My Current Nightly Skincare Routine & Skincare Tips

Skincare, lip care and body care before bed!

I’d just like to share my skincare routine every night before sleep. It might seem like I use way too many products but when I break it down for you, I suppose it’s just normal, or maybe even less than that. Here is what I do in the following order:

1) Remove the day’s makeup with the Shu Uemura Cleansing Beauty Oil Premium A/I (for dry and sensitive skin). I got the large bottle. If I don’t have any makeup on, for example when I’ve been home all day, I skip this step.

2) Cleanse everything off using Avène’s Extremely Gentle Gel Cleanser. Although Shu Uemura’s cleansing oils require no washing off, I always double up with a normal facial cleanser because I do not trust the idea that oil remaining on my skin will absolutely not cause breakouts. Avène’s Gentle Gel Cleanser also works for me.

3) Once a week, especially after I exercise, I use the Clinique Exfoliating Scrub. It gets rid of surface impurities and brings out white heads and everything gross buried underneath so they are easier to remove during subsequent cleansing. I don’t use the brand’s 7 Day Scrub Cream Rinse-Off Formula, which has pretty good ratings online, because it contains alcohol and I’m allergic to it.

4) After drying my face with a towel (dab, don’t rub), I apply Clinique’s All About Eyes Eye Cream under my eyes and on the outer ends where crow’s feet usually turn up. This cream removes fine lines and softens creases and is one of my favourite skincare items. Sometimes I dab a little extra over my lids to keep them moisturised as well. I say sometimes because doing it too often will result in oily lids.

5) This step is reserved for any serums or essences that I am trying out and the product changes every now and then. At the moment, I’m using Clinique’s Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector.

6) The final step to my skincare routine is to moisturise. I’m using Clinique’s Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel (review coming soon).

7) The neck is one of the more neglected areas when it comes to skincare. I try my best to keep this part moisturised as well with Crabtree & Evelyn’s Pomegranate, Argan and Grapeseed Skin Quenching Body Lotion. Although the product is not meant to be a neck cream (I find neck creams highly unnecessary), it works very well in keeping those ugly lines away. Plus, it makes me smell good in bed even if there’s no one else but me in it.

8) The current lip balm I’m in love with is Pangea Organics’ Lip Balm in Egyptian Fennel Grapefruit & Sweet Orange. Read my review here.

9 & 10) One of the final things I do is apply Bio-Oil on existing scars and stretch marks on other parts of my body. I use this either in conjunction or alternating with my current body moisturiser, the Elizabeth Arden Green Tea Lavender Honey Drops Body Cream.

So that concludes my current regimen! Do you think I use too many products? I know many of them are pretty high-end but I just do not scrimp when it comes to skincare because it’s so important to me. Why spend $15 on a face cream that breaks me out when I can buy one at $50 that actually works and gives me better skin? Thinking long-term, the seemingly more expensive item will end up being cheaper at the end of the day. Of course, this doesn’t mean I buy all the luxury skincare items we see in stores. For example, I’m pretty sure I won’t go out to buy a bottle of SKII’s Facial Treatment Essence because my skin is very sensitive and I’m not even 40! Investing in skincare isn’t only about the money. It’s also about finding products that benefit your skin the most and for everybody, it differs.

To find out if your current skincare routine is working right for you, just observe your complexion when you wake up in the mornings. Is it better than what it was like before you went to bed? Does it look brighter and more radiant when you awake? If so, then you’ve struck gold. If not, it’s time to change something, which can be anything from the cleanser, serum or the number of times you exfoliate to the environment that you sleep in. Our skin is always changing as we grow older and it can be a mad rush to find the perfect fit before more changes occur, which would result in us altering our routine again. But don’t give up. Keep experimenting and the day you see glowing skin staring back at you in the mirror will be the day you feel that all your efforts have finally come to fruition. Do keep in mind though, that it usually takes a few weeks for any positive effects to be seen, so be patient and gentle with your skin at all times.

TODAY’S RANDOM

Valentino's S/S 2012 Couture via {link url="http://misswallflower.tumblr.com/post/16693835987"}MissWallFlower{/link}.

Me thinks Jacquelyn Jablonski should be one of them Dior girls in print ads.