My Current Skincare Routine

So today I thought I would go through my skincare routine with you guys! For me this is a bit of a sore subject because my skin is something I'm pretty self conscious about. I've never had perfect skin but in the last year I suffered really bad with break outs, which I'm 90% sure was down to being stressed as I went through a pretty rough time and I guess my skin just reacted to it. However, my skin is now so so much better, it's not perfect and I do get the odd break out but no way near as bad as it was this time last year.

Now the only thing I have to deal with is uneven skin tone and scarring, which is kinda frustrating because when I have no make up on I look like I've got loads of spots when I actually haven't it's just remainders of damage caused previously. Also as a bit of a background I have combination skin - it can get oily in my T-Zone but also gets very dry, so yeah pretty high maintenance unfortunately!

Anyway so my first tip is pretty obvious but I can't stress how important it is to remove your make up at night time! Even if I've come back from a night out or even if I get home late and I'm super tired, I always remove every last scrap of my make up. I have a love/hate relationship with wiping my make up off, I love doing it cause I know it's good for my skin and sometimes it's nice to just be in your natural state. However I hate it when I feel like I've had a good make up day and it comes to the time where I have to wipe away my work of art.

So for the last 4/5 months I have stuck with the same skincare routine and I feel like I will continue to stick with it because it works for me and also because I'm scared to death of trying anything else in case I break out. I remember when I went to Milan about a year and a half ago and my skin just completely broke out and that was when I first starting using Clarins skin care products, so when it comes to skin care that brand is a big no no for me. Although I know it works for a lot of people it definitely doesn't for me!

So every evening I cleanse my skin using the oval double faced cotton pads (very specific I know, but that's my preference). If you've seen my skincare stash, you will know that I usually have about 10 packs in my draw at any one time! They're just so convenient and cheap, I genuinely could not live without them. I am obsessed with using cotton pads because for me, they're the most hygienic way to clean your face because you use them once and then dispose of them. Again, I know lots of people use flannels and muslin cloths but these just don't work for me.

I cleanse my skin using the Peaches & Clean, which I think I've harped on about for the past two years on and off. I tend to double cleanse my face as I want to remove every last bit of make up! I tI then apply my Kiehls Blue Herbal Moisturiser. This moisturizer is everything, it works so well on my skin! I apply this in the evening and wake up in the morning and my skin still feels plump & hydrated! It also dries quite matte and is a great based for make up. It is targeted towards skin that suffers with blemishes and I honestly think this is the product what has saved me!!  It's a little steep at £26 a bottle but it is so worth it.

Another step in my skincare routine that I don't do every day but maybe 2-3 times a week is to exfoliate my skin. A fairly recent discovery which I absolutely love is the Kiehls Skin Pearl Exfoliator, this just evens out your skin and removes any dry skin etc to make you get that natural glow! I also occasionally use the Kiehls Midnight Recovery Serum, although I only have samples at the moment but I find it to be super hydrating so this is something I will probably invest in soon!

A Peek Into The Beauty Bag - The Sister Edition

Hey my lovelies so today for you, I have something rather different to my usual posts in the fact that it's not about me or any of the products I own. Instead, I thought I would give you all a break from my blabbering and introduce you to my sister - Paris and the contents of her make up bag and skin care routine.

So before Paris gives you the low down on her must have Skin Care products products or her military procedure skin care routine I thought I would just tell you a bit about her and why I thought she was a good first candidate for this blog post. So of course, Paris is my older sister (not the eldest she's the middle one, I'm the youngest). She is 22 and currently studying to become a Nurse at Northumbria University. Paris' life involves juggling working at Costa, working out in the gym like a mad woman, eating pizza & kinder Happy Hippos and squeezing in time to make herself look like a princess every day! Paris & I are very similar in the fact that we either wear no make up at all and totally chill out or we go completely over the top and dress ourselves up to look like a Prin, no in between and no exceptions. Although we differ in numerous ways, a topic that always brings us both together is Shopping. We're both self confessed beauty addicts, whilst make up is my fort and of course -Paris's, skin care is definitely something Paris is an expert in. She has her skin care routine down to a T, I mean I've been taking notes cause this girl is always glowing. So without no further a-due here is Paris and her must have products!

*Enter Paris*
So today, my sister has asked me to talk about my skincare routine. I have suffered with acne for a few years now, many girls and boys do suffer from this and it can lower your confidence. My skincare is very important and I truly believe that having a good routine can help to minimize this and also repair the skin. I choose to use products from the Clarins skincare range because they use natural ingredients and they feel great on your skin.

My Morning Routine 
Every morning I cleanse and moisturize my skin with Clarins Combination Skin Facial Cleanser and the Alpine Willow Herb Toner, the cleanser refreshes my skin whilst the toner has a soothing affect. This always leaves my skin feeling fresh and revived. You have to remember that during the night you do sweat and pick up bacteria from your pillows so it is important to just cleanse your face in a morning to help remove any bacteria. To finish off my morning routine I always apply Clarins Beauty Flash Balm, this product is fantastic for brightening up tired skin and leaves your skin with a fresh natural looking glow.

My Evening Routine
Every girls knows there is nothing better than taking your make up off after a long day and letting your skin breathe. To start off my night time routine I use Clarins Manuka Honey Cleansing Melt Gel, I simply apply this directly onto my skin and rub in circular motions for about a minute then I remove using warm water and cotton pads.

Twice a week I exfoliate my skin using Clarins Exfoliating Refiner, this Exfoliator is perfect for your face and feels great on your skin. The soft microbeads gently massage your skin whilst removing dead skin cells and debris, leaving you with perfectly smooth & soft skin.

One product that has been like gold dust for me is the new Re-Balancing Oil made from 100% Lotus Oil. I was first given a sample of this from the beauty counter and was recommended this to help with the acne on my face. I remember thinking is this woman crazy, surely oil would just make it worse?! Anyway I tried this product for a week using the sample bottle I was given. On the fourth day I woke up and I looked in the mirror and could not believe how clear and soothed my skin looked. Before then, I could not remember the last time I looked into the mirror and felt nice with my make up on, it felt amazing and made day. Now I apply a few drops onto my skin every night and massage it into my skin (you can also add a few drops to your moisturizer). I found that whenever a spot flares up this oil seems to reduce the inflammation around that and calms the skin down. So to anyone with bad skin, try this product because it worked wonders for me and I couldn't live without it. It is pricey and costs £36 but it is worth every drop. Next time you're around a Clarins beauty counter don't be afraid to ask staff for a sample because that's why they have them.

So - I hope you enjoyed reading a slice of my sisters insight into skincare and hopefully it has given you all some super top tips - especially if you suffer with bad skin! If you would like to see another post like this please pop a comment below. I really enjoyed working with Paris on this post and hope you all had fun reading it!

Do you use Clarins? What are your must-have Skin Care products?