I don't know about you, but I honestly sometimes find it really hard to find great skincare pairings. Usually I end up with something that makes my skin a little oily and something that dries it out a little. Rather than working together as you might imagine, this usually sends my skin into overdrive as it's both encouraged to and discouraged from creating its natural oils. UGH. Cue all the spots.
So, I've been fiddling around with my evening skincare routine for the past few months trying to find something that really works in terms of helping my skin lock in moisture without letting me wake up to a pool of face grease every morning. Grim, but you know what I'm talking about, right (please)?
Basically I've been using my Garnier micellar water (yes I have finally jumped on that bandwagon) which I picked up as part of my birthday beauty haul to remove my makeup and get rid of any dirt. This hasn't irritated my sensitive skin at all, or even my eyes, which usually end up red, itchy and a little sore from most makeup removers. I tend to go for more creamy makeup removers, so I've also actually been really shocked at how well this has been working!
After I've got as much as my makeup off as I can, I then wipe one of Nip + Fab's Dragon's Blood fix pads over my face, ensuring I get into all the nooks and do my neck as well. For so long I had such a preconception about Nip + Fab being quite a pricey drug store brand, but actually a full-sized tub of these comes in at just £4.97. The dragon's blood range from Nip + Fab is aimed at hydrating your skin and making it a little more plump, and I have to say that it really does do what it says on the tin, so to speak. These have really been helping to lock in my skin's moisture overnight so that my makeup actually goes on the next day without creating any dry patches.
The two together have really been doing wonders for my skin in terms of helping to keep is cleansed and hydrated. I never wake up in the morning with mascara stains or skin that even I don't want to touch, let alone anyone else anymore. So basically, it's a big thumbs up from here, and if you've got combination skin I would definitely recommend giving this combo a whirl!
I've actually made a little video for you about this one, so please have a watch:
It's that dreaded time of year again - the annual week long UK summer. As of Sunday I started to notice my face getting a little melty, and by Tuesday I was basically competing against the sun to keep my makeup from downright sweating off. I don't know about you, but we whacked out the oscillating fans and took to thrice daily showers to keep cool.
As with any weather change, your skin will tend to react. A lot of us get slightly chapped (hopefully it's not just me?!) skin in winter on their face, and summer can have an effect too. The combination of excess sweat and the fact that my makeup doesn't have an opportunity to settle basically means that not only has this been heatwave week for me, but it could have been breakout central week. So, I made sure I stuck rigorously to my skincare regime and finally (hopefully) I've found a way to keep heat-induced skin issues at bay.
So, what's my miracle formula? Well, I've got combination skin, that's usually dry to combi, but there's been hardly a sighting of those little cakey-foundation inducing patches of horror recently. I used to be super lazy way back in those teenage years, and you were lucky if I actually washed my face in the morning, let alone had a full on routine for this stuff. Although I do have a routine, teenage Steph is still inside their somewhere, so it's by no means a full on 20 product every day kind of thing, but just takes a few minutes in the morning and evening to keep my skin happy.
Now let's get chatting this routine! First up I start my day off with a quick cleanse using my Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Cleanser. I've actually got a whole post on this range and why I love it here. I just use water and the cleanser here to get rid of any grease that's built up overnight. If you've got dry skin I probably wouldn't recommend this, as sometimes it can leave my combi skin feeling a little tight.
Then we move onto preparing my face for the day. Usually I only include this step in my routine if I'm wearing makeup - on other days I just let my skin be free and do its thang to give it a little bit of a break. First up I spritz my face with LUSH's Eau Roma Water, which is an aroma-therapeutic toner water. It smells like lavender and rose so totally helps me to feel relaxed in the morning. Then, if my skin is feeling a little on the dry side I follow it up with Simple's Kind to Skin Hydrating Light Moisturiser. This is basically my fail-safe anti-foundation-cake product.
In the evening, I like to incorporate my skincare routine into my pre-bed ritual. Like a great many sufferers out there, my anxiety is worst at night, so having a set routine before I go to bed really does wonders in helping me get off to sleep. I don't actually take my makeup off until I'm already in my PJs and sat on my bed with just the lamp on. I use LUSH's 9-5 cleanser on some cotton wool to get the majority of my makeup off, especially my eye makeup as I find it is gentle enough to not aggravate my sensitive eyes.
Next up is the beauty blogger favourite: Garnier's Micellar Water. I pop some on a cotton wool pad again, and use it to get rid of any of the last dregs of makeup that I might have missed with the first cleanse. I follow this up with one of Nip + Fab's Dragon's Blood Daily Fix Pads. This combination keeps my skin totally hydrated overnight and even works to plump it a little.
And finally, if you're looking to treat your body to a little smoothness this summer, then totally give Korres' Fig body butter a go. It's not my favourite scent this summer (hello Pinita Colada), but it's made my skin so soft that I practically wave it at everyone to feel!
