Hello and welcome to my
Realm of Beauty.
Once again, I apologise for the long absence. But now is my half term and I've done all the photography for my blog for the next month or so. So hopefully, I'll be back to regular upload schedule.
I'm starting with a post that I've been wanting to make since before Christmas. I fancied a big change in my skincare routine and visited the Lancôme counter in time for their glorious Christmas boxes and generous gifts to remedy that. I've always been a huge fan of their skincare and makeup. There's always something about the first brand you're introduced to that makes you fiercely loyal to them.
On top of the Lancôme products that I'll be sharing with you, I've been using a couple of the same products as before and some new additions that have completely outperformed the rest of my skincare products.
Before we start with the post, let me just be clear that I don't shy away from spending money on skincare. If you look at my makeup collection, it's 75% highstreet/drugstore and 25% high end. But when it comes to skincare I tend to splurge more. That's because I'm a firm believer in the importance of looking after your skin from early on (I started having a routine since I was 25). I always cleanse and use a toner, no matter how tired I am or how late at night it is. I always moisturise and use a night cream and I've just started adding eye cream to my skincare regime. I'll be 27 in a couple of weeks and my skin does not look older than 18. And yes some of it is good genes, but skincare has had a huge role to play too.
So let's get started, shall we?
Cleansers and Toners:
We all know that cleansing should be an essential part of any skincare routine. There's something very satisfying about coming home and taking your makeup and all the dirt and pollution off your face. It makes you feel refreshed and relaxed, it's the equivalent to taking your bra off!
I personally like to alternate between 3 cleansing techniques: using
Bioderma Micellar Water, hot cloth cleansing with
Clinique's Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm , and
Lancôme's Douceur Cleanser.
I won't go into much detail with the
Bioderma Micellar Water because it's simply one of the most well known cleansing products out there. It's kind to skin and eyes alike and it hydrates your skin as well as taking the excess oil off. I use it when I feel too lazy to cleanse with my
Clinique cleansing balm, and want to save my precious
Lancôme cleanser.
The
Lancôme's Douceur Cleanser has a beautiful creamy and light texture to it and it makes your skin feel very hydrated after use. Its cleansing power is matched by none. I use this every morning as the first step of my routine and every time I see some dirt and oil on the cotton pad! Keep in mind that I have a nigh time routine that involves cleansing too. But I guess your skin gathers impurities while you're sleeping and this cleanser is a wonderful way to kindly wipe that off and prepare your skin for the day ahead.
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| Lancôme due: Tonique Douceur (£23) and Douceur Cleanser (£23.50). |
Clinique's Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm is one that you need to be in the mood for. The method to use with it is known as the 'hot cloth' cleansing method, where you soak a 100% cotton cloth (doesn't have to be from Clinique) in hot water while you rub the cleanser on your face and eyes with you finger tips. After that you rinse the hot cloth and dab it on your face, making sure it stays on for 5 seconds on each area. You then rinse the cloth with cold water and repeat as before with 5 seconds intervals. The reason why you finish off with cold cloth is to minimise and close your pores.
As you can tell, that might be a lot of effort if you're too tired and can't be bothered to go through the whole ordeal. But it's worth it for those times when you feel your skin could use this routine, especially when those pores are looking extra large and attractive! Which means you have a build up of dirt and oil in them that need taking care off.
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| Clinique's Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm (£22) + 2 cotton cloths. |
Now, some of you may ask what about exfoliating? Well, I used to exfoliate everyday (I know, very bad), until I was told by a skincare professional that exfoliating too much makes your skin produce more oil and so it becomes more prone to acne and blemishes. She told me to cut the exfoliating down to only once a week and rely on cleansing for the rest of it. And since I've done that the oiliness of my skin has reduced significantly. So yes, do not exfoliate more than once a week. It's really not good for your skin.
Also I just wanted to say that if there's one area I will happily go to drugstore for, it would be cleansers. There are some wonderful products out there, for example the
Soap and Glory Cleansing Milk. The only reason why I'm using the Lancôme cleanser is because it was given to me as a gift at the counter. I do not believe I will repurchase it again because while it's an amazing product, I know I can find a cleanser just as good at a more affordable price.
When it comes to Toners, a lot of people forget its importance and forgo it all together. Toners are designed to complete the cleansing process, to restore and repair the surface of your skin after cleansing and put back in some of the essential ingredients for a fresher and smoother skin.
My current toner is
Lancôme's Tonique Douceur, which again was given to me as a gift. It's very kind to skin and leaves it feeling soft and refreshed and removes all the last traces of makeup. However, it ends at that and doesn't really accomplish what a toner should. And that's because it doesn't have those essential ingredients in it and is basically just water, glycerin and rose water.
Recently I've purchased La Roche-Posay Serozinc Spray, which is a toner for oily and blemish-prone skin. I will report back here after I've used it long enough to form an opinion about it.
Just remember before purchasing a toner to avoid one that has alcohol in it and one with fragrant extracts. And if you want further help and detail just visit Paula's Choice Skincare.
Serums:
Serums are the gems of the skincare industry. The right ones will do wonders to your skin, from hydrating, to glowing, to repairing. The list is endless. So you could say which serum works best depends on the individual and their needs. However, with these two wonderful holy grail products, I doubt there's one person in this world that wouldn't like to benefit from their properties.
