Skincare regime - combo skin

I have been working on trying to get a skincare regime I was happy with for ages and I think I'm almost there so I thought it would be a good time to share it with you. My skin is defiantly difficult! It gets very dry but I also fine it to get a bit oily at times too. Its very sensitive and I break out loads too. You don't get more combo than that! If you have skin anything like mine then you will know the struggle it is to find products that solve these problems. Anything you use to combat the dryness seems to cause spots and anything that you used to fight spots drys out the skin more and irritates it... geeees!

OK so after much playing about, I have found these little beauts have been working a bit of magic for me.

Cleansers

First is my Bioderma crealine micellar water. I gave into the hype and picked a bottle of this of eBay and I'm glad i did! I had been using face wipes to remove my makeup but they are just so harsh on the skin. Micellar waters intrigued me as i wanted something that would remove makeup quickly and easily but was also very gentle.  this stuff  really dose feel like water and takes off all my makeup without any irritation. I just soak a few Cotton pads in the stuff and sweep it all over the face and bam! done! The eBay i got it from has stopped selling it but there are many others selling there. I have just ran out so have just ordered a few bottles from Le guide sante.Ill let you know how that goes as they are much cheaper to buy there.http://www.leguidesante.co.uk/

Next I like a deep cleanse, and for this I use my Liz Earle hot cloth cleanser. Boy is this stuff is delish! its so rich and creamy and a dream to rub into the skin. I actually look forward to using it at the end of the day. It has a very spa like sent, it reminds me of the smell of a stem room if that makes any sense?? This gets rid of any last bit of grime (yuk) on my face and leaves it so soft. I got mine from John Lewis and it cost about 15 pounds for the 100ml bottle and some cloths http://www.johnlewis.com/147598/Product.aspx

Scrub

I have gone away from using exfoliating washes as I get I gentle exfoliating effect from my hot cloth cleanse. There are times, especially in the winter, where my skin get a bit dull and flaky and so I turn to my Ginvera marvel gel. Its a really interesting product, you massage it into your skin and after a few moments you can feel all these little bits forming and that's the dead skin coming away! I know it sound scary and a bit yuk but its not at all, it has never once made my skin sore or irritated. Its the best thing I have ever tried for getting rid of flaky skin and it makes it brighter looking too. It cost me £19 from eBay but you can get it from cult beauty too. It may seem steep but this bottle has lasted me over a year and a half so its well worth the money.

Treatments

I picked up the witch hazel night treatment gel from Boots at Christmas time and an now onto my second tube. It Helps calm my skin when I'm having a breakout with out drying the area out. I just pop it on after cleansing at night time and I always find any redness reduced by morning. I use this on the areas i ten to get spots on as a preventative measure and I find that it stops any bumps that form turning into full blown angry spots. its only 2.99 from boots. bargain!

The Caudalie beauty elixir is another one that has been doing the rounds in the blog-osphere. I wanted to try it as I claims to do so much and when you are in a bad skin rut that is just the kind of product that calls out to you... buy me buy me!

Its hard to put my finger on it, but its doing something! Just like the witch hazel gel I feel it keeps my spots from coming to surface and its lovely and refreshing. At around £9 a pop for a 30ml bottle its certainly not cheap! I added a bottle of this to my le guide sante order too as it was a lot cheaper there. I might have a scout for some cheaper alternatives but for the moment its a must for me.

In a extreme spot scenario ill reach for my panoxly gel to clear things up. I have been reaching for this much less often these days as  I think the other products are working at preventing these situations. I  have the 2,5% version but you can get versions up to 10%. This is very strong and does really dry out the skin so you have to be very careful when using it and not use too much. It does help clear my skin quicker but does make my skin a bit red and sore after. you can get this from the pharmacy counter and its only a few pounds.

Moisturiser and Toner

At the moment I have been using Oilatum natrual skin repair cream and I cant imagine using anything else. It moisturises my dry skin without being greasy and helps heal up my skin where I have marks from acne. I really love this stuff and I get mine from Salisbury's for around 6 pounds but you can get its readily available in many stores. I also love the Boots No7 soft and soothed toner. I have been using this for a while now and it does exactly what it says on the tin! I use it after cleansing and it gets rid of every last bit of cleanser and leaves my skin lovely and soft. Its 8 pounds at boots but I always stock up when Boots have their No7 5 pound off offer. 

Eyes and Lips

I have been using this vitamin E  eye cream from boots but to be honest, I'm not sure its doing much? i really want to find a nice moisturising eye cream so any recommendations would be welcome! at them moment I'm going to try use this up. For my lips I love my ELF therapeutic lip balm which only cost me 1:50 from their website here http://www.eyeslipsface.co.uk/product~prodID~24.htm.
I only use this at night as its very thing and buttery but my lips always feel lovely and soft in the morning. I do also like my Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream for dry skin and my lips but I have just ran out. boo!

So that it! have you tried any of these? what products have you been using and loving lately?


A little love
Emma x