Skin Care Routine

To me, beautiful skin equals to self-confidence. I do not feel great, if my skin has imperfections. Sometimes make up does a good job at covering blemishes or other spots, but it won't look good in any way if you do not take care of your skin. 

Always remove your make up before going to bed and use skin care products suitable for your skin type, are two pieces of advice that I can to give to you for a good start.

Today, I thought I'll share with you my skin care routine, products that I use everyday and quite like. My skin is normal (cheeks and chin) to dry (forehead and around my nose). I get spots here and there, from time to time, but these aren't a result of a reaction to a product or anything like that(I don't have sensitive skin). They usually appear, before or after 'that' period of month.

Also, I have tell you that the products I going to mention in this post, might work for me, but they might not work for you. The reviews are based on my experience, so it is just my opinion.

This is the bundle of stuff I have in my bathroom...

I'll start with the Olay Refreshing Toner for Normal/Dry/Combination skin. The thing with me and toners is quite odd, because I do not see any results. But I guess they aren't meant to do anything 'big' in particular. On the packaging it says: Simply clean,refreshed, beautiful skin. I use it just like water, to freshen up my skin during the day or before I apply my moisturiser. The Olay one is quite good, it has a clean smell to it and I didn't have any problems with it.

I use Botanics Soothing Eye Make up Remover for removing my eye make up, as you can imagine. It is one of those that you have to shake because it has two layers. I love it for removing my make up efficiently, but I hate the fact that it is so oily. The first time I used it, I just hated it because of that. But you get used to that. But I wouldn't repurchase it, because I like more watery formulas.

The Body Shop Cucumber Cleansing Milk is really good for those suffering from dry skin. Because it is a cleansing milk, it's kind of a two in one product, it cleanses your face and moisturises it at the same time.

I use Johnson's Face Wipes when I'm out of cotton pads or I'm just too lazy to do a loooong cleansing process in the evening. You've probably seen them in one of my monthly favourites posts, so this automatically means that I enjoy using them a lot.

I got the Neal's Yard Daily Moisture Cream as a sample of the Marie Claire magazine. I was quite excited to try this as I've heard so many good things about this brand. I used the product for more than a month now and I like it, but my skin requires a richer cream for the dry parts. It is more of a lotion than a cream, it is quite thin in consistency. It's going to be great for normal skin (as it says on the packaging) but wouldn't recommend spending money on it if you have dry skin.

You've also seen the Nivea Daily Essentials Night Cream in my monthly favourites earlier this year and I still love it as I did before. I would repurchase this over and over again. It works great for my skin and it is cheap. What do I need more?

The Botanics Eye Cream is another favourite product of mine. I have to mention it is a very long-lasting product. I had this cream since November and it is not even half gone. I use it every single day. I do not use it to fight my wrinkles or anything like that, just to lightly moisturise my eye area as I think it is important not to neglect this process even if you are quite young.

I definitely wouldn't repurchase The Body Shop Carrot Moisture Cream ever again. Yes, it does the job of moisturising my face, but it is just an unpleasant product to me. I don't like the packaging, colour, consistency or smell of it. Basically, anything about it. I'm just using it up, to get rid of it faster.

I use the Soap&Glory Bright Here Bright Now energy balm before I apply my foundation. I've featured this product in my March favourites, I think. It is basically a cream that has reflective particles in it, that help your complexion look brighter and healthier. You can apply it before your foundation (as I do) or mix it together with your foundation. I just love the results that it gives to my skin.

These two products I use when I have skin problems. Sudocrem is a thick white cream that helps with dryness, I use it on my forehead at night. But it also helps fight blemishes, burns and other skin related issues. Something that I've noticed is that if you use it too often it kind of stops working, but maybe it's just me.

Clean&Clear Spot Treatment has the same features of fighting skin problems, but it is a clear gel. Used it couple of times, but can't say I saw fantastic results. It is ok, but wouldn't really recommend buying it.

From the product left inside the bottle, you could probably understand that I love this product. The Nivea Daily Essentials Cleansing Cream Wash is a must-have for dry skin. It works great at removing the traces that are left of my make up and it just makes my skin really soft. I would definitely repurchase this again in the future.

And the last product I'm going to mention is your basic Vaseline tin. I have it in the Aloe Vera scent and I think this one is my favourite of all the smells they produce. It isn't my favourite lip balm, but it is great for applying before a lipstick. It is quite oily, so if you don't like this kind of consistency, do not buy it.

So, these are all the products I use to keep my skin young and fresh :) As I finish some of the products, I'll probably do an updated post on the new products to tell you what I think about them. Also, if you have any recommendations for dry skin I'd be more than happy to receive them.

Thanks for stopping by,

Focus on the Quiet

xx

December Favourites 2011 and Happy New Year to all my readers!

I can't believe it now ,as I'm writing this post, that it is the end of another year. It's been an exciting 2011 for me as a first year university student and a beauty blogger, as well.
Firstly, I'd like to thank all of you in supporting this new hobby of mine and in saying kind words to me which motivate me to do it more often and do it better.
Secondly, I'd like to wish you all a Happy New Year! Let this year be better than the past one with its new beginnings and joys! May all you kindest wishes come true!

 And now as it's the end of another month, let's get on to my December favourites:

1) Garnier Simply Essentials wipes. Lately, I've been quite lazy applying an eye makeup remover and then a face makeup remover and I found it is much more easier to use cleansing wipes. These particular ones work really well for me and I don't find any traces of mascara or eyeliner in the morning. Even my mum tried them and said they were good :)

2) Sudocrem. It is a skin care cream which helps you fight with some typical skin problems like spots, break outs and dry skin. As I am a person with dry skin, I was intrigued by the description and some reviews I've read earlier. I noticed the difference in my skin within a week and I do not have those dry patches on my forehead and around my nose anymore. I use it every night on my spots and dry areas after I cleansed my face and after I put my night cream.

3)Nivea Daily Essentials Gentle Cleansing Face Wash. Having dry skin I tend to buy more creamier face washes as I believe they work better for me. And this Nivea one really does and I didn't even expect it to work so well. All the cleansers I've used in the past somehow tightened my face after I've used them, but this one doesn't. I'm really pleased that I've finally found a good face wash. I would definitely repurchase it.

4) Barry M nail varnish in Red Glitter For a long time was I looking for this particular nail colour.It was always sold out. And finally I found it standing alone on that Barry M shelf. It is a pain to remove from the nails but it's the issue with every other glitter nail polish. It is so Christmassy I want to eat it!

5) Topshop Cream Blush in Neon Rose. When you read or hear the name of the shade you get quite scared of the word 'Neon'. But don't be! It looks really natural on the cheeks if blended well. Also the packaging is so girly and nice.