New Year, New Skincare Routine

-If a product is marked with an * then it is a PR sample. This post contains no sponsored content-

I’m really trying to be more mindful when I buy products this year and also really consider what I'm sent via PR for potential feature and reviews to reduce my plastic waste. I’m also trying to stop spending money on things that I don’t really need when I already have similar products already in. So with it being the new year and because I've been bored out of my mind whilst being stuck in the house I’ve decided to switch up my skincare routine a little. I recently spent an afternoon sorting through my skincare stash and I pulled out some products which are either almost empty, I want to give another chance as well as a few products which are probably expiring soon, so I guess you could say I’ve kind of ‘shopped my skincare stash’. So in today’s post, I’m talking about what's in my current routine and how I’ve been getting on with them. 

First up is obviously cleansers and Dermalogica’s Active Clay Cleanser* is such a good cleanser if you have oily and/or spot prone skin. Its mineral-rich formula helps to balance out oily skin without drying it out like some clay cleansers do. When my skin is acting up more than usual I can usually see a difference within a few days of using this and I really like the citrusy scent as well.

I’ve been using Revolution’s Cleansing Milk Jelly for about a year now as a gentle everyday kind of cleanser and I think it's a very close dupe to Glossier’s Milky Jelly Cleanser but cheaper. However, I’ve switched it out for now as I received some Soap & Glory products from one of my auntie’s at Christmas including their Peaches & Clean Deep Cleansing Milk and I’ve been using it as a kind of gentle daily cleanser when my skin is acting fairly normal and it leaves my skin feeling super clean and soft. 

I’ve also been using the new PMD Clean Pro Silver* recently which has a vibrating cleansing brush on one side which creates 7,000 vibrations per minute and a patent-pending ActiveWarmth pure Silver-plated facial massager on the other side to help massage serums into your skin to help them be more effective and absorb deeper into the skin. There are 4 different mode settings to choose from (gentle vibration, intense vibration, gentle pulsation and intense pulsation) and because it's made from hygienic silicone, the PMD Clean Pro Silver (and the other PMD Clean products available) are odour resistant, antibacterial, hypoallergenic and waterproof. The PMD Pro Silver is also rechargeable which is super handy. It is an investment with it being £179 (however you can pay it off in instalments if you wish to) but I do feel like I can see the benefits when using PMD devices. I continued to use my PMD Clean Pro Rose Quartz* after I reviewed it back in 2019 and I would 100% still recommend it but at the moment the PMD Clean Pro Silver is the one that's on my skincare shelf.

A product that I need to try and use up before it expires in a few months is the REN Perfect Canvas Clean Jelly Oil Cleanser. I do quite like this, however, I’ve barely used it since buying it because I’ve obviously not really been wearing makeup that often and that's the whole point of the cleanser. You massage the oil cleanser (it's kind of like a balm) onto dry skin to loosen up your makeup, add water which then turns the cleanser into a milky consistency and then remove it with a warm flannel. Also although the product works really well at removing your makeup and I like the fruity scent, I do feel like it leaves a slightly tacky feeling after using it so I'm still kind of on the fence on whether I'd repurchase it for that reason.

For treatment kind of products I've pulled out the Pixi Clarity Tonic, Soap & Glory Scrub In The Fast Lane 2 Minute Facial Peel & Polish* and the Tropic's Pure Lagoon Blemish Prevention Serum*. 

The Pixi Clarity Tonic sounded perfect for my skin with it containing Salicylic, Lactic and Glycolic Acid which is why I bought it shortly after it was released, however, after using it every other day for a week or so I noticed that I was getting really painful under the skin spots on my chin and forehead so I stopped using it because it was the only new product I was trying out at the time. I don't know if it was just coincidence or if it was just hormone/stress-related but I do feel like maybe the tonic was bringing all of the rubbish in my pores to the surface and I was dealing with skin purging. Anyway, it wasn't fun and I was literally finding it hard to get comfortable when I was trying to sleep because the spots were raging so I stopped using it and I've not picked it up again since. However, I've decided I'm going to give it a try again soon (if I dare haha!). 

I've also pulled out Soap & Glory's Scrub In The Fast Lane 2 Minute Facial Peel & Polish which I think is supposed to be kind of a dupe to Pixi's Peel and Polish which I love. It's not exactly the same and doesn't give me the same results as the original Peel and Polish but it does leave my skin feeling soft and looking a little brighter. I don't even know why I haven't been using this more since I got it, I think I just put it in one of my skincare drawers accidentally and forgot about it.

I also want to try and use up my Tropic Blue Lagoon Blemish Prevention Serum* before it expires, I already use it quite a lot but I use it more like a spot treatment and it doesn't seem to be going down very quickly which I guess is good because it is quite pricey at £42. I'm also using a couple of other serums too, mostly Vitamin C to try and help brighten up my skin.

Because I rediscovered LUSH's Mask of Magnaminty Face Mask last year, I've kind of abandoned my other face masks because obviously, LUSH face masks have a shorter shelf life and I want to try and make sure I use it up before it expires, so I'm going to try and use some of the face masks which I've abandoned such as the Funderm NO DRAMA Red Clay Mask* which is actually a fab face mask for oily/combination skin types as it purifies and balances your skin, treats pimples and breakouts, brightens dark spots and helps to maintain your skin elasticity and it also smells really nice too. 

Lastly is the Origins Ginzing Energy-Boosting Gel Moisturiser which isn't the only moisturiser I'm using at the minute as I'm kind of working my way through a few and getting rid of the ones that I'm not getting on with (I really struggle to find moisturisers that work for me) but the Origins Ginzing Moisturiser is almost all gone and I think it's a great moisturiser to use in the morning because it really does wake up your skin.

What's currently in your skincare routine?

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