Skin care routine

I have always struggled with my skin. I have combination to very oily skin meaning that it is full of acne and blackheads are staying rent free BUT, I have finally found a skin care combination which is working for me.

This doesn't mean that it will work for you or be the skin care combination that brings out the best in your skin but, it's worth a try. I think that in the beauty community we are told that unless you pay hundreds of pounds for skin products you cannot have lovely skin which is under controlled.

Whether I have had make-up on during the day or not this is the routine I go for. I start with my Asda own charcoal face scrub. Activated charcoal face scrub wit added clay and rice particles to help with exfoliation. It is an oil free formula meaning it does not add extra oil to the skin meaning the oil is controlled and excess being removed. The added particles are not too abrasive on the skin which is better as really abrasive ingredients can increase blackheads or whiteheads and bring on more acne. This is something I learned from Dr Pimple Popper as I thought the harder the scrub the better it would be for your skin, but obviously not. I was this off with my warm water and soft cotton pads to make sure it is removed properly.

This is available in 150ml for £1 and I think that is amazing value for money and cost per use.

After this I use the Garnier Skin Active, Pure Active sensitive gel wash. It is an anti-blemish soap free wash with added zinc and witch hazel. This gel wash really soothes the skin after using the exfoliant meaning any redness which occurs during the exfoliating is soothed and reduced. I use just more than a pea size, perhaps the same as the amount of toothpaste you would use. I lather this onto my face with my fingers which is washed off with warm water and cotton pads once more.

200ml can be bought for £4 from Superdrug or Asda which is definitely cheap for the product. I have been using the same bottle for well over six months and I still have yet to run out and buy another.

Following this I use the Revolution, angry mood soothing cleansing gel. I find I prefer gels over creams as they are less oily and are lighter on the skin. The Revolution skin product come in different 'moods' which describe the type of skin a person may have. I feel that my skin is angry with the acne that I suffer from.

This cleanses and soothing gel has cannabis sativa, magnolia bark extract and vitamin E which are all proven to sooth and cleanse the skin. The only issue I have with this product is that it has an off smell which is quite strong yet hard too describe. However, knowing this I still use the cleansing gel as I love the way it makes my skin feel.

The added pump makes this cleanser easy to use even with my fibro fingers so that is a nice added bonus. I rinse this off again with warm water and cotton pads.

This product is 140 for £12 which for me is a little bit on the expensive side but you only need one pump to cover the whole face and I have been using mine for over 4 months now and it looks barely used.

A new product which I have only been using for the past month is the Superdrug pore cleansing pads. They are considered deep action and it targets spots and blackheads with a deep cleansing formula. There is an abrasive side which is used over the skin first, you don't have to rub hard just over the skin followed by the other side of the same pad which is soft and also is rubbed over the skin.

These pads have salicylic acid and camomile extract which helps to soothe and cool the skin and makes it nice and soft as well as keep bacteria away. There are 40 pads in each pot, I got them for £4.99 but then they were on 2 for 1 so that made them a real bargain and it means I have a lot of pads to keep me going. I would say these pads would compare to the Nip and Fab pads which are 20 for £14.99 and are hard to come by because the beauty community has said they are good.

My very last step is a serum, I have tried a lot of moisterisers which means I know which ones are oily or too thick or the ones which do not hydrate. After trying all of these I have found that serums works better for my skin an offers the hydration I need. The Revolution 10% niacinamide and 1% zinc serum is for blemished skin which also has poor refining qualities.

It is 30ml for £7 from Superdrug or the Revolution website.

Something which I struggle with that most people hate talking about or will not suffer with themselves is extra hair on their face. It is completely normal for people to have hair on their face and most people call this peach fuzz however, I have a condition called Polycysitic Ovarian Syndrome which means that my body produces too much testostrone and my face produces dark hair. I personally shave this hair off, others with this condition may choose waxing (of which I am too much of a puff to do to my face) or laser hair removal. When you shave hair and it grows back, it causes the skin to be dry and damaged so my serum really helps to keep the skin hydrated and not peel which as you can guess doesn't look the most fabulous under make-up or in general.

Through using this combination I have been able to adapt a new found confidence in my skin and this means I don't always feel the need for make up which in its self helps with my skins appearance.

This skincare is not expensive and it really does work for me.

I have tried to be honest and frank throughout this so that others may find the most benefit from my experiences with these products.

M X