Hello lovelies,
This blog is all about my current skincare routine, which I started in January this year.
My skin no longer felt any benefits from my old skincare routine and products, so I decided I would use lockdown as a time to change things up a bit. I did a lot of research into skincare products and their ingredients to try and determine what I required for my skin. I am not expert and I am not going to share any in depth explanation to ingredients. You can find plenty of advice and explanations on google and skin specialist sites that will explain things a lot more accurately than myself. If in doubt about any information, speak to a skin specialist or dermatologist for skincare advice.
MY SKIN
I have oily to combination skin and due to excess oils and other factors, I get small breakouts each month. Finding a product that can control my blemishes but not dry out my skin is important. I have had products in the past that I realised were probably doing more harm than good; drying out my skin or aggravating a blemish more, prolonging its recovery process.
If you have been following me on Instagram for a while then you will know how much I've really tried to build confidence with my skins appearance and dealing with blemishes. It's been an insecurity for a while, that I'm slowly starting to get grips of.
Whilst doing all my product and ingredient research I learnt something vital; LESS IS MORE.
We all try to find products to help our skin and its imperfections. When we find products, we then try them out and will also combine them with others in a desperate need to fix the problem (myself included). In some cases, using more products can actually reduce the effect they have, due to some ingredients counting each other out. Acidic products are a common skincare treatment that often get combined with others, which in doing so will mix the skins PH balance too quickly, resulting in not getting the full benefit of the active ingredients in the acid treatment.
MY NEW SKINCARE ROUTINE
I decided a firm and strategic skincare routine is what I needed.
Learning to trust the products and to be patient with the process was key in this new routine.
Please note that everyones skin is different and what works for me might not work for you. I chose to give 'The Ordinary' products a go as I had heard nothing but great feedback about them. When starting out with 'The Ordinary' products I consulted with them online for advice. Deciem, the company behind The Ordinary, create a recommended regime for you based on the products you wish to use.
For advice and directions on products on The Ordinary >>> CLICK HERE
For a regimen builder >>> CLICK HERE
My AM routine:
Face wash- Garnier anti-blemish face wash
Serum- Niacinamide (The Ordinary)
Moisturiser- The Ordinary Natural moisturising factors +HA
My PM routine:
Face wash- Garnier Deep Pore face wash with salicylic acid
Serum- Niacinamide (The Ordinary)
Moisturiser- The Ordinary Natural moisturising factors +HA
I mix between 2 different types of face washes so that I use a deeper cleansing face wash in the evening. This is then highly effective in removing any pollutants, dirt and sweat from my skin that has built up through the day. I also use the deep pore face wash straight after finishing a workout so sweat and dirt doesn't sit on my pores.
In the evenings I also use an exfoliating face sponge with my face wash for a deeper clean. The specific one I use is gentle and not too harsh on my skin. It is very similar to products like the Foreo and silicone cleansing pads. See the links in the next section for one similar to mine.
My main and only serum in my current skincare routine is niacinimide. This is an ingredient that specifically targets blemishes and is designed to improve the texture of your skin. It is for this reason that I have included it in my morning and evening routine.
Every Monday:
I use a Garnier tissue mask every Monday. Depending on how my skin has been will determine which mask I use. On majority of occasions I will opt for Hyalorinic acid mask, as I don't have a lot of hydration treatments in my routines. If I feel my skin has been very open to breakouts in the last weekend/week then I will opt for a mask with tea tree/ salicylic acid ingredient.
Every Tuesday and Friday:
I use Glycolic acid toning solution (The Ordinary) every Tuesday and Friday to balance it through my week.
I use this solution in the evenings only and will not use niacinamide after, just my moisturiser.
(As you may have seen in my Instagram post or the image at the top of this blog- I used to use Lactic acid in my routine too. This was before I was advised on what products to use and I decided to focus on just one acid product.)
If you are not used to using acids in your skincare routine then I advise doing a patch test first and then only using it once a week to build up your skins tolerance. Again, less is more, so as much as you may want the products job to have an effect everyday, you don't want to overuse a product and it have the opposite effect. Glycolic acid is a good ingredient to use for exfoliating the top layer of skin and breaking down dead skin cells on the skins surface. HOWEVER, this should still be used minimally (check the strength of your product) as too much use can leave your skin sensitive and weaker, meaning you could be more prone to a breakout. Your skin will also need time to recover from the acid treatment that is penetrating through your skin layers.
PRODUCT LINKS
Linked below are all the products I use in my new and current skincare routine:
The links will take you to items on the Boots website, however most of these products are sold on other leading beauty and skincare stores, even on Asos too.
Niacinamide (The Ordinary) - This product is available in 30ml and 60ml. The 60ml bottle works out cheaper than buying 2 of the 30ml bottles. I recommend purchasing the small size first to try out the product and then ordering the larger size if you continue. Use the larger bottle to refill the smaller one to keep it at a perfect travel size.
The Ordinary Natural moisturising factors +HA - This, like the niacinamide, is available in a larger amount too. However, the bottle doesn't allow for one to be put into another.
Glycolic acid toning solution (The Ordinary) - If you keep old niacinamide bottles, you can clean them up and pour the glycolic acid toner into them. This saves you having to have a big bottle out all the time and enables you to pipette the solution onto a cotton pad.
Garnier tissue mask- Hyaluronic Acid - The Garnier tissue masks frequently go on offer in Superdrug and Boots, so always keep and eye out to get them at a cheaper price. Standard RRP is £2.99, offers reduce these to £1.99.
Face sponge - This sponge is the same as mine, however this is not where I purchased from.
So far, from the last 3 months, all these products are working well with my skin. The niacinamide has helped breakout areas and improved the texture of my skin, making it feel smooth. I notice a visible vibrance to my skin the next day after using the glycolic acid toner (I'm not just saying that) and the moisturiser isn't too heavy on my skin (which I'm always conscious of having oily skin). The best part about trying out The Ordinary products was that they are simple products, without the fancy titles and are a great price. I knew exactly what I was buying and was not too bothered if it didn't work out as each product is around £5.
I am not advertising or trying to influence anyone to use these products, but I do recieve a lot of questions regarding my skincare routine. I feel like these products have made a difference to my skin, the difference I wanted to see, and for the current moment the routine is staying put. Changing up my skincare routine has definitely led me to understand more about the products I'm using and their ingredients. The more I'm learning about these the more I'm learning when to use them and in what moderation.
So, the only thing I will advocate from this blog is...if you are not getting the results you want from your skincare products then try to pin down what difference you are trying to achieve and research solutions and products from there. It can take time to find the right routine/products and everyones skin changes over time; what worked for you once, might not work for you forever. The weather and season changes can also effect your skin so bare this in mind.
I hope this has helped some of you with some feedback on products I use and if anyone has any other questions to ask then drop me an email or message and I will be happy to try and help.
Lots of love,
Zo <3
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