My Current Skincare Routine (July 2013)

My skin is crazy, as anyone who knows me/follows the blog/follows me on Twitter will know.  When the pregnancy started my skin, for whatever reason, just completely drained of moisture for the first couple of months which was novel for someone who’s so used to oily skin.  Now it’s back to it’s old tricks with some serious oiliness and hormonal breakouts, but nothing too major or painful thanks to the routine that I’m sticking with at the moment.  It’s Elemis-heavy due to the fact that the routine is built around the Elemis Tri-Enzyme range, which is a collection of products that I’ve been so impressed with, due to the fact that they’re fast-acting, moisture-boosting and spot-treating – pretty much a dream collection for anyone with either combination skin or those who are prone to spots but don’t have teenage skin and don’t want to use anything harsh.

Make-Up Removers

I start off by removing my eye make-up with the new Elemis White Flowers Eye and Lip Make-up Remover, which I reviewed here.  It’s so gentle and effective, so I tend to use it for removal when I’m taking swatch pictures for the blog as it’s very quick and easy to use, which is why it’s getting used up so quickly.  I then use any old Micellar solution that I can get my hands on; my favourites are still Bioderma and Etat Pur, but I have sooo many to get through and they all perform the basic function of make-up remover (rather than cleansing) so I’m trying to be savvy and use them all up.

Cleansers

I have two favourites at the moment: Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Facial Wash and Sk:n Facial Exfoliating Cleanser for Normal Skin.  The Elemis one gets used every night after make-up removal and the Sk:n one I use a sort of treatment if my skin needs an extra exfoliation in the m0rning, so it tends to get used a couple of times a week.  I use it more as a mask than a cleanser by applying a thin layer and leaving it on whilst I brush my teeth.  It smarts a bit as it contains a surprisingly powerful load of acids, so if you like that super smooth texture but are trying to get away from manual exfoliation, here is the product for you.  The Tri-Enzyme wash is a more gentle exfoliation that effectively cleanses whilst keeping skin happy and not leaving it feeling stripped.

Treatments

I’ll start with the Elemis Soothing Apricot Toner as it’s the wildcard product in my routine, due to the fact that it’s not a performance-driven product, at least not with regards to my routine that focuses on continually renewing the texture and finish of my skin.  Taking that into account, the Apricot Toner is a bit of a waste of time as it doesn’t do anything other than sooth skin, but man does it smell and feel good! Out of all products here, I tend to use this the most as not only do I use it to refresh skin in the morning (it’s fine over the eyes too) I also use it to to prep skin for the treatments after I’ve cleansed (not strictly necessary but I’m old school and I like to tone after cleansing) and I also use it after facials as a spray  – spray it on then lay a tissue over to soak up any excess – and when I’m overheating I use it to cool my skin.  So as you can see, it gets a lot of use considering it’s not technically a worthy member of my skincare routine!

Pretty much every night I use Alpha-H Liquid Gold which I go all over the face and under the eyes with.  It’s such a clever treatment that’s so easy to use, and you see the effects very quickly, especially on spot-prone skin.   I then follow with the Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Serum which I love as it doesn’t have that silicone-serum feel, and instead has the texture of a light moisturiser.  It retails at £98 which I’m not sure is justifiable as I don’t think it’s made enough difference independently of the cleanser and moisturiser from the same line, but I’ve only recently included it into my routine so I’ll reserve judgement at this point.  I also have Pixi Glow Tonic (you’ll need to purchase this in store as it isn’t available online – my gorgeous girl Grace from AllthatSlap picked mine up for me) which I sometimes use in the morning if I need an exfoliating boost, or in the evenings when I’m trying to make my tiny bottle of Liquid Gold last!

Moisturisers

I use the Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Night Cream\ as my final product in the evening as it is such a good moisturiser; it really does leave skin feeling soft and exfoliated but yet works brilliantly on spots too.  My day cream of choice at the moment is the new Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+ which I just love as both an effective moisturiser and a primer for make-up.  Some have reported it as too rich and for me that was the problem with the original, but I get on so well with the new version so I’ll definitely keep at it as it provides the perfect balance for my current skin type.

There we have it! My current routine has a large focus on exfoliation but note I’m not really using any kind of daily manual exfoliators – to be honest I very rarely use anything other than chemical exfoliators nowadays.  I’m so impressed with the Elemis Tri-Enzyme range, and assuming it keeps doing what it’s doing to my skin, then this is likely to be the routine I stick with for the foreseeable future.  It’s worth noting that the Tri-Enzyme range is available in travel sizes if you fancy giving it a go without spending a fortune.  To prove how well it works, if I just have ONE DAY where I just use a micellar before passing out in bed, I’ll wake up with new and painful spots.  I haven’t had any horrid under the skin spots since committing to this routine, although I’ve had a few surface spots, but thankfully they fade quickly and the overall texture of my skin is hugely improved and quite stable for someone who’s pregnant and prone to hormonal acne!!

*Disclosure: mostly PR samples other than the Alpha-H and Pixi products.