that keeps mess to a minimum and rapidly dissolves all make-up – or the impressive Good Things Argan Oil Nourishing Cleansing Oil, which is a total budget find that leaves skin feeling very clean and nourished (link) – I’ll be doing a full feature on cleansing oils soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that.  After the cleansing oil phase, I go on to my main cleanser which will either be a balm (I have a LOT of balms I’m loving at the moment) such as the Temple Spa In the Beginning, which is a beautiful, rich exfoliating balm (full review here) or, if my skin is feeling a little congested or hormonal, I’ll use my trusty Dermalogica Skin Resurfacing Cleanser (link) which is a very gentle, cream-based, chemical exfoliator that leaves skin feeling well cleansed without any tightness.

After cleansing I use Biologique Recherche, a product I think has featured in pretty much every skincare routine post I’ve ever written.  This product is truly unbeatable; it exfoliates, smooths and purifies and I honestly can’t see myself ever using anything else.  It’s insanely expensive, but one of those products that IS absolutely worth saving up for! I believe BR will be launching their very own online shop soon so watch this space as that’ll make getting hold of their amazing range one hundred times easier than it is now.  Once my P50 has dried, I spray on some Serozinc, let that dry, then follow with a hydrating serum.  This will either be Institut Esthederm Concentrated Formula Serum (find it here – link – more on the range soon) or the Murad Rapid Collagen Infusion, the latter of which is a great product for tricky skin types like mine as it delivers a good hit of hydration without any greasiness.  It’s a mid-to-high range product at £65, but it’ll last quite a while, it really does work, and most importantly, £10 of the sale is currently going to the Prince’s Trust, so that’s a perfect way to justify the purchase (link).

After my hydrating serum has sunk in, I crack on with my LightStim.  I wrote an intro post here and it’s safe to say that the more I use it, the more I love it, as I really do think it’s evening out my skin tone and helping with my hydration – it’s also a really handy tool to use alongside any aggressive laser (such as the Pulsed Dye Laser that I’m having) as it’s a calming, soothing treatment that I honestly love.  Once I’ve finished with the LightStim, I’ll give my skin a good spray with something hydrating, either the Institut Esthederm Eau Cellulaire (link) or Clinique Moisture Surge Facial Spray (link); both ranges I love, so it’s a case of whichever falls into my line of sight first! I then finish with a good dose of hydration from a nice, rich moisturiser.  Pictured is the Institut Esthederm (them again!) Concentrated Formula Cream which is a gloriously rich product that really does hydrate without causing any breakouts and I’ve powered through this in about a month – it’s very, very good.  Last week I received the Elizabeth Arden Flawless Future Powered by Ceramide Night Cream (not pictured) which I’ve been using for a few nights and so far, I’m really impressed! I’ll review it in more detail soon once I’ve used it a bit more, but not only is it buttery rich and extremely hydrating, it’s also carefully fragranced to encourage a better night sleep, so you have top, middle and bottom notes that have all been included to promote calm and rest – it’s very innovative, so more on that soon!  Finally, I apply a slick of the Lollipops lipbalm as found in this months Glossybox as it applies easily and tastes yummy!

*PR Samples