My Daily Skincare Routine!

Hello again everyone :)

Growing up and going through the wonders of puberty, my skin went from baby soft and blemish free to horrendously oily and broken out. Thanks, hormones! My skin since then has always been a problem for me and I've tried many a treatment to give it a helping hand and make it look as flawless as it once did look. My journey to perfect-again skin has and still is a work in progress but I have definitely gained a new knowledge about skin care and what works best with my skin. So, with that knowledge, I have been able to put together a routine made up of products that my skin likes and do a good job at controlling oil build-up and minimising break-outs. Hurrah!

Now let's start from the beginning, waaaay back when. At around 13-14 years of age, my skin became SUPER oily and I was breaking out all over the shop. I was very concerned that I was going to experience the same level of acne that my older brother had when he was my age. Thankfully, mine was not as severe but it still made me self-conscious and unhappy. So, with very little knowledge about skincare, I went out and bought a few products that were very harsh on my skin. Whilst they dried up my spots, they also dried out the rest of my skin that wasn't affected. I thought having oily skin was bad, but having extremely dry skin that was difficult to hydrate again was horrible!

I then decided to go a little easier on my skin and work with less abrasive products. As I was still a teenager, I didn't want to spend a load of money on products that I didn't have much knowledge about. Plus the fact that I wanted to spend my money on clothes, shoes, handbags etc etc. I guess I had other priorities at that age.

Fast forward to now. I'm 20 years old and I still have problem skin. However, I have discovered an array of products that have been a blessing to me and my skin.

I've now done away with facial wipes as I have learnt that they don't actually help remove all of the make-up from our skin. Thinking about it, a percentage of my break outs are due to make-up residue clogging my pores! So, I have been trying out Micellar waters. My last post you will have seen that I reviewed the B. Pure Micellar Solution. I do like this product but it did sting my eyes a little. I saw MissGlamorazzi (over on YouTube) rave about the L'Oréal Paris Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution. I've been using it for about 5 days now and I really like it, it's very gentle around the eyes which is great and it's really good at removing make-up. I've also changed to using the cotton pads from the baby section in Boots. They're the same price I think as the normal ones but twice the size!

Once I've used the micellar water, I move on to a scrub. I use the Simple Oil-Balancing Scrub to remove any dead skin that could clog up my pores and generally freshen my skin up. It's a creamy consistency and gentle enough to use everyday. When I need something a bit more abrasive, I will use the Lemon and Aspirin DIY mask I blogged about a few weeks ago. This is more 'gritty' and I'll do this as an end of week or Sunday treatment just to really clean my skin.

So now I'm all scrubbed and feeling fresh, I will move on to moisturiser. I have used a range of moisturisers that have all claimed to be oil-free but these have been from budget brands and I can assure you, they are NOT oil-free. I broke out with them like no one's business! I decided to spend a little more money on a higher end brand. I fell in love with the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo earlier this year thanks to the matte finish it gave my skin and the way it controlled excess sebum (that really is a horrible word). I revisited the stand in Boot's and decided to go for the Effaclar Mat Sebo-Regulating Moisturizer, which if memory serves me correctly, is priced at £13.50. Not breaking the bank I know, but it's still more than my teenage self would be prepared to pay! I've got to say, I do adore this moisturiser! It's specially formulated for oily-skin and just does an absolutely great job! I will definitely re-purchase this when it run's out!

There you have it! I'm still wanting to try out different products for my skin. I do want to venture into the conspicuous world of eye creams as I am quite honestly terrified of wrinkles and not looking as youthful (ha, says the 20 year old).. but you know what I mean!! Do you have any recommendations for me?

I would also like to try some of the Michael Todd skincare products as I've heard a lot about them and they look really effective! Plus I love anything organic! If you have tried them and have oily skin like me, what were your favourite products?

Thank you for reading and I will see you soon on here or on my YouTube channel!

Paris x