Skincare Routine | Before Bed

Until recently I never had a skincare routine. I was just too lazy to follow all the steps every single night and taking my makeup off and going to bed sounded much easier. 

However, now I have a small routine of my own and I can definitely see the difference all the products make. I can feel how much smoother my skin is, I have close to no break outs and I feel amazing on the inside. So without further ado here's my night time skincare routine :)

First of all, I take off my makeup with Superdrug Facial Cleansing Wipes. They are incredible in my opinion. I tried a lot of wipes before and they all left a greasy feeling on my face and the oil inside them didn't take off my makeup properly. This one just takes off a lot of my makeup, doesn't leave an oily feeling on my face and apparently it also cleanses, tones and moisturises your face. It's quite cheap as well(99p). I think it's a win.

After I get rid of most of my makeup with the wipe I use Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water and exactly 4 cotton pads to get rid of the rest of my makeup and fully cleanse my skin of the dirt that is left off. I use a cotton pad on the whole face, use one for my left eye, one for the other eye and a last one to go over the entire face one last time. It sometimes feels oily to me so I just splash some water and wipe my face. It is pretty amazing when it comes to getting rid of all your makeup and this goes a very long way. It retails for £3.33 for 400 ml which is a bargain. 

After I take off all my makeup and fully clean my face I use this beauty; Enozone Anti Acne Lotion on my blackheads and pimples. This is actually from a start up company my dad works with and I'm so glad I got to encounter this product. It is a lifesaver when it comes to pimples. You can spray it all over your face or use it on a cotton pad(I prefer this) and when I have a spot I want to focus on the most I just use a cotton bud and apply it to that area. The pimple goes away in almost 24 hours which is more than what I'm asking for. The only downside is that once you use this you can't put on anything for an hour otherwise it won't work. So I have to use this an hour before I use my moisturiser. 

I have been loving this product. This is Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum and it works as an enhancer. I use it before my moisturiser and it helps your skin feel younger and gets even more hydrated. I first saw my mom using this and as I got more into looking after my skin I saw a lot of bloggers use this as well and thought I'd give it a try. I definitely don't regret it. The formula is great and in addition to its awesome features it has a very good scent to it. It's more on the pricey side with £69 but worth every penny.

Lastly I moisturise my face using either of my favourite moisturisers which are both from Clinique. I first started using the Moisture Surge Intense which was very good and left my skin feeling very hydrated and fresh but I recently got my hands on the Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion and it is by far the best moisturiser I've ever tried. This made the most difference to my skin. I never noticed how dried up my skin was before I started using this but after a couple of days I touched my face in the morning and my face felt so soft and fresh you wouldn't believe it. It makes my skin feel so healthy and I just absolutely love it. I definitely recommend it and once I run out of the tester I'll get the full size in a blink. 

So this is my current skincare routine and I'm completely happy with both the products and the results. As someone who finds it very hard to keep up a routine, seeing the difference all these products make I never forget to apply them each night. Hope you enjoyed this post and if you have a must skincare product please tell me in the comments. I would love to know and maybe try them out :)

Blackheads 101

I have read quite a lot this week about blackheads and I felt it would be appropriate to share what I've learned with you. There are some old things I already knew of and some that I learned which were pretty interesting. So I hope this will be a little helpful to all those who are annoyed with their blackheads as well.

A little disclaimer beforehand; If you're looking for a post which is all scienced up and has very technical terms, this is not the post for you I'm afraid. I'll just touch on some general facts as I've never been good at science :D

• Blackheads are caused by your hair follicles getting clogged. 

• They are most common around the nose but they can also appear on someones chin, ears, back and shoulders/arms. 

• They can range from a yellowish colour to black. They don't always have to be black. 

• The difference between a blackhead and a whitehead is that the whitehead is underneath the skin. When the area is open(blackhead) the oil reacts to oxygen which turns it brown/black. Like when you bite an apple and leave it outside, it turns brown.

• Contrary to popular belief a blackhead is not dirt. The main action is going on under the skin so if you're cleaning your face daily it's not because your face isn't clean enough. 

CAUSES

• Food doesn't have an effect on blackheads. Unhealthy, sugary or oily foods aren't the cause of your acne. 

• As I said, the action goes on under your skin so not cleaning your face enough isn't the source either. On the opposite, if you cleanse your face more than necessary it might irritate your skin and worsen your blackheads.

• It's proven that smoking can worsen blackheads.

• Touching your skin a lot during the day may also be the cause.

• In some cases over-using foundation, sunscreen and moisturisers can also create blackheads as you block your pores and create a surface for a blackhead to develop in. 

HOW TO STAY AWAY FROM BLACKHEADS

• Wash your face twice a day; when you wake up and before you go to bed. 

• Look for cleansers, exfoliators and other products that contain salicylic acid, glycolic acid or benzoyl peroxide. Exfoliators with these ingredients work more effectively than usual exfoliators with a grainy texture. 

• Clean your phone and your laptop(any gadget you use daily) daily. Otherwise the dirt and oil on the gadget will be on your face.

• Try keeping your hands away from your face. This is something I do a lot, I always touch my face or rest my head on my hand and that is just the first ingredient for a blackhead recipe. Stop.

• Try using makeup and skincare products that are water-based and oil-free. 

I hope this helped you in the tiniest way, I'm not the skin expert of the blogging world but there are certain things we should all remember to do to have a clean unclogged face :D 

If you have any thoughts on the subject feel free to tell us in the comments and also if you have any tips on how to get rid of them. Have a lovely day :)

Essence PureSkin Purifying Nose Strips

I was never quite bothered with my blackheads. I do occasionally squeeze them but I never used a specific product to remove them. I tried a nose strip when I was 12 but it wasn't that effective so I figured all the strips were the same. That was until I tried the Essence PureSkin Purifying Nose Strips (look at me talking as if I'm in a commercial...).

Essence's PureSkin range came out recently and I decided to give the nose strips a whirl first. The range is specifically designed for younger girls with very budget friendly prices. The strips were €1.89 which is a complete bargain. 

It comes in a tiny envelope-like case which contains 3 strips. On the back it says it is designed to unclog pores, remove excess out and lift away blackheads. It also states that if you use it on a regular basis, it will prevent new blackheads. Quite a bold statement to make in my opinion. 

As I said, the pack contains three individual strips which are also packed as shown above. You just tear it from the top or bottom and you are left with this;

The strip is stuck on a clear rectangular paper and to apply all you have to do is;

1. Make sure your nose and your hands are clean
2. Slightly wet your nose
3. Pull off the strip from the plastic
4. Place it on your nose
5. Rub it on your nose
6. Wait 15 minutes
7. Rip it off gently
8. Wash the excess.

One thing you have to remember is to not remove it in one go. You have to do it slowly and definitely don't do it from one side. Pull off the right side first, then the left side,  for the bridge of your nose remove it from the bottom pulling upwards. That is more effective and I learned that after my second try. 

If you use that method you are left with almost %70 of your blackheads looking disgusting on the used strip. I couldn't believe I had those tiny disgusting things blocking my pores. You are then left with open pores and a very smooth nose :D 

This is from my first try in which I only pulled it from one side. As you can see, on the left which is where I started to pull got all the blackheads but the rest wasn't so effective.

I definitely recommend this product and I will try other products from the PureSkin range as soon as possible.

I have read quite a lot beforehand about blackheads so I'm thinking about writing a whole post just about blackheads and what causes them/how to get rid of them. Do tell if that's something you would like to read about. 

Thanks for reading. Have a lovely day :)