They are: Lancôme's Advanced Genifique Serum and Estée Lauder's Advanced Night Repair.
Lancôme's Advanced Genifique Serum: this beautiful serum, which is designed for all ages and skin types, helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and put radiance and healthy glow back into your skin. The most wonderful thing about it is how the result is catered to individuals. My mom uses it to make her skin look younger and reduce the appearance of her fine lines, and it really works. I use it to inject some healthy glow into my skin because it can look often dull and lifeless with all the anti-oil makeup and products I use. Not to mention, it's taken care of any fine lines that have started appearing with age.
You simply use it by massaging it into your skin with your fingertips. It takes 1 minute max for your skin to absorb it all in and be ready for moisturiser.
It really is an amazing product and I'll be purchasing it over and over. Believe the hype it's got since its release.
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| Lancôme's Advanced Genifique Serum (£59) |
Estée Lauder's Advanced Night Repair: this is one of those products that are worth every single penny. A true holy grail. I'm just sad I didn't discover it sooner. The clue is in the name. It's an advanced night serum that's designed to repair your skin. You could say it kind of activates your skin and its natural repairing properties while you sleep and helps renew it overnight. I have seen the result myself and it's miraculous. My skin is firmer, toned and radiant after each use. What's more is that it makes my blemishes disappear over night, which is not something it's advertised for! I could just wake up in the morning and not do my morning routine and still be fine. It's that good.
You use it in the same way as the Genifique serum, by massaging it into your skin until it's absorbed.
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| Estée Lauder's Advanced Night Repair (£50) |
I realise that these two are both very expensive products, but they do last you a very long time because all you need is 1 drop.
Moisturisers:
A skincare essential we can all agree, moisturisers are as diverse as all the skin types and needs out there.
Mine are divided between 3 types: Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel, Palmers Cocoa Butter Night Renewal Cream, Skinceuticals Hydrating B5 Gel.
Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel: this is a moisturises I swear by. It's one of the best skincare items people with oily skin can and should have. The gel texture helps your skin in absorbing it very fast, so it doesn't add to the shine and oiliness of your face. But at the same time, it keep your skin hydrated all day.
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| Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel (£30) |
Palmers Cocoa Butter Night Renewal Cream: this is one I use once every 2 nights, alternating between this and my
Estée Lauder's Advanced Night Repair. It's one of the more affordable products on my skincare shelf and I absolutely love it. I love the hydration it injects in my skin and I love the result I see in the morning after each use. It is an anti-ageing cream, which means it firms your skin. The smell isn't the best, but you learn to get passed it once you've seen its wonderful results.
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| Palmers Cocoa Butter Night Renewal Cream (£7.99) |
Skinceuticals Hydrating B5 Gel: this one is a very new discovery, thanks to Tati from
GlamLifeGuru. I love this woman so much and I trust everything she says. Which is why I was so quick to buy this product after she mentioned it in one of her videos. This hydrating gel is IDEAL for oily skin. It's fast absorbing and so freaking moisturising you feel like you've just used invisible oil on you skin. I say invisible because it doesn't show up on the skin at all. It disappears once you've worked it in and keeps your skin hydrated all day long.
I have a real problem with using primer after I've done my routine. Because some parts of my face will just become flakey out of nowhere, like my skin has suddenly crossed from oily to dry.
But since using this B5 gel, I love putting primer on. It just glides on so perfectly and wonderfully.
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| Skinceuticals Hydrating B5 Gel (£41.56) available from Amazon. |
Eye cream and suncream:
I've only recently started using eye cream and that's because I was starting to notice fine lines appearing under my eyes, plus my stressful job means more noticeable dark circles and signs of fatigue.
So naturally the first brand I went to to try on my first eye cream was Lancôme. The eye cream that I
purchased is Lancome Genifique Yeux Eye Cream Youth Activating, which came in a Genifique Christmas set. So it has the same anti ageing benefits as the serum. The moment you put it on you feel your under eyes tightening. It reduces the appearance of those fine lines and dark circles and generally makes you look more well rested. It is a fantastic product which I recommend to everyone.
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| Lancome Genifique Yeux Eye Cream Youth Activating (£40) |
Lastly, we come to sun screen. I have always hated putting sun screen on my face. It makes me look too white, it doesn't blend into my skin, and if I get one with moisturiser it makes me looks greasy.
So when
I came across La Roche-Posay Anthelios AC Anti-Shine Matte Fluid SPF 30 I was like thank god, I'm grabbing that.
The formula is fantastic when it comes to tackling that annoying shine and oiliness. It really does stay matte all day. The only issue I have with it is that it doesn't blend very well. I guess that's the downside to a suncream which is designed to be dry and matte. So I tend to combine it with my moisturiser and then put it on, which works perfectly. It just takes a tad bit longer to work into the skin until it's absorbed.
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| La Roche-Posay Anthelios AC Anti-Shine Matte Fluid SPF 30 (£16) available at Boots. |
We have come to end of this blogpost.
I hope you have enjoyed this very extensive skincare post. Let me know if you've found any gems that work for you. I'm especially interested in trying out new fantastic toners.
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Thank you for visiting my blog.
See you soon x
