My Skincare Routine

I can't complain in the skin department, I may be disappointingly short and I may not have the thickest hair but I did get blessed with pretty decent skin! Most of the time my skin gives me no trouble and I've been using the same skin care routine since I first started to worry about my skin. I think that skin care routines and skin care products alike are very much a personal thing. It depends on your skin type, whether you have dry, combination or oily skin. If you have sensitive skin you may have trouble finding products that don't irritate your skin. I personally have combination/dry skin, it's usually okay but sometimes it can get very dry around my nose and mouth depending on the weather and how diligent I've been with my skin care routine. I also have quite sensitive skin and find that if I try out new skin care products my skin breaks out and I can get patches of very dry skin. If you have oily skin you will probably find this blog post completely useless but I figured I'd share the products I like to use everyday and have been doing so for years without complaint!

Face

These are the products I use on my face every single day morning and night. They cleanse and moisturise my skin while targeting specific problem areas. They also don't break the bank, which (as a perpetually broke college student) is always a good thing!

Cleanser

I really recommend this cleanser by Clean&Clear. My entire family have been using this cleanser for years, from our teens to our early/mid twenties and have no intention of stopping any time soon! This blackhead clearing cleanser removes oil, dirt and dead cells trapped deep in pores-the impurities that lead to blackheads. This cleanser is gentle enough on your skin that you can use it as often as you want. I use it once in the morning and twice at night (to remove makeup fully and clean skin). It's oil free which means that it also works great for people with oily skin that want to avoid products that contain oil in them. This Clean&Clear cleanser is simple to use, just apply to a cotton pad and then wipe over your face and neck, making sure you pay particular attention to your T-Zone. This cleanser can be bought at most supermarkets, chemists and pharmacies and costs only €4.09 for a 200ml bottle that lasts me 2-3 months. Bargain!

Exfoliant

Exfoliating your skin is a really important skin care step, especially if you have dry skin as it removes dead skin cells, leaving your skin smooth and radiant. This St. Ives 'Apricot Scrub' has received wonderful reviews from many bloggers and it definitely deserves them. This invigorating, cleansing formula gently exfoliates, removing dull, dead skin to reveal smooth, radiant, healthy looking skin. I've used both of the above scrubs and loved both of them. While I feel that the sensitive skin one was probably best for my skin type neither of them were over-drying. I use this face scrub once a week during the summer and (depending on how the colder weather is effecting my skin) twice a week during the winter. I like to exfoliate my skin while I'm in the shower as the warm water softens my skin and makes it easier to remove the dull, dead skin cells. I recommend this exfoliant because it is cream based as opposed to gel based which is gentler on dry skin. It's also oil free which means it doesn't mess with the balance of oils in your skin. You can buy these St. Ives scrubs at €5.69 for 150ml in most pharmacies and since I only use it every few days a tube can last me from 4-6 months. Nice one!

Moisturiser

This step is my favourite part of my skin care routine. After exfoliating and cleansing my skin feels taut and dry, moisturiser soothes and hydrates your skin leaving it feeling soft and smooth. This Lacura 'Aqua-Complete' moisturiser is packed full of intensive moisture replenishing ingredients such as pro vitamin B5 & minerals as well as a hyaluronic acid complex that leaves skin feeling soft and smooth.

• It also contains sunscreen for added protection against ageing. It claims to be for normal skin but my skin loves the stuff! It's lightweight and not too greasy which means it soaks into my skin in no time leaving it soft and moisturised, the perfect base for my makeup. I put moisturiser on the same way that I put my foundation on, starting from the centre of my face and working outwards. Remember, it's best to massage your moisturiser gently, in upward strokes as pulling downwards on your skin can stretch it and that can lead to ageing your skin sooner than you'd like! This little 50ml pot of moisturiser costs only €2.19 and can be bought in any Aldi store. At such a cheap price it really does work wonders and each pot lasts a good 2 months.

