Daily Skincare Routine

Last month was the first month after I cancelled my Glossybox subscription, and judging by the contents, I didn't miss out on anything much, other than a prettier than normal box. I did miss putting together my monthly Glossybox review, however, and I thought about writing a post about the new beauty products I have bought in the past month, but my only new product is the Max Factor Eye Brightening Mascara for Blue Eyes, which has a really nice navy blue colour but which became clumpy within only a couple of weeks of opening.

Instead, I thought I'd do a quick outline of my daily skincare routine. I'm pretty fickle with make-up, but I'm very fussy about what I put on my face, so these are the products I find work best for my oily-combination but slightly sensitive skin.

Products in my daily skincare routine

• Cleanser: Balance Me Pure Skin Face Wash for normal to combination skin. I got a sample of this free in a magazine and liked it enough to repurchase (Waitrose are currently doing 25% off Balance Me products). I use it with a Liz Earle muslin cloth and it makes my skin feel properly cleansed without being overly drying. £16 for 125 ml.
• Toner: Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic. I got this free the last time I bought a Hot Cloth Cleanser from Liz Earle (which I really like, but from which I'm taking a break for a few months, not least because it's quite pricey). This is kind of an anti-toner because it smells nice and doesn't feel too harsh on my skin. I'm not really sure it makes much difference to my skin and I probably wouldn't repurchase, but the samples I get free with the HCC last for ages. £12.50 for 200 ml.
• Day moisturizer: Bare Minerals SPF 20 Moisturizer for combination skin. I used to love Philosophy's Hope in a Jar (in a tube) with SPF, but they changed the formulation and it's now too heavy for me. Happily, I came across this Bare Minerals product which fulfills my two main moisturizer desires: suitable for oilier skin and contains SPF. It's very light and has a soothing scent, so for me it's perfect. £27 for 50 ml (I buy it in the US, where it's cheaper).
• Day eye cream: Liz Earle Daily Eye Repair. At the moment, I don't need a very hardcore eye cream and a lot of the others I'd tried irritated my skin. This just feels nice on my skin and is SPF 10. £14.25 for 10 ml.
• Evening moisturizer: I usually use Philosophy's Hope in a Jar, but I'm out at the moment so I'm trying to use up some of the samples I have. At the moment, this is Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizer, which I used to use years ago as part of their three-step system when a) my skin was drier and b) I wasn't so fussy about having SPF in my moisturizer. It's a little too heavy for me at the moment, but that's OK at night time. £17 for 50 ml.
• Evening eye cream: Dermalogica's Multivitamin Power Firm. I got this free in an amazing Dermalogica goody bag at a movie preview screening last year and I have been using it after running out of other Glossybox eye product samples. I like it, but not enough to shell out £36 and will probably find a cheaper alternative when I run out. £36 for 15 ml.
• Body lotion: Vaseline Cocoa Radiant Rich-Feeling Lotion. I love the smell of Vaseline's cocoa butter Lip Therapy and this smells the same and moisturizes my legs sufficiently without being too greasy. £3.55 for 200 ml.

I work for a science journal, so I'm fairly cynical about the Big Science claims made by a lot of beauty products--especially anti-ageing products--but I am willing to shell out for products that make my skin feel good and make me feel good when I apply them. In general, I am willing to pay more for a good moisturizer and eye cream than for cleansers and other skincare and body products (I use TRESemmé's 24-hour body shampoo and conditioner, which I buy in bulk whenever they're on offer at the supermarket, and I use Original Source's Vanilla Milk and Raspberry shower gel, which is also cheap).