CURRENT EVENING SKINCARE ROUTINE

I’ve been wanting to do a skincare week on the blog for ages now and I’ve finally got round to it. Skincare has become a bit of an obsession for me over the past couple of years, mainly because I feel like I’m finally finding products that are doing an amazing job of improving my skin and making it look and feel the best it possibly can – you only get one face after all, so you may as well take good care of it!

Over the next five days I’ll be featuring loads of my absolute favourite skincare products – some new discoveries, some that have been a part of my routine for years – along with chatting about what I’m currently using.

Today I’m kicking things off with running through my evening skincare routine and current products…

MY SKIN TYPE & CONCERNS
As I’ve mentioned countless times before I have a patch of hyperpigmentation on my right cheek from previous spots and blemishes that has been around for years now. It has improved a LOT over the last few months, however it’s still something I feel super self conscious about.

Hyperpigmentation aside, I’d describe the rest of my skin as pretty average. It’s combination, although more oily on the cheeks and chin rather than the forehead and chin, and I get the odd breakout, usually on my chin / around my mouth, which is usually hormonal although I’m terrible for resting my chin on my hand and generally touching that area of my face an awful lot throughout the day which I’m sure doesn’t help matters.

MY EVENING ROUTINE
My evening skincare routine is where I like to make sure I’m loading up on products that will work their magic overnight and be of real benefit to my skin.

The steps for my baseline evening skincare routine are:

Step 1: Eye Makeup Remover

Step 2: First Cleanse – make-up removal

Step 3: Second Cleanse 

Step 4: Acid Toner

Step 5: Hydrating Toner

Step 6: Eye Cream

Step 7: Overnight Treatment OR Serum

Step 8: Moisturiser

Step 9: Lip Balm

If I’m having a specific skincare problem then I’ll add in additional products as neccessary and I try to treat myself to a mask at least once a week.

THE CURRENT PRODUCTS

Eye Make-Up Remover – Simple Kind To Eyes Make-Up Remover £3.45 › available here
This isn’t the best eye makeup remover I’ve ever used – it can take a bit of effort to get all my mascara off – but it’s gentle and non irritating on my eyes.
If I’m not wearing any make-up that day I tend to just run a cotton pad soaked in micellar water over my eyes beforehand – currently using the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water, £4.99 › available here

First Cleanse – Soap & Glory Peaches & Clean Deep Cleansing Milk, £8 › available here
I’m not super fussy about what I use as my first cleanse as long as it gets my make-up off (if I’m not wearing makeup then I skip this stage). This is nice, smells delicious and does a good job of getting rid of my make-up.

Second Cleanse – Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel, £28 › available here
I often don’t enjoy balm cleansers as they often feel too heavy for my skin and I always feel like there’s an oily residue left on my face but this one feels very lightweight and just leaves my skin feeling clean and nicely hydrated. Ingredients include pumpkin enzymes which deep cleanse pores and gently exfoliate dead skin cells away without irritation and MSM which has anti-inflammatory properties to help soothe and calm the skin. Love it.

Acid Toner – Pixi Glow Tonic, £18 › available here.
I started using Pixi Glow Tonic at the beginning of this year and I’m obsessed with it. Within a couple of days I could see a massive difference in the texture of my skin – I’d had quite a few under the skin bumps and they just disappeared. I think it might be witchcraft! This is definitely my acid toner of choice as it’s gentle to use every day.

Hydrating Toner – La Roche-Posay Serozinc Spray, £8.50 › available here.
Again I started using this earlier this year as my hydrating toner and it’s fantastic. It helps fight breakouts, banish spots and reduce the level of oiliness of my skin.
I’m crediting my much improved skin tone and texture (seriously my skin texture is AMAZING right now, I keep stroking my skin with the back of a finger like a total creeper!) this year with a using a combination of this and the Pixi Glow Tonic together.

EyeCream – Indeed Labs Hydraluron, £24.99 › available here & Boots Botanics 80% Organic Hydrating Eye Cream, £9.99 › available here
I love this combo of Hydraluron followed up by an eye cream. I used to get quite back dry patches of skin under my eyes and since I introduced this into my evening routine that just isn’t a problem anymore.
Hydraluron is much hyped and, in my opinion, deservedly so (if my skin is super dehydrated I use this all over before moisturising and it’s basically magic!). I’m not super fussy about which eye cream I use at the moment, as I’m combining it with Hydraluron to combat dry skin. This Boots Botanics one is nice and does the job – the texture of the around my eyes has definitely improved and generally feels smoother and plumper.

Overnight Treatment – Sunday Riley Good Genes Treatment, £85 › available here (I use this every other night)
This is literally the only product I’ve ever used which has made such a noticable and rapid difference in my hyperpigmentation. Apart from the price tag which does kind of take your breath away, I have nothing but love for this. You can read my full review here. On the nights that I use Good Genes I end my routine here and don’t bother with moisturiser.

Serum – Soap & Glory Make Me Youthful 2 Super Serum, £20 › available here
I’ve only just – literally over the last six weeks – introduced a serum into my skincare routine. This is alternated with Good Genes so, on the nights I don’t use that, I use a serum instead. I feel like I still need to do a LOT more research on serums. They’re generally pretty expensive so I’d like to make sure I’m getting something that will really be of benefit to my skin. That said, I picked this one up after reading a review that suggested it was a good beginner / entry level serum as it doesn’t break the bank and contains a lot of the same ingredients as much more expensive products, just at lower %’s. It gives an immediate plumpness to the skin and feels really nice to apply.

Moisturiser – Eucerin Dry Skin Replenishing Face Cream, £11 › available here
I’ve rambled on before about my love for this moisturiser. Without a doubt the best moisturiser I have used to date. It’s perfect for my skin – non greasy, absorbs well and can solve my dehydrated skin problems quickly, often overnight.

Lip Balm – Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Intensive Lip Repair Balm, £20 › available here
I’m yet to find a product that does as good a job as Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream at keeping my lips soft and smooth. I’m obsessed with it. I try to remember to put this some of this on every night as it really does make such a difference to how my lips look and feel.

And then to bed!

I’m pretty sure that covers off everything I’m doing on a nightly basis. The products I use does change as I try new things, but I try to not chop and change too much of my skincare in one go. There are plenty of other products in my skincare collection so consider this more of a snapshot of what I’m currently using rather than a definitive list of the best products to use – although a lot of these probably would make it onto that list!

What products do you use in your evening skincare routine?