The current skincare heroes




If you have read my previous posts you might know I've become a bit of a skincare addict. A couple of years ago I used a cheap makeup remover and slapped on an equally cheap moisturiser and I was done. Now I'm not saying cheap products are bad, there are some real gems on the shelves that cost less than a fiver but as soon as I finished uni and got my first real job, I was drawn to the higher end products that promised some amazing results. Paired with a then new found love for Caroline Hirons' blog I've accumulated quite a collection of lotions and potions, so today I'm talking you through my current favourites!


Let's start off with cleansers. Most days I'm wearing a full face of makeup so I need a heavy duty remover in the evenings. I used to love The Body Shop's camomille cleansing oil but it didn't remove stubborn mascara. I always double cleanse anyway but I prefer my first cleanse to entirely remove my makeup before I go in with the second cleanser. During a FeelUnique sale I decided to give the BareMinerals Oil Obsessed a go and I haven't looked back since. You only need one pump and it effortlessly removes every last trace of makeup. It smells delicious as well, very subtle and calming. After that I usually go in with the Pixi cleansing balm or glow mud cleanser, depending on how my skin is feeling. The cleansing balm feels rich and nourishing and a tiny bit goes a long way. It leaves my skin feeling plump and oh so soft. The glow mud cleanser on the other hand doesn't smell as nice as the cleansing balm but leaves my skin feeling really fresh, without that "stripped" feeling. With 5% glycolic acid this is my cleanser of choice when my skin is feeling a bit 'meh'. The texture is quite unusual, it's somewhere between a slippery gel and a cream rolled into one. It doesn't foam at all and I need a good squeeze to cover my whole face. My morning cleanser of choice is the Bliss 2-in-1-cleanser I reviewed here. It really helps waking up my skin and leaves it soft and polished before I put my makeup on.

On to serums and treatments. My all time favourite night time treatment is the Kiehls Midnight Recovery Concentrate (reviewed here). No matter how dry, spotty or just meh my skin looks, this always comes to the rescue. It's your 8 hour beauty sleep in a bottle! I instantly notice a difference when I don't use this and I'll forever repurchase it! In the mornings I currently alter between two samples, the Origins A Perfect World age-defense skin guardian and BareMinerals Skinlongevity vital power infusion. I'm alright with the ridiculously long names because both products are amazing. The Origins serum feels like liquid silk when applied (I'm not sure if it's silicones, Origins doesn't list the ingredients on their website) and takes quite some time to sink in but once it has, it leaves my skin feeling nourished without being greasy. The Bare Minerals serum is much lighter in texture and smells lovely. It almost feels watery and sinks in in a matter of seconds. With this I get instant results as this leaves my skin looking super fresh and radiant. They are both on the pricier side, the Origins one is £50 for 50ml and the BareMinerals one is £45 for 50ml but I'd definitely purchase the full sized versions of both. I always, ALWAYS follow up with my favourite SPF, the Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration face lotion. Living up to its name, it feels super silky and moisturising without leaving any greasy shine or white residue behind. It sinks in straight away, making it the perfect base before putting on your makeup. The tropical coconut scent is just the icing on the cake!

At the beginning of this year I vowed to make more time for pampering, body scrubs and face masks in particular. I got the Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey mask for Christmas last year and really enjoyed using this over the past couple of months. So much so that I even took this to Bali with me! You can't beat relaxing on your porch, a divine smelling face mask on and a cocktail in hand, overlooking the sea. Now I'm not in Bali anymore but I still enjoy the mask, it has a lovely light vanilla-mandarin scent and really perks up tired or dull skin. I'd love to try more Antipodes products in the future, do let me know what your favourites are!



So these are my current favourite skincare products, let me know yours in the comments or over on Twitter!

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