MORNING SKINCARE ROUTINE

I LOVE skincare. If I went back in time and told my 13 year-old self this, she'd laugh at me. I used to dread doing a skincare routine when i was younger. I had pretty bad acne and wanted it gone, but didn't want to put in the effort of actually sticking to a routine for more than a few days. That all changed when i started using Murad products and they completely saved my skin. That, and starting to actually use makeup on a regular basis made me feel like I should actually put more effort into taking care of my skin. 

Flash forward to now and my skin has been pretty well behaved for the past year or two, mainly because i love having a routine now. I literally can not go to bed without doing all my steps, even if I'm falling asleep while doing them, they will be done. Today, however, I will be sharing my morning skincare routine. My night one is not all that different, but there are some extra steps and a few different products, so let me know if you'd like to see that too.

1. Cleanse

I like to use a gel cleanser in the morning as my skin loves gels, and I feel like it's really refreshing. I am currently using this Clean & Clear deep Action Gel Cleanser (£7.22) which I don't LOVE, but it's doing the job. I think i prefer there Morning Energy Shine Control wash though.

2. Tone

Surprise, surprise, this step features nothing other than my beloved Pixi toner. This has seriously done wonders to my skin, I can't go a day without it (probably from paranoia, but shh). I'm not going to go on about it too much as this already has a whole post dedicated to it which you can check out here.

3. Serum/Cream/Treatment

I don't think I've had anything as effective at keeping my spots at bay than La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo (£15.50). It basically stops me from getting any major breakout, and helps heal the little hormonal ones that slip through. I also think it helps reduce my oily t-zone and reduce scarring, while remaining totally non-drying. It's basically a miracle working product, and if you only want to use one treatment, you should go for this.

PS. I used to use Peptabright as a step before this to help fade acne scars, but most of my old ones have gone now, and with La Roche I haven't gotten any new major scars that I need to take care of. And my skin scars easily.

4. Moisturize

My final step is of course, to moisturize. I'm currently using Lush Vanishing Cream (£18.75) and I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand it smells amazing, and sinks into my skin REALLY fast, which I love for a morning moisturizer. However, since i have combo skin i don't feel like it's enough for my dry bits, and it doesn't seem to help with preventing my oily nose from appearing a few hours into the day. I'm almost done using it up now, and will switch to trying the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream, although i'm not sure if it'll be too rich to use as a daytime moisturizer. I shall see and let you know how i get on with it.

Of course, i also add SPF if i'm not going to be wearing a foundation that has one. Gotta keep the skin protected from the sun!

Let me know what your routine is like, and if you recommend any products for combo skin x

LUSH EMPTIES

I am a big Lush fan. From their bath bombs to their skincare to their haircare, i like it all. I've recently gotten through a few of their products, so here are some of my thoughts.

Breath of Fresh Air Toner Water, £7.95 for 250g

I liked this product but didn't absolutely love it. Great value for money as you only need a few spritz and the bottle will last you a good couple of months. I used it as my second toner morning and night, after my Pixi Glow Tonic to add extra hydration. It worked pretty well but didn't do any wonders for my skin. I have the Tea Tree toner lined up next to try as i know everybody loves it to combat spots, so i'll let you know what i think of it once i get through the bottle.

Happy Hippy Body Wash, £3.75 for 100g

I wasn't the biggest fan of this body wash. I found the grapefruit smell to be a bit too strong, but it did the job and didn't irritate my skin. You also don't need a lot to build up a lather which is good. However, i don't think i'll be repurchasing it given that i don't love the scent.

Sweetie Pie Shower Jelly, £3.50 for 100g

I really did not like this. It was super slippery and awkward to use, and the scent wasn't my favorite either. I tried to break it into smaller pieces to make it easier to use, but that just made matters worse. Safe to say, i definitely won't be repurchasing any kind of shower jelly.

Curly Wurly Coconut Shampoo, £10.25 for 250g

I absolutely loved this product. Even though it was a bit hard to use since you have to scoop it out, it worked GREAT for my curly hair. The texture is really interesting since it has actual coconut bits in it, but i think that helped with the curls. It also smelt amazing. I'll definitely be picking this up again, i just wish it had a matching conditioner!

Retread Conditioner, £10.75 for 245g

I also loved this product. It smells like soya, which was odd at first but i grew to love. The texture is so light and smooth, but it does a great job at moisturizing my ends. The only downfall is i feel like i had to use quite a lot to get the moisture i wanted, and i don't have thick hair at all. Other than that though it was great, and i'll probably be repurchasing it sometime in the future.

Let me know what some of your favorite Lush products are, and what i should try next :)