Spot Treatment

While my skin is pretty decent I'm not going to lie, I get the odd spot. Which would be fine if it wasn't for the fact that they always seem to pop up whenever I have an occasion where multiple photos of me will be taken or I want to look my best. So to get rid of the nightmare that is spots I use another Clean&Clear product called 'Advantage Fast Action Spot Treatment Gel'. This is quite literally a miracle in a tube. In just four hours I can actually see how the gel has reduced the size and redness of my spots! This spot treatment gel contains spot-fighting ingredients that quickly rebalance the level of oil, helps fight problem-causing bacteria and effectively purifies skin all without irritating or over-drying. Ive also found that the more often you use this gel the more it seems to keep spots at bay too. Like I said, miracle in a tube. This gel can be found in most supermarkets and pharmacies for €5.65 which may seem a little steep but this little 15ml tube lasts me anywhere from five months to a year depending on how bad my skin is during said year. Which really, when you look at it like that, works out quite cheap and is well worth the money!

Hands

While my hands don't get very dry in the warmer months from September until March is a whole other story. During the colder months I find my knuckles and palms can get very dry and flaky looking while my nails feel more brittle and break easier. I've raved about this hand cream already but to treat my mitts I use this 2 in 1 hand and nail cream from Superdrug. It's specially formulated with Keratin and Pro-Vitamin B5 to moisturise and soften skin, whilst strengthening nails. I've found that, used regularly, it helps give me stronger nails (making them less likely to split, flake or break). This 2 in 1 cream is easily absorbed and leaves my hands feeling soft, smooth and supple. The 150ml bottle I got only cost me €2.35 in Superdrug and lasts ages. Total bargain! If my hands feel like they are in dire need of help or I want to pamper myself I slather on my hand cream, making sure to rub it in well on the places that get most dry and then slip on a pair of cotton gloves before going to bed at night. During the night the cotton keeps the moisturising hand cream from air-drying and you end up having your hands hydrated constantly for eight hours (or for however long you sleep). The next morning when you take the gloves off your hands will feel softer than ever before and ridiculously smooth!

Lips

Lip Scrub

I've dedicated an entire post to this lip scrub already but when it comes to luscious looking lips, there's really no greater saviour for dry lips than my Lush Lip Scrub! A good lip scrub is a must especially during winter months and 'My Boy Lollipop' Lip Scrub from Lush Cosmetics really does the job.This lip scrub uses fine castor sugar grains to gently buff and remove flaky dead skin. This is best achieved by dabbing your fingertip into the pot and once a few grains are stuck to your finger taking it and rubbing it in small circles across both your lower and upper lip working into the corners from the centre to ensure the skin on your lips is all fresh and clean. Then the jojoba oil acts, soaking into the newly revealed skin, it moisturises and nourishes your fresh and flake free lips. It costs €8, which may seem pricey for a small 25g pot but I've had mine for nine months or so and there's still more than half the pot left! Definitely an investment I don't mind making. These pots come in various flavours and can be bought in any Lush Cosmetics store.

Lip Balm

I have tried lots of the favourite lip balms; Carmex, Vaseline, Nivea, Labello. You name it, I've tried it because nothing bothers me more than having dry lips. I can honestly say that Blistex is the best lip balm I've ever tried. I've used it for as long as I can remember and always come back to it because it really is the best. Blistex Intensive Moisturiser Lip Cream is enriched with Shea Butter, Camphor and Allantoin to condition and protect, relieving dry, cracked & chapped lips. Blistex soothes lips with a deep down tingle that leaves lips feeling moisturised and nourished. I use this multiple times throughout the day and find that it leaves lips feeling soothed and refreshed, whilst looking beautifully soft and smooth. It also acts as the perfect base for lipsticks, tints or glosses. At €2.59, this small 5g tube lasts me a month (and I do not use this sparingly at all). It's well worth the money and my favourite part is that because it doesn't contain petroleum jelly like a lot of other lip balms it doesn't give you short-term relief from dry lips. It moisturises deep down and I find it is the best lip balm for long term use.