My Skincare Routine

 

I love reading other girls skincare routine posts so I thought that I would do one of my own.

 

Here is a little background on my skin type. I am a Combination/Oily skin girl. My cheek area is kind of dry to normal, but my T-zone gets extremely oily. I can get quite congested in the nose area but I don't get many breakouts. I never really had bad acne but I feel that over the past few years my skin has gotten a lot better.

 

Now I am not picky about skincare. I don't really have many Holy Grail products that I buy all the time and my routine isn't consistent. I buy whatever is on sale and I try to buy new products all the time if I don't see any results.I wash my face every night in the shower and have a routine that follows and then I lightly cleanse and tone in the morning with a different routine.

 

These are the products I have been working with on a daily basis, however, I do substitute other product samples into the routine from time to time, in order to use up my sample stash.

 

Night Time Routine

 

Step 1 - Every other day I use the St. Ives Apricot Scrub to give my skin an extra deep cleansing. Sometimes I go longer between uses but I can always tell when my skin needs some exfoliation. This gentle yet effective scrub is really the best one I have ever used and will continue to use for a long time.

 

Step 2 - My current facial cleanser is the Nivea Natural Beauty Exfoliating Daily Peeling Cleanser. I bought this cleanser at the Dollarama for $2 which is a steal compared to its price at Walmart or Shoppers Drug Mart. It has tiny exfoliating beads that you barely notice when you compare them to the beads in the St. Ives Scrub. It has a fresh scent and froths wonderfully with only a little bit of product. My skin always feels very clean, moisturized, and refreshed after I use this.

 

Step 3 - On the days that I am not using the St. Ives Scrub I use step 2 of the Clinique 3 Step System. This Clarifying Lotion is a liquid exfoliator. I find this can be quite harsh on my skin so I use this sparingly and make sure that I am not putting it too close to my eyes. This is a product that I find has really helped my skin since I started using it years ago. I will probably always use this.

 

Step 4 - Every night I apply Caryl Baker Visage Firming Eye Gel. I'm only 22 years old but I would rather prevent now then try and reverse later in life. I haven't noticed huge results from this eye gel so I will probably buy something different next time that is maybe a bit cheaper then this gel was.

 

Step 5 - Lastly I finish with Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel. This has been my go to moisturizer for the last year and a half and I will probably continue to use it. This moisturizer gives enough moisture to my cheeks that are dry but isn't too heavy for my T-zone.

 

 Morning Routine

 

Step 1 - Even though I thoroughly cleansed my face the night before I like to use a makeup remover in the morning to get any last possible speck of makeup off my face before toning and applying new makeup for the day. Right now I am using Marcelle Essentials and I do enjoy this product but I might try something different once this bottle is empty. This is an oil free makeup remover and I recommend it to any other oily skinned girls. This stuff leaves no residue at all.

 

Step 2 - Toner! I used to use the Clean & Clear Astringent but found it extremely harsh and drying. I switched to Nivea Refreshing Toner for Combination skin because it was on sale and I LOVE THIS! It smells amazing and leaves my skin feeling cleansed and refreshed.

 

Step 3 - Like at night I use my eye gel again in the morning. The firming action makes my eyes ready for concealer and I feel that my concealer goes on better when I use my eye gel compared to when I don't.

 

Step 4 - Like every night, every morning, I moisturize with Clinique Dramatically Different Gel. If I am wearing foundation that day I will mix it with this moisturizer to make more of a tinted moisturizer.

 

 

Once a week I use a mask. My current favourite has been the St. Ives Timeless Skin Mineral Clay Firming Mask. This mint green, mint smelling mask feels cool on your face and, when I wash it off my skin feels tight but not in a bad way. My pores seem smaller when I use this mask and I feel like I just had a facial.

 

 

Here are swatches of some of the products. From right to left: St. Ives Apricot Scrub, Nivea Cleanser, St. Ives Firming Mask.

 

 

What are your favourite skincare items? Which ones do you recommend for me to try out next?