My Morning Skincare Routine

Having used so many beauty products over the past few years, I'm known be very fickle and don't really have a very set skincare routine. Add to that, my routine invariably have to change whenever I have to test a new product as I have to stop what I'm using and try the new product for a period of time for complete a review for it.

Despite all the chopping and changing in products, the basic elements of my daytime skincare routine is always the same: cleanse, serum, treatment, moisturise and sun protection. I don't use a toner as my hydration comes from the serums and treatments and don't believe toners should be used to remove cleansing residue if the cleanser was a good enough product in the first place.

Today I thought I'd share with you what I'm currently using in my day routine, some of which are products I've used on a long term basis and others are products I'm currently putting on trial.

For reference, I have oily/combination skin in my T-zones and cheeks but am also prone to very dry skin despite producing alot of oil. My skin consultant once said I have a masked dry skin condition as most people think I'm straight up oily skin but if I wash my face, most people would immediately say I have dehydrated skin (and I totally blame the office air conditioner for making the situation worse).

Click to enlarge to see details

1. Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel 500ml RRP A$87 - gentle yet effective enough to wash off dirt,  grime an and even makeup. I use this exclusively when I had a peel performed as it's non irritating and soothing on the most sensitive skin with the calming lavendar essential oils. one of my HG cleansers.  I use this with and without the clarisonic facial cleansing brush.

2. Kiehl's darkness diminishing activated eye treatment 15ml RRP A$62* - I'm currently putting this eye cream to the test to see how much it helps with my dark circles from poor circulation and lack of sleep. So far I've noticed reduced puffiness and brighter eyes from the light reflecting particles in the formula. I've yet to see much in terms of darkness reduction after 3 weeks use.

3. Shu Uemura Whitefficient Whitening Essence 150ml RRP A$115* &  4. Lancome Blanc Expert Whitening Activating Spot Eraser 30ml RRP A$118* - I alternate between these two whitening treatments on most days or use one in the morning and the other at night. The main reason for using whitening products is to brighten up my complexion and prevent the sallowness from creeping in. I'm also trying my hardest to fade some pigmentation I have around the eye area.

I find Shu Uemura's Whitefficent essence spreads better on the skin but can leave a sheen so is better suited for dryer skin or the winter months and It works well as a primer. It contains algae extract, prune extract and Ellagic acid which help to block melanin production and brighten the skin.

Lancome's Blanc Expert is water-based and is instantly absorbed into skin without any tacky or greasy feeling. It contains a proprietary Melanolyser technology to break down the melanin in skin and fade the dark spot.

Both products give a luminous radiance to skin . There is very some lightening on my pigmentation spots with 4 weeks use of it but it is more efficient with fading blemish marks and those disappear in 1-2 weeks on my skin.

5. Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Serum 50ml RRP A$49.99^- is my go-to daily serum that effectively plumps and hydrates my skin, while working to softens and fills in fine lines. Best of all it is affordable enough that I don't need to take out a second mortgage to keep using this on a daily basis.

6. Priori Cellular Recovery Serum 50ml RRP A$220 ^- When I feel my skin's particularly dry or irritated and needs a boost of radiance I would use this instead of the Olay Mirco-sculpting serum. Being water based, it is lightweight and instantly absorbed into skin, leaving it nourished, super hydrated and never ever greasy. It contains enzymes and liposomes prevent and repair cellular damage to help with the anti-aging process and firms the skin. This was one of the products used when I recently had my fraxel laser and it was soothing and calming to use. I have to say for the price, I expect to see more results but sadly I don't. I still really enjoy the product though I'd love it more if the price tag wasn't so hefty (thank goodness I received this from a competition prize!).

7. Neutrogena healthy defence daily moisturiser with Helioplex SPF 30+  for combination/oily skin 40ml RRP A$16.49 ^- a good moisturiser sunscreen that is affordable and suitable for oily and combination skin and doesn't have the white cast issues that other sunscreen products have. It's not too rich and rubs easily into skin although it's not as oil controlling as it could be. It works well during the cooler months on my skin and given I already treat my face with other serums and treatment products, this basic moisturiser sunscreen meets all my needs and gives me basic hydration and stable high sun protection. It's the last skincare product I put onto my face before I slap on my makeup.

