Morning Skincare Routine

I'm going to put it out there - I am a skincare junkie. I admit it. I love nothing more than buying a new cleanser and being excited to wash my face. Routines are something I find hard to stick to though, if I don't see results quickly then I get bored and I move on. However, this current AM line-up has been keeping my skin happy recently - but we'll see how long that lasts.

My skin is very temperamental. I suffer from redness, sensitive skin, dehydration, oiliness, blemishes and scarring - sounds like a treat, right? I've been loving Philosophy's Purity Made Simple Cleansing Gel* as my morning cleanse. It foams up just enough to leave my skin feeling purified, but not so much so that my skin is left feeling tight and crying out for the moisturiser. Toner-wise, I'm usually a LUSH girl through and through but I recently ran out and I've been trialling a sample size of Clarins Toning Lotion with Iris* which is for combo/oily skin. I'm not totally sold on this and I doubt I'll be picking up a full size. It just doesn't really do much.

La Roche Posay's Effaclar range and I have a little history. I fell in love with the Effaclar K last year, but I stopped using it over Winter and tried out the infamous Effaclar Duo. And my skin did not thank me for it. It wasn't the holy grail product I wanted it to be, but recently I've reverted back to the K lotion and I'm remembering why I loved it in the first place.

I don't use any heavy serums in the morning, but I do like to slather on some Hydraluron. For me, it deserves all the hype it gets. It preps my skin for moisturiser and I notice a massive difference in my skin when I skip this step. I apply a little bit of Origins Make A Difference Rejuvenating Treatment on top of Hydraluron, and it sinks in so quickly - perfect for early morning makeup application.

I've been trying out Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream* over the past few weeks and it is the first eye cream I've ever tried - I know, what kind of beauty blogger am I?! But I really like it so far, it feels lovely and soothing on the delicate area around the eyes and helps to brighten that area up which is much needed alongside a strong coffee in the morning. Finally, I pop on a little of This Works In Transit Camera Close-Up miraculous 3-in-1 product as a base for my make-up. It leaves my skin feeling velvety soft and plump, but not overly hydrated or greasy. It might be love.

So there's what I've been using in the morning to keep my skin somewhat happy recently. No doubt the line-up will have altered by next month, I'll keep you posted!

Do you follow a strict AM/PM skincare regime, or do you mix things up a little?

Purely Natural 0 Tolerance Cleanser

Purely Natural 0 Tolerance Cleanser - £6.95* - 100g

I received this cleanser a few weeks ago now, and I wasn't planning on reviewing it for at least 4-6 weeks to see how my skin got on with it. Unfortunately, I managed to use this a grand total of 2 times before I had to stop. Firstly, the brand and products sound right up my street - natural, handmade, preservative-free! I opened the tub and was instantly reminded of LUSH solid cleansers. It looks like a ball of cookie dough and you simply pinch a little bit of product off, mix with a little warm water until it forms a paste, and cleanse away. The packaging is awkward, I'm not sure if it's just me but the tub is slightly too large for my hands so using this in the shower proved to be a bit of a mission as I was concentrating on not dropping the tub!

I chose the 0 Tolerance cleanser because recently my skin has become increasingly more sensitive and I didn't want to risk irritation. I tried to use this as my morning cleanse, but as soon as I opened the tub, a pungent smell hit me straight away. I'll admit, I have a very sensitive nose when it comes to scents and I prefer things to smell neutral. I can't place fault with the cleanser because it's fragrance-free and whatever the smell is, comes from the ingredients. I did persevere and use the cleanser but I absolutely dreaded having to use it again purely because of the smell. I can't even describe it, it just wasn't pleasant and I couldn't bear to use it near my face any longer.

On the positive side, the 2 times I did use this cleanser, my skin was left soft, not feeling tight or dry, and clean. I can't comment on the long-term effects of the cleanser, but it didn't irritate my sensitive skin or dry it out. If your sense of smell is harder to offend than mine, then you might get along with this and I certainly won't be dismissing Purely Natural's other products as I do love their brand ethos and affordability.

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Monday Wishlist #2

1. YSL Le Teint Touche Éclat foundation RRP £28 - I have a sample of this in shade BR20 and it is the most perfect colour match for me, something which I usually have trouble with when getting a foundation. I thought this might have been overhyped, but I'm loving it so far and dying to get the full size.

2. ASOS Felt Doctors Bag RRP £60 - I'm in desperate need of a new handbag as my current one is too small, and my others are literally falling apart. I love a big handbag, and this looks like it would go with anything.

3. MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle RRP £21.50 - I've heard great things about this and considering I don't actually own ANY highlighting products, this is more of a "need" than a "want"... right?

4. MAC Cut a Caper lipstick RRP £14 - It's just typical that this is now sold out just when I've added it to my wishlist! I've never bought a MAC lipstick before but this one really caught my eye. There isn't even a counter near me so this will probably remain on my wishlist forever...

5. REN ClearCalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser RRP £18 - Again, I've heard lots of good things about this cleanser and I'm in the process of weaning myself off of Clinique's 3 Step System so I'd really like to try this. I have super oily skin so the idea of a clay cleanser really appeals to me!

I really had to restrain myself this week and keep my wishlist down to just 5 items. If I had things my way, I'd have a list to the moon and back!

Are there any products which you have been lusting over recently? Have you tried any of these products?