When it comes to skin care, sometimes it can be hard to know where to start. ‘Cleanse, tone and moisturise’ has become a mantra for women (and men) everywhere, while recently toner has become the outcast of the skin care regime for some.
With an enormous amount of products on the market claiming to clear, moisturise, cleanse and exfoliate your skin, it can be hard to know where to start and when to stop. So, in this post I feature five of my favourite skin care products that really stand out in my skin care routine, and if it came down to which I would take with me to a desert island, these would be the ones I’d take with me.
I’m not a huge fan of lengthy skin care routines, and favour products that deliver results quickly and effectively, and that don’t involve too much time.
I’m no expert when it comes to skin care, but these products are tried and tested and have really worked for me.
FYI: I have combination skin, with the occasional breakout, dry patch and oily zone. What I eat really affects my skin, which is unfortunate because I’m a huge lover of chocolate. But hey, that’s what concealer is for, right?
1. Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm
Cleanser is an essential part of every skin care routine, it can really make or break how your skin looks and feels. I’ve tried many cleansers since I started wearing make up, but after (I thought) all my make up was removed and I wiped my face with toner, there was always make up left on the cotton pad. And don’t get me started on eye make up remover, stinging became the norm when taking off sturdy mascara, and no matter what I always woke up with panda eyes.
That was until I found Clinique’s Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm. This stuff changed my life, literally. After hearing Tara from tarmartales.com and Tanya Burr mention this in blog posts and videos, I knew I had to give it a try.
The consistency is not that of a normal cleanser, it’s like a wax that melts when you put it into your hands. A little goes a long way with this stuff, less than a teaspoon is plenty to remove your whole face of make up – including your mascara and eyeshadow. This is my holy grail product of 2013 – I will never use another cleanser again.
The wax melts into your skin as soon as you start rubbing, and make up glides off your face. It removes mascara with ease – including L’Oreal Telescopic Waterproof. Taking off make up has never been easier. No longer is the dreaded fear of taking off your make up at the end of a night out or a long day, make up is removed in seconds.
Since I began using this cleanser I don’t need to use toner – all of my make up is removed straight away. And panda eyes are no more – success! Plus, my skin feels velvety smooth and soft right until the next morning after using.
I can’t praise this cleanser enough, it deserves a place in every make-up fanatics skin care regime. Trust me, you’ll never look back.
Buy here
2. Clarisonic Mia
The release of the Clarisonic sparked a revolution in the beauty world. My description of it to bemused friends and family members when they see it in my bathroom is: ‘It’s like a toothbrush, for your face!’
After reading an enormous amount of reviews and researching the product online, one year ago I decided to bite the bullet. While it is on the pricey side, the Clarisonic is an investment that really pays off.
At first I used the Clarisonic every morning and every night with the normal brush head, but soon found that it was causing my skin to over-produce oils and sebum, so now I use it three times a week with the sensitive brush head, which is perfect for me.
I use the Clarisonic with Simple’s Kind to Skin Purifying Cleansing Lotion, as I feel that the consistency of the Clinique cleanser wouldn’t work as well with the bristles. One minute of using the Clarisonic three times a week gives my skin a deep cleanse, gets rid of (hardly) any excess makeup, exfoliates dead skin cells and brightens my complexion, while reducing redness.
If you’re lucky enough not to suffer from breakouts or dry patches, I wouldn’t say the Clarisonic is necessary. But if, like me, you have occasional breakouts and other skin care problems, I’d definitely give the Clarisonic a try.
Plus, skin care brands like Olay have released a more affordable dupe for the Clarisonic if you want to give it a try but are wary of spending a lot of money on one tool.
Buy Clarisonic Mia 2 here
3. Nivea Daily Essentials Regenerating Night Cream
Let’s get this straight: moisturising at night isn’t for everyone. Some people find that night moisturisers block their skin, while others wake up with plump and fresh skin as a result of their night moisturiser. So, how do you know that a night moisturiser is for you? I know that my skin needs a night moisturiser when, simply, my skin feels tight going to bed.
Cautious of using night creams that scream ‘anti-wrinkle’ as I’m not even yet 20, this Nivea night cream is suitable for most skin types, young or old, that are in need of moisture. The cream itself is thick, yet not sticky. It blends into the skin well and one scoop with my finger covers my whole face and the top of my neck.
I wouldn’t use this moisturiser every night as I like to let my skin breathe and renew itself as I sleep, I’ve found that using it every second night is the perfect balance for me.
Buy here
4. Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil has been part of my skin care routine as long as I can remember. It’s the first product I turn to when I get a breakout as it fights bacteria and is a natural alternative to other spot-treatment products.
Three drops of tea tree oil on an ear bud dabbed onto the blemish reduces the size of the spot, redness and targets the bacteria which caused the breakout. You don’t need a lot of tea tree oil to work, too much of the product can cause dryness.
Tea tree oil is affordable and works better for me than other drugstore spot-treatments I’ve used. I like to know that I’m applying natural products to my face when I’ve a breakout as some chemicals worsen the blemish.
This product is a one-step wonder for me, I apply it at night and by morning the results are visible.
Buy here
5. Origins GinZing Energy-boosting Moisturiser
When it comes to day-time moisturisers, I’ve always had a love/hate relationship. Some made make up slide off my face upon application, while others blocked my pores, and some made no difference at all.
I’ve been long on the hunt for the perfect day-time moisturiser, that I don’t mind putting on before I rush out the door or apply make up, and that I know works.
I heard great things about Origin’s GinZing moisturiser on UglyFaceOfBeauty’s YouTube channel, and seeing her glowing, gorgeous skin was the selling point for me.
I am not a morning person, and when I wake up I usually look more tired than I was going to sleep, but even the citrus-scent of this moisturiser wakes me up in the morning. It is a light-weight formula that blends into the skin with ease and leaves no residue, and it makes a perfect base for make-up.
My skin feels refreshed and moisturised, and looks brighter after application – this moisturiser is everything I’ve been looking for.
Buy here
I hope this post may have inspired some of you to try out a few new products, or maybe rediscover some that have been banished to the back of your beauty cupboard, we all do it 😉
What are your favourite skin care products? Have you tried and tested any of these?
*Worrying won’t stop the bad stuff from happening, it will just stop you from enjoying the good*