Skincare Shake Up Bumper Edition!

I somehow managed to miss March’s Skincare Shake Up completely. I’m very sorry – no one noticed – so I’ve decide to combine March and April’s products into one massive Skincare Shake Up bumper edition! So if you’re a fan of skincare, or looking for some new recommendations, look no further…

It’s a long one so get comfy!

Skincare Shake Up Bumper Edition

Let’s start with the month I missed – March. My skincare was pretty pared back as my rosacea really wasn’t happy and I was trying to avoid aggravating it as much as possible. The photo below shows my morning routine:

Bioderma Sébium H2O Micelle Solution – I’ve spoken about Bioderma a LOT on this blog so I won’t waffle on about it too much. A great way to quickly and easily remove make up, or in this case refresh your skin when you wake up. There are many imitations but Bioderma is the original and best.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Astringent Lotion Micro-Exfoliant* – Because a lot of manual exfoliators are too harsh for my sensitive skin, I rely on chemical exfoliators to keep my skin looking good. This one from La Roche-Posay is a new favourite for me – it strikes the perfect balance of being strong enough to make a difference to my face but not harsh enough to make my skin cry. It’s definitely stronger than the ones I’ve tried previously (REN, Clarins) and I think it made a definite difference to my dry, flaky patches and to the overall tone of my skin. It did make my eyes sting/water slightly but only for a couple of seconds and it didn’t make them red or itchy and my eyes are super sensitive so I don’t see that as too much of a negative point.

Oskia Super 16 Pro-Collagen Super Serum* – I haven’t used this serum for a while but I really enjoyed rediscovering it. I’ve reviewed it before, in a previous Skincare Shake Up so you can read my review HERE. It’s a wonderful serum that sinks in super quickly, leaves skin smooth and plumped, and a bottle lasts ages!

Oskia Renaissance 360 Anti-Ageing and Brightening Supreme Cream* – I hold my hands up: I’m an Oskia fangirl! All of the products I’ve tried have completely won me over including this moisturiser. It’s a bit thicker than the ones I’m used to but doesn’t feel at all heavy on the skin. It aims to smooth skin, reduce fine lines, reduce pigmentation, and even and brighten skin tone. Oskia are a great brand that I have so much trust in. Georgie, one of the founders, has struggled with many of the skin conditions that the products aim to treat (hyper pigmentation, extremely dry skin) and the brand takes great pride in their ingredient lists and commitment to honest skincare. No nasty ingredients or gimmicky dye here… (*side eye to certain other brands*)

And here is March’s evening Skincare Shake Up routine. (Side note: I wasn’t double cleansing much in March as my skin was aggravated and not happy about any water near it, let alone two lots every day!)

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil – This is another product I’ve spoken about before. I stocked up on this cleansing oil when I went to Japan because it is one of my all time favourites. It makes such light work of even the most stubborn waterproof make up, doesn’t irritate my skin and doesn’t leave any residue on my face. Love.

Oskia Perfect Cleanser* – I told you, I’m a fan girl. I used this balm cleanser instead of the DHC on days when I hadn’t been wearing make up: don’t get me wrong, it’s great at thoroughly cleansing the face but I’m not a huge fan of using balms to take off eye make up so I leave that to the DHC. This is a thick balm that requires a bit of elbow grease to get it out of the tube but it’s so worth it. The formula is perfection – it starts to break down into an oil as soon as it gets onto your face and feels so luxurious and smooth. After it emulsifies with the addition of water, it’s really easy to wash off with a flannel, with no greasy feeling left behind.

REN Keep Young And Beautiful Instant Brightening Beauty Shot Instant Eye Lift* – I’ll link my more in depth review to this product HERE but I am a definitely convert for this eye product. I stopped using it in April (no reason why, just moved it off my dressing table which means my sieve brain forgot about it every morning!) and have definitely noticed a difference in the skin around my eyes and hadn’t really put two and two together until writing this post! I must remember to dig it back out…

Bee Good Hydrate, Smooth & Prime Serum* – I met some lovely ladies from Bee Good at an event last year and I fell in love with the brand ethos. They’re a family-run brand who have a focus on supporting British beekeeping and natural skincare. This serum has a really lovely light but hydrating formula that contains ‘collagen stimulating peptides, hydrating British honey, antioxidant-rich propolis and firming blackcurrant seed oil, plus larch extract to help retain moisture in the skin‘.

Clarins Blue Orchid Treatment Oil – This is a gorgeous little oil that smells dreamy and feels so luxurious on the skin. It is quite expensive (I waited until it was in the sale to buy it!) and I’m not sure I’ll repurchase when it runs out as I don’t think it does *enough* for the price, but it’s a really lovely treat product.

The above picture shows all the skincare products I was using in April. Let’s break it down by morning and evening routine:

MORNING

Not shown is theBioderma Sébium H2O Micelle Solution I used in March – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

I had an amazing Dermalogica facial at One New Change last month and they kindly gifted me the products used so I could give them a proper try out. You can read about the facial HERE. I am a big fan of facial mists and the Dermalogica Ultracalming Mist* is wonderful if you’re looking to add a toner into your regime. I wouldn’t say that toners are an essential step, but I love them for adding a little boost of hydration and cooling down skin when it’s feeling sore. It’s a really fine mist so you don’t feel absolutely drenched after using it. I spray it all over my face and then pat it into the skin with flat hands.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ – This is a cult product and it’s not hard to see why. This is such a great product for oily/combination and blemish prone skin. This month I’ve had lots of under the skin bumps that never amounted to anything, just lurked along my jawline. This product cleared them up. It also helps to mattify and with congestion.

