Updated skincare

I’m not much of a skincare buff. Finding products that work for me has always been a feat. I never used to change things up much, but in the past year I’ve been finding some new products I love. It’s quite a change from the post I did last year and I feel that I have finally found products that not only work for my skin but really do something extra to change its condition for the better. There are a few products that I still use, but there are more new things than old. Thus it’s time for an update regarding my skincare.

1.) Facial cleansers

The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil
L’Oreal Sublime Soft Micellar Water

Major change right there. Before I was using the TBS Aloe Vera Calming Facial Cleanser and Toner. In my current skincare regime, I’ve replaced them by these two. I was getting sick of wasting away cotton pad after cotton pad and when TBS launched a renewed cleansing line, I snatched up the products immediately. I use this cleansing oil by simply rubbing it all over my face and taking it off with a damp, lukewarm face cloth. I then use the micellar water to remove any access make up. Micellar water is my skincare revelation of 2014: it’s easy, practical and not as drying as a toner. Oh and added benefit of this routine: where before I used 4 cotton pads for my face, I now use 2.

2.) Eye make up remover

The Body Shop Camomile Waterproof Eye & Lip Make Up Remover
HEMA Eye Make Up Cleansing Oil

For eye make up remover I’d been using a 2 phase eye make up remover by Sephora. But Sephora left the Netherlands and took their make up remover with them. So I set out to find a new one. I first used the HEMA oil remover, which is nice, but does leave a rather thick layer of oil on your lids. When I used that up shortly after taking this picture, I started using the Camomile one from TBS and fell in love. It’s not only thorough, but also very gentle and doesn’t leave the oily residue. Combined with the cleansing oil, I only have to use the remover to get rid of the more difficult to remove eye and lip make up such as mascara, eyeliner and longlasting lipstains. It saves me another cotton pad.

3.) Face wash

Decubal Foaming Face Wash
Lush Angels on Bare Skin Facial Cleanser

Something that hasn’t changed is this combo. The top two pictures show you what I like to remove make up from my face and a quick morning clean up. But 2 – 3 times a week I like to give my skin a deeper cleanse. The amount of black heads and zits I get since I started using Angels on Bare Skin went down drastically. It gently scrubs the face so I wouldn’t want to use this every day and it’s quite messy, so I only use it in the shower. The Decubal Face Wash is THE best face wash for sensitive skin. It’s a very rich and smooth foam wash that adds a nice layer and I like it as a follow up after Angels on Bare Skin. Rather than stripping your face, I feel it adds nourishment while giving your skin one last clean.

4.) Skincare – day

Origins GinZing Energy Boosting Moisturizer
La Roche Posay Toleriane Ultra
La Roche Posay Hydraphase UV Intense Riche

In my review of the La Roche Posay Toleriane Ultra, I wrote that after a few weeks of using I got an allergic reaction. I started using a different cream (by Biodermal) and when that ran out, I gave this one another shot. During the warmer months the cream worked nicely on my skin again. Come October, I went to London and at the airport I found this Origins moisturizer. I decided to use the Origins moisturizer UNDER the Toleriane cream and instead of an allergic reaction I found it was a dream combination. Because of the colder weather my skin lacked enough moisture for the Toleriane Ultra to do the job it needed to do, causing my skin to not like it very much. But with an extra layer of hydration and moisturization, it suddenly worked. In the mean time I found my pharmacy now also carries the Hydraphase line which is aimed at dehydrated skin. Since that’s my skin type rather than dry skin, I’ve started using this over the Origins moisturizer and found it works even better. Added bonus: the Hydraphase cream also has an SPF 20.

5.) Skincare – night

The Body Shop Nutriganics Smoothing Eye Cream
Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion

My night time routine also changed. The Decubal cream I was using previously became a pain to use because the packaging broke on me. So when I bought the Origins moisturizer at the airport, I also decided to pick up this Clinique one. So I’d have a few different options to try. I quickly found this is too rich for the day time: my skin doesn’t absorb this quickly enough and it simply oozes out of my skin (which is a common problem for me, and a very yucky feeling). However, when I put this on at night it gives me just enough to work with for the night time when it has some more time to sink into my skin. The eye cream I’ve had for some time and I find this works well for me.

6.) Skincare – serum

The Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Serum-in-Oil
The Body Shop Nutriganics Smoothing Serum

Finally I’ve also been delving into serums lately. I had a few testers of the infamous Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair serum and really liked using it. But at 80 euros a pop I decided I liked it a lot less. I’ve been trying these two serums by The Body Shop. I first bought the Nutriganics serum. It’s nice and works for me, but it’s a tad too rich and gives me zits when I use it on a daily basis. It is good however as an extra treat for my skin once a week/ once every two weeks. The Vitamin E serum has quickly become one of my favorite products. It smells nice, I can use it on a daily basis and it has again given my skin a bit of a boost. I apply it before the Clinique moisturizer and I wake up in the morning with skin as smooth as a baby’s bottom. I’ve found that since I’ve diligently started using this and the Hydraphase cream the milia on my skin have started to decrease and my skin feel so much better.

Separate blog posts on the serums, moisturizers, Hydraphase and the oil cleanser are all in the making. So stay tuned! In the mean time you can check out these posts:

Complete skincare routine
Skincare products
Night time skincare review
La Roche Posay Toleriane Ultra Face Cream review
TBS Aloe Vera skincare review
Lush Angels on Bare Skin review
Decubal Foaming Face Wash review

What skincare do you use?