My skin care must haves......

Now that I'm not restricted to just talking about nails (yay!) I thought I would share my skincare must haves with you.

I have the weirdest skin EVER! Its mainly combination but with more oily parts than not however, there are parts of my face that are unbelievably dry and then there are the dehydration lines around my eyes. This makes for a tricky situation when trying to find the right skincare for my needs however, I think I may have my have found my perfect combination of products (FINALLY!)....

 

Soap and Glory Peaches & Clean

Peaches and Clean - £7 Boots

 



This stuff is AMAZING. I love Soap and Glory body products and hadn't tried its skincare range until I received this in a Christmas present and I haven't looked back. Peaches and Clean is a 4-in-1 wash off milk that is formulated for those with combination to oily skin and contains lots of lovely ingredients including jojoba oil and peach extract - it smells divine!! I use this to take my make up off at the end of the day and I make sure that I really massage it into my skin before washing it off with warm water and a face cloth (I use a muslin cloth as it gently exfoliates the skin as well). Be careful not to get this into your eyes though OUCH!! I've not had to replace mine since Christmas and I use it everyday so a little goes far so I think for the price, its really good value.

Lancome Bi-Facil Eye Makeup Remover

Bi-Facil - £21 Lancome

 

I got this with another Christmas gift which also contained a mascara and eye liner. I did used to use just a cheap Loreal eye makeup remover however since using this I am converted! Like all Lancome products, it has a really fresh and clean smell. It comes in two parts so you have to shake the bottle really well to make sure the oil is mixed in, I then apply it with a cotton wool pad. It really does get rid of every scrap of makeup and mascara, you can also use it on the lips and in my eyes passes the red lippy test as it doesn't leave any residue at all. £21 may sound a little much for what it is however I'm sold, once my little version has run out I will be re-purchasing.

Eau Thermale Avene Cleanance Toner

Eau Thermale Cleanance Toner - £8.75 Boots

 

 

I come across this by accident when reading the #bbloggers chat on Twitter and I'm so glad I did. Eau Thermale Avene is a brand that had always intrigued me so I decided to take advantage of the 3-for-2 Boots offer a few months ago and added this into my purchase. Its a Toner that purifies oily skin that contains matifying powders that you have to shake up in the bottle to mix it with the lotion that are there to mop up any excess oil from the face. Applied with a cotton wool pad to the t-zone or in my case all over my face, it is the only toner I have used so far that really feels like it has matifyed my face without leaving it dry and stiff, the lotion actually feels really refreshing and used alongside the Cleanance moisturiser, it really does keep your skin shine free for most of the day.

Eau Thermale Avene Thermal Spring Water



Eau Thermale Avene Thermal Spring Water - £6.50 Boots

 

My friend swears by this product and pushed me into buying it when I was purchasing my Cleanance products. I really really didn't want to buy it as on the face of it, its just spring water in a can. Well I don't like to admit when I'm wrong but on this occasion I was! Even though I didn't feel the need for it seeing as I already use a toner, you apply this to your face in-between toner and moisturiser. Spritz the face then leave it for a few minutes (I brush my teeth whilst waiting for it to dry) and pat any residue with a tissue. This not only refreshes the skin, it also calms down any redness and it gives your skin a glow without making it look oily. You can also use this to set your makeup although I haven't used it for this purpose yet. The mist is really fine and the spray covers the whole face so you don't over use it. I bought the 50ml bottle for around £3 with the next size up costing £6.50 - there is an even larger version available for £10. I can imagine this being really lovely to use in the Summer (if we ever get a Summer!) as its really cooling and refreshing. If you are unsure about whether to try it then make like I did and buy the 50ml bottle first.

 

Eau Thermale Avene Cleanance Emulsion

Cleanance Emulsion - £10.50 Boots



 

As my final part of my Boots 3-for-2 binge I bought the Eau Thermale Cleanance moisturiser, or Emulsion as it says on the tube. Again this is for oily, blemish prone skin and can be used in the morning and at night - this suits me perfectly as I'm still on the fence when it comes to night creams. This is a lovely and light moisturiser that doesn't leave me feeling that my skin is clogged up but, it also acts as a great base for my makeup and moisturises my dry areas really well. Even though I really like this I think the fact that its £10.50 for just a 40ml tube is making me think about whether or not I will repurchase when I run out. For the price, I would expect a little more product.

 

St Ives Daily Microdermabrasion 

St Ives Daily Microdermabrasion - £4.99 Boots



 

Even though my skin is more on the oily side, I do suffer from dry patches especially on the bridge of my nose. I love love LOVE St Ives scrubs and I usually use the blemish fighting version however I was intrigued by the daily microdermabrasion. This is more of a gel consitancy compared to other scrubs from St Ives and its also a lot finer as you are able to use it daily. I'm still undecided about it, I would never scrub my face daily as it would play havoc with it and make it constantly oily. However it does leave the skin lovely and soft when used but I think I might revert back to the blemish fighting scrub when I am done with this, I think its because I like the feel of a more grainer scrub rather than a gel.

 

Elemis Fruit Active Rejuvenating Mask

Fruit Active Rejuvenating Mask - £28 Elemis

 

This is my all time favourite mask... EVER! My skin can look quite dull at times and even though I should use a purifying mask, they just leave my skin looking and feeling really tight. I need something that is going to give me a little bit of a glow and this is it! Its £28 which is expensive but as with most higher end products, a little goes a long way. It contains extracts of Kiwi and Strawberry fruit which deep cleanses the skin and is designed to lift the tone of your complexion. I usually use this once a week whilst lounging in the bath and I leave it on for about 20 minutes before wiping off with a hot damp cloth. Its my little bit of luxury and I always receive comments on my skin after I have used it as it seems to make my make up sit really nicely on my skin. Its for this reason that I make sure I use this before getting ready for a big night out!

 

Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Firm for Eyes and Lips

Multivitamin Power Firm - £37.10 Dermalogica

 

Ok, so I don't normally spend nearly £40 on something that is just 15ml HOWEVER this little power potion is my secret weapon! Since hitting the big 3-0 I have become more aware of the need to introduce anti-aging products into my skincare routine. I can't use anti-aging cleansers and moisturisers as they are way too rich for my skin however, I like to think I am blessed with good genes (thanks Mum!) as I don't have any deep wrinkles but the skin around my eyes does have fine lines. I discovered this after having a Dermalogica facial and loved the smell of it - it smells like sweets! When I asked the therapist what it was she said it was this. It is jam packed full of vitamins and is used to combat those little dehydration lines you can get around your eyes and lips. You apply just a TINY amount with your ring finger around your eyes and in a really weird way you can feel it working even though it doesn't tingle on the skin. Makeup sits really well on it and I think it makes my eyes look a lot brighter. One tube of this will last you around 9 months so even though the initial outlay is a lot, you will get a lot of use out of it. I cannot praise it enough!

 

I hope you have liked my little breakdown of the products I love at the moment.  What are your must have skincare products?

 

x