My Current Skincare Routine

I have an UPDATED SKINCARE ROUTINE DECEMBER 2014 HERE

Skincare is rather important to me, I believe that fixing the problem with correct skincare can help reduce the problems and banish it away! Its not only the stuff that goes on your skin that works but what goes 'in' your body that plays a bigger role. As much as we try to delude ourselves, we need to give our bodies the right nutrients for our body and skin to look and be its best. It took me a while to realise that and im still working on trying to give my body the stuff it needs to help me with my certain skin issues, for every output there is an input!

Im quite steadfast with any skincare regime that I will begin because I want to see results as soon as. I feel like my skin gets used to certain products and regimes and isnt as effective as it first was and it tends to stop working so i chop and change products and dont stick to one regime. Unless i realise that this certain regime is working 100% and doesnt lose its effectiveness no matter how long i will use it, i will stick to that one, but i havent found a regime like that yet.

In the morning I always cleanse, ever since i first started using cleanser iv always used a cleanser every morning! During the night i can get a bit oily and i feel like i need to remove that oil and any other impurities that may have come onto my skin during those 7-10 hours. If my skin is feeling dry and flaky i will exfoliate using a scrub or lightly rub my skin using my exfoliating gloves. After that i will pat dry and moisturise. At night time I will remove my makeup, if i had any makeup on that day using makeup remover, then i will cleanse again, pat dry and use moisturiser. sometimes i apply a serum before my moisturiser to let it work undisturbed overnight.

My skin is normal/combination but more on the dry side. Only the centre of my forehead gets oily and the sides of my nose. My nose is actually the driest part of skin and it really irritates me, im always picking off the dry skin on my nose! I neeeeed to moisturise regularly without fail! When i look into buying moisturiser it needs to be fairly afordable. Since I pray 5 times a day, i sometimes have to do my ablution before every prayer as well, so i need a moisturise after every time my skin gets wet. So i cant afford to get an expensive moisturiser since i will have to wash it off and reapply upto 5 times a day! I honestly dont mind that at all, it's said that your sins fall off of you like leaves fall off a shaking branch and leaves your soul body and mind cleaner and purer every time you perform ablution!

So, that was just some brief details about my skin and how i go about my routine. Im now going to list down the products i am currently using and write a small review on them too. All the products written below were started together at the same time. So theyve all had a hand in any differences in my skin. Apart from the last product which iv been using for almost a year now.

At the moment for cleanser, im using Dr Darren Mcqeown Aha Radiance cleanser. I always do some research on products and read as many reviews before purchasing. In one review i read online, the person said it left their face super smooth like a mannequin. I thought that it was the strength of the aha at work, scuffing away at the dead skin cells and smoothing out and evening out the skin, so i decided to buy it, it was half price £6 something, only available from Superdrugs. I thought since its originally £13 something pence, its quite expensive for a cleanser, so it should be good and should work.

This is what it says on the bottle: AHAs are the secret ingredient to luminous skin. Clinically proven to promote cell turnover, they help restore a glowing, radiant complexion and softer skin. We have added active apple AHA - a complex of glycolic, malic and lactic acids - to natural cleansers and created this daily wash to sweep away dull, old skin cells, remove excess oil - even stubborn make-up – and reveal a glowing complexion. Shea butter and panthenol help lock in moisture and plump skin. Sulphate free, to reduce the chances of irritation.

Sounds good dont it? Its exactly what i look for in skincare which will help my skin get better. At first i didnt notice much, it didnt really soften my skin or make it feel smooth, but i wanted to give it time. Now after using for over a month i can honestly say that i like it! It took around 2 weeks for it to make my face feel smoother, my face looked less grey and more radiant and bright. I asked people around me if they could tell a difference and they said the same thing. I think it definitely works, it does take time, it isnt huge amazing differences but it has added some radiance to my uneven skintone. It works well at removing makeup but since its so expensive i use a seperate makeup remover to remove my makeup, as i like to wash my face a few times to ensure there isnt any trace of makeup left on my face. I will repurchase when its on offer again, i hope!

