My Winter Skincare Routine

I'm always a little wary of writing about skincare, as I have pretty terrible skin... Rarely does a day go by without another spot appearing (thank you hormones) and I'm not very good at drinking the recommended amount of water, so I'm pretty sure my skin is dehydrated despite the oily areas on my forehead and chin. Add in my addiction to soy lattes and well, it doesn't make for a pretty picture.

It's taken me a long time to devise some sort of skincare routine, as my spots really get me down and I end up jumping from one product to another in an attempt to sort them out; however, I really think my bad skin is down to hormones and possibly PCOS as well, so rather than using lots of harsh spot-clearing products I've decided to just focus on hydrating my skin and making it as soft as possible. I've also switched pills so hopefully I'll see an improvement one day!

To remove my make up I always, always double-cleanse - it's been a very long time since I last used wipes to get rid of my make up (coincidentally my usage of wipes stopped around the time I began reading Caroline Hirons' blog!). My usual routine consists of using an oil first, normally Vita Coco coconut oil, to break up any make up I'm wearing, then I go in again with a second creamy cleanser such as the Vichy 3-in-1 cleanser, as I don't like leaving the coconut oil on for too long. In the mornings I'll just use a smudge of cleanser with a warm flannel, then a splash of cold water to wake my puffy eyes up.

I generally use a toner morning and night, either Pixi Glow Tonic or La Roche-Posay Effaclar toner, then I dot on a bit of a new purchase, the Hylamide Booster Low-Molecular HA Serum (recommended by my lovely cousin Naomi). I've definitely noticed a difference in my skin's hydration since introducing this serum, more so than with any other product I've used over the years. It was also on offer in Boots for just £11, so I'll be keeping an eye out for more offers when I need to repurchase!

For daytime I'm currently switching between the Clinique Moisture Surge cream and the Origins Ginzing moisturiser - both are nice but not terribly special, so I think I'll be trying something else (maybe Embryolisse) once I've used them up. In the evenings I've been using a drop of the Caudalie Huile Divine on alternate days and giving my face a mini massage with it - it smells lovely and sinks in nicely as well.

I'll also do a face mask once or twice a week - instead of the harsh anti-acne masks I used to use, I've turned to the B.Revealed Glycolic Peel mask. A bargainous buy from Superdrug, it's not too harsh for my skin and leaves it feeling all clean and soft without having to turn to any exfoliating scrubs. I like to leave it on while I brush my teeth or have a bath, then wash it off with a warm flannel.

For once it actually seems as though my skin is enjoying this routine - as in, I've not had any inflammation or any more spots than usual! - so I think I'll persevere with these products for the time being. I am in the market for a new moisturiser though... I have a preference for gel moisturisers, so if you have any recommendations, please let me know!

Love Dani
xoxo