So Beauty Stuff: An Easy Skincare Routine

An Easy Skincare Routine

by Sarah Oswald of sobeautystuff.com

If you are reading this, then you are probably a keen makeup fan. One of the most neglected steps for make-up wearers is looking after your skin before and after application. It's really important to prep your skin for a full day of wearing makeup and also to make sure that you are really thoroughly cleaning all the makeup from your skin at the end of the day. 

Going to sleep without washing all of your makeup off means it has all night to sit in your pores and stop your skin from breathing properly. The most obvious side affect of this is break outs; as a teen I was happy removing my make up with a baby wipe, I didn't suffer from bad skin or spots, so I did not see the point in spending the time or money on changing up my skin care routine. However, sleeping in makeup can also cause dull skin, dry skin, chapped lips, eye infections and more.

Spending 10 minutes in the bathroom before bed to really take care of your face is totally worth it to have healthy clean skin. But where to start? It can be quite daunting and confusing with all the products available out there; is it a gimmick or does it actually work? Do you need it or is it an unnecessary luxury? 

Obviously everyone has different skin and different needs, but as a general rule, you don't have to spend loads of money to take good care of your skin; here I am going to talk you through an affordable skin care routine that you can realistically maintain daily.

Makeup Removal

First step makeup removal is easily achievable with makeup wipes or micellar water and cotton pads; I prefer the latter because they are more gentle on my eyes. [Pictured: Essano Rosehip Micellar Water & L'Oreal Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Micellar Cleansing Water] These bottles are usually around the $10-15 mark and last ages.  Check out Cassandra Myee's post on Micellar Water for more information.

For the second step of makeup removal I go back in with a cleanser and a sponge. Which cleanser you use is personal preference, I like Nivea, because its gentle on eyes and costs around $10 [Pictured: Nivea Refreshing Cleansing Lotion]. 

I recommend using some kind of Konjac sponge, rather than your hands, the texture of the sponge will pick up a lot more debris and soak it in, rather that spreading it around your face. You can pick up these kinds of sponges at a lot of pharmacies; I personally use the Facial Sponge from The Body Shop [$6.25]. I love this sponge because it's got such a large surface area, and it's white so I can really see all the makeup that was still on my skin when I thought it was clean (!).

Cleansing

Once the makeup is completely removed from my skin, it's time to give my skin a good clean. There are lot's of great tools out there, such as the Clarisonic, that do a great job, but at $180 it's not something everyone is going to be able to invest in. I use The Body Shop Facial Brush, I guess the difference is similar to a regular toothbrush vs an electric toothbrush, so it probably won't do as good a job, but this facial brush only costs $6.25! 

Your choice of face wash should depend on your skin type, but on average will cost about $10-15 and last you a couple of months [Pictured: Witch Oil Control Foaming Face Wash]. I will apply my face wash, then lather it up with the brush and really get into any problem areas (for me around the corners of my nose and my chin) and gently exfoliate my lips. 

When I first started using this brush, I had a 'mini break out' and I was a bit worried, but I have had no problems since. The internet tells me my skin was 'purging' because this had cleared all my dead skin cells... so do keep an eye on your skin when using anything new, and if after a week it's getting worse instead of better, stop using it!

The bristles on this brush can feel quite harsh on the skin if you are not used to it, so my advice would be to be very gentle, don't push to hard. If you have very sensitive skin or acne, you may need to use a gentle exfoliator instead, or use this brush once or twice a week instead of daily. 

Finally it's important to keep the brush clean; about once a week or so I fill the protective cap with isopropyl alcohol and sit the brush in it to disinfect the bristles.

Moisturising

The skin on your face is delicate, and it has been made wet, been wiped and exfoliated, which is great for getting rid of the bad stuff, but you can also clear away some of the good stuff that the skin produces to look after itself. So you need to make sure you replenish the skin with a good moisturiser. I don't really have a preference, I like to shop around, but I try to stick with reliable brands that I know won't have nasty ingredients that will clog my skin. The price range is usually $15-20 for a tub that will last up to 4 months [Pictured: Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula Night Cream, Nivea Essentials Rich Generating Night Cream & Essano Rosehip Night Cream]. 

Generally the main difference between day cream and night cream is SPF, because you don't need that during the night! Also the formulas are usually different as well; night creams tend to be a little more oily because they aren't designed to have make up on top of them, and this does mean that it will really soak into your skin while you sleep. However if you are on a budget, go for a day cream as this will do the job at night time as well.

I personally would only recommend investing in an eye cream if you know it works for you. I got a sample of Benefit's It's Potent eye cream a few years ago, and noticed a difference within a week; my under eyes were much brighter and my dark circles had faded. However at $64 it's not the cheapest eye cream and I have read mixed reviews, so I would recommend getting a sample before splashing out.

Lips

Let's not forget our lips; night time is a great time to let lips replenish. I like to apply something a little more intense then what I would use during the day, the Blistex pots cost around $7 but last me up to 6 months [Pictured: Blistex Lip Conditioner & Plunketts Vita E Pure Vitamin E Oil].

Morning Skincare

Your skin has spent all night soaking in all the good stuff from the night before, but you still want to make sure you wash away any excess oil and dirt that has been pushed into your skin from your pillow (yuk but true!). I tend to use a gentle exfoliator in the shower; I change up which exfoliator I use quite often, and I would usually stick to the $10-12 price range [Pictured: Nivea Daily Essentials Gentle Exfoliating Scrub]. You could also use the same face wash you used the night before.

I like to try out different day creams, I love the Benefit Facial Emulsion (it came in a set with my eye cream) but I find I get the same effect with my Nivea day cream which costs $17, my main must have for my day cream is that it has SPF to protect me from the sun. [Pictured: Benefit Triple Performing Facial Emulsion, Nivea Daily Essentials Light Moisturising Day Cream & Essano Rosehip Regenerating Facial Moisturiser].

In the mornings I use the same eye cream and I will always put some kind of balm on my lips, usually something less oily, depending which lipstick I intend to wear.

It's important to be gentle when applying face creams, my tip is to rub it between your fingers to warm it, then press it into your skin, then gently smooth in any excess. Try not to rub or pull the skin, particularly in the eye area.

My night time routine takes me approximately 10 minutes, and my morning routine, only 5 minutes. Here is a short demonstration showing just how easy it is to maintain:

Thank you so much to our guest blogger, Sarah.  Check out her blog, sobeautystuff, her Instagram and her YouTube.

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