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?

Philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleansing Gel

Philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleansing Gel - £17*

I was kindly sent this cleanser to review and it couldn't have come at a better time! I've been searching for a new morning cleanser for what feels like months now, and I have finally found the cleanser. I like something light that I can rinse off in the shower for my morning cleanse as my skin does get oily throughout the day, so I reserve my balm and oil cleansers for the evening. This cleanser is particularly aimed at combination/oily skin types so I was apprehensive that it might be quite drying, which is the problem I always have with cleansers or face washes which are foaming or aimed at oily skin.

The packaging is great, it comes in a massive 225ml squeezy tube but because the product consistency is thick, it doesn't run out of the tube creating product wastage. I have to use quite a bit of strength to actually squeeze the product out, especially in the morning when I'm not quite awake yet! You only need to use the tiniest amount of product as it's quite concentrated, so I can see this huge tube lasting a long time. To me, it smells light and refreshing which is what I want when I'm washing my face in the morning. It does foam slightly, but it feels more like a creamy lather which is gorgeous on the skin. What's even better is that my skin doesn't feel the slightest bit dry or tight after using this! Most foaming cleansers leave me gasping for the moisturiser, but this just leaves my skin feeling soft, clean and comfortable. I can't lay all the praise with this product, but I also haven't had a spot since using this... Coincidence? Maybe.

I've also trialled this as a make-up remover to see how it fares in that sense, and I can happily report that this removes all of my makeup (and stubborn eye makeup) without irritating my eyes! This is the first product from Philosophy that I've tried, and I'm excited to explore what other products they have to offer as I'm very impressed so far!

What type of cleanser do you prefer in the morning? And if you've tried Philosophy products, recommend me some products!

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