Skincare I've Fallen Back in Love With

For some stupid reason, when I finished my last tube of La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo+ and pumped out the last bit of Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish I never re-purchased.  Last month, when my skin took a turn for the worst and my face was covered in painful blemishes I was all out of ideas for how to fix it, so I made an emergency order of these two products.

Skincare for Oily Acne-Prone Skin

I have oily, acne-prone skin, and I'm forever searching for the right products to use on my face morning and evening.  At the moment my skin seems pretty happy and I'm finally happy with my little routine.  My aims are to make sure my skin is clean without being stripped, hydrated without increasing sebum production and I want to treat breakouts and fade acne scars without drying out my skin.

How I Remove My Make-up

So often I talk about the make up I put on my face every day, but I never talk about how I remove it.  After switching products over and over again for years, I've finally found a few products that really work for my skin.

Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate

Say hello to my little skin saviour.  After reading endless raves about various facial oils I decided to bite the bullet and brave putting oil on my oily skin.  I've loved every product I've tried from Liz Earle, so I thought this was the safest bet.  Six weeks later it's the best move I ever made.

Liz Earle Instant Radiance Collection for Oily/Combination Skin

After bringing Liz Earle's classic Cleanse and Polish back into my skincare routine after Christmas, I've fallen back in love with her skincare.  I can't get enough of the scent!  When I spotted this Instant Radience Collection in John Lewis for £25 I had to snap it up.

Oily Skin Saviours

As you might know, I'm currently on holiday in the south of France.  If you've read Lillies and Lipbalm for a while, you'll know how oily my skin is, and how much I hate it in the British climate - you can only imagine what it's like while I'm abroad! I'd love to be able to wear dewy foundations and skip primer but it just isn't an option for me.  I haven't quite mastered banishing shine completely, but I've found a little line up of products which are really helping me prolong a matte finish.

Indeed Labs Hydraluron

At the end of 2013 I finally gave in to the hype and purchased a tube of Indeed Labs Hydraluron.  After reading so many good reviews of it in the blogosphere I had to give it a shot.  The ethos of Indeed Labs is to eliminate all marketing hype around skincare and provide value-for-money effective skin treatments - sounds good to me!

Evening Skincare Routine for Oily Acne-Prone Skin

Simple Purifying Cleansing Lotion, La Roche Posay Physiological Cleansing Gel, La Roche Posay Effaclar Micro Exfoliant, Duac Gel, La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo, Blistex Medplus, Blistex Intensive Moisturiser

I've developed a real love for skincare recently, I'm set on finding the perfect routine to keep my skin looking healthy and glowing.  For reference, I have oily skin with some acne scarring and relatively regular blemishes.  It is a lot better at the moment than it has been in years, and although I am now confident enough to occasionally venture out of the house with a lighter coverage foundation or BB cream, I'm not quite ready to go makeup-less.  These are the products I'm using in the evenings to look after my skin before bed.

La Roche Posay Skincare for Oily Acne-Prone Skin

I am forever searching for my ideal skincare routine, and with the help of La Roche Posay I just might have found it!  I have suffered with bad skin for the last seven or eight years, and 2013 had been a bad skin year until about six weeks ago.  I decided to completely re-work my skincare routine, as what I was using obviously wasn't doing my any favours.  After spending an insane amount of time trawling Boots, searching the internet and reading an endless amount of advice from Caroline Hirons, I decided on La Roche Posay skincare - mainly the Effeclar range which is formulated for oily and spot-prone skin. I'm currently using three products from La Roche Posay, but I'm fancying the micellar water and toner.

Current Skincare Routine

Tesco 100% cotton pads, Simple purifying cleansing lotion, Simple soothing facial toner, Simple nourishing eye make-up remover cream, No 7 purifying mask, No 7 night cream, No 7 day cream.

Over the last few months I have changed my skincare routine quite a lot.  I have oily skin, and I suffered from acne when I was younger, which has left scars on my face.  I also have occasional breakouts, which I guess is pretty normal for a 19-year-old girl.  I have brought my skincare back to basics to accommodate for how my skin acts, but I have got my eye on a few bits and bobs.

I use the Simple eye makeup remover on a cotton pad to remove my eyeshadow, mascara and eyeliner every day.  It doesn't sting or irritate my eyes, and it effectively removes my eye makeup easily.  I use the Simple cleansing lotion with a cotton pad to cleanse my face each morning, and to take the rest of my makeup off in the evening.  This is the only cleanser I have ever tried which doesn't break me out, and doesn't irritate my skin.  It effectively removes all traces of makeup with about three or four cotton pads.  After using the cleanser, I always sweep the Simple facial toner over my skin on a cotton pad to remove any missed makeup and soothe my face.

I use the No 7 Beautiful Skin purifying mask for normal to oily skin once a week, which is a thermal face mask, which means it heats up when you apply it to a wet face.  You can definitely notice the warming sensation, but it isn't at all uncomfortable.  It leaves my face feeling soft and extra clean after use.  Each morning, I apply No 7 Beautiful Skin day cream for normal to oily skin.  This is absorbed quickly, and leaves a matte base to apply makeup on to.  It almost has the consistency of a butter, being quite a thick product.  In the evenings, I apply the No 7 Beautiful Skin night cream for normal to oily skin.  This is more liquidy than the day cream, but still sinks in quickly.  I occasionally apply a thick layer over my face while I lay in a bath (with added Lush bath bomb of course), and allow it to all soak into my skin and give it an extra boost.  My favourite thing about this No 7 Beautiful Skin range is the smell - it's amazing!  I love it!

I also have my eye on the Origins Clear Improvement mask to tackle my oily skin, and the Origins Super Spot remover to fight breakouts.

What products to you use on your skin? I'd love to hear your recommendations.