In my bathroom I like having my beauty routine out on the side. One because I'm not a fan of minimalism and two (well the main reason really) if I don't have it out the chances of using it slip to pretty much zero, you know what they say 'Outa sight outa mind'! This is where my Sink Side Essentials come in, every so often I like to switch things up depending on what my skin is like and what product's I'd like to use up. So welcome to my first installment...
First up we have the least glamorous product of the bunch but an essential nontheless, contact lens solution. This kind of does what it says on the tin, keeps my lenses fresh as a daisy for the next morning. Does anyone else have 10453085 bottles of this under their bathroom sink? Nope? Just me then!
Next up we have L'Oreal Skin Perfection Micellar Soloution, this has been my go to eye make-up remover since it landed on Boot's shelves. I know there has been a lot of mixed reviews about this product but I love it. I soak two cotton pads and rest them on my eyes for a few seconds and wipe away - voila! - make up free eyes. It even works wonders on Benefits They're Real Mascara and we all know what a pain that is to remove! The only thing I would say is that if you use too much it can sting the eyes a little so remember less is more.
In the mornings I love a good face wash, something to wash away all the nasties that harbored during the night and something fresh to wake me up because I'm not a morning person let me tell you. At the moment I have the Garnier Pure Active Daily Energising Gel Wash. With extracts of grapefruit and pomegranate this is the perfect pick me up in the morning. This is supposed to awaken skin and tighten pores whilst giving a deep cleanse. I wouldn't go as far as tightening pores but it does make my skin feel fresh and plump.
The next best thing after putting make-up on is taken it off. There were times when I was young and naive (and lazy) that I thought it didn't matter if you slept in make-up, yes yes I know what was I thinking! I'm not sure what made me change my mind about that but I do know that my skin has been a lot better behaved since.
Once all eye make up has been taken care off I move in for the kill all guns blazing with the much talked about
Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish. This hot cloth cleanser is a great first cleanse as it removes all traces of make up and feels so nice when you massage it around your face. The smell of this stuff is amazing and the cocoa butter and eucalyptus really help to smooth the skin. Liz Earle do offer their own muslin clothes but I'm a Primark flannel kind of girl - who can resist 3 for £1.50! When I'm having a bad skin day which seems to be constant at the moment my saving grace is the
Ren Clarifying Clay Cleanser. I massage this into my skin for 1-2 minutes as instructed. The smell reminds of my old school days when we used to play with pottery - I'm guessing its the clay bit coming into play. This really helps to calm down any outbreaks and helps prevent them from returning. As this can be quite drying I do only tend to use this every other night.
Toners I can take or leave. I'm one of those people that doesn't really see the point but as I received this as part of the
Clinique 3 Step System I couldn't leave it in my draw to gather dust. This is a clarifying lotion which is supposed to de-flake skin and prepare it for moisturiser. Now I cant say I've noticed a difference in my skin by using this but I like the sensation, some would say it stings but I kind of like that feeling.
Next up we have the little extra's I use, not necessarily every day but I like having them close to hand. My lips are always very dry, I've got more lip balms than I can shake a stick at but nothing seems to help so in the mornings after make up application and before lipstick I always use the ever famous Lush Lip Scrub in Popcorn. This is a sugar scrub that really helps to take away those pesky flakes and leave them feeling soft and plump. Its not a smooth paste as the main ingredient is sugar so I always make sure I use this over the sink, it also means that there can be a little bit of waste.
I'm a bit of a hoarder when it comes to beauty samples, as I have a couple of beauty box subscriptions I tend to have millions of little bits lying around so this month I have been making a conscious effort to try out different things. So this is where the
Balance Me Face Oil comes in,
Caroline Hirons (THE queen on all things skin care) featured this on her blog some time ago and I don't know why I didn't bring it to the front of the skincare queue back then but no fear its here now and its perfect for the pesky outbreaks I keep getting at the moment. It helps to heal spots and my favourite thing about this product it helps to heal scaring - what a god send! Its a handy little roller ball so its easy to apply and has no dodgy smell like some oils have.
Another one of my beauty box goodies is the Dr Brandt Microdermabrasion Skin Exfoliant. This little tube has tasted me so well as you need so little. Its a gel exfliant with tiny grains that really get deep into those pores to bring out the nastys. As the names suggests it is abrasive so you need to rub it in gently in circular movements but when used once or twice a week I find this really helps to smooth out all the dry areas especially on drying spots.
Onto the final piece of the puzzle, moisturisers. I haven't yet come across a day moisturiser that I am in love with, I'm quite skeptable about paying a lot of money for something that may skin may not get along with. So until the time I find my match made in heaven I've been using the
Simple Hydrating Light Moisturiser. The Simple range was the very skincare routine I ever had back when I was a teenager. I had the full set of cleaner, toner and moisturiser and it was perfect for me. I find this moisturiser very light as the name suggests but gives a good amount of moisture throughout the day. There's no smell and no sting if I get it in my eye.
The
Soap and Glory brand is definitely a favourite of mine, I love their body products and make up, the skin care is no exception, especially the
Night in Shining Armour Cream. Although its a night cream and looks rather thick in the pot it glides on so smooth and sinks in without leaving a heavy feeling. Its supposed to help fight aging, something I (thankfully) cant confirm just yet but it does keep my face hydrated during the night and in the morning my skins feels silky smooth. Looking for this online I think it may have been discontinued :( so looks like I'll be using this sparingly!
Last but no means least is another mini sample, its the
Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream. Its only been recently that I have started to use eye creams, I never knew the difference they would make as I thought my moisturiser would be doing the job do, silly me right! This little cream has been a good send, it really helps to brighten my under eyes, especially when I don't get my usual 8 hours beauty sleep, which these days is becoming more frequent! After a long day of working infront of a computer screen it notice the soothing properties straight away. When this runs out I will definitely be making a repurchase or looking for something similar. I've heard great things about the Origins offerings so maybe I'll take a look there too.
So there you have it, my day to day skin care items. I hope this wasn't too much of a long post to go through but hopefully it gave you an insight to my routine. What products would you suggest I slot in somewhere? Do you have any suggestions of a new night cream now that my faithful Night in Shining Armour has been discontinued? I'd love to hear from you.
