I've rounded up the products I'm currently using to cleanse/tone/moisturise/all that jazz. I have normal to combination skin, with a T-zone that can get pretty darn oily at times; I also have fairly big pores around my nose, which I hate. I get a few spots round my chin now and then. This is what I use pretty much every day...
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| L-R: Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser, Instant Boost Skin Tonic (attractive muslin cloth out of shot) |
1.
Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser
Not much to say about this as every blogger and their cat uses it, so I'm sure you've come across it before even if you don't use it yourself! I've been using this for nearly a year now, and have stuck with it, which is more than I can say about any previous cleanser I've used. It is expensive (in fact I need to re-order, ouch!) but it's really gentle and gets your face clean effectively. Surprisingly, I quite like the faff with the muslin cloth - I thought I'd hate it, especially having to wash the cloths so frequently, but I actually find it quite therapeutic and no bother at all.
I first tried this because I was getting sick of the harsh anti-blemish face washes I kept buying from Boots, especially the common ones with a scrub element. I used to use those
face mask type products from
Soap & Glory, like The Fab Pore and No Clogs Allowed, but after a while I found they stung my skin and made it feel tight and uncomfortable. Not cool, especially since I've never had sensitive skin at all. Another product in the same vein which I used to use but now wouldn't go back to is the oddly popular
St. Ives Apricot Scrub line.
In fact I think I turned to Liz Earle after a baaaad experience with
Clinique's god-awful "3-step programme". Suffice it to say that rubbing my face with pure alcohol didn't do wonders for my skin - the "clarifying lotion" (I think I even bought the mildest one) gave me delightful red dry patches across my cheeks, which is pretty impressive given that I
don't have dry skin. Nice one Clinique.
In conclusion, I think I will be repurchasing the Liz Earle for a long while to come, and I definitely recommend it if you haven't tried it already! (If someone wants to step into the breach and buy me
this subscription to the cleanser of my dreams, they are of course very welcome.)
2.
Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic
This couldn't be further removed from the evil alcohol water purveyed by Clinique for the "toning" step. It's incredibly gentle, and smells like a National Trust shop (you know, kind of herbal/floral/wholesome, probably with a sprinkling of tasteful tea towels). Initially I thought I wouldn't buy this again, but I'm completely converted - it gets rid of the last traces of makeup and cleanser, and gives your face a lovely fresh feeling.
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| L-R: Alpha-H SPF 50+ Moisturiser, La Roche Posay Fluide Extreme SPF 50+ |
3a)
Daytime - Alpha-H Daily Essential Moisturiser SPF 50+
I am trying to be good and use this every day. Another pricey one, but the best I've found in terms of finish and texture. It doesn't dry completely matte (this would be a miracle, I think), but it doesn't interfere with makeup on top, and it doesn't pill or otherwise make a nuisance of itself. I've repurchased this many times from
LookFantastic, so if you're looking for a high-SPF daily sunscreen for oily/combo skin, I recommend giving this a go.
Mini sunscreen rant: I've tried a couple of other high-factor daily wear facial sunscreens, given my fear of tanning/wrinkles/freckles etc. There was a
La Roche Posay SPF 50 offering (Anthelios XL Fluide Extreme, to be precise - pictured above), which was really runny and hard to apply. Then there was the
Clinique Super City Block Oil-Free Daily Face Protector SPF 40 (copy and paste job there), which was, frankly, awful. For starters, it turned out to be tinted (i.e. orange), which was not obvious at all from the packaging - I wouldn't have bought it had I known this, at least not without testing the shade, since I'm wary of "one-colour-fits-all" tinted products. It's marketed as an "invisible primer", which is far from the truth in my experience - not only was it orange, it also pilled and rubbed off like crrrazy while blending into the skin, even before you dared to put foundation over the top. I persevered with this for longer than I should have because I wanted it to be a great product, but had to chuck it in the end (which is why it doesn't make an appearance in the photo). In fact, I don't think I'd bother buying anything else from Clinique, given my negative experiences of their products so far and the vast range of great brands out there. If you're a Clinique fan, though, do drop me a comment about your favourite products, as I always like to try stuff out on recommendations!
So, I'm perpetually on the look-out for good SPF 50 or so facial sunscreens, but will be sticking to my Alpha-H for now...
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| Top: Liz Earle moisturiser; bottom: La Roche Posay Effaclar K |
3b)
Night-time - La Roche Posay Effaclar K / Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser (Normal/Combo Skin)
I mentioned the
Liz Earle moisturiser in my last post - I've been using it under NARS Sheer Glow foundation in an attempt to sort out the patchy/flaky bits the foundation reveals/creates(?). I've only used it a handful of times, and it does the job of hydrating the skin without being too greasy. Can't really comment on long-term effects though.
I bought
La Roche Posay Effaclar K when LRP products were on offer in the big Boots on Oxford Street. I'd heard quite a bit about it on blogs, specifically
Dee's very informative post on the Effaclar range, so when I got a major breakout around my chin (I swear it's related to leaning my chin on my hand all the time when I'm studying!) I wanted a new product to sort it out. This did the job impressively! I applied it morning and night for a few weeks, and it cleared my skin up excellently. It dries down pretty fast so makes a decent base for makeup. I would definitely repurchase this in future. I also picked up the Effaclar Duo, which I'll be trying when this runs out (which will be soon - it doesn't last particularly long). This range is fairly pricey when not on offer, though, and this tube didn't last me all that long.
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| L-R: Bioderma Crealine H2O Solution Micellaire, Boots Botanics Soothing Eye Make Up Remover |
Wildcard:
Bioderma Crealine H20 Makeup Remover
My friend visited from France and left me half a bottle of this because she couldn't fit it in her suitcase. I was nerdily excited to try it, since so many bloggers rave about it. And it is pretty damn amazing - incredibly neutral, perfume-free, takes off makeup without rubbing, and doesn't leave residue. I definitely will be picking up more of this when I go to Paris this summer! Recently, I foolishly repurchased the
Boots Botanics oil cleanser (the one with two layers that you shake up, which is called the Soothing Eye Make Up Remover) with a voucher I had, forgetting I really didn't like it last time I tried it - horrible warm feeling on the eyes, and leaves so much residue you might as well have dipped your face in cooking oil. I've been using the Botanics and not enjoying it much, so I was very interested to try a non-oil-based makeup remover. Shame Bioderma is such a pain to get hold of in the UK!
OK, it turns out I had a surprising amount to say about skincare. Whaddaya know. Apologies if I expressed my distaste for your favourite product here, goes to show how subjective skincare is! If you have any recommendations for good everyday sunscreens/eye makeup removers, let me know!
Till next time,
Josephine x