For moisturiser, i am using the Superdrugs Naturally radiant range. I have the day cream for normal/dry skin and i have the night cream. Its a new range and the description sounded interesting and good. It was on introductory offer at half price. £2.99 each tub. So i thought i should try it out since it was so cheap! This sounded so promising, but unfortunately this is a you-get-what-you-pay-for product. When applying this, i noticed that it didnt relieve that dry tight feeling i have after washing my face, it didnt absorb into my skin straight away, it sat on the dry bits and looked oily on my tzone. It just wouldnt absorb into my skin. Either my skin is much too dry for this product or this product formulation isnt compatible for my skin or it just plain sucks! After using for 2 weeks, i had to mix it in with another reliable cream of mine which absorbs very well into my skin to help it absorb better into my skin since it wasnt doing it on its own. Now after over a month Whether it did all that it claimed, i cant really tell much of a difference, perhaps a tiny bit, my acne scars all look the same, skin looks uneven still. I dont think i will be repurchasing, im only using it to finish it.

In conjunction with the day cream i also bought the night cream: Superdrug Naturally Radiant Renewing Night Cream. The night cream however is much richer, it absorbed better into my skin, it was creamier and i did wake up with really soft skin, i was tempted to ditch the day cream and use only the night cream. Again i havent noticed a big difference in skintone or my acne scars, so i dont think i will be repurchasing after i finish it.

I also bought the Radiance balm:Superdrug Naturally Radiant Brightening Radiance Balm

Its basically like a lotion with tiny tiny glitter particles, it says its meant to waken skin up and make it appear instantly radiant, ummm, i dont think it does, it hasnt done much for me really... Wont be repurchasing, might actually give it away.

Aaaaalso in this range, i am using the Brightening polish micro scrub: Naturally Radiant Brightening Micro Polish 

The texture of this scrub is gel like with gritty particles in it, it isnt as dense as the st ives apricot scrub, i actually dont think its dense or gritty enough for my skin, doesnt do much for my dry bits. But im using it and giving it a chance since maybe the other chemical ingredients might do some exfoliating of its own. But again i wont be repurchasing..

Overall with this range, im not too impressed, it was cheap, all items were under £3 each (on offer). It hasnt made any big differences to my skin. Im okay with spending a little more on products that will work better.

Im going to do a little review on the cream i am using to mix in with the day cream. Its the Cyclax Vitamin E cream. I have used this product before and have gone through a whole wopping 300ml tub. Im on my second tub at the moment. I started using this early last year and it was a random non planned non researched buy-something i dont normally do BUT im so glad i did!! Soooo cheap at 99p !

What it says on the tub : A replenishing all-over moisturizer, also ideal as a base under makeup. This non-greasy cream will smooth and soften your skin when used daily.

Thats all it says, so simple. The first 3 days of using this, it didnt do much, though i really liked how it just sunk into my skin, it felt like my skin would just drink it aaall up and didnt just sit on top and look oily, no oily forehead AT ALL ! Which is why i mix this with that day cream, it drags it into my skin with it !! After those 3 days, i noticed my skin was feeling soooo soft and smoooooth! No dry flaky bits! No oil ! After 2 weeks my skin looked soo even and clear, it was weird! My scars seemed to fade too! I didnt expect this cream to do all of this. I dont wear makeup or foundation daily so i couldnt tell you if it works well with makeup like it claims. My friends and family were telling me my skin looked so C-L-E-A-R ! Asking me what i was using and all! I was like: its this massive miracle tub ! They all bought one. Its not exactly a cream, its a creamy gel like consistency, kinda cool and wet when applied on face, light green in colour, reeeally light smooth texture. Absorbs like a gem! Yet moisturising at the same time. I love it! I kept asking myself : Whats the catch? Whats the catch? Definitely a regular in my life now! I recommend this for combination skin people like me! I recommend this to everyone, try it please! Nothing to lose! So cheap at 99p!

This is such a long post but i hope you enjoyed it. Hope it helps someone! Any questions please feel free to ask !!! Thank you guys! Peace xxx