I love seeing what other people use on their skin so thought I’d share my current routine. Also I had a bad experience with the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo products a few weeks ago when I was trying to cut costs… they gave me a horrible allergic reaction and it made me realize that I should have just stuck to what was working even if it is a bit pricey.

Why I now give a shit about skincare

My skin never has been particularly bad, I never had acne or any problems growing up. But unfortunately the older I’ve gotten, the more my skin decided that it wants to occasionally look awful. Maybe it is just something that happens as you ‘age’, or perhaps the tiredness of a busy city lifestyle starts to creep up on your face!

There was a period last year that I broke out in a lot of spots (maybe the worst I’ve ever had) and the products I was using were not helping to clear it up. (I was using Liz Earle products mainly – but I felt like the Liz Earle hot cloth cleanser was making my skin worse?!)

As I didn’t know what the hell to buy and felt that I couldn’t trust beauty bloggers where the author changes their ‘skincare routine’ about 1000 times a year (if something’s good, surely you would keep using it?!), I went to Space NK for some advice. They were super helpful at suggesting me some products based on the current state of affairs (I went in with no make-up, said I wasn’t rich). The girl in there suggested that I try the REN Clay Cleanser for a daily face wash initially to clear my spots, and it did actually clear my skin completely. I would also put it down to the other changes I made so here is the skincare routine I currently have. It really does keep the spots at bay (apart from the odd period one).

My five favourite products

1. Bioderma – Sensiblo H2O Micelle Make-up Remover – This is the product you always see in behind-the-scenes photos of make-up artists at fashion week. It’s actually amazing. The big bottle is usually around £15 and lasts for ages. It removes all make up without making skin burn or feel super chemically!? This has also never made me break out (to date) and it feels soothing and gentle on the skin as well as actually getting rid of all make-up, including mascara.

2. REN – Clearcalm Clarifying Clay Cleanser – I would say this really did help to clear my skin initially, it’s not too harsh despite being a clay cleanser and you can use it every day. It’s also anti-bacterial so apparently kills gross bacteria on your spots.. nice! I will say that as my skin improved, it does start to be a little drying so now I switch between this and the gel cleanser below..

3. REN – T-Zone Control Cleansing Gel – I tend to use this in the morning and the clay cleanser at night if I’ve had make-up on all day. If I haven’t worn much make-up I will use this at night too. It really does help to keep oily skin at bay (I have combination skin that can get a bit oily!) as well as making your face feel totally clean, without tightness.

4. Origins – Clear Improvement Charcoal Mask – I’ve used this for around 2 years and love it. I tend to buy the small sample size as it lasts AGES and is half the price of the big one. I use it around ‘period time’ of the month when those shitty hormonal spots try and reveal themselves. I find it really helps to keep them from flaring up so I’d really recommend using it around that time.

5. REN – Clarimatte T-Zone Balancing Gel Cream – This is a moisturizer for combination to oily skin and I think it’s amazing. It smells SO nice and really works without making your skin oily or spotty. It’s also great as a make-up base as it dries in quickly. Basically I LOVE this stuff, but… it is expensive at around £22 a pop and it doesn’t last that long *sad face*. This product was the reason I tried to find a cheaper alternative but after my allergic reaction to La Roche Posay I’d be scared to try anything else for a while.

Do you use any of these products? I’d love to know what your favourite skincare products are. x