Evening Skincare Routine

Sorry for the delay in getting this up! It has been a mad few days.
So, onto the Evening routine.

The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil: This is my third or fourth bottle of the stuff- its fantastic.
I only ever use this as a first cleanse in the evening to remove my make up, and then I go in with a more sophisticated second cleanser.
I take 2 pumps of this, massage it into dry, still made up skin, I really concentrate on my lashes and then I remove with a flannel. You can add water to emulsify it into a milk, but I never do that with any oils/balms. I think its pointless.
This cleanser removes pretty much all of my make up. So quick and easy. I can't be bothered using endless cotton pads with eye make up remover, this is the way forward.

BTW: I hate wipes, never use them. My opinions on them have nothing to do with the fact that it's like the cool thing in skincare to hate them, I've always disliked them. I have used them in the past to remove eye make up (now I have better alternatives) but on my skin, they always, always make my skin burn, feel tight and stingy. All of them.

Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm: This is a lovely, thick balm and as you can possibly see, I've nearly finished it.
This is a good cleanser, but I prefer to use it once a day in the evening, it helps remove the last traces of make up and its excellent for facial massage, but if I use it too much it can be a bit rich for me and make my skin a little aggravated.
You can see the Oskia gel is also there, (review here) I sometimes use this in the evening or if i'm not wearing any make up, I use that alone.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Face Mist : See more here

Kiehls Creamy Eye Treatment : See more here

Kiehls Midnight Recovery Concentrate:  I have been using 3/4 drops of this a night for the last 4 months and I'm not even a third of the way through yet! I know £36 is quite a splurge, but honestly, it will last you for yonks.
This oil is lovely and I really enjoy using this in the evening, and spending a good few minutes really massaging it and working it into the skin. I find the whole ritual very soothing.
This product is very hydrating, however i'm unsure if I will repurchase this when it runs out...I know I will at some point, but right away? I don't know.
It definitely does what you need a facial oil to do, and I love using oils, but I want to see if I miss this one. I am intrigued to try Estee Lauders Night Repair and Sarah Chapmans Overnight Facial, but I do recommend this product to everyone- all skin types. Oils are good for you. Whether you are oily or dry.

Origins High Potency Night-A-Mins : The texture of this cream is really unusual...it's a night cream, and I would suggest you really do stick to using this at night as it leaves a sort of film on the skin, so it's really not a good base for make up. When I've had extra dry days, I've tried, but it never ends well.
I have to say though, I really don't like this stuff. It's pretty much finished so I gave it a good go, but its so silicone-y! It feels like a thick cream, and when you apply it you don't think its going to spread well, but then the texture transforms into this thinner,siliconey slidey consistency...I don't like using silicones in skincare, I understand why they are put in- to give the products more slip, but I don't like feeling it in the product, it makes me feel like i'm coating my skin with plastic. Silicone doesn't  have any skin care benefits, so whats the point in putting it on my skin? It feels heavy and when I have a bit of milia around my jaw line (if you want to know more on milia, read this, Caroline Hirons is awesome, read her entire blog, you won't regret it) silicone makes it worse.
In make up/hair care I'm not super bothered, and my Vichy serum contains it, but I can't feel it.
This cream is a no no for me, and I am now glad I have a large size of my Kiehls cream to use instead. Which is silicone free.

As you can see- my routine is quite simple and I use some of the same products morning and evening. Even though I have a few cleansers on the go, its not super necessary! I just like to have different options to cater to my skins needs.

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Morning Skincare Routine

Hello everyone, I thought it was about time I did a proper post about my skincare routine.
Before we kick things off, I thought it would be helpful if I told you about my skin type, as what works for me, may not work for you.
I have (generally speaking) pretty good skin, I would class my skin as mostly normal to dehydrated and a little bit dry. My skin can be quite sensitive so I know there are some products/ingredients that I just cannot use.
I am 24, so I don't really have wrinkles...yet.

I always do my skincare routine, twice a day everyday. Of course products change as needs change and it's fun to try new things, but I ALWAYS do my routine. As should you. It helps your skin and it' relaxing. It's a win win.
Because my skin can freak if I mix things up too much, when I introduce a new product, I make sure to keep the rest constant, also because if I react to something, I want to know exactly what has caused it.

Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel : I know everybody and their cat talks about how amazing this cleanser is, but I just have to agree.
Don't be fooled by the world gel- it's more of an oil. A pinky orange oil that smells slightly of roses. It is utterly divine and a pleasure to use in the morning. I do not use this in the evening to take make up off. Ever. I find that a waste of a good cleanser, so I want it to treat my skin, not remove foundation.
I do about two pumps on dry skin, massage it all in, I massage this into the eyes as well, and then gently buff off with a warm flannel, then rinse with warm water.
After, my skin feels like its been to the spa. I feel refreshed, my skin looks alive and most importantly, it feels nourished and not stripped.
This cleaners contains pumpkin enzymes, vitamins C and E and a whole host of other good stuff. Sometimes I leave it on for a couple of minutes while I brush my teeth to act as a sort of mask so I can get as much goodness from this as possible. Also - this does not foam even though it says 'Gel', which is good. We don't want foams. I never use them as they suck all moisture out of my skin and make me feel like i'm wearing a mask.
This cleanser is on the more expensive side but it has lasted months. The only annoying thing is you can't see how much product is left, but regardless, the moment this runs out, I am immediately picking up another.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Face Mist : I think I'm on about my 7th bottle of this stuff. I basically soak my face in this after I've cleansed and leave it a minute or two. This does a lovely job of prepping the skin for the next step and adding in another layer of hydration. It contains glycerin and rose water, so it's gentle and soothing to the skin. It does contain parabens, but I hasten to add that I don't care. Parabens don't bother me in the slightest. I think its all scaremongering, but you do you.
I already have my 8th bottle waiting for me.

Kiehls Creamy Eye Treatment : Sometimes I just don't know if I see the point in eyecreams...I don't ever tend to notice a huge difference, but I figure it doesn't hurt to use one, right?
This cream does moisturise the eye area though, so I tap it all around my orbital bone. I do find the texture of this really intriguing as it starts as a think cream and then as you pat it in it almost turns into water. I kinda just enjoy using it! Also it helps to apply this before concealer so you don't look cakey.

Vichy Aqualia Thermal Serum : An ingredient I know my skins loves, is hyaluronic acid, which this serum has so I picked this up a month or so ago and I am very impressed. It does contain silicone which I'd rather it didn't, but more on that later in my upcoming post of my evening skincare routine.
Regardless of that, this serum is lovely and does help plump up the skin. It absorbs fairly quickly so you can use this in the morning without it ruining your make up. I can't believe this serum is only in the realm of £17 when I have tried some that are 3 times that and been nowhere near as impressed. I would repurchase again, but I don't know if I will straight away as I really want to try the Sarah Chapman line.

Kiehls Ultra Facial Cream : I'm going to be bold here but this is my favourite moisturiser that I have ever tried. I just love it. Kielhs has yet to let me down, and honestly this cream will always be in my stash.
It's fragrance free, silicone free and it just makes my skin feel hydrated all day long, which is hard to do. It rich but it no way heavy and it doesn't claim to be anything fancy, it just does what it says.
This makes my skin feel awesome and I recommend it to all dry/dehydrated girls and boys out there. I think it would be fine on oily skin, but as I don't have oily skin, I can't fully comment.
I actually have been using this morning and night and I have just run out. I'm going to pick up a new one this week, as I've only been without it for about three days and I really miss it. Just try it- the people at Kiehls are always lovely and happy to give out a sample or two.


What are your skincare faves? Any recommendations for me to add to my list?

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