Good skin is a base for good makeup. My skin care routine.

Skin care routine is an important part of our everyday life. I guess it is even more important than makeup. A clean fresh face is like a canvas for painter. You cannot do a good makeup if the skin is in bad conditions. I know there are many tutorials how to cover acne skin, yes they work, you can cover color, redness, but not the texture. Photoshop does the rest. That is why it is so important to find your own skin care routine, products that work for you. Of course there are people with perfect glowing skin, who just wash their faces with water in the morning, and that’s fine. However not all of us are like this. I am not, for sure. I used to struggle with acne since I was 16, and it did not even stop in my 20s. I went to different doctors in different countries including USA, but nothing worked for me. My skin was not clearing out. However one of the doctors told me this problem would be fixed after I got pregnant, and in some way it did. When I got pregnant I have noticed my skin looking better with fewer pimples. But I still do my skin care routine, use specific products that work for me. So let’s start sharing information. I do not tell you to buy specific products, neither it is an advertisement, it is just my honest opinion on my skin care.

I do follow particular steps, which include washing face, exfoliating, toning and moisturizing. I am going to talk about evening routine, because mornings are usually easier, I just wash my face with water or cleanser and put some moisturizer.

Step 1: Removing makeup with micellar water. I use brand Bioderma. It is one of the first brands on the market, suitable for sensitive skin. It does remove my makeup well, and does not irritate my skin.

Step 2 : Cleaning face with a cleanser. The cleanser I use right now is from Korres, it is called Korres Milk Protein Foaming Cream Cleanser. I bought it when I was in Greece, and I am pretty sure they sell it in USA as well, but I prefer to buy products from this brand in Greece, when I can. First of all it is two times cheaper, and second quality slightly differs to my mind. This cleanser removes the rest of my makeup, does not dry out my skin, it is very gentle. It also mattifiess my oily skin a bit.

Step 3: Exfoliating. My pores clog easily, that’s why I try to exfoliate. Sometimes I do it every day, sometimes not, depends on my skin condition. You should not exfoliate your skin every day, unless you use special daily exfoliator. The one I use is by Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant. It is made from lightly meld rice powder, which gently exfoliates skin. It is not harsh; skin feels very refreshed after using it. If you want you can use other scrubs or peels for face, but not more often than twice per week. I also like Pore Minimizing scrub by Acure. It has some red clay inside that mattifiess skin; the only thing I do not like about it is smell.

Step 4: Facial mask.I usually do it 2-3 times a week. Mask can be different; everyone has his favorite and suitable for his own skin tone. I do not have my favorite, because I like to try new products from different brands all the time. Sometimes some brands can be really overpriced, you can find cheaper alternative with the same basic ingredients that also works well.

At the moment I use two different masks for oily skin, one is by Apivita (also a Greek brand) and second one by Origins. They both work well for me. I do not think Out of Trouble 10 minute mask to rescue a problem skin is a good idea to use for dry skin, because it has zinc and sulfur inside which are slightly drying ingredients. But it works perfectly for acne prone oily skin. I usually keep it for more than 10 minutes, maybe around 20. It helps to dry out acne, and controls oil.

Step 5: Toning. I use witch hazel by Thayers. They have really good tonners, alcohol-free as well as those that contain alcohol, which are good for disinfection but not for everyday use. I use one called Rose Petal witch hazel with Aloe Vera.

Step 6: Moisturizing. Moisturizing is a very important part of a daily skin care routine. However it is not so easy to choose a good moisturizer for particular skin type. Since I have oily skin, I need something very light weighted that does not clog pores. My friend who is also an esthetician recommended to be a brand Dermalogica. I use Dermalogica Active Moist cream for oily skin. I have already finished two tubes and I am on my third one. This cream is not a cheap one, but it works well, it even smoothed my complexion a bit. However I have noticed some changes recently, the cream from a new tube I bought does not absorb so well into my skin, maybe the company changed some ingredients inside or maybe my skin has changed. The only thing I know is that I need to put a little bit of it so my skin does not shine. Another product that I like to use as a moisturizer is facial oil. But it is only for evening skin care, because oils need more time to absorb. At the moment I use Korres Wild Rose facial oil. I do really like it, it has vitamin C than brightens complexion and this oil does not clog my pores. While choosing oils, you must be very careful, because every oil has its own comedogenic level, according to which it might clog pores or not. So far Korres oil is good for me, but I must warn you it has strong rosy smell which not everyone tolerates.

That’s it guys. This is all my skin care routine. I hope you have liked my review. If you have any comments, do not feel shy to leave them below and also share your experience about different skin care products. Thanks!

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