Skincare Staples

For this post I thought I’d share my daily skincare products. I have rather oily skin, especially on my t-zone (across forehead, bridge of the nose and chin). Also, my skin is quite sensitive, more so when I’m exposed to the heat or excessive sunlight, which I believe is classified as rosacea. What’s important for me then is that I wear sunscreen!

I use Invisible Zinc Environmental Skin Protector sunscreen that has a SPF of 30+ with both UVA and UVB protection. It also contains a facial moisturiser so it doesn’t dry my skin out when I do wear it, despite that I still do wear my normal moisturiser underneath. The things I like about this sunscreen is that it when it is rubbed into the skin it goes clear quite easily, it doesn’t clog my pores or  feel thick or heavy on the face, zinc is the only active ingredient and it has no chemical sun filters. It is a pure physical sunscreen, which for me is better than a chemical sunscreen as I have sensitive skin. I also love it because it sits really well beneath my makeup, so I guess I can say it actually works for me as a primer because when I wear it without my Hourglass mineral veil primer my makeup still lasts just as well. Protecting my skin from the sun is very important to me and so I wear this sunscreen everyday and have been for about three years now.

Having rosacea means that my skin cannot tolerate excessive heat or sunlight, so when I spend time outdoors on a hot day I like to carry La Roche-Posay’s Thermal Spring Water mist for sensitive skin. I spray it onto my face whenever I’m feeling warm and I feel instantly refreshed. It’s a fine mist and dries well so it doesn’t smudge my makeup when I use it. It’s very soothing and calming on my skin and I couldn’t see myself going out on a warm day without it so it’s definitely a staple product of mine during the summertime. La Roche-Posay have some amazing products for sensitive skin so if you have this skin type yourself I would suggest giving their products a try.

For my daily moisturiser I use Biore’s Nourish Moisture Lotion, which contains SPF15. I wear this moisturiser because I like that it’s oil-free and feels light upon application, which is what I essentially like to use during the summertime when my skin is more oily than dry. It also doesn’t clog pores, which is another thing I like about it. For me, however, it doesn’t completely control shine as I find when I wear it without my sunscreen on days when I’m either wearing makeup or not, my skin still gets a bit oily. Although when paired with my sunscreen I don’t have any shine problems.

At night I wear Avene’s Hydrance Optimale Richehydrating cream. I love it because it is hypoallergenic, noncomedogenic and very rich and creamy so it keeps my skin soft, supple and hydrated. It isn’t oil-free so I cannot wear this during the day. I tried once and my skin was very oily, so I stick to wearing it at night to ensure my skin is getting properly moisurised. Avene also have some great products for sensitive skin so give them a go as well if your looking for a gentle product to use on your skin.

More so in the wintertime, I get dry skin around my eyes. It is a very thin and delicate area and, therefore, succumbs to dryness far more quickly than the rest of the facial areas. To keep my eye area soft and supple I wear Burt’s Bees Intense Hydration eye cream with Clary Sage. I love that it is light and that only a tiny amount dotted around my eye area can keep it hydrated. I use this once a day at nighttime as more than that for me isn’t necessary.

Around the mid 2014, I began experiencing problems with my lips. They would break out with tiny red spots and feel very tingly and warm. I also had welt-like splotches on my lips and at one point I looked as though I had been punched in the mouth . . . not pretty! I had tests done to see if it was a cold-sore virus ect but it came back negative and to this day I don’t know what it might be, though I suspect that it is an allergy to something that I haven’t found yet. I get it on and off and sometimes it results in just a few tiny red spots but in all it has made me rather pedantic about what I put on my lips. I wear a lipbalm every day as I have rather dry lips (I’m not sure whether I’m stuck in a cycle of dry lips because of often wearing lipbalm . . .?). I wanted something that didn’t contain harsh chemicals so I use Sukin’s Nourishing Lip treatment. It doesn’t contain any parabens or sodium lauryl sulphate (which I heard can be hard on sensitive skin) and so far I don’t have any problems!

Having dry lips most of the time means that I need to often exfoliate them. I love using Lush’s Bubblegum Lip Scrub! It has a lovely, bubblegum scent and is ok to consume, which makes it a easy to use on the go. 

To take my makeup off I use either Bioderma’s SensibioH20 Micelle Solution or Neutrogena’s Night Calming Cleansing Towelettes (pictured in first image), both of which are gentle on my sensitive skin. I prefer the Bioderma over the Neutrogena wipes (or any face wipes in general) as I find that with the Bioderma I don’t have to wipe my makeup off as hard, especially around my eyes. I press a cotton makeup pad to the pump and wipe it over my face and the makeup just dissolves. For the eye area I keep the cotton pad over my eye to soften the shadow and mascara so that it is removed more easily. I love that it is for sensitive skin, that it’s fragrance-free and doesn’t dry my skin. The neutrogena wipes are fine for my skin and remove my makeup just as well but I just prefer how more easily the Bioderma removes my makeup.

To cleanse I generally use Nude by Nature’s Daily Cleanser, which makes my skin really soft and supple. I have since used all of it and am now trying Pond’s Cold Cream Cleanser. So far I like how it makes my skin feel  really soft and moisturised after use. It doesn’t sting my eyes and takes off any remaining residue very easily.

For weekly exfoliation I use Nude by Nature’s Nude Face Scrub. It keeps my pores nice and clean and leaves my skin feeling soft and fresh after use. It’s creamy and non-drying to my skin and I really like that about it.

For my toner I use Apple Cider Vinegar, which I have been using for about 5-6 years. I feel I could write an entire post about how much I love it but for now I’ll just say that its benefits outweigh its rather unpleasant scent. I love that it not only keeps my pores clean but it evens out my complexion and I hardly get any pimples using it (and if I do I just press a little cider onto a cotton bud or cotton pad and it almost always disappears). To use it I just wet a cotton pad with some water and then dribble some cider onto it before squeezing out the excess before rubbing it all over my face and neck. I believe that my skin appears healthy and even because of it so I don’t think I will ever stop using it!

What are some of your skincare staples? Do you use any of the products that I use? Let me know below in the comments section! :D

Kristina xx