Current Cleansing Routine

Let me share a little beauty blogger confession before I dive into this post - I have become so, so slack when it comes to skincare! Overall it's just the general lack of TLC that I've been missing in my routine, as I've still been double cleansing at night and enjoying it! I need to re-evaluate the treatments/lotions I'm using more than anything - I need to commit to a serum and moisturiser and stop chopping and changing between bottles! Since I'm generally content with my cleansing routine as it stands, I thought it was worth sharing, if only as a record for my own benefit.

I've just finished up a woeful eye make-up remover so am using the new Simple Kind To Skin Micellar Cleansing Water for both face and eyes, and am actually quite happy with how it is performing. I was using the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water which I love, but had seen so many glowing reviews of this that I just had to pick it up when I saw it on sale at Priceline. I pour some on a cotton round and sweep it all over my face to take off the main layer of makeup. I then smear some of the Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm all over my face before jumping into the shower. I work the balm all over my face as the water heats up (I like my showers super hot!) and then take my face cloth to remove it. I finish off my double cleanse with the Garnier Goodbye Dry Gentle Cleansing Milk - I find milk cleansers too mild to use on their own, but enjoy them after a balm or oil cleanse. The scent of this one is amazing, but I am about to finish it up so will be moving onto a new cleanser soon - is it sad that this really excites me?!

What cleansing products are in your routine right now?

Any new cleansers I should chuck into my line-up?

-Emma

 

*All of these cleansers were purchased by me. Honesty, always!

Current Favourites - April/May 2015

April and May have been a whirlwind of work, health issues and lots of hard days which I'm glad to have survived with my sanity intact! I've been using 'Maui meditation' to get me through those tough spots (aka, dreaming of the times I spend sunbaking in Maui on the honeymoon!) and playing around with some beauty bits to keep me content. I hardly ever reach for purple or mauve makeup bits but it's basically all I've wanted to wear for a while now - what is happening to me?!  

I've become a lot more interested in lip products, instead of forgetting to apply anything in the morning as I often do, I've been lining my lips with my essence lipliner 'Satin Mauve' which is a great wearable yet spunky mauve for me, or sometimes turning to the new nude in my collection, essence 'Cool Nude'. MAC 'Hot Tahiti' is something that I'm currently thrilled with - I was searching for an easy to wear red and didn't realise that it was sitting in my stash the whole time! The glaze finish and terracotta tone makes this a perfect everyday red for me and I think it will cop a beating come winter in Melbourne (though it feels like winter right now, so...)

 

I've been wearing the purple shade from my No7 Smoky Rose Quad, a gorgeous mid-tone purple with golden shimmer that reminds me of Laura Mercier 'African Violet' which is a favourite of both myself and Vita (Making Up 4 My Age) I've been pairing it with a dash of essence eyeliner 'Berry Merry' along my upper lashline and I've been loving it sick - I've finally found a purple look I can love!

I've been using Maybelline Color Tattoo 'Bad to the Bronze' daily in hopes of using it up (I probably should have entered it into my Project Use It Up now that I think about it...) and am appreciating how wonderful the shade is under so many eyeshadows - it could do with being a bit creamier at this stage of its makeup life, but I suppose that is to be expected. A newcomer into the favourite ranks is the Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm, a gorgeously plain and silky balm that has whipped my skin into shape in recent weeks.

 

What have you been loving?

-Emma

Switching up the Skincare - cleansing oils & balms

I was a little bit disappointed to get to the end of my DermalogicaPrecleanse* recently, as I really enjoyed the way it easily cleaned my makeup off and kept my skin clear until the very end of the bottle. Rather than rush out to repurchase (tempted though I was) I thought it best to use up some of my other cleansing oils/balms in order to behave as ‘normal’ people do haha fat chance! I guarantee that I will be repurchasing this in the future though!

 

The first cleansing oil I pulled out was the Sanctuary Spa Ultimate Facial Cleansing Oil, which I purchased from Priceline when the brand first hit the shelves. I was pumped to use it and adore the packaging and aesthetic of the brand, but for some reason I thought to check out the ingredients before I slapped it on my face. I was just getting over a huge upsetting breakout, so when I saw that the words ‘mineral oil’ were first on the ingredients list, I physically stepped back to think about what it might do to my skin.

I haven’t been brave enough to test it out despite the rave reviews I’ve read online, I just can’t see how an ingredient like mineral oil can be good to grumpy skin like mine. I’m not claiming to be an expert on ingredients or skincare in general, so if you want to read more about mineral oil in general I highly recommend you check out Beauty Mouth by Caroline Hirons aka the skincare queen. Hirons has spoken at length about the negative aspects of mineral oil, and I think it her blog is a must-read!

I dived into my stash to find something else to use up, and came across my half empty Antipodes Grapeseed Butter Cleanser, which is a thick balm inside a thick plastic tub. I loved using it but moved onto other things (as beauty bloggers do) in order to review for the blog, but I am really happy to come back to this. It needs to be removed with a flannel/muslin cloth and I find it really moisturising, but I’m happy to report that it doesn’t leave me oily or break me out.

Do you precleanse every day?

Do you prefer cleansing balms or cleansing oils?

*Provided for review, but that hasn’t affected my intense love for it. Thanks Dermalogica! Honesty, always.