Skincare Routine

So I know we've only just met, you and I, however I feel like there's a lot you can learn about a person from their skincare routine. As I'm prone to eczema, especially right under my nose, I have to spend a lot of time cleansing and moisturising my skin, just to keep it in line. Summer is probably my least favourite time of year too as I am actually allergic to my own sweat, which is probably why that area under my nose gets so red and flakey during the hotter months.

I have incredibly dry skin in some areas and combination skin in others, along with a side of dehydration thrown in there just to keep things interesting. Another problem that I have is that I'm allergic to water. Well actually, it isn't so much the water as it is all of the chemicals thrown in there to make it actually clean and, you know, usable. Yeah, my skin hates me. Luckily, I have a filter on my taps and this helps to save me a lot of trouble. But I can honestly say that the thing that has made the biggest difference to my skin has been developing a good skincare routine and sticking to it. So if you're at all interested in what I do on a daily basis to keep my skin in relatively good condition (lets be honest, we all have bad skin day, no matter what) then read on!





I'm going to start with my night time routine because... well because I can, really. This is my blog and i'll do as I please! No but really, this is where the magic happens and I don't do a lot to my face in the morning so it's much more interesting this way, I swear! I wear a lot of makeup and usually I wear waterproof mascara too, so to remove my mascara and eye makeup, I really like the Body Shop Camomile Waterproof Eye and Lip Make-Up Remover on a makeup remover pad as it is very gentle around my eyes and doesn't take too much effort to remove my makeup. I also use this if I'm wearing any sort of lipstick.

The Body Shop Camomile Waterproof Eye and Lip Make-Up Remover

After I've removed the bulk of my eye and lip makeup I like to use the Grapeseed Butter Cleanser by Antipodes straight on my dry face. Basically, I just scoop a small amount of this out and massage it into my skin, making sure I don't miss any spots. I really love this cleanser as it is very gentle but also feels quite moisturising as it is such a thick and oily balm. The only thing I'm not too keen on is that it leaves a residue when you remove it. However I like to double cleanse anyway so it isn't a huge deal. I remove this with a damp micro fibre face cloth (any micro fibre cloth will do, I really like the 3-packs from Kmart for $2 as they're so cheap you can stock up and use a clean one every day).

Antipodes Grapeseed Butter Cleanser

Next i like to dot one pump of the Hallelujah Lime and Patchouli Cleanser by Antipodes all over my face.

Antipodes Hallelujah Lime and Patchouli Cleanser

I then like to moisten my Clarisonic Mia 2 with a bit of water and squirt some more of the same cleanser on the brush and get to work. After the cycle is done I rinse my face off with water and dry using the micro fibre cloth. I feel like this step really helps to deep cleanse my skin and make sure that i really have removed all of my makeup. It's actually surprising how dirty the brush gets even though I've already cleansed once. Thank god for double cleansing!

Clarisonic Mia 2

Anyway, this is where I would normally use a toner. I'm in between toners at the moment as i wasn't a huge fan of the last toner I was using and haven't found one that I like the sound of yet so at the moment I'm skipping the toning step. Any suggestions you might have would be greatly appreciated though (preferably something thats easy to get in Australia)!

This next step is where I like to mix it up a little. Most nights I will usually just go straight to moisturiser, however twice a week (at least) I like to do a face mask at this point. My favourite one would have to be the Natio Clay and Plant Face Mask Purifier. I love this mask so much. If my skin is having a particularly hard time, I'll whip this baby out and set to work. It does sometimes sting just a little bit when I put it on my eczema (but only just a little bit, I promise) but once I wash it off my skin looks and feels about a thousand times better. I usually just slop this onto my entire face and leave it on anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour or more.

Natio Clay and Plant Face Mask Purifier

Another mask that I sometimes like if my skin is particularly dehydrated is the Origins Drink-Up Intensive Overnight Mask. I swear, this stuff is like magic for dehydrated skin. Just slap it on and go to sleep and when you wake  up you have the most incredibly soft and hydrated skin imaginable. If I use this I don't do anything else to my skin afterwards. Just put this on and I'm done.

Origins Drink-Up Intensive Overnight Mask

Most times however, I will moisturise now either after  a face mask or after my (non-existent for now) toner. My favourite is the old faithful Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion. I know that everyone and their mother uses this but you know what? It works. It's gentle and doesn't have a strong scent and it does what I want it to do: moisturise my skin. Plus it has the added bonus of not irritating my skin, which is nice.

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion

Then, finally (for my night time routine anyway), I like to use a serum of some kind. At the moment I'm really liking the Joyous Protein-Rich Night Replenish Serum by Antipodes (I know, I'm loving the antipodes products!). I massage a decent amount of this into my skin right before i go to sleep and when I wake up in the morning i have the most beautiful, plump skin imaginable. This stuff is pretty rad!

Antipodes Joyous Protein-Rich Replenish Serum

That is pretty much it, really. In the morning I basically just use the Hallelujah Lime and Patchouli Cleanser again just to freshen up (without the clarisonic this time though) and then use the clinique moisturiser again. I usually throw in some sort of SPF too but i haven't found one I'm really loving yet. I would really love to try the Elizabeth Arden Prevage Triple Defense Shield Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 50, but it's just so damn expensive I'm not sure I can justify it. If anyone has tried it I would love to know your thoughts.

Anyway, thats basically how I keep my skin in pretty good condition. I still have days where my skin is a mess, but at those times I always try to look on the bright side: At least i don't get too many zits! I would love to hear what other people do and which products they love to keep their skin in tip top condition!

Have you tried any of these? Whats skincare product could you not live without?