Today I wanted to talk about some of my skincare must-haves. If you're anything like me then having a skincare routine is like a saving grace; especially during the fall/winter. I personally have combination skin-dry here and there and oily in my t-zone. When the weather changes my skin changes too. I've finally got a skincare routine that can keep up with my ever changing skin. I have been using the same products religiously for a little over a year now.
A little background on my skin--I have very acne prone skin. It's very sensitive and everything makes me break out. It was very frustrating for the longest time. I felt like no matter what I put on my skin to help it made things worse. I have done two rounds Accutane to help get rid of my acne and with my current skincare routine I have been able to effectively keep my acne under control.
Here are the products I am currently using:
Pictured Products:
--Lush tea tree water and cotton rounds --Equate night-time soothing face wipes--Lush mask of magnaminty --Korres greek Yoghurt
--Lush dark angels facial cleanser --Mario Badescu drying lotion
--Philosophy the microdelivery exfoliating facial wash --Doterra Oils
--Lush grease lightening --Organic coconut oil
--Lush Shampoo bar; Jason and the Argan oil --Belif face wash and Mia Clarisonic
I try to use as many products with natural ingredients because my skin is so sensitive. Focusing on products without dyes, added fragrances and preservatives has dramatically helped my skin. So I break down my skincare routine into everyday use, weekly use and spot treatment. Lets start with what products I use everyday.
Every morning I wake up wash my face (twice), use my toner water, then my tea tree cleanser and then lotion all before putting on my makeup. Then I do this routine after my day is over and after I've used my makeup wipes.
I always start by washing my face with a gentle cleanser. This particular belif cleanser has no synthetic dyes, fragrances, preservative or any animal origin ingredients. This cleanser is great for all skin types and has Soapwort and Wormwood to help detoxify skin. I usually put a penny size amount on my Mia Clarisonic and wash for about 2 minutes to really get rid of anything on my skin.
Next, I will use the microdelivery exfoliating facial wash. I always wash with this second because it is exfoliating and creates a nice smooth canvas for my makeup. It is gentle enough to use everyday and its great for all skin types. I just work this face wash around with my finger tips.
Lush tea tree water; need I say more? This toner is amazing; so amazing that I'm currently on my 5th bottle. This toner helps keep you skin clear and balanced. Tea tree, juniper berry and grapefruit water keep you skin looking fresh and also work together to balance your skin tone, reduce redness and clear excess oil without over drying your skin. I just spray a few pumps onto a cotton round and use it all over.
The cleanser--grease lightning is honestly just as amazing. With using these two products everyday my skin has stayed clear, with only minor breakouts. I am on my 5th bottle of this product as well.
Last, my face lotion. I have been using Korres greek yoghurt; which is a nourishing moisturizer. This product is made from all natural ingredients and greek yogurt! It's not a heavy moisturizer (light enough to wear under makeup) but it leaves my skin hydrated.
So I do use these everyday, I use them at the end of my day or after the gym to take off my makeup. I always start with these but I will still use face wash afterwards to make sure I get all my makeup off my skin.
These makeup remover wipes are life. I like them more than any other makeup wipes I have used, including any ones I have tried from Sephora. I get these at Walmart and I buy the double pack. So I get 80 wipes for a little over 6 dollars; you honestly can't beat that price! There are a lot of different types of these wipes; I just prefer the night-time soothing ones.
These are the products I use on a weekly basis or for spot treatments.
The mask of magnaminty from Lush is my favorite ever. This is a deep-cleansing face/body mask that has china clay and peppermint to clean deep down and pull dirt from your pores. It also makes your face a little tingly! It also has aduki beans which exfoliate, vanilla to calm redness, and honey to soothe. If you haven't ever tried this product do yourself a favor and try it!
The dark angels cleanser from Lush is great for acne prone skin. The black sugar and charcoal exfoliate and absorb excess oils; which leaves your face very matte. It also has rhassoul mud base which help to prevent breakouts and avocado oil to nourish skin. This cleanser leaves my face so bright and smooth.
The Mario Badescu drying lotion is a spot treatment. I will put it on any zits that I want to go down overnight.And lastly is the pure Argan oil. I use this when I have incredibly dry skin. I will forego my regular face lotion and put this oil on right before I go to bed and let it soak in; then I wake up and wash my face because sometimes it can leave you looking really oily.
These are pretty self explanatory. I use coconut oil for everything! I also use pure tea tree oil on any ingrown hairs I might have; it helps soothe them and make the redness go away. I sometimes will also add a few drops of tea tree oil to my shampoo if my scalp is dry and itchy. Just be careful if you do this and you also color your hair. Tea tree oil can be used to clarify hair and sometimes if you use it too often it can make hair color fade faster. I will only add this to my shampoo once time a week. Last are my doterra oils. I couldn't find my Lavender oil but that is the only I mainly use. I always put a few drops on my bottom of my feet and it really helps me sleep better at night.
So this is not really skincare but it has got to be one of my favorite products right now! This is the Jason and the Argan oil shampoo bar from Lush. It smells heavenly. This shampoo helps make hair stronger, shinier and softer. This bar can last up to 80 washes and it costs around twelve dollars. That's a pretty good deal. This shampoo has moroccan argan oil to help moisturize, and it is scented with lemon-rose perfume. I have been obsessing over this shampoo, or hippy stuff as my dad calls it!
I hope this post has been useful to you guys! I love skincare, hair care and anything to do with makeup so I am hoping to post more of those types of blog posts. If you guys have any products you can't live without comment below and tell me what they are; I am always looking for new products to try!
