My skincare essentials

Skincare is one of those things that you either can't be bothered with or love to do. I am definitely the latter. There's just something about having clean, fresh skin that makes me feel like I've got it together, even if I don't. Doing my skincare routine instantly improves my mood. Stressing about a deadline? Wash ya face. Hungover? Cleanse and moisturise! I get so much satisfaction from taking my make up off after a long day or a night out and I cannot sleep with any make up on, no matter how tired/drunk I am. I will always make an attempt to push a wipe round my face. I'm lucky that throughout my life I've had relatively blemish-free skin. I hardly ever get spots and have never had any real issues/insecurities when it comes to my skin. People usually say that I have a good complexion when I don't have make up on. I definitely think it's down to my religious skincare routine, so I must be doing something right. Here is my everyday, simple skincare routine.

Cleanse

First of all, if I've been wearing make up throughout the day I'll start by removing it with a make up wipe. I have quite sensitive skin, so I don't like products with harsh chemicals or things which can irritate my skin. I also don't like to spend a lot of money on face wipes. I usually use Superdrug's own brand cleansing facial wipes for combination skin or the sensitive skin ones. These are so inexpensive at 99p per packet you can't really go wrong. As far as face wipes go, they are one of the best brands I've tried. They have a good amount of moisture in them and are really effective for removing your make up in one go. The wipes have a lovely fresh scent as well.

After I've removed my make up I'll use a cleanser to wash my face. I do this at night before bed and every morning. Recently I've been using another Superdrug product - the brightening micro polish face scrub. It is a textured scrub with tiny micro beads, which is great for a gentle exfoliation but it's still gentle enough for everyday use. Additionally, one a week I use a more invigorating exfoliate which is St Ives Apricot Scrub. I honestly swear by this product it's amazing! It leaves your skin feeling brand new and smooth after just one use. I would say to only use it once or twice a week because it is too abrasive to use on your skin everyday.

Image source: Amazon UK

Tone

This is a step which a lot of people miss out on when doing skincare. I didn't start using toner up until a couple of years ago. I had a bit of an issue with enlarged pores and I had read that using a toner regularly can help this. I also found that it gave my skin a brighter and more glowing complexion. Since then I've never looked back and use the 'Olay 2in1 cleanse and tone' religiously as part of my routine. Another thing toner is really good for is removing any excess make up which has not been washed off by your cleanser. Honestly you'd be so surprised the amount of times I've wiped a cotton pad with toner over my face post cleanse and there's make up still in my pores!

Moisturise

Every skincare addict will tell you that moisturiser is the most important/favourite part of their routine. For me, moisturiser is so important although you should definitely spend a bit of time figuring out what works for your skin. I have oily/combination skin, so I don't like using heavy creams or moisturisers which are too rich for my skin. I always use Superdrug's brightening day cream for combination skin (this post is not sponsored by Superdrug honest, most of their products are fab). The formula is not rich and greasy, it's a light cream which gives hydration and moisture to the skin. It leaves my skin feeling supple and fresh after every use. 

Most of the products I've mentioned in this post are cruelty free and really affordable so I would definitely recommend trying them out!