Like I have said in previous posts, when it comes to skin care, I am so lazy about it (and I hate myself for it!!!) I have stepped it up a little bit in the past few weeks, and I am so happy to report that my skin feels so much more softer and looks a lot more brighter than what it did. The weather also probably has something to do with it since we are coming into Summer, but I have been putting a bit more effort into my routines. I have recently changed brands of cleanser and exfoliant as well, as Clean & Clear was no longer doing anything for my skin. There isn't much to it my routine, but it seems to be working amazingly right now.
For the mornings, I keep it very light before putting foundation over top.
When I first wake up I use the Garnier Fresh Foaming Cleansing Gel for normal skin. I wet my face with just my hands with warm water, rub the cleanser between my hands and rub it onto my face, and rinse with water in my hands. I don't like to use a wash cloth in the morning just because my skin tends to get very sensitive when I scrub it, so I don't want to be putting makeup over the top of a freshly scrubbed face. I pat dry my face with a towel and move onto toner.
Now I use to use toner all the time in Australia, and it seems that as soon as I arrived to Canda, I got super lazy with my regime and totally forgot this vital step (in my opinion). I love toner because it really feels like it gets into the pores once you've opened them while washing your face + you can see the dirt come off onto the cotton pad, which gives me a weird satisfaction. I am currently using the Garnier Fresh Vitamin-Enriched Toner for normal skin. I honestly just squirt a little onto a cotton/makeup pad and rub it all over my face, really focusing on my T-zone and where I may have missed removing dirt or makeup with the cleanser (aka around my hairline.)
Before putting my foundation on, I put on Boots No 7 Beautiful Skin Day Cream moisturisier for dry skin. Not only does this moisturise my skin like there's no tomorrow, but it is also SPF 15+ which I think is awesome because I hate sunscreen. Now when selecting from the Boots range, it is really overwhelming. They have so many different eye creams, serums, day and night moisturisers. I honestly just picked up this one because a) it's day cream, b) it's for dry skin, and c) it's a pretty purple colour. I'm not going to lie haha.
And that is honestly my morning skin care routine.
For my night time routine, it's a little more vigorous since I have been wearing makeup for over 12 hours in the day, and I like to shower and be clean for my bed. Every second night, I only use the foam cleanser as mentioned for my morning routine with a face cloth in the shower. However, when I clean my hair, I like to exfoliate my face as well.
I am currently obsessed with Garnier Clean+ Invigorating Gel Scrub for normal skin. I use it with a face cloth in the shower, and omg can I just say that the moment I used this, it got rid of all my dry skin on my forehead. I had been suffering from dry patches on my forehead and a little around my cheek area, and this cleared that up straight away. Dry patches while wearing makeup is not flattering at all, and this is the one exfoliant of about 3 I tried that actually worked. My skin at the moment in so soft and clean and refreshed because of this scrub. It's my holy grail at the moment. It's amazing. Plus it smells delicious, although I don't recommend you eat it ;)
I then of course tone with the toner mentioned above to remove any more dirt or makeup I may have missed.
Instead of using a night cream moisturiser like I had been for months on end previously, I am starting to LOVE The Body Shop Drops of Youth Bouncy Sleeping Mask. I wasn't so impressed to begin with but now it has really started to make a difference to the feel and appearance of my skin. I actually has made my face look more "bouncy" and lifted and just more alive. It smells amazing - so fresh - and it is definitely going to be a staple now. I use this after toning, instead of a moisturiser and literally all you need is a pea-sized amount to cover your whole face, and you do not need to wash it off like most face masks. It is not sticky for a long time or greasy, it dries into my skin beautifully and ugh, I love it.
Now I know people do switch up their routine depending on how much makeup they have worn during the day, however mine stays the same. I use to use face wipes on those nights I'd come home late however I don't own any anymore and therefore have to clean my face before bed. And I do feel much more refreshed in the morning cleansing rather than using a wipe which only removes surface makeup. I am going to start carrying wipes in my handbag though, since it's coming into summer and they are refreshing on hot days.
Does your routine change or stay the same? What are your favourite products?