Hello! It's been some time since I last posted a mix and match post and I have never really talked about my skincare routine at all. So I decided in December it's finally time to write it. I couldn't post it sooner so I finally managed to talk about these goodies now. As you can see some of the photos still have a little bit of a christmas tree in the background... ups.. And so here is my current skincare cleansing routine. In this post I will talk about the products I use to keep my skin clean, how I use them and how much, the running order and such... Just products to keep my skin clean, no actual skincare in the sense of creams and serums and such. If you will like this post or find it interesting I will prepare another one where I will be talking about everything else I use in my skincare routine.
One of the products I loved last year and has now come to an end is by Oriflame and it's Milk& Honey Cleansing milk. This milk is actually meant for for dry to very dry skin but I was using it anyway, even though my skin type is actually oily to mixed skin. I find this product very gentle, very easy to use and effective! I love the gentle honey scent, not too overpowering and agressive, not too gentle. I also loved the texture of this product as I could just rub it all over my face or use it with a cotton pad and apply it. It has just the right consistency, it's not that runny as other cleansing milks I have tried so far, its more rich and creamy, still not too thick. It comes in a plastic bottle, containing 200 ml, which is a normal size for such a product. Once opened it should be used up in 12 months. I also like that it has a pump dispenser which makes it easier to use. Now that this is almost at an end, there is still a little bit of product still inside, I keep it upside down and than just shake what's left of it on to a cotton pad. So you can actually finish the product completely, without throwing any away. I find this cleansing milk to be one of the best I have tried so far (although I have not tried many, but still). It does the job really well, my skin feels smooth and gentle, no negative reaction to the product, it removes my foundation very well and also my eye makeup, especially my mascara (I don't use waterproof mascara). How I use it? This is actually my first step in my cleansing routine - before anything else I will go over my face with a cotton pad or two and this product and try to gently remove the top layer of my makeup.
When I noticed I am running low on the cleansing milk I started using Kozmetika Afrodita Mandelj naravno olje / Almond natural oil. Before this one I tried the L'Occitane Shea one and loved it so I thought, as that one is pretty expensive let's try a cheaper alternative. And this one also performs just as well! This is again, meant for dry and sensitive skin and not exactly for my skin type, but it worked for me as well. As the name already suggest it's an oil, so you can expect what kind of consistency it will have, however I find it very nourishing and gentle and I love that it's got a very gentle scent to it, almost can't sense it at all. As this is usually used as the first step in my cleansing routine, this or the cleasing milk and than come other products, I can not say if this leaves my skin feeling greasy or not as I wash it off. I can tell you that I tend to use this just strainght on with my fingers, massage my face all over with the oil and than use my cleansing gel to wash it off. If I see any of my mascara still under my eyes and around the eye area I use a cotton pad, apply a bit of the oil and go over my eyes with it. It's a really gentle remover and causes me no irritations, plus it performs just as well as any other makeup remover I have had before (makeup removers specially designed for removing eye makeup). Some people also use coconut oil but I find that coconut oil clogs my pores and causes me more acne so I don't use it on my face. The bottle of this oil is simple, plastic, has a nice design, contains 150 ml of product and you just pour it out, no need for a dispenser system. Not to get me wrong - I use either this oil or the cleansing milk, I don't use both at once, but both are used as the first step, before I do anything else.
My current cleaning gel is by BioBaza and it's theirs Clean - it - all! face wash with parsley, borage and vitamin E. I was actually planning a full post for this one, but never managed it, so I will present it here. BioBaza is available at Muller stores and is one of the natural cosmetics, though on the packaging I can not see all of the needed certificates (symbols), but it's got written ECOCERT certified, 100% organic, free of paraben, sodium lauryl sulphate, alcohol preservatives, colors and perfumes and than 96% natural origin. I will not judge them, as I loved the product, but mostly this is sold as natural cosmetics. I think this costs about 7 euros for a bottle of 200 ml. It says it's a face wash but it's actually more a gel with silky, light texture and a unique composition, consisting of parsley seed extract, borage oil and vitamin E, which gently removes impurities, reduces pores and makes your skin look smooth. It also promises to be suitable for all skin types. However due to the strong scent this has and the texture and effect it's got on my skin, I would say this is not suitable for those with very dry and sensitive skin. I find the product very strongly scented and though it doesn't bother me it might not suit you. The texture of this is a bit on the runny side and doesn't foam or get any more creamy when introduced to water, but still does the job very well! I like that it makes my skin feel very smooth, causes me no irritations, no redness or dry feeling during or after use. However I feel that on it's own, without the help of my cleansing milk or makeup remover oil this wouldn't get my face clean enough and wouldn't remove all of my makeup. I am currently out of micellar solutions otherwise I would have included them as well, as they are also step one in my cleansing routine, but this face wash is my step two and usually after these two steps my skin is really clean!
