My skincare regime

Hiya pickles!

Up until a few weeks ago I was taking my skin for granted. I've not got too bad skin for a 39 year old, but I wasn't exactly doing much to keep it that way. I have been impressed by Tattooed Tealady's devotion to skincare at relatively tender age and it made me realise I needed to step up my game.

So here's what I'm using:

Bioderma - won in a blog competition. Not CF. Available from sellers such as Escentual from £9.99 in this size (250ml).

Organic Surge cleanser - CF. £5.99 for 200ml. 

Simple toner - CF. Widely available from most supermarkets and chemists. About £2.99 for 200ml.

Paula's choice exfoliant - CF. £23 for 100ml.

Organic Surge moisturiser - CF. £8.99 for 50ml.

Nivea night cream - CF. Widely available from most supermarkets and chemists. About £3.99 for 50ml.

Morning

I only use Bioderma in the morning if I wake up with make up residue on my face. I cleanse, tone, then apply the Paula's Choice exfoliant in circular motions across my face avoiding my eyes and mouth. I leave it on while I clean my teeth (my electric toothbrush has a two minute timer) then wipe it off gently with a damp warm flannel. Then I apply the Organic Surge moisturiser.

Evening

If I wore make up in the day I remove it with Bioderma and cotton wool. Then I cleanse, tone, and use the Nivea night cream.

Tips

There are other things you can do to keep your skin looking healthy.

1. Drink lots of water.
2. Get a sweat on - sweating opens pores and gives you a natural glow. If you can't exercise enough to get your glow on through sickness or disability, steam your face once a week. As long as you clean and moisturise your face ASAP after sweating, you'll reap the benefits.
3. Change your top pillowcases once a week. We sweat a huge amount in bed and dirty pillowcases can lead to facial imperfections. Since I've been doing this I've had far less spots.
4. When you apply products to your face, use gentle circular motions and give your face a massage as you go. It'll improve blood flow and make you look vital and healthy.
5. When you take off make up and cleanser, try to use upward movements. Avoid dragging down on the face wherever possible. Gravity has its own effects on the face as we age so don't give it any help. Jowls look best on bloodhounds, not people. ;)
6. When you dry your face after a bath or shower, dab your face dry rather than rubbing it, and make sure your towel is clean. You wouldn't put dirty underwear back on after a shower so it makes sense to dab your face dry with a fresh towel.

I'll be doing a dedicated post to the Paula's Choice exfoliant soon, as it's already got rid of all the blackheads from my nose.  Since I've been paying more care and attention to my skin I've had NO dry patches at all, my pores have shrunk and my skin just looks better. I took photos of my skin last week (but not before beginning my regime, duh!) and will take some more in another couple of weeks and I will do a post if there's a noticeable difference that you can spot without needing the Hubble telescope (some things just don't translate on camera) but hopefully these changes will!

Do you have a good skincare regime in place? Do you have any skin care tips you want to share?

Thanks for reading.