How you came to settle on your skin care routine ...

[Hinna]

I don't really have a proper skin care routine :-/ I use a variety of products - pull out random moisturisers/scrubs etc from my skincare stash as and when needed. Nothing specific though or regular.

I'm looking to purchase the following to start taking care of my skin -

- A face wash to use in the morning when I wake up and also at night after I have taken my make-up off with my cleansing oil.

- A moisturiser (one for day, one for night - or maybe one for both)

- An eye cream

I'd appreciate your input on a few different levels

I am 19 years old with normal skin that scars easily if I do get spots from the time of the month. I'm not looking for anything with anti-ageing properties and all that jazz. Just basic products to keep my skin nourished, and clean and healthy. If you have any specific recommendations, i'd love to hear them.

I have been trying to read around to decide what products to go for, but with so much choice, its an endless task! How did you come to settle on a skin care routine that worked for you? I mean, did you go by recommendations, or simply try lots of different things to finally find something?

Price is no object when it comes to the right product, but trying expensive things to find they don't work ... not so good.

Any help or guidance to help me build my staple skincare routine and work from there would be really wonderful, i'm just at a bit of a loss where to start. Many thanks

x

 

[monniej]

if your skin is normal and rather sensitive i would suggest cetaphil cleanser. it's very gental and many ladies on this board use it. it's also recommended by dermatologists. if you wear makeup i would also suggest a toner. maybe one of the other ladies can rec one for you. i use stridex pads for sensitive skin because i'm prone to breakouts. it works well as a gentle exfoliant and toner. for moisturizers i like aveeno skin brightening moisturizer. it's oil free and has spf 15. hope this helps!

 

[magosienne]

basically i try every product available for my skintype, and keep those that work for me. i use thermal water as a toner, works great, especially for sensitive skins or to set your mineral foundation

.

for the eyecream, you can try Nivea Aqua Sensation. it's anti puffiness and dark circles, and pretty cheap. does the job, but don't expect miracles.

as you're 19 i would also suggest you try to buy a moisturizer with spf. sunscreen should be for now your only antiaging product.

 

[enyadoresme]

i just cleanse &exfoliatee,tone,moisturize that's it

 

[monniej]

i guess i've gone through much trial and error to come up with my regime. the truth is that i'm always willing to try something new to improve the process.

 

[Kathy]

I don't use Cetaphil, but I've heard good things about it. I use the OCM and I second a toner. I have used Clinique Clarifying Lotion for years. They have 4 levels depending on your skin type and they can recommend the right one for you. For a moisturizer I use Lancome for high end and I like Aveeno for drugstore. I haven't found an HG for eye cream, but I'm still looking. I'm using Clinique Repairwear right now and it's not bad. I kind of experiment alot myself and just keep using what seems to work. hth

 

[Solimar]

I have normal, yet acne prone skin...and I settled on a regimen that was gentle, didn't cause me to break out and did everything I needed.

I use Cetaphil cleanser, which is awesome, and will never be without it. After that I use a preventative treatment for my skin, usually Differin or Clindamycin. I use Complex 15 or Neutrogena Oil Free Moisturizer's, (Complex 15 in the winter, Neautrogena in the summer) and I use Signature Club A eye cream. I got all of my products (except for acne treatments) based off of reviews. You do have to try to see what works best for you.

As for recs, more than anything, I STRONLY recommend Cetaphil cleanser and moisturizer -- they are awesome products!

 

[empericalbeauty]

I dont have a routine down yet because I normally see something i like that works and add it to my skin care routine. but i wash with black soap, sometimes tone with witch hazel, and currently moisturize with grapeseed oil mixed with tea tree oil. I alternate moisturizers, though. I sometimes use shea butter or squalene.

 

[SalJ]

I use Liz Earle's stuff. It was recommended to me and it really is lovely, my skin has never felt better and it has pretty much cured me of my horrible dry forehead!!

 

[cait]

Trial and error! I've found my skin to be very sensitive and easily dried out by cleansers. Right now I use cold cream as a makeup remover, a creamy cleanser, a gentle toner, and then a light lotion and/or spot drying cream if I need it. Every few days I mix a little baking soda in with my cleanser to exfoliate. And once a month I use a cleanser that's a little stronger & has BPO to help with the once-a-month breakout I always go thru.

My advice would be to start with drugstore linesm experiment and find what you feel good about, and then step up from there if you think you can get better quality. I highly recommend Neutrogena's cleansers, I've used them for the last few years.