Sometimes my step two is a cleansing foam by KRASNA. I don't use this every day as I must admit this cleansing foam did not impress me that much. I like to use it in the morning, if I feel like my skin is not too greasy. Otherwise in the morning I would use only BioBaza face wash or AlpStories Sage & Mint Cleansing Gel. That's kinda enough considering I just woke up and don't need to remove a lot of makeup and everything else from my face. Krasna has a couple of products I really love, like their toner that I have repurchased a million times now and just fits me so well. But this cleansing foam kinda dissapointed me as it doesn't get the job done as it's supposed to, especially at my evening routine when it's supposed to wash off all my makeup and it doesn't perform that well at that. Otherwise it's a gentle cleanser, has a lovely lavander scent to it. Still for the price of about 7 to 8 euros you get 160 ml plastic transparent bottle with a pump dispenser and it's a good deal, but maybe better for those with normal to mixed skin type as to me I feel like this doesn't get my skin as clean as the AlpStories cleansing gel or BioBaza face wash. It doesn't cause me any reactions or irritations, it is gentle but just doesn't leave my skin with a fresh, clean feeling I prefer. Still it's a good product to use in the morning and I actually moved this product to my parents house so I can use it there, when I sleep over, as in my apartment I just never used it as much and it didn't get much love. So this cleansing foam can be a step one in the mornings and also step two in my evening routine, but I never use this as well as a face wash or cleansing gel, only one of these.
The second product I am currently using by KRASNA is a really loved one and has been repurchased many times - refreshing toner with lavander and tea tree. As I am writing this it's already empty and it makes me soo sad! I knew I had to buy more while I still had the 50% off at DM store, but I was like, nooo, one will be enough.. yep, for one month maybe. :( This toner is meant for more oily skin and suits me very well. Tea tree helps you balance your function of sebaceous glands, has antiseptic properties which is great if you want to eliminate acne and calms your skin. The only downside of this product is that you get 200 ml in a plastic transparent bottle with a silver twist on cap for 12 - 13 euros. Which I personally find quite a lot since I use a bottle in about a month. If I were to repurchase this regularly this would cost me a fortune. Anyway, I love this toner and I have already posted a full review here, but I will not be repurchasing so soon yet, I will wait for another discount bonus :P I use this product in the morning as well as in the evening and it comes as step three in my routine. I usually apply this with a cotton pad but I could just spray it on and save it a bit, use it for a longer time but I never got around to pour it into another container with a spray pump on top.
Before purchasing the KRASNA toner and now that I have already used it up, I was regularly using Melvita Damask Rose floral water as a toner. So this product used to be my step two in my morning routine and step three in my evening routine or better to say it has returned! I wanted to save it up a bit, as I really loved to use it so I bought another toner by KRASNA and also, as mentioned above, already used it up. I only have the small size, the 50 ml one and I really like it, so I will probably repurchase it as soon as possible. It's a floral water with Damask Rose extract and it's meant more for a mature skin type, but as I have read at other beauty bloggers and at other user comments, this can be used by anyone who likes the rose scent and doesn't have any special sensitivity to such extracts and other sensitive skin problems. This can be applied to your face and neck, but I usually just spray it all over my face. Lately I got used to spraying it in three small dots, on both of my cheeks and my forehead and than I redistrubute it using my fingers and gently applying it all over my face, Since it's got a spray pump it lasts me a lot longer than it would if I were to use cotton pads. This is also recommended to be used as a calming product after sunbathing. As it's great at hydrating and regenerating it's suitable for almost any skin type really. The price for 50 ml is 7,50 euros, which is quite normal.
You must be wondering if I ever use any exfoliating products or peelings. I do, just not every day and so I am talking about this last product at the end. I am currently using up Noemie Cosmetics Gentle Exfoliating Cream with plant extracts. I think I have two or three uses still in the packaging and than.. hmm.. will see, I still have a couple of peelings at home I want to use up. I will not talk about this one at length, as I have already posted about it here. Still, I have to admit that this exfoliating cream became one of my favourites from the bunch I got to test and review. It really does the job well, it's gentle and doesn't irritate my skin at all. It suits me and I like that it's soo creamy and actually meant for all skin types. I must admit that even though I have oily to mixed skin and sometimes dehydrated skin I don't use a lot of anti-shine, anti-oily skin products as they never seemed to really work for me in the sense they would dramatically change my skin and it wouldn't be so oily anymore. I prefer to use gentle products especially considering cleansing products as I don't like the feeling I usually get with products meant for oily skin - I feel my skin is red and hot and irritated and feels dry or even tightening and such and even after I apply my oils or serums or creams I still feel my skin very tight and immovable under the cream. So this exfoliating cream is yet another example this type of products suits me way better than regular products for oily and acne prone skin. The only problem I have with this cream is that's it's kinda expensive for a 60 ml plastic tube, priced at 26,23 euros or at the moment reduced to 18,73 euros. As for oils, serums, creams and such I try to find and use the right one for my skin type, but with cleansing products I really tend to stick with those that feel nice on my skin and that actually don't cause me any more problems than I already have. The only product mentioned here that is actually meant for my skin type is probably the AlpStories cleansing gel and it performs so amazingly I have already repurchased it twice! And the KRASNA refreshing toner!
So these are the products I am currently using! If you have read through all of this you know that some of these are already empty. For example I finished the BioBaza face wash and I am again back to my beloved AlpStories Cleansing Gel Sage & Mint. If you have any recommendations what else I should use or what I should try let me know in the comments, I really like to read what other people like to use and how it suits them!
Also, if you liked this post let me know and I will prepare two more, where I will be talking about my skincare routine concerning my serums, oils and creams I use and a separate post for all the face masks I love to use and which ones are my favourites!
I hope this post was helpful to you!
Thanks for reading!
Love, UniqaPoly
