Skincare Diary #2
My skin has continued with its good streak this month; breakouts have been few and far between and I've found that keeping to a strict routine and doing regular face masks has had such a positive impact on the condition of my skin, I've barely had to pick up my Effaclar A.I at all recently. Of course, there are a few new additions to the fold. I've been sent quite a few new skincare bits and pieces this month, although this week I've only used the ones that I've been using for enough time to know that they're good enough to recommend, (so please ignore the profusion of asterixes dotting this post)! I travelled home this week so there was a bit of a change from schedule as I couldn't take home as many products as I'd have liked to!
Monday: Morning - Aesop Parsley Seed Cleanser*, La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo +*. Evening - Avene Extremely Gentle Cleanser*, Pixi Glow Skin Tonic, Lush Full of Grace Serum*, Lush Imperialis moisturiser*.
I came home with a few freebies from Lush after a recent bloggers event. I've been wanting to try the Full of Grace Serum for years, and now wish that I'd picked it up sooner. It's an overnight miracle worker. I woke up Tuesday morning with my skin positively glowing, redness reduced, and a lovely silky smooth texture to my skin. I also love this moisturiser. It's really light but super nourishing, definitely something I'll be looking into purchasing the full size version of.
Tuesday: Morning - Aesop Parsley Seed Cleanser*, La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo +*, Bioderma Photoderm AKN Mat SPF 30, Avene Soothing Hydrating Serum*. Afternoon - The Body Shop Camomile Silk Cleansing Oil, Bioderma Sensibo H2O, Soap & Glory The Ultimelt Hot Cloth Cleanser. Evening - Avene Extremely Gentle Cleanser*, Pixi Glow Skin Tonic, Lush Full of Grace Serum*, Lush Imperialis moisturiser*.
A pretty standard day skincare-wise. The astute amongst you will no doubt have picked up on the addition of the much-hyped Pixi Glow Skin Tonic to my routine. Ever since the Queen of Skincare (Caroline Hirons) set her seal of approval upon this product its been continually sold out in Pixi's single UK store and online. I finally managed to get my hands on a bottle and have been treating it like liquid gold. My skin has been in pretty good shape recently so I'm not yet ready to call this gently exfoliating toner a miracle worker, but it certainly hasn't caused any breakouts, and my skin has continued its good streak. Full review to come soon...
Wednesday: Morning - Aesop Parsley Seed Cleanser*, La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo +*, Avene Soothing Hydrating Serum*, Bioderma Photoderm AKN Mat SPF 30*. Afternoon - The Body Shop Camomile Silk Cleansing Oil, Bioderma Sensibo H2O*, Soap & Glory The Ultimelt Hot Cloth Cleanser. Evening: Aesop Parsley Seed Mask, Hydraluron, Trilogy Certified Organic Rosehip Oil, No7 Essential Moisture Day Cream.
I've discontinued use of the Body Shop Tea Tree Lotion I was previously using to prime my skin and have replaced it with Avene's Soothing Hydrating Serum. It's much more moisturising and gentle on my skin. I've also started using an SPF under my makeup. This Bioderma one is really light and non-greasy. True love so far.
Thursday: Morning - Aesop Parsley Seed Cleanser, La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo +, Bioderma Photoderm AKN Mat SPF 30*, Avene Soothing Hydrating Serum*. Evening - The Body Shop Camomile Silk Cleansing Oil, L'Oreal 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution, REN Rosa Centifolia Hot Cloth Cleanser*, Hydraluron, Trilogy Certified Organic Rosehip Oil, Akane Cocoon Nocturne Mask.
A long day, the majority of which was spent on a long and stressful train journey home. It was a relief to get my makeup off at the end of the day. I didn't have room for my hefty bottle of Bioderma in my suitcase but I have a bottle of its L'Oreal dupe at home so I'll be using that for the next few weeks. It's a pretty good dupe but leaves a slight oily residue - for me it just doesn't live up to the high standards set by Bioderma. This Akane mask is formulated to combat the effects of pollution and city living so I always feel its the perfect product to use after a day of travelling. My skin always feels really smooth and refreshed the following morning.
Friday: Morning - Dead Sea Spa Magik Gentle Cleansing Face Wash, La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo +*. Evening - Avene Extremely Gentle Cleanser*, Pixi Glow Tonic, Hydraluron, Trilogy Organic Certified Rosehip Oil, Dead Sea Spa Magik Rich Moisturiser.
I've mentioned this cleanser in a favourites post before - if you suffer from blemishes but want to avoid the likes of Clearasil/Clean & Clear etc then I'd really recommend it. It battle spots and oiliness but is really gentle and still leaves my skin feeling soft and moisturised. I left my usual moisturiser in Oxford to save space so bought home this Dead Sea Spa Magik mini. I've used it before and love it for being really light and gentle but uber moisturising.
Saturday: Morning - Dead Sea Spa Magik Gentle Cleansing Face Wash, La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo +*. Afternoon - The Body Shop Camomile Silk Cleansing Oil, L'Oreal 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution, REN Rosa Centifolia Hot Cloth Cleanser*. Evening - Avene Extremely Gentle Cleanser*, Pixi Glow Tonic, Hydraluron, Trilogy Certified Organic Rosehip Oil,
REN's contribution to the hot cloth cleanser trend awaited me at home and I was eager to put it to the test. So far so good. It's different to other hot cloth cleansers that Ive used (but in a good way), really light, gentle, and soothing. It also removes makeup like a dream and smells like roses. Thumbs up from me. I'll definitely be posting a full review of this soon.
Sunday: Morning - Dead Sea Spa Magik Gentle Cleansing Face Wash, La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo +*. Evening - The Body Shop Vitamin C Microdermabrasion, Murad Intensive-C Radiance Peel*, Hydraluron, Origins Drink-Up Intensive Overnight Mask.
This Body Shop scrub is perfect for pre-mask exfoliation - microdermabrasion isn't the gentlest treatment in existence but it is supposedly one of the best ways to fade spot scars (watch this space). I followed it up with this Murad mask. It's not really a peel as such but it did leave my skin looking noticeably brighter and clearer after use, and was very gentle in the process.
If you're loving my new blog design (as I am!) I'd really really appreciate it if you could nominate That Grace Girl for 'Best Designed Blog' in the Company Style Bloggers Awards!
Do you have any recommendations? I'm always on the look out for new products to add to my routine! To read last month's Skincare Diary click here, and to stay updated on future posts follow me on Instagram, Bloglovin, and Twitter.