Skincare Staples
Living in the big city means being bombarded with advertisements wherever we look which can make it a bit too easy to go a little shop happy and buy all the latest crazes in beauty and skincare. With colourful designs, endless promises of a more beautiful you and glamorous counter assistants
reeling us in, we're almost doomed from the start. Besides being harsh on our pockets, switching up our skincare regime and impulse buying the latest fad in beauty can also be detrimental to our skin. So how do we know which products are keepers and which just have the most seductive ad campaigns? Well, here are my skincare staples that make the sifting through the isles of Boots a lot less laborious.
Bioderma Sensibio H2O is quickly becoming a cult classic in the world of beauty and skincare. And for good reason. It is tough enough to remove water resistant makeup (including mascara) whilst being gentle enough to maintain the skin's natural pH balance. It's soap, alcohol and fragrance-free so is great for sensitive skin as it decongests and soothes. So there's no guilty feeling as I sweep this across my eyes.
Avene's Cleanance Gel is great for oily or blemish-prone skin. This is a mild formula for those of us who suffer from the odd blemish and is great at quickening the healing process of small breakouts. It is soap-free so doesn't aggravate any existing blemishes and helps reduce excess oils long-term. After using this, my skin feels refreshed and balanced all day / night.
If you have oily/combination skin this is a must try!
The image above might be a little confusing as I've decanted my Witch Hazel into a more aesthetically pleasing bottle. Click the link above to see what it looks like on the shelves of your local pharmacy or to purchase without leaving your seat.
Witch Hazel is a strong natural astringent and anti-oxidant, soothing the skin, closing the pores, and fighting blemishes and ance (along with countless other benefits including prevention of excess oils, healing eczema and psoriasis and soothing shaving rash).
An all around good one to have in everyone's regime.
Another good all-rounder, Bio Oil is great for fading scarring, uneven skin-tone and stretch marks as well as hydrating dry, dull or ageing skin. I use 2-3 drops rubbed into my hands to warm and gently pat it onto my face and neck as a nighttime moisturiser. This has noticeably helped warn off breakouts, even out my complexion and relieve dull, tired skin.
This may seem like a strange choice for someone with an oily skin type. It is easy to fall into the trap of wanting to dry out your skin if you're oily like me, but this will only trigger your body to overcompensate by producing more oils and therefore leave you looking shiner than ever! Use a light, non-oil based moisturiser in the daytime and try a small amount of this deeply nourishing oil at night. Your skin will thank you. (More on using oils to mattify soon).
Avene TriAcneal Cream - 30ml
Most spot treatments have a tendency to dry out the skin and leave it feeling irritated. I was a long-term user of Tree Tree Oil, but even that can leave the skin reddened and dry (if used on a regular basis). So I was a bit sceptical when I tried Avene's TriAcneal spot cream, but it has done wonders. It is gentle enough to use on a nightly basis and has great long-term effects. This is not an overnight treatment, but when used regularly, the benefits are not to be sniffed at. Although I have been known to use this on blemishes, it is also great at combating larger, more cystic imperfections. It's non-greasy formula combats severe acne and scarring. It contains glycolic acid, a powerful exfoliant, which peels off the first layer of skin (much like an acid peel or micro-dermabrasion). It also contain Retinaldehyde which prevents thickening of the skin, a common cause of blackheads.
If your spot treatments are too damaging to your skin or you live with more severe acne problems, I highly recommend trying this cream.
These are the products I have, and will continue to, repurchase. They have stood the test of time and have all proven to be unmissable in my regime.
All thoughts and photographs are my own.
If you have any questions or comments, please leave them in the comment section below.