My Skincare Routine - Cleansers

This is the first in a series of posts on my current skincare routine - the products I'm using and what's working for me. If you want to know a bit more about my skin then please check out my vital stats page, but in a nutshell its always been pretty problematic! I find chemical exfoliation and deep cleansing to be key to keeping it happy.

For my morning cleanse I use Elemis Tri Enzyme Resurfacing Facial Wash which contains ingredients to chemically exfoliate, hydrate and soothe any irritation. According to Elemis this cleanser is particularly suitable for tackling acne scarring and the first signs of ageing so it ticks all my boxes. This leaves my skin feeling really clean, soft and not at all tight or stripped. Although I only started using this at the beginning of the year I'm seeing a difference in my scarring already so it's certainly effective. The only downside for me is the slightly soapy smell (it doesn't actually contain soap). I'd prefer it to have a more refreshing scent, maybe something green or lightly citrusy, but that's just my personal preference.

I take my eye make-up off first but I don't really have a favourite eye make-up remover. At the moment I'm using up a sample of Clinique Take the Day Off for Lids, Lashes & Lips which I like but it's a bit oily and probably more suited to those who wear heavy eye make-up or waterproof mascara. I also like Boots Essentials Cucumber Eye Makeup Remover Gel which is gentle, effective (except on waterproof formulations), refreshing and cheap as chips.

I always double cleanse in the evening, even if I haven't been wearing make-up, as I feel my skin carries a lot of my day around with it and I hate the thought of not washing all that off! Generally I've been using Soap & Glory's Peaches and Clean (not pictured), a milky gel textured cleanser with an almost mentholated peach scent. It definitely lives up to its deep cleaning claims as it removes every scrap of make-up but sometimes I feel it's a bit too strong for every day. However, I recently got a mini sample of REN's EverCalm Gentle Cleansing Milk which I'm really quite taken with. It's more of a balm which emulsifies in water and is effective but incredibly gentle, leaving my skin lovely and soft. It's too early to say for certain but this might just knock S&G off the first cleanse spot.

For my second cleanse I swear by REN's ClearCalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser. Drier skins may find this a bit stripping to use every day but it's fine on my combo skin and really gets deep down into my pores, pulling out any remaining nasties while soothing any irritation and helping combat blemishes. I credit this cleanser, along with the serums I'll talk about in a later post, as being responsible for the real turnaround I've seen in my skin over the last few months. I like to leave this cleanser on for a few minutes while I brush my teeth to really let it work its magic before flannelling it off.

Talking of flannels, following the advice of skincare maestro Caroline Hirons I make sure to use a clean one everyday. The last thing I want is to be adding bacteria to my skin while I'm supposed to be cleaning it!

Check back next week to see what I use to exfoliate, tone and treat my skin.