I'll let you in on a little secret. I don't spend a lot of money on my skincare routine. I know - SMITE ME DOWN, beauty gods! Slap me on the wrist for I must be a bad blogger! I've tried my fair share of high-end products when it comes to skincare and I have to say, I really don't see a huge difference in the results they give compared to my trusty 'drugstore' faves. I'm a big believer in that, when it comes to your skin, more expensive doesn't neccessarily equal better. There's not a shred of skincare snobbery where I'm concerned. Ohhh no - get me down the aisles of Boots and I'm a happy chappy. As well as my belief that the price tag doesn't always reflect the quality, I also think that keeping your skincare routine as simple as you can works wonders. I think we've all fallen victim to over complicating our regimes now and again - being a beauty obsessive, it's easier said than done to cut-out some of the steps from your routine. I think it's all too easy to get sucked in to buying luxurious products purely because they look good on your dressing table. Well, sods to that, I say!
Skin care is such a personal thing which made me wonder whether or not this post would go down like a lead balloon - however, if you're at your wits end with your skin, are suffering with breakouts you cannot get rid of or just can't find anything to work for you, hopefully this post might inspire you somehow. I've found a bunch of products which really do work a charm - and aside from one high-end product (which actually does do what it claims) none of these products are over £15.00 - in fact, the 2 'main' products I use are less than a fiver...
Ok, so you might have seen the header photo for this post and thought 'how the flippin'eck is that a simple skincare regime?' - but the reality is, on a daily basis, I only use these 2 products. Nothing else. I wash my face both morning and night with my Simple Spotless Skin Triple Action Face Wash (£3.99) and moisturise afterwards with a pump or two of Superdrug's Tea Tree Facial Moisturiser (£2.99). That's it. Nothing snazzy. Not a bit of fancy packaging or a luxurious name to be seen. I like these two together because they do a fab job at keeping my skin clear from blemishes - the face wash has tiny little beads in it which help to exfoliate gently and the moisturiser is a lovely consistency for every day use (although dry skin types will probably find it much too light). The tea tree definitely helps to calm my skin and I've been using both of these for years now - I couldn't be without them.
The only other face wash I will use is Arran Aromatics Lavender Tea Tree Reviving Toning Facial Wash (£12.95). I've spoken about this many times on my blog and it even made it into my 2013 favourites here. I use this when I'm feeling a bit stressed as it's such a relaxing wash to use before bedtime - I find it has really great calming benefits if my skin is looking a little worse for wear or dull. It's so cooling and calming on the skin and the scent is just heavenly. The consistency is also really lovely - a gel-like texture with small exfoliating beads which leaves your skin feeling smooth, soft and pampered. I must be on my 5th bottle of the stuff now. I love it.
Another brand I'm rather partial to when it comes to skincare is Organic Surge. I really like their Blissful Daily Moisturiser (£8.49) for the wintertime as it's just that little bit thicker than my Tea Tree one (bare in mind I have normal-dry skin and this is fine for me, but if you have particularly dry patches, you might want to try something a little heavier). It's really creamy and intensely moisturising but it doesn't sit on top of the skin so it's great for applying in the mornings when you need to do your makeup pretty swiftly after moisturising. I'm also a big fan of the Organic Surge First Class Face Mask (£8.49). I must admit I'm not one for face masks as I just find them a bit of a faff and my skin often reacts badly to them - but this one is really gentle and fuss-free. It doesn't harden and it doesn't leave an obvious film on the skin - in some ways, it's just like applying a thick moisturiser. I will pop some on 10 minutes before a shower and then wash it off in there - it's so easy. I do this if my skin is feeling dull or 'clogged' up as it gets rid of any impurities - it seems to help clear any blemishes and leaves my skin looking a little more bright and fresh.
If you suffer with blemishes and want a really good product to clear your skin, I really recommend having a bottle of this in your bathroom cabinet. It's expensive - but my goodness, it works. I will always recommend this to anybody suffering with breakouts as it completely cleared mine when I went through a little spell of them last year. It was a life saver and I doubt I'll ever find anything as good. At £25.00 a bottle, the Harley Street Skincare Spot Busting Solution isn't cheap - but its worth every penny and I'm now on my 4th bottle of the stuff. It's great if you have quite a few blemishes in a certain area or if you have one of those stubborn under the skin spots. I won't say too much as I've reviewed it a couple of times on my blog - you can find it in my 2013 favourites post here.
And last but not least, my Origins Super Spot Remover (£15.00) is another one of my favourites. I must admit I think I prefer my Harley Street solution however, this one is great for travelling with (i take it on holiday as it weighs next to nothing) and it's good to pop on if you have a small blemish or two. This teeny tiny bottle has lasted me ages and it's well worth the money.
So there we have it - my super simple skin care regime. Aside from a couple of more indulgent products, there's nothing overly luxurious or high-end - just good quality, well priced products that work a treat. I used to over-complicate my skincare regime and ever since I've stripped it back to the basics, i've noticed so many benefits.
What's your opinion on skin care?
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