After several years of teenage, fairly problem skin (oily, breakout and uneven skin tone) it seems to now have settled down and sorted itself out. In fact, for the last couple of years I have very rarely broken out or suffered from bad patches... phew! And I have to admit I'm not really one for complex skincare regimes, or fancy products, but I do like to take after my skin. Over the years I've tried a whole load of 'wonder' products to try and straighten out my skin, but today stick to a fairly straightforward formula. I cleanse, tone and moisturise twice a day, always remove my makeup before bed and try to keep heavy foundations and makeup to a minimum. If anything, I'm not great at moisturising... but try my best to keep my skin hydrated. I guess having slightly oily skin I'm always battling to mattify it, sometimes moisturising takes a back seat!So lets start with the basics - cleansing. I am a huge fan of Liz Earle products; natural and gentle, I love both the scent and simplicity, especially their Cleanse and Polish and Skin Tonic. Having used C&P continually for about two years or so, my skin definitely improved and became more manageable. I'm speaking in the past tense as I've been using Merumaya's Melting Cleansing Balm for the last few months (post here) which I've loved - super soft on skin, but nourishing and refreshing. I'm now in the market for a new cleanser... any recommendations?After cleansing, I spritz my face with Liz Earle Skin Tonic rather than slathering on with cotton wool. I much prefer applying it like this and it also means it lasts a lot longer, bonus! I think I bought the little spritzing bottle with a Liz Earle gift set - alternatively you could just decant it into a small bottle from Boots or something. To moisturise, I'm not really fussy - I do like Simple's Oil Balancing moisturiser for a cheap 'drug store' purchase, but recently have been using Avene's Mattifying Fluid. I picked it up in Paris on Kat's recommendation and have been really pleased with the results - a really light moisturiser which seems to help keep oil at bay. As you can tell, I usually go for something light and mattifying rather than a thick creamy moisturiser.And finally, on to the make-up. As my skin tends to be fairly blemish-free, I don't use a heavy foundation and like to keep things light and as natural as possible. I'm a big fan of Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation for those reasons, and have recently been trying out Loreal Nude Magique Eau De Teint which I love. Its super light and silky, feeling almost weightless on the skin. My only 'problem' area is the very fine skin around my eyes, on which I use a heavier concealer. To set my foundation I use Rimmel Stay Matte powder which is nothing special but does the job! I used to use loose powder (just Collection 2000) but found it clogged my skin up and gave me blackheads... I can't be entirely sure it was the powder but since changing that and nothing else my skin has got better. Strange!So that's my skincare story and heroes. What are yours?
