Skin Care Routine

Welcome to another blog post! As requested by a lot of you here is a break down of my skin care routine. Within this post it will include the products I use with a break down of how they work, how I use them in the morning and evening, how regularly I use them and my over all daily routine, as well as my pamper products I use as a treat on the weekend. I love a good pamper and feeling fresh faced and clean morning and night.

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My skin background story: My love for skin care and learning how to cleanse my skin correctly all began back in high school when I started watching youtube. I have always loved make up but never realised how important having a well cleansed base is, for a perfect application or, to just have healthier looking glowy clear skin. I was pretty fortunate in my younger teenage years to have pretty good skin, I had a rather bad breakout for a year around my chin and jaw line area, which sadly has left a little scaring. I was put on tablets to help my skin but was also asked if I washed and cleansed my skin to which I said no, I just used to wash with water and some soap. I remember seeing the skin care routines on youtube, so did some investigating and brought a face wash, which I did no research into or found what my skin type was so it did nothing other then annoy my skin which is then when I found out I have sensitive skin. Over time I have tested so many different skin care items but have now found my perfect little collection. Whats your skin type? There are 5 different skin types:

• Oily

• Dry skin

• Sensitive Skin

• Combination Skin

• Normal

I have combination skin a mixture of oily and dry in areas this is the most common skin type. I also have sensitive skin and can have bad reactions to some products. To find put more in depth about each skin type I have found this brilliant website to help you out https://www.bioclarity.com/blogs/clear-skin/what-is-my-skin-type *DISCLAIMER THIS IS MY SKIN ROUTINE WHICH WORKS FOR ME AND MY SKIN TYPE. THIS MAY WORK FOR OTHERS WITH COMBO SKIN TOO BUT ITS ALL ABOUT TRIAL AND ERROR AND FINDING WHAT IS BEST FOR YOUR SKIN.  By no means is my skin perfect, I still get spots and dry/oily skin too* My routine

I carry out my skin care routine when I get up in the morning and before I go to bed.

To wash my face I always use a flannel, I have hundreds of these in stock and change them every few days. Doing this is to keep them sanitised, I always make sure I wash them off after I use them and let them dry over the towel rack. When your ready to change them over just pop them in the washing machine to clean and reuse.  Step one;

If I am wearing make up then my first step is to remove the make up, using either micellar water or the gel face wash. I swear by Gariner Micellar Range it is so soothing and calming on my skin and removes all my make up with ease leaving nothing behind feeling fresh faced and ready to cleanse. The micellar water is great for when I just have a little make up on, e.g- eyebrows, concealer and mascara or the glue from lashes. I use the gel face wash if I have a full face of make up on as its a little more abrasive at removing the make up.  Micellar water: Using cotton pads I put a generous amount on the pad and use circular motions to remove the make up.  Gel face wash: I wet my face then use a pump of the gel on my finger tips and rub them together them massage that across my whole face and very gently over my eyes and wash off with water and any off the remainders I use my flannel. Step Two:

Next is to wash and cleanse my face I use the Nutrogena spot mask 2 in 1 face wash, used on a continuous basis this works wonders and has really helped clear up my skin and prevents spots. It clears the excess dirt, and any small remanence of make up. This face wash has clear defend technology to help clear spots and defend against new breakouts to give healthy looking spot free skin. It can also be used as a face mask. To use I make sure my face is wet then place a good blob on my finger tips and rub together then massage all over my face, jaw and neck being quite hard to make sure I remove any make up or dirt on my face. I then wash off with water and any of the remainders I use my flannel. Step Three:

After washing and cleansing my face I use the Simple facial toner to even out the PH of my skin. Its 100% alcohol free and for sensitive skin so causes no irritation to my skin as it can react very badly to products. This toner has a perfect blend of multi vitamins and skin loving ingredients to keep skin clean and refreshed.

It contains 2 vitamins: Pro- vitamin B5 Pro-Vitamin B3 and 3 skin loving ingredients: Chamomile Witch Hazel Allantoin Using a cotton pad I throughly wet the pad with toner and in stroking upwards movements apply all over my face.  Step Four:

While my toner is soaking into my skin I then brush my teeth, Im a big lover of my teeth looking good, having had braces on and then them whitened when I was younger I do like to keep them white if possible but being a tea lover we all know the struggles. I use Superdrugs own Charcoal range to help whiten my teeth, remove the tea stains and also keep my gums healthy. In conjunction to the tooth paste I use the charcoal soft bristle brush as I have very small sensitive gums. Step Five:

After brushing my teeth its time to moisturise, having struggled with very dry skin around my nose from being a constant glasses wearer and working outside but also having sensitive skin the best moisture is the E45 cream, it has sorted my skin out and done an amazing job. I do have to use it very lightly as it can have the opposite effect and make my skin slightly oily. I buy the huge tub and it lasts such a long time. Step Six:

Lastly I pop on a bit of hand cream, lip oil and in the evening argan hair oil and I am either set for the day or ready for bed. With the argan oil I squirt 1/2 a pump into my hands and rub them together then run my hands through the ends of my hair to keep the ends from going dry and breaking as I wear my hair up a lot. You need to be very sparing with this. One day a week I like to run this through my whole head and french plait my hair and leave it in for a day and night then wash my hair the next morning so my hair can have a good soak in the oil. If you are doing this defiantly do this the day before you wash your hair and can put it up in a bun or braids to allow it to soak as it does make it look very greasy. Its also a good idea to do this if you are going on a flight as flying can dry the hair and scalp out. As well as doing my daily skincare routine I also love to have a good facial pamper at the weekend so I thought I would also share with you my favourite face masks and routine.

Exfoliation: Once a week or on occasions twice a week if my skin has been very dry, I love to use an exfoliating scrub. I just apply a generous amount to my wet exfoliating gloves and scrub away removing all the dry dead skin and bringing all the bad stuff to the surface of my face ready for a face mask.

Peel masks: I understand these were very controversial, but I personally love the black peel of mask. For me they really do work! by god they hurt when peeling off but I do always see a result after. You do have to use a lot to make a very thick paste to be able to peel off and find applying with your fingers the best way to get a good coverage.

Pore Strips: Who doesn't love a good pore strip! If I am honest I love these they are something I always have in my skincare box or take away with me. I don't just use them on my nose but they are fab on my chin to, where I struggle the most with spots. I never really stick to a certain brand with these I kind of just grab whatever ones are there. Generally you just have to wet the area you want to apply the strip to peel back the clear film and apply the strip wait until it goes all hard then peel away.

Face Masks: I don't use any other face masks then the defiantly Pure Clay range, they always do the job and leave my skin feeling amazing after. The are very gentle on my skin and so far I have't had any reactions to them.

(L-R) Blemish mask clears and unclogs, Bright mask evens tones and illuminates, Detox mask detoxifies and clarifies, Glow mask brightens and exfoliates. To apply I use a flat foundation brush an a decent amount and apply all over my face or sometimes I mix the masks and apply to each specific area. My favourite combination is using the detox mask first to clear and unclog everything then using the Glow mask across my T-zone, the blemish mask on my chin and jaw area and then the bright mask on my cheeks.  I hope this has given some of you a good insight into some skincare products, discovered new finds or a simple routine to follow.

Caitlin, The Norfolk Equestrian x

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