My skincare routine

Hello, friends.

I'm not going to lie and say that I've been totally faithful in my attempts to provide a constantly updated blog. Before we proceed any further, I would like to take the time to apologise for any expectations you had of me, like.. at all.

Major caveat: reliability is not my middle name.

It's terrible, because I need to work on that. Majorly. Anyway, I'm taking this opportunity to alert you to my existence and announce that my life is still directed here, on Earth. We are all beautiful aliens. You must forgive my.. specialness (for lack of a better word). I have been out and about since 7am this morning, and my brain's usage has just about reached its peak limit.

Today, I learned about the electrophysiology of the heart. How exciting! But seriously. I really love cardiovascular medicine. Ladies and gentlemen, I think I have found my calling. It clicks. The heart clicks, even if it's not supposed to (path, anyone?). I'm just on the same page as the heart. My heart is so happy that I understand it. It's happy.

That brings me to the end of my day.

And the beginning of the actual post.. begins.

As an introduction, I'd like to admit that prior to this year, I was never a moisturiser person. I swore by cleanser, but never moisturiser. In retrospect, I could not have picked a worse product to neglect. Moisturiser is wonderful.

Now toner, that's a different story. Ugh. Toner.

I've had several requests to tell my skincare story. I don't want to sound like one of those infomercials you see, pledging that my routine is the best thing since sliced bread. No way.

I don't see myself sharing my skin with anyone, anytime soon, and I apply this principle very much to skincare. Even very similar skin types have seasonal differences, which call for a slightly different regime. It's taken me this long to find something that complements my preferences, and shows results. Trust me. It takes patience and a keen eye to find your perfect products.

Now, the cleansers that I use are in the first photo:

1. Formula 10.0.6 Best Face Forward Daily Foaming Cleanser
2. Formula 10.0.6 One Smooth Operator Pore Clearing Face Scrub
3. Formula 10.0.6 So Totally Clean Deep Pore Cleanser (Original Formula)
4. Formula 10.0.6 So Totally Clean Everyday Sensitive Formula

From memory, they're around $7-10 each from your nearest pharmacy. I swear by these products. I've sworn by them since 2010, and I haven't looked back since. They're pretty reasonably priced, I think, and I haven't had problems with any of the products. Sometimes, my skin in the morning is a little sensitive, so the original formula is too harsh for it. Otherwise, it's fine.

My moisturisers are in the second photo:

1. Etude House Collagen Moistfull Cream - around $15 from Etude House
2. Clinique Moisture Surge - face moisturiser ($60 for the full size - free if you're lucky during a promotion)
3. Clinique All About Eyes - eye cream ($58 for the full size - again, free if you grab it during a promotion)

I was fortunate enough to grab Clinique moisturiser samples during a promotion at David Jones last year and didn't use anything until this year. I'm glad I started using them. There was another promotion at Myer last week and I decided to get my full moisturiser sizes because, well.. 15mL and 5mL samples just aren't going to cut it forever. And inside my free gift bag.. were more moisturiser samples! So happy. Skincare is my new euphoria.

Now to my actual routine.

It's pretty simple. In the shower, I use my One Smooth Operator cleanser twice a week only because it's an exfoliator. If you use it too often, it'll completely ruin your skin. It's much too harsh to use as a daily cleanser. Every other day, I use Best Face Forward. However, exfoliation is important, because it gets rid of the dead skin, and really penetrates those pores to force out the dirt. Definitely an essential.

I try to have a shower in the morning, but sometimes sleep is just too valuable. For those sleepy, too-early-to-function days, I just pour a little of either of the So Totally Clean cleansers on a cotton pad (or whatever you want to use - a tissue or Swissper pad thing will suffice) and wipe my face clean. Be careful not to open your eyes when you have the cleanser on there, because it will sting. It's alcohol based!

As for moisturiser, I use it straight after I cleanse. Your natural oils are being stripped, so it's important you put in moisture straight after. I absolutely love these moisturisers. I tend to alternate between the Etude House and Clinique. Some days I feel like having nice smelling skin, so I use the Etude House one. Lately, I've been using the Clinique one a lot just because I want to finish the sample. It's honestly heaven on my skin. It's not too watery, and not too thick. It's not oily, and it makes my skin feel absolutely beautiful. Smooth and all. I've gotten so many compliments on my skin lately. Last year, it was always my skin that was commented on about being dry. Oh, the old days.

I only use my eye cream at night, just because it's a little oily and I'd rather not have that feeling during the day. I mean, after about 15 minutes, it absorbs straight into the skin and is absolutely lovely, but it takes too long. Man, I have to put on make up after that, and 15 minutes is a very precious amount of time, considering I very strategically plan my day around my sleep.

That's right. Around my sleep.

None of this waking up an hour and a half before class for make up business. Seriously? What some people do in the name of beauty. Not me.

And there we have it. Now, I'm not suggesting my regime is anywhere close to perfect. I'm always on the pry for products that are better suited to my skin.

Lots of love!