Out with the old - Garnier Soft Essentials, Botanics Face Hydrating Cream and No7 Heavenly Hydration Face Mask. In with the new - Olay Gentle Cleansing Wipes and Toner, cotton pads, Lavender Clay Mask and Clean & Clear Morning Fresh Moisturising Lotion.As summer seems at long last to have arrived after six months of freezing winter, my skincare routine needed overhauling. The products I'd been using throughout the cold snap were no longer suitable - they'd become too heavy and my skin was beginning to suffer.
My skin is pretty normal really, and I'm fortunate in that I've never had a problem with spots. However, my t-zone does get a lot more oily in the summer, and my skin can also dry out a lot in the winter, so I believe in adapting my skincare regime to suit the changing needs of my skin over the seasons.
I hadn't caught up fast enough this year, and my skin was feeling the effects. I'd started to break out around my chin and mouth. The clincher was when I had my lovely facial at Champney's the other day, which also included a skincare consultation. The therapist agreed my winter products had become far too heavy and were aggravating my skin. I needed a lighter, brighter regime more suited to the season.
So today I did a little 'out with the old, in with the new' skincare shopping trip and overhauled my regime.
Cleansing
I was using Garnier Soft Essentials make-up removing wipes for dry and sensitive skin, but these are too heavy for my skin at the moment. I've swapped them for Olay Gentle Clean Face Wipes, which should be lighter.
For a facewash, although I rotate what I use, I'd been relying a lot on Botanics Clarifying Foaming Wash, which I've swapped for Neutrogena Deep Clean Cream Cleanser, as the latter is a lot more astringent.
I've never included a toner in my skincare before, but I was really impressed with how fresh and calmed my skin felt after they'd used one during my facial. So I purchased some Olay Refreshing Toner, which I'll sweep over my face using cotton pads after cleansing, to make sure my face is clean, fresh and balanced.
Skincare
I had been using the lovely smelling but rather heavy Botanics Day Face Cream, which lately was beginning to smother my skin as its a very rich, cream formulation. I've replaced this with Clean & Clear Morning Fresh Oil-Free Moisturizing Lotion.
I'm still using my Sanctuary Spa Refreshing Eye Gel. This is a product I love, as its so nice and light and it also dually targets puffiness and dark circles, whereas most eye treatments seem to do one or the other - I have both problems. I'm also carrying on using EverySun Everyday Antioxidant Factor 40 cream on my face. This is 100% more effective than Vitamin E at combating free radicals and UVA and UVB radiation, meaning I'm keeping the burn and the wrinkles both at bay. I really believe if you do one thing for your face, it should be using a sun screen daily. Factor 15 is generally adequate, I'm just being very cautious!
Treatments
I'm binning off my No 7 Heavenly Hydration Moisture Mask, which has served me well through the winter months, and bought in some Lavender Clay Mask, which absorbs a lot of oil and impurities in the skin, which I'll be doing once a week in my Sunday night 'Gear up for the working week' candleit bubble bath. I'll also be persevering with my favourite Neutrogena Deep Clean Invigorating Scrub once a week to keep my face exfoliated and fresh. Hopefully this will sort out my current skin woes and leave me fresher faced for summer!
And most importantly...
Tonnes more water! I don't drink nearly enough water, especially considering I've suffered from kidney stones before. But now, at my annual health check the nurse told me I must drink more, and my facialist also commented my dark eye bags are linked to dehydration. I know it's important, so I'm making a big effort to take in a lot more H20 and feel the benefits.
Have you made any seasonal changes to your skincare? What's worked for you?
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