Skincare On Trial
When the seasons change, skincare becomes the most important step in my daily routine and I tend to focus on it a lot more than I do makeup. No BB cream or Tined Moisturiser looks right on my skin if its dehydrated, dry and just plain dull so I always make sure I use the right products to give me a glow and hydrate before I splash the cash or spend time doing my makeup in the mornings. With winter approaching and the UK rapidly becoming much colder, my skin is starting to look less radiant and looks a little dehydrated so rich balms, nourishing masks, intensive eye creams and velvety toners have been a big part of my routine throughout September.
I'm almost guaranteed a dehydrated complexion every winter and my glow tends to die out and as you all know, I'm a big fan of having glowing skin so always find myself using products that promote luminous skin but protect, clean and nourish at the same time. Two brands I'm always reading about and hearing great things from, are Elemis and Eve Lom, Elemis for their masks and Eve Lom for the famous cleansing balm that us bloggers seem to love. Teaming up with Fragrance Direct meant I had the chance to give some products a go from the brand and with FD having an immense selection and an incredible brand list, I managed to get my hands on some goodies that have become staples in my A/W skincare routine.
To kick start my day, I clean my face in the morning with my Eve Lom Morning Time Cleanser* which is a cleansing balm that removes any excess oil or dirt that has built up on the skin over night. I massage the thick balm into my skin in circular motions to really make sure I'm getting into the pores and drawing out any nasties. With plant oils and papaya enzyme extract, this provides nourishment to the skin and really wakes up the face in a refreshing way. This is the perfect way to clean your face in the morning as the balm rinses off quickly with warm water and doesn't leave any residue or stickyness to the skin, allowing you to go in with your next skincare step straight away. I tend to go in with this on dry skin so I can really work it in before removing with water to reveal a more radiant, cleaner and awake looking complexion. If my skin is feeling particularly grubby after a day in makeup then I'll go in with this in the evening too as it simply melts makeup off your face.
Once I've removed my cleanser with warm water and muslin cloth, I tone to make sure all impurities are gone and my face is super fresh ready for moisturiser and makeup. The toner I have been using non stop this month is the Elemis Soothing Apricot Toner*, a fruit scented toner that boosts radiance and keeps skin looking healthy. This gentle lotion helps to refresh tired, sensitive skin that needs a pick me up in the mornings. If I'm in need of some serious cooling down and refreshment then I simply spritz this straight onto my face or for more of a clean, I spray two pumps onto a damp cotton pad and swipe it all over, removing any remaining cleanser or unwanted oil that built up over night.
Mid week masks are my new favourite thing, there's nothing quite like sitting in bed with a candle burning and catching up on my favourite blogs with a face mask on. For an instant skin pick me up, the Elemis Fruit Active Rejuvenating Mask* is idyllic. The strawberry and kiwi fruit extracts nourish and restore dull complexions to something that appears youthful and has a lit from within glow about it. I apply a thick layer of the creamy make when my skin is feeling tired and leave it on for about 20 minutes, until it's all sunk in and feels ready to be removed, either with warm water of my Elemis Toner. The results after you've removed this mask are awesome, my skin instantly feels plump, looks healthy and is illuminated.
Have you tried any Eve Lom or Elemis skincare?