 

[SewAmazing]

Believe it or not, I used a lot of the good, but cheap, advice on this forum. I need things that are quick, inexpensive, and effective. I'm low maintenance, so I don't want too many products to have to buy or constantly haul around. I've learned from a lot of the ladies critiques, that the most expensive products don't always bring the results they claim. Baking soda, and apple cider vinegar are my skin staples now.. The rest is make-up and hopefully flattering lighting! LOL

 

[YourOneAndOnly]

I currently use the Clinique liquid facial soap, clarifying lotion, and a moisturizer by DDF. Clinique has really helped my skin. I just choose not to use their moisturizer cause i've found something that is more effective which is the DDF oil free moisturizing dew. It's kind of expensive. Oh well, it works

Have you tried Simple skincare products? They are really nice and gentle, too. And they are available everywhere in the UK and not very expensive either but are fragrance free and non-irritating.. and work! I hope you find something that works for you, sometimes it aint an easy task

 

[Jesskaa]

I'd like to suggest cetaphil. I use it & I love it.

 

[Kemper]

Its taken me solid years of trial, error, researching, looking into and reading about hundreds (I'm not joking, hundreds: Cleansers, supplements, pre-cleanse treatments, face masks, facial treatments, cloth masks, clarifying lotions, oil control lotions, pore minimizers, cleansers, toners, moisturisers, 2-in-1s, home made products...) of products for me to reach my current routine, which is made up of pure gold, if I do say so myself

I'm actually about your age, with fussy, oily but extremely sensitive skin. Its prone to acne, blackheads, allergies, shine, and any number of skin conditions, including chronic hives. Most products send my skin into a frenzy, but my fabulous team is now made up of:

Dermalogica. I can honestly settle for anything within this company, and I'll be fine. Their products are gentle and effective, the only brand that I've found has sensitivity and gentleness in mind with EVERY product. I love the Daily Microfoliant, simply because its not grainy! They also have a sunblock which I worship, being quite intolerant to most sunblocks.

Babyface, by LUSH: This is a solid cleanser bar, that you use sort of like a soap, except its oily. It leaves my skin feeling soft and comfortable, its gorgeous. You let the oils melt under hot water, rub them on your face and rinse. Its gentle, soothing and shaped like a little face!

Ultrabland, by LUSH: Is very similar to Babyface, except that its in a tub, and can remove just about any kind of makeup known to Kemper (That's all of it, trust me!). This darling is a bit harder to remove, but can remove just about ANYTHING. I mix it with sugar, and it makes a gorgeous, soft, smooth but grainy scrub.

Moogoo Oil Cleanser: This is my current favourite, a gem I found only recently, which has actually managed to shrink my pores (Which no other product has done for me). All of its ingredients are simple and pure, and its the best cleanser my skin has ever tried (And yes, I do use oil on my oily skin!). I'm not sure if Moogoo ship overseas, but if you drop them an email, they've always been very sweet, polite and prompt when responding to inquiries.

I actually found these products once I knew my skin well enough to understand what it needed. Its stupid to look at skin as one individual problem (pimples, aging), when I think the general health is most important (You're on the right track, darling!). Stripping my skin, scrubbing and loading it up with product, as much as I thought it would help my acne, actually did nothing but make things worse. Skin deserves better than harsh treatment and chemical slop.

 

[NYCSusie]

I had bought everything under the sun for years. I never really had a specific routine. I used expensive to drug store products kinda the same way you are. I was having so much trouble with my skin, it was oily and dull, no life to it and loads of scars from my younger acne days. But my sister in law turned me on to a great routine, the name brand is bee luscious cosmetics I use .

Papaya Foam wash

skin vitality mineral mist

hydrating cream concentrate ( both day and night)

retexturizing primer

foundation

its a great natural product line, its only avail. on line thorugh bee royal proiducts.

Good luck I hope this helps you in your decision.

 

[blkchinky_01]

i use cuticura cucumber daily facial wash and use a toothbrush to exfoliate my skin with, then i use a cleanser (vera moore Purifying Pore Cleanser for Combination/oily skin) and i use ponds oil absorbing cream afterwards, because i have combination skin and using no face lotion leaves me with dry skin, and using facial lotions leave me too oily so i started using ponds because of my grandmother and mum..lol..they're my suppliers

 

[eraser]

I don't have a set routine either but I could recommend a cleanser that I've started using about a month ago. it's Johnson's baby Top to toe wash. It's gentle and one of the few cleanser that doesn't irritate my skin. It's dirt cheap too. Actually I discovered that many people use it as a face wash. You can check the reviews at makeupalley. HTH

 

[chiffonhead]

morning routine:

wash with Bliss foaming face wash

Philosophy Hope in a Tube eye cream or Kiehl's Abyssine eye cream

Dove moisturizer with spf

night routine:

wash with Pond's cleansing cloth

Philosophy Hope in a Tube eye cream or Kiehl's Abyssine eye cream

La Mer or Dove's Pro-Age rich night cream