routines, routines and... routines

Routines are a huge part of my life and they ensure that they keep my life organised and a bit more structured. I know that in the future, if I make it through medschool, my days will be anything but structured - night shifts, the unpredictability of the work and also the difficulty of balancing work and play can mean that I end up wishing I was back at university where the days were at least a little bit predictable.

In this post, I will talk about my morning, evening and weekly beauty routines. At the beginning of this year, I really bought into the idea of having a proper beauty routine and my skin has never looked better as a result of some trial and error with various products.

My morning routine consists of cleansing and then applying some products designed for oily-combination and blemish-prone skin. I will talk more in detail about this routine in a few weeks' time :)

At night, it's a whole different story. The routine takes a bit longer than in the morning - I cleanse first using Ren's Rosa Centifolia Hot Cloth Cleanser (I used to use my No 7 Cleansing Brush and No 7 Soft and Soothed Gentle Cleanser which worked equally well but I'm really drawn to the smell of the Ren cleanser), and then I tone using the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water and this is followed by Avene Triacneal cream applied to my nose and cheeks. 

Any spots that are coming up are dotted with Clinique's Anti-Blemish Clinical Clearing Gel or Mario Badescu's Drying Lotion. Sometimes, I use the Mario Badescu offering at night (as it is very visible and thus, unsuitable for use during the day) and Clinique's gel in the morning (as it is clear) if the blemish is still there when I wake up. 

Once a week, instead of using Avene's Triacneal, I use Vichy's Normaderm Night Detox serum. 

I follow all this up with a moisturiser - currently, I use Nivea's Q10 Anti-Wrinkle cream but I'm thinking of switching that to Eucerin's Dermopurifyer Night Care once it is finished. I don't think I need anti-wrinkle cream at the age of 23 but it was worth trying as I had bought it for less than half price at the time.

I keep some of my toiletries in this Ikea basket - it currently holds Batiste dry shampoo, Aussie leave-in conditioner, Simple toner, Eucerin day cream, Sudocrem (emergency spot treatment!), cotton buds for applying the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion with, a tube of Freederm spot treatment (apparently works in 3 hours but I'm a bit skeptical of this claim), dental floss, eyelash curlers and Estee Lauder mascara and also some night and day cream from Nivea and Garnier respectively. 

Finally, once a week, I use a mask. At the moment, I've been using the Avene Cleanance Mask which seems to help brighten my skin up for a few days after its use. Once this is finished, I intend to give Clinique's Anti-Blemish mask a try - I hope it works just as well, if not better, as it is much more purse friendly in comparison to Avene's offering!

I shell out for new skincare products once every six months because I find that these products last me for quite some time. Personally, I do believe that investing in my skin is worth it because I've struggled with blemishes (but, fortunately, not full blown acne) since I was 16 and it has affected my confidence. I've never been a heavy make-up wearer - in fact, I don't really own any make up apart from mascara, blusher and BB cream! Because of this, having clear skin is even more important to me :)

Another thing is that adding a bit of luxury to my life through skincare and beauty routines gives me something to look forward to at the end of a long and hard day. The fact that these products actually work is another factor that brings a smile to my face and this, in turn, helps me relax before I head to bed.