Ok, so when I say ‘streamlined’, I mean ‘beauty blogger streamlined’! These are the products I reach for when I don’t any specific concerns that need addressing (with a mask or treatment), that I just can always rely on to do the job. They’re the essential steps to my routine that I wouldn’t cut out unless I was running veeeerryyy late or I was practically unconscious…
Remove Face Makeup: DHC Deep Cleansing Oil | £24 | There’s always some sort of oil-based cleanser in the mix for me and my current weapon of choice for makeup removal is this one from DHC. After having somehow racked up about 4 samples of this and having used them all up, I invested in the full-sized product. It doesn’t have a scent and is very lightweight (when I remove it with a muslin cloth there’s no excess left behind). It’s incredibly gentle and doesn’t sting my eyes when I take off my liner and mascara. It’s also so effective and removes 99.9% of my face makeup.
Remove Eye Makeup: Bioderma Sensibio H2O | £19.50 | I always go in with Bioderma on the eyes because I can get right up in between my lashes to take everything off with a cotton wool pad. This is the original (or at least the most famous) micellar water, which is amazing at removing makeup whilst being just as gentle as water on the skin and around the eyes.
Cleanse: REN Clearcalm3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser | £19 | This is an old favourite of mine that I often forget to mention because it’s such an ingrained part of my routine! It’s a clay-formula cleanser that calms down sensitive, red areas of my skin as well as reducing blemishes. It has such an unusual liquid-clay formula that’s unlike anything I’ve ever used before. A bottle also goes a long way: I’ve been using this nearly every day for the past two years and I’m only on my second!
Tone & Exfoliate: Pixi Glow Tonic | £18 | Most of the time I don’t have to use a proper manual face scrub and that’s thanks to this fruity-smelling, funny-coloured acid toner. It gently removes dead skin cells, clearing up dry patches but at the same time helps to fade any old blemishes you may have and uneven skin tone. This is the product I’d recommend to anyone just starting to try out AHAs and BHAs because it contains an everyday-friendly 5% glycolic acid. Personally, I use this every other night and opt for a face mist on the days in-between.
Night Cream: The Ordinary Retinol 1% | £5.80 | I have a full post on the Ordinary you can check out there but this is a product that’s made it into my routine. It has a really unusual gel-like texture but actually feels quite hydrating once applied to the skin. This is amazing for keeping my skin clear, smooth and even, whilst also being incredibly gently. I don’t use this every single night – I often will alternate it with a simple, hydrating moisturiser (usually the one from the Ordinary, which you can read about in the post I linked) every other evening.