La Roche-Posay Toleraine Ultra* – I try a lot of products that are designed to be good for sensitive skin but this one is clinically proven to make skin less sensitive which is incredible. So as well as this being a great moisturiser that hydrates and keeps your skin feeling comfortable, it actually helps your skin over time. I am SOLD. It’s also the first facial skincare product to be awarded the Seal of Approval by Allergy UK and contains no parabens, fragrance, alcohol, lanolin or colourants and is sealed in anti-contamination packaging.

I have championed Avène since I first started writing about skincare on the blog and this has been a long time favourite: Avène Antirougeur Anti-Redness Light Moisturising Cream. I think this may be the old formula and packaging as they now have a cream and an emulsion version (depending on whether you have dry or oily/normal skin respectively) and the new version has SPF20, while the version I have is SPF10. I love this moisturiser as it’s really light and also green-tinted so it combats redness before you even go near the foundation.

EVENING

If you follow these Skincare Shake Up posts then you are probably sick of hearing me bang on about this cleansing oil! So I’ll recap: Superfacialist by Una Brennan Vitamin C+ Brighten Cleansing Oil is the best highstreet cleansing oil I’ve ever used.

Superdrug Vitamin E Dual Phase Cleansing Oil* – I took this on my recent trip to France without looking at it properly. I saw the words ‘cleansing oil’ and just packed it…it was only when I got there that I realised that it is a product that you apply to a cotton pad and wipe to remove make up. Once I got over the annoyance that it wasn’t a traditional oil (which I prefer to remove make up), I started to appreciate it for what it is: a really good refreshing and light cleanser that leaves your skin feeling soft and calm. It’s probably better suited to cleansing when I haven’t been wearing make up so I’ll definitely be keeping this in my arsenal.

Dermalogica Ultracalming Cleanser* – I am always happy to find new cleansers that I can rely on when my skin is unhappy. This is now one of them. It’s a very simple gel cleanser that does the job with no frills or fancy extras. It comforts, cleans and looks after my sensitive skin. Who doesn’t need one of those in their bathroom cabinet?

I have been making a very tentative foray into manual exfoliators. I am still very scared that my skin will flare up every time I use one but I am trying them out! The La Roche-Posay Ultra Fine Scrub* is a gel formula with teeny-tiny particles in that don’t feel abrasive or scratchy, it’s just an ever so slightly gritty texture. I use the lightest of circular motions and try not to focus on any area for too long. So far I am cautiously optimistic: my skin feels soft, it’s helping with my rough patches of skin and there was no reaction or flare up of my rosacea.

I told you I was a fan of mists, and here’s another lovely one from a brand I tried for the first time last month: Sönd Hydrating Face Spray*. This is so refreshing and soothing to apply after cleansing, containing silica which is anti-inflammatory. All of the products are designed to give ant-ageing benefits while caring for sensitive skin. It’s not as fine a mist as the Dermalogica one, but it’s still a really light and enjoyable mist to use. I really love the Sönd packaging as well, it’s really simple and sleek but a little bit fun with the pops of colour.

Dermalogica Ultracalming Serum Concentrate* – I’ve been really loving this serum. On the nights when I’ve been too sleepy or ill to bother with every step of my skincare, I tend to miss out serum and I really noticed the difference when I woke up in the morning. One warning, I do need to shake it before each use otherwise it separates and gets a bit watery.

Sukin Facial Moisturiser* – I really like Sukin products (you can read my review of the Sukin Sensitive Skin range HERE) and this product was great. A lovely simple moisturiser that contains ‘aloe vera, horsetail, nettle and burdock to soothe with skin healing rose hip, wheat get, jojoba and avocado oils to promote healthy skin renewal‘. One word of warning, it’s a very watery texture so be careful when you squeeze the tube so you don’t waste too much product.

Sönd Nourish + Plump Replenishing Face Oil* – Unless you’re a stranger round these parts, you will know I love a facial oil! This one has a very unusual minty smell which made me think it might aggravate my skin but I had no problems. It’s not like any oil I’ve ever used – it has an almost serum-like texture and acts more like a dry oil in that it sinks in almost immediately without leaving any residue, which means it’s great to use at night.

La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 – As you can see from all the products listed above, I try a lot of new skincare. But this bad boy is one of the ones that is always next to my bed and goes away with me on trips. It is guaranteed to sort out any skin issues I’m having in next to no time and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Phew! That was a lot of information. If you read this far then give yourself a round of applause (or a large glass of something alcoholic…!) Do any of the products from this Skincare Shake Up Bumper Edition catch your eye? Anything you want to try? Let me know in the comments!

Lex

*The products with *next to them are ones that have been provided to me for review, please see my disclaimer page for more information. Some of the links on this page are affiliate links.