THE SKINCARE EDIT

A few years ago, I was so heavily into makeup and I had a really basic skincare routine using products that mainly consisted of The Body Shop and Simple. Over the past couple of years I've really been trying to knuckle down on my skincare because as much as I really like makeup, there's no point in having a load of nice products on your skin if you don't have a nice base to apply it to in the first place. Especially nowadays, I'd love to be able to go to proper places like university, work and shopping etc. instead of only the nearest corner shop without feeling the need to conceal my hyper-pigmentation - which is a big insecurity of mine.

| SKIN TYPE

I have combination skin – I, like most have an oily t-zone, my cheeks area is more or less normal and around my mouth is normal to dry as it goes through phases. When it comes to choosing products that will suit my skin, I tend to go for an extremely hydrating moisturiser, as the dry points really bother me and if I want my makeup to last, I just use a bloody good primer! For the most part I think I choose a good range of products to use and balance out in selective areas.

|  FAVOURITE SKINCARE BRAND

I’m not particularly loyal to one skincare brand, as I tend to go to different brands for different things. Having said that, one of my favourite skincare brands at the moment is Pixi as I have a genuine love for the Rose Oil Blend* and their renowned Glow Tonic, which are constants in my skincare routine! Other skincare brands, which I gravitate towards, are Sarah Chapman - mainly for her Intense Hydrating Booster, E45 for the only moisturiser that has really helped with my dry skin, Nivea for their Micellar Water and moisturiser and Simple, for when my skin is on the more sensitive side!

| DAILY ROUTINE

I’m pretty consistent with my daily skincare routine. I wash my face twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. I tend to alternate between The Body Shop Seaweed Facial Cleanser, Pixi Double Cleanse* and the Philosophy One Step Facial Cleanser. Recently, I’ve been switching between the Pixi Glow Tonic and the Nip+Fab Bee Sting Fix Cleansing Pads for toner. The next step in my skincare routine is either and oil or serum to help with my dehydrated skin and I’ve been absolutely obsessed with the Pixi Rose Oil Blend* for well over a year now and I love the way it makes my skin feel! On the moisturiser front, I use the E45 cream as it further helps to hydrate my skin and it’s a nice and thick moisturiser.

| SPF

SPF is something that I don’t intentionally use on a regular basis. I tend to whip out the SPF in the warmer months – which is ridiculous as the sun is out 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Quite a few of my makeup items happen to have SPF so I don’t really tend to worry about it too much. There are so many different SPFs out there at various different price points of the spectrum, but my tried and true is the Simple Kind To Skin+ Protecting Moisture Cream* which has SPF30.

| ACNE PRONE

Unfortunately for me, I have acne/blemish prone skin and trying to achieve and maintain relatively clear skin is a constant uphill battle. One of my favourite products to use on a regular or daily basis is The Body Shop Tea Tree toner. Tea tree is really good for spots and using a toner is a less concentrated way of using tea tree to try and keep the skin under control. When I get spots, I usually get left with hyperpigmentation, which is when areas of the skin are darker than the surrounding skin. To try and combat this I use the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo, which I can wear underneath my moisturiser throughout the day, and Sudocream which I use before bed as an overnight treatment as it’s a high density cream that is stupidly hard to blend in and has a purple cast to it.

| EYE CREAM

I don’t use eye creams as much as I should. Despite being young, I know that when it comes to eye creams, the earlier the better for preventative measures, but I do go through phases of using eye creams. I tend to use eye creams when I have a bit more time in the mornings or when I’m going all out on the skincare front and really want to prep and pamper my skin. A couple of my favourite eye creams are the Burt’s Bee’s Intense Hydration Eye Cream* and the Nourish Kale Biomimetic Eye Cream*.

| FACE MASKS

I try and use facemasks at least once a week to thoroughly remove any impurities, particularly as I have blemish prone skin and so I try to keep my skin as clean and clear as I can. My current go-to face masks are the L’Oreal Pure Clay face masks. I really like the black mask, which is the detox mask as I feel like it’s perfect for when your skin is playing up and breaking out all over the place and I also use the Purity mask too. In the past, I’ve been a fan of the Simple Deep Cleansing face mask which I love for when I’ve forgotten to do a face mask recently and feel like my skin needs a little pick me up as you’re only meant to leave it on for 3 minutes – it’s also great if you have sensitive skin because it remains in its cream form!

| MAKEUP TO BED

I never wear makeup to bed – the only time when there may be some remnants of makeup on my face is if I’ve been on a night out and been too tired (and drunk) to take my makeup off properly and therefore only use a makeup wipe. More often than not, I take my makeup off as soon as I get home as I hate having makeup on while I’m trying to relax as I can’t touch my face or even lay my head on my pillow as I have white bedding – wouldn’t go down too well!

What are your favourite skincare products?

*PR SAMPLE