Winter Skincare Update/Review

Hey everyone!

So, about a month ago I told you about the Dermalogica Clean Start skincare line, that I had purchased, as my skin had gone completely crazy on me. It felt greasy but still strangely dry, and I broke out like nobody's business. So I decided to give the much raved about Dermalogica line a go.

First of all, I want to say that I really like these products. The packaging is nice and sanitary, and the products smell nice. However, they certainly do what they claim - which is basically a good ting (!), but in combination they are slightly too drying for my skin.
So what I did is what I always do - I never use products from the same skincare line in combination with each other. It just does not work for me at all. So as usual I made my own rutine, that works for me.
I decided to save the Dermalogica cleanser for the summer, when my skin gets a little greasier, as it - to me - is quite drying on the skin.

- and instead I do this:


Morning

I'm always in a hurry in the morning, so I don't want to have to fiddle around too much. So what I do is I put a very small amount of Avene Extremely Gentle Cleanser (1) on to dry skin, scrub it around and take it off using a moist cotton ball - leaving the residue as it says to on the bottle.

Next, I spray Dermalogica Clean Start All Over Clear Toner (2) on my face. It's purpose is to keep the oilies at bay, and I do think it helps. It does not completely eliminate the shine throughout the day, but it does help my makeup not to slide off of my face as easily.

Then, I use Origins Ginzing Eye Cream (3). This is an eye cream for daytime only - and it does say so on the little jar. It contains caffeine and light reflecting particles, that help to de-puff and brighten the eye area. I haven't noticed a dramatic difference on my eye area from using this, but the lightness and the moisturizing properties of the cream, makes my under eye concealer go on very smoothly.

Last but not least I'm currently trying out the also much raved about Origins VitaZing SPF 15 moisturizer. This is a day time moisturizer also, and so far I really like it. It contains mangosteen (I don't know what that's supposed to do, but I think it's some kind of tree?). Anyway, the reasons I like it is because the formula is very hydrating, yet very light and quickly absorbed. It also gives your skin almost a glow, when you apply it.

This does not take me more than 5 minutes to do in the morning, so it's absolutely perfect for me.
The reason why I use these specific products, is because I don't want to use anything on my face in the morning, that can irritate my sensitive skin and cause redness - which can be a pain to cover up with makeup.


Night

At night I still use the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser (1), as it's very moisturizing and does not break me out. But instead of using the cloths, I've purchased the Trésonic Facial Cleanser (2) from QVC. It's a complete knock-off of the Clarisonic, but it does the exact same thing - but only for a fraction of the price. Because my skin has always been hard to manage, I find that I have to exfoliate every single day. My epidermis (outermost layer of the skin) gets dry very easily from the cold weather here in Denmark, but my glands still produce plenty of oil (huh...)
So if I don't exfoliate every day, I will create the exact conditions for breakouts:
dead skin cells + too much oil + bacteria = clogged pore = breakout.

Next, I follow Dr. Neil Schulz' (DermTV.com on YT) recommendation and use  a chemical exfoliant after the manual one (Trésonic). For that I use Clinique Clarifying Lotion 2 for combination/dry skin (3). It's a really nice product that contains Salicylic Acid and Witch Hazel. It does not strip my face, and it tingles a little bit, when you apply it with a cotton ball, which it's supposed to.

Around the eyes I use Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado (4), which is really thick and creamy. I really like it, but another equally good alternative would be Clinique's All About Eyes Rich Eye Cream, which to some of you may be easier to get a hold of :)

I then apply Dermalogica Clean Start Bedtime For Breakouts gel (5) on to my face, and this is a really good product. It contains Salicylic Acid that keeps breakouts at bay. However, it will not make you completely and utterly blemish free, as some of us do get the monthly hormonal breakout, but it certainly does keep you from getting those annoying random breakouts. The gel itself is a tiny bit drying, so today in the mail I got my Philosophy When Hope Is Not Enough Replenishing Cream (6), which has been recommended to me.

It's a relatively thick night cream, that nourishes your skin while you're sleeping without clogging the pores. It smells absolutely amazing - very clean and slightly citrus'y, and I'm sure it will works wonders for me. I'll let you know ;)