I was not entirely sure what type of skin I had until I started working in Lush cosmetics. This
is where I had training about their skincare products and began to learn more about my
own skin type.
Before working in Lush, I was not really into skincare and didn’t have a specific daily routine but the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown changed it all. Because of the restrictions, I found I had too much time on my hands and began becoming more interested in playing around with skincare as as a result.
Previously I always thought my skin was dry but noticed that it had a tendency to get oily under my eyes and on my forehead. After learning more about skincare and observing my skin in different weather, at difference times of the day and through the changing of seasons, I found that I actually had combination skin.
Over the last few years I didn’t have much of a skincare routine, being a university student I found sticking to a regimented skincare schedule tricky with my high amount of workload. I was mainly using products from Cerave like cleanser and moisturiser, and La Roche
Posay SPF. Unfortunately, I found these products (apart from the cleanser) very heavy
for my skin which resulted in it being more greasy than usual. Due to not being 100%
consistent with my skincare, some of the products passed their expiration date without
me being unaware, which lead to breakouts and me wanting to desperately find some products that worked well for my skin.
Current Products and Routine
This year I finally started experiment with my skincare more, I began to not be scared
of trying out various skincare in the hopes I would find the right routine for me through trial and error.
Thankfully, I have a really close friend who also became very interested in skincare during
lockdown and every time I need advice I could go to her. She suggested some products for me to try and test and here is my honest opinions on how they have helped my combination skin!
Cleanser
The first step in my skincare routine is cleanser. This refreshes the face and gets rid of any lingering dirt that remains.
The most recent cleanser I have tried is the Aveeno Nourishing Oat Cleanser.
I am still using Aveeno nourishing oat cleanser to this day, mainly in the
morning when I’m getting ready to go to work, and find it very nourishing. It’s a very nice first step before moisturiser, especially now we’re into autumn and winter when our skin is prone to drying out.
My skin is always fresh and smooth after using this cleanser, however one of it’s attributes is preserving the skin’s moisture barrier which I I worry may result in my skin feeling oily. So far this product has worked wonderfully but I’m not yet convinced that it will hold up as a great cleanser for combination skin with constant daily use.
In the evenings I tend to switch up the Aveeno Cleanser with the Cerave Cleansing Bar. I personally think that this cleansing bar works so much better as it is in a form of soap, and no stripping foam is good for oily skin.
I use it mainly in evening after a day of being exposed to impurities and dirt in the air. The only downside of this cleansing bar is that for me personally, it’s impractical. I definitely prefer bottled cleansers with a pump. On the other hand, this cleanser is environmentally friendly with limited packaging and lasts for quite long as a little goes a long way.
The application method itself is simple, you basically use it as a soap for your face et voila – clean skin. However, I did find you have to wash your face very thoroughly after using it as I found sometimes when putting serum on my face afterwards, there was still some leftover residue from the cleanser.
After washing my face with the CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser Bar my face feels very clean and fresh. This product works well but next time I’d like to try the CeraVe Foam Cleanser as the pump bottle allows an easier application.
Serums
I had never used serums until 12 months ago when I bought my first product from Inkey List serums, but because my skincare routine was so sporadic at the time these ended up reaching their use-by date and resulted in a break out.
This year I came across a very visually appealing line of serums in Boots. The brand is BYOMA and I have to confess that I chose these based solely on their packaging .. the selling power of marketing alone is difficult to beat. In fact I often pick products based of the look of their packaging alone (I’m a graphic designer so I just can’t help it!). They have got three serums in nice minimalistic colourful bottles that would attract anyone who loves anything aesthetically pleasing.
I’m currently using two of these serums – the Brightening Serum in the morning and Clarifying Serum in the evening.
The reason I opted for these two specifically (besides the packaging) is that my skin is
also fairly blemish prone and has spots quite regularly. My hope is that the Clarifying Serum I use in the evening will be a solution to this, although it’s currently too soon to see the results. I’ll certainly report back here if BYOMA’s product turns out to be a game changer for me.
BYOMA Clarifying Serum
I must say that the liquid is very runny so it can be a bit of a struggle to spread and press it over the face evenly, although the product does absorb into the skin very quickly. I thought I’d try the Brightening Serum mainly out of curiosity, just to see if it will really do all the things it claims to do.
One of these claims is to be a “brightening essential for radiant, glowing skin”. I’ve always longed for glowing radiant skin so thought it was worth a try. I have to say that the brightening serum is not as runny as the clarifying one and it’s a lot easier and practical to apply it to your skin. I’ve been using this product for over three weeks now and I can definitely see small changes, my skin looks less dull and more bright.
BYOMA Brightening Serum
Moisturiser
I started using a new moisturiser very recently – the E.L.F. Holy Hydration moisturiser. I didn’t choose this moisturiser by myself bet was recommended to use it by a colleague.
I was looking for something light, not heavy, but my colleague advised that with the seasons changing and the colder weather I should go for something a bit heavier. I have to admit, I have used light gel moisturiser once before and found that there really wasn’t sufficient moisturising effect which led to my skin drying out very quickly. Therefore I was on the fence with this, but as I would have rather oily (moisturised) looking skin than dry skin I went for the E.L.F moisturiser in the end.
The E.L.F. Holy Hydration Face Cream is really very similar to the Aveeno Oat moisturiser I was using before. It doesn’t seem very heavy at all and I would say that my skin is hydrated just enough with this product. Again, it’s too soon to see any real result but I am satisfied so far as it is not hugely different to what I was comfortably using before.
Sunscreen
Nobody should ever leave their house without applying SPF first. I have tried SO many SPFs
before but they always left my skin feeling extra oily and greasy. This year I went for
Garnier SPF from their Ambre Solaire range. I chose Garnier Ambre Solaire Ultra-Light Sensitive Sun Protection Face Fluid SPF50+
Every morning I apply their Super UV Protection Fluid which is very similar to the La Roche
Posay one, but this one is more matte. My skin still looks greasy but as it balances well with
the protection I’m getting I’m not too unhappy about it. The Ambre Solaire Super UV is a very practical product and given the fact that the liquid is suppled in a fairly small bottle, it lasts quite well.
Final Thoughts
I’m still trying to explore and experiment with products to find a happy medium that won’t leave my skin too greasy or too dry. I’m satisfied with my skincare so far as I am still in process of exploring the results, but since I started doing my skincare regularly and using these products my skin has got visibly better .. it has less spots and imperfections now and looks very clean!
It still might be a little oily but this is something I feel will always be a problem due to my skin type. Having some oil and little spots from time to time is all normal for healthy skin so overall I’m quite happy with my new skincare regime and the products I’ve discovered that work for me.
