SKINCARE ROUTINE Spring'17

   

      Bonjour, Everyone! Today I would like to tell you something that has a very big importance in my daily life - my skincare routine. My skin type is combination/oily, depending on weather, and if yours is too, keep reading as some of these tips and suggestions might be useful to improve your skin as well. I will explain my whole routine step-by-step.

Morning

• Face wash - BIODERMA SEBIUM PURIFYING GEL

     You will see a lot of BIODERMA in this post, it is my skincare discovery of the year and I am pretty impressed by every single product I tried, and more I use it more happy I am with the results. My first review on SEBIUM line you can find HERE.

     But still I will mention few positive qualities of the gel. Removes all dirt, even makeup including mascara, quick and effective. Definitely helps to minimize impurities. Just between buying a new bottle of Sebium gel, I fall into temptation to try other french pharmacy brands and started using NUXE Aroma Perfection cleansing gel and, oh my, its one crappy product.. (review here) and I started to get small blemishes, clogged pores and skin didn't feel clean at all. Just after couple of weeks of turning back to Sebium line, my face feels fresh and silky once again!

• Primer - LUMENE MATTIFYING & PORE SMOOTHING PRIMER

     While my skin is still getting back to normal condition and gets quite greasy in T-zone during the day, I am not applying face cream in the morning, instead I am applying a mattifying primer. This one does the work without my face feeling uncomfortable and dry. And, even though it is a makeup product, it still carries some skincare ingredients, such as cloudberry seed oil, sea buckthorn oil and rosemary leaf extract.

Evening

• Cleansing oil - ORIGINS CLEAN ENERGY GENTLE CLEANSING OIL

     Probably, you have seen this ORIGINS oil as my FEBRUARY ESSENTIALS POST (link here), and nothing has changed -still love it. If you are new to oils, then drop everything and go shopping. Seriously. I tried first SEPHORA cleansing oil and it is amazing but hard to get if there is no Sephora in your country. 

     The best quality - it will work for all skin types. Just massage it in your dry skin, create a  dirty panda face from all that makeup you are wearing and then gently cleanse it off with a wet and warm cotton cloth or towel. Don't forget to tell me thank you after :) It is the most effective and comfortable makeup removal/deep cleansing 2-in-1 out there. I have seen horrifying videos and post of people pouring the oil on cotton disk and then rubbing it in the face...*cringe*. It is not the same as cleansing milk or toner!!! 

     After this step I can directly apply my moisturize as the warm water and massage has opened the pores for perfect absorption.

• Micellar water - BIODERMA SEBIUM H2O MICELLE SOLUTION

     So for more lazy days which are lately most of the days, I use the famous BIODERMA Micellar Water for combination/oily skin. This is one of the best micellar waters, that does it all - removes mascara without rubbing, dissolves full coverage foundation, tones the skin and leaves it silky soft and comfortable. And, NO, I am not cleaning my face with water after! That would be such a waste of good product.

• Hydration - BIODERMA SEBIUM MAT CONTROL

     The promises of MATTE skincare are coming from every single brand but almost none are true. SEBIUM MAT is a great, lightweight foundation that treats imperfections and maintains clearness of skin, but it is not very mattifying. If you have normal/combination skin, this could be perfect for summer or when your skin is misbehaving , but for more oily skin - it is not the answer.

     Although I am still getting some small blemishes, SEBIUM line has cleared my skin from more cystic acne and heavy oiliness.

Additional care

• AHA peel - NIP+FAB GLYCOLIC FIX NIGHT PADS

     Great product for softening texture and reducing appearance of acne scars as well as clearing up the skin from blemishes. It contains only 5% AHA so pretty much everyone can use it couple times a week. I have already posted full review of NIP+FAB Glyclolic Pads with quite in-depth explenation about how and when to use acid products in skincare, please read HERE.

• Mask - ORIGINS CLEAR IMPROVEMENT ACTIVE CHARCOAL MASK

     This mask might be up there price wise, but you cant object when you see the results. Recently beauty world is pretty much obsessed with black masks and ORIGINS CLEAR IMPROVEMENT purchase was also under the influence of internet.

     Thick, black and creamy texture is quite easy to apply and, when it dries, you simply have to wash it off. Unlike those other black painful peel masks. To be honest, you cant completely escape the pain, as when it is dry, it hardens a lot and it is difficult to move face muscles without pinching sensation. 

     The result - tightened pores, deeply cleansed and silky soft skin. Makeup applies wonderful!

• Scrub - BIODERMA SEBIUM EXFOLIATING PURIFYING GEL 

     Another great product to improve the texture of oily skin. This BIODERMA SEBIUM scrub is polishing the surface of skin with tiny micro beads, that even feel a bit sharp, and also is infused with acne-fighting skincare ingredients. Mine is almost empty and I will for use get another one. Read my full review HERE.

• AVENE THERMAL SPRING WATER SPRAY

     As the summer has just started, I decided to try out the famous AVENE THERMAL WATER SPRAY. It is very simple to use - spray on desired area, wait one minute and then massage it in the skin. One simple product and so many good uses - to treat sunburn and razor-burn, as a refreshment for your makeup (especially for dry skin), cooler in a hot day, toner before cream or serum. Men can use it directly after shaving to soothe the skin. 

     When I got my first sunburn this season, AVENE spray helped me enormously and skin recovered much quicker. I like to keep it next to my bed and spray before sleep, and to take it to work as well because air-conditioner in office can make skin dehydrated.

And what are your holy grail skincare items this season?

P.S. As you noticed, one item is missing for a complete routine - an eye cream. I am not very lucky with them and I am currently trying out random samples. If you have found your perfect match, I will be waiting for your comment.