Skincare Routine

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I have been neglecting my skincare routine for many years now. Matter of fact, I didn't exactly have one. I would try different facial cleansers until I found one that didn't cause me to break out. I would occasionally use a a toner, as and when I felt like it, but most of the toners I've tried made my skin itchy and red so I stopped. It was always a trial and error sort of situation, and it was getting really tedious. 

Before I found my saving grace, I was using Gaia Skincare's Foaming Cleanser - I used that for the whole of 2017. The cleanser was good for my skin - in terms of sensitivity, but it never really 'cleansed' my skin if that makes any sense. It got oily again (my t-zone) after a few hours, but I figured I'd stick to it since it's the only one I can use. However, I noticed how dry my skin was, and how the redness was still there. It made me realize how simply washing my face with a cleanser wasn't enough. Therefore, one of my new year's resolution for 2018 was to start AND stick to a skincare routine. 

My goal was to find the perfect skincare routine! Perfect to me meant: oil free, reduced redness, no breakouts, hydrating, and no itch. I would be on Snapchat looking through articles (Cosmo, Buzzfeed etc) and I would scroll through Instagram (makeup brands/makeup stores) for recommendations. I would also watch my favourites Youtubers introduce their monthly favs, skincare routine etc.. 

With that, I have tried Aesop for a couple of months and Kora Organics. You can check out my Instagram highlights to see what I've said about these two products. 

I started to wonder if I would ever find anything, until I came across one of Cult Beauty's Instagram story. It was a 'Get Ready With Me' routine that was suited/recommended for a day out in Morocco in the summer - hot and humid. It was also for cruelty free + vegan brands! "Heyyyy that's what I'm looking for!" - I thought to myself. Plus kt's exactly what the weather'S like here. 

She introduced her first step, which was The electro gel cleanser by Lixirskin. It was a detoxifying cleanser that was raved by many instagrammers/influencers. BUT I couldn't seem to find their cruelty free stance anywhere, even on their website. So I gave this one a miss and decided to continue my search for 'the one'. I looked through Cult Beauty's website for similar recommendations and finally settled on Oskia London's - Renaissance Cleansing Gel. It is an illuminating vitamin melting cleanser. This cleanser looks so cool and it's unlike your usual facial cleansers. You use it BEFORE wetting your face and it took some getting use to. The cleanser melts right into your face, and it just feels amazing! It smells amazing too! (But if you dont like the feeling of coconut oil on your face, you might not like this)

Next, she used the Clarifying Moisturizer for blemish prone skin by Tata Harper. I was pretty 50/50 about using a face moisturizer because I wasn't sure if it was too sticky, but decided to take a chance. According to the lady: "This ultra-lightweight moisturiser is the reason my skin has survived the Moroccan heat without a breakout". I was sold! I took my chances and added it to cart!  After using the moisturiser for a week, I can safely say that that was the best decision I've ever made. It isn't sticky and you can barely feel it's there. My skin has gotten soooo soft, and my t-zones have stayed a whole lot less oily, which I am loving! It has a demi-matte finish which makes my skin look a little bit smoother as well. I would use one pump in the daytime, and two at night before bed. 

The next step in her routine was a sunscreen/sunblock. Ive read a number of articles that talk about how bad the sun is on our skin. Wrinkles, aging, skin cancer etc, and how we should be protecting our skin from the damages. 

She used Survival 30 by Niod (Its vegan!). Honestly, ive always hated wearing sunscreen. As a child, my mother would cover me in white and sticky layers of sunscreen that never seemed to absorb in my skin, before swimming or playing at the beach. I hated how it felt so I wasn't sure if I wanted to put myself through that again,but I gave it a shot! 

It blended very nicely into my skin, it smelt nice, it wasn't sticky at all and it acted like a very light foundation. It didn't give me any break outs and I was oil free.  

First time I tried this whole skincare routine, my face just felt cleaner, brighter, softer, and oil-free. It made my skin look so much better, and I felt more confident to go out make-up free! I have definitely found my holy-grail! 

During checkout, Cult Beauty offers free samples and I decided to try the undereye cream by Skyn Iceland (vegan). The eye cream was so light and absorbed well, but unfortunately I lost the small satchet and I wasn't even done yet! I was was trying to make that tiny packet last! But I'm actually planning to try their other products. 

The next sample I chose was Omorovicz's ultramoor mud mask but I've yet to try it! I would most likely talk about it on my ig stories so stay tuned for that! And once again, if you're curious, I did a mini unboxing on my Instagram page - watch it there!

To conclude, taking my chances on Cult Beauty was the best thing I ever did. I've now found myself a skincare routine!