Skin Care Series: Cleansing and Exfoliating

I’ve had a number of people ask me what my general Skin Care routine is from cleansing though to masks, so I thought I’d put together a small series of posts taking you through my usual routine and what products I use. Starting from the beginning, this is part one of my Skin Care Series: Cleansing and Exfoliating.

I’m quite fortunate that I don’t really have many skin concerns when it comes to my complexion. My Skin type is a dry combination (dry cheeks/chin but oily T-Zone) but depending on the season my skin can veer on the dryer side which is when I suffer from dry patches (I’ll let you know how I combat this later on in the series!) Generally though my skin and I are both on the same page so this is the routine I’ve been following for the past year:

1) Cleanse – I cannot stress how important it is to cleanse. Cleansing eliminates all the dirt and grime that clings to your face and pores, especially when you’ve been outside, underground getting the tube etc. Since being in London I’ve noticed there’s much more pollution than when I’m back home in Essex and my skin definitely gets a lot more build up throughout the day so it’s important to remove all those impurities.

I cleanse twice a day and anytime I do cleanse (apart from when using makeup remover) I apply a pump of product to the palm of one of my hands then putting my hands together, I warm the product before applying to my face and neck. I cleanse my face and neck in circular, upward motions. Just as a reminder, when cleansing don’t forget the neck area! In order to maintain a natural makeup look, we often apply foundation part way down the neck so it blends in well but in doing so you also have to remember to remove this at the end of the day too otherwise it can lead to blocked pores and worse; SPOTS!

For my morning cleanse I go in with a gentle cleanser. My all time favourite is the Philosophy Purity Cleanse Cleanser but since running out I purchased the Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel (review on its way). Having read a lot of rave reviews I decided to give it a go, plus I had a £5 Space NK voucher to spend so I thought, why not? I cleanse in the morning because even though I’ve only been sleeping, throughout the night my skin can still get a little oily in particular around my nose and T-Zone so it feels more refreshing for me in the morning just to gently wash that all off. I’ve read other bloggers’ skin care routines and seen on YouTube that some like to just use micellar water to cleanse in the morning, but I guess it all depends on your skin type and what you like. You’ll probably find yourself playing around with a few products before you get into a routine you’re happy with.

For my evening cleanse I start off first by using makeup remover to wipe off my eye makeup. Since I’m never without waterproof eyeliner and more recently waterproof mascara, using makeup remover means I don’t have scrub my eyes till they’re red to remove it all. To remove I use a large cotton pad, soak with makeup remover and gently wipe off. Once I’m happy that my makeup is mostly removed, I’ll go on to use my Sarah Chapman Skinesis Ultimate Cleanse Cleanser or any other balm cleanser I have to hand. Balm cleansers in general are my favourite because they just melt away all your makeup, leaving you with clean, moisturised and silky soft skin afterwards. If I have any I also like to use cleansing oils too such as the Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil or the Mutenka Cleansing Oil which equally removes all makeup but as I said balms are my favourite!

2) Exfoliate – To keep my dry patches at bay, I exfoliate my face once a week using the Neal’s Yard Remedies Honey and Orange Blossom face scrub. I scoop a small amount out from the jar, moisten with a little water and apply to a freshly cleansed but dry face. In circular motions I move the product around my face, taking care to avoid the delicate eye area and proceed to do this for about a minute or so before rinsing thoroughly with warm water. Once you’ve washed all the product off, pat dry with a towel.

On the days which I exfoliate I follow up with a facial treatment such as a sheet mask or a seaweed mask from Algenist, but I’ll cover this later!

And that’s it for part one of my Skin Care Series, moving on to part two which is Serums and Moisturisers.

What is your current skin care routine like?

Love Sophia xo

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