8. Lanolips Lemonaid Lip Aid  RRP A$15.95 - my favourite lip balm/treatment product - I've tried the other lanolips and although nice, they didn't make much of an impression as this 70% pure lanolin balm. It helps to sooth and smooth my dry chapped lips, keeping them moist and soft and makes lipstick application more even and smooth. I love the tangy taste and scent of the lemon essential oil and it acts as a natural exfoliant to keep flaky lips at bay too. This is a limited edition product and it's still available in the Myer and DJ stores I visit in Melbourne but I'm going to be stocking this right up - just in case you know.

My star products that I would never swap out (or would quickly come back to) is my Dermalogica cleanser, Lancome Blanc Expert Spot Eraser,  Lanolips Lemonaid lip aid and Olay Regenerist Micro-sculpting Serum. They are my HG skincare products.

Next up, my night time skincare routine...

Products marked * were sent for consideration. 
Products marked ^ were competition prizes or gifts from generous friends. All other products were purchased by yours truly.

Clinique High Lengths Mascara

Unfortunately I'm not blessed by the lash fairies and have short stubby Asian lashes. For this reason one of my favourite makeup products are mascaras as they give me fluttery lashes and help to open up my eyes. In fact, it'd be the one makeup item I won't leave the house without (along with lip gloss and sunscreen)!

Always wanting to test out the latest on the market,  I tried a mascara with an interesting brush this month and have been surprised by how well it worked despite my initial scepticism.

Clinique High Lengths Mascara

check out the teeth-like brush head!

• Has the weirdest flexi plastic brush design I've seen lately - the brush look like curved bow with stubby green spikey teeth but don't let this alien looking brush fool you, it works amazingly well at coating each individual lash to give defined separated looks. 
• Not so much of a curling or volumising formula, it is slightly thick with works well with the flexible brush to really lifts lashes at the root and lengthens my short lash by more than 60% with 2 coats that is still very natural looking. Any more coats to achieve volume gave slightly stick-like lashes which had to be combed out so I would advise against going having more than 2 coats with this mascara.   
• I didn't experience any clumping or flaking but did have slight smudging at the end of the day (I'm a serial blinker with teary eyes which could have contributed to this). 

look at the lift & length I got with this mascara! <3 <3

If volume is not your priority and you want defined, separated and flutteringly lifted lashes, this latest Clinique mascara will meet and exceed all those requirements. I'm as pleased as punch with the results I get with it and would definitely re-purchase.

RRP A$38 at Clinique counters or Clinique Online.
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Make Your Own Solid Perfume

If you love to carry around with you your favourite perfume to respray during the day but hate the fact that it's a glass bottle and prone to breakages, then have I got a treat for you! 

You can easily turn any of your favourite scents into a solid form by making your own solid perfumes with this simple DIY project! Seriously, if you can make 2-minute noodles, you can make this. 

Solid perfume Benefits 

• portability - a small solid perfume jar is easier to take around that full sized perfume bottles
• no need to decant your perfume into purse size sprays to use it on the go
• no leaks, spills or potential breakages of glass!

how cute is this jar for solid perfume?

Tools/Ingredients required:

• 1 tablespoon Beeswax or vaseline (vaseline will give lighter and softer setting solid perfumes)
• 1 tablespoon Almond Oil (or Jojoba Oil)
• 8 - 15 drops Essential Oils or 5-10 spritz from your favourite perfume
• Lip balm jars to hold your finished products- clean out old ones or buy new ones from craft shops  but any container with a tight fitting lid would work. You can even try the cute designed ones. 
• Microwave-safe container (eg. glass bowl)
•  stirrer - toothpicks, or paddle pop sticks

1. Melt together the wax or petroleum jelly with the jojoba or sweet almond oil. You can either microwave the ingredients for a few seconds in a microwave-safe container to soften the mixture or heat it up over a double boiler - I am lazy and prefer the use of the microwave. Microwave for 5 seconds each time and mix the mixture to ensure even melting of the ingredients. 
2. Once mixture has liquefied, add the essential oils if you're using that. If you are using perfume, spritz enough into the melted product until it reaches the desired strength of fragrance. 
3. Use the stirrer to mixing the fragrance and melted mixture. You can use anything as the stirrer but expect your perfume to coat it, so either use something disposable or else something you can wash (so don't using your wooden spoon, unless you want it to smell pretty forever).
4. Pour the liquid into your final container and give it a few hours to set.

Viola - your solid perfume is done and you can start to use it to any part of your skin and best of all, pop it into your hand bag so you can take it with you everywhere you go!

Easy and rewarding to make - you can even get creative by mixing different scents to create your very own customised ones - what scents would you make? Mine would be Rose and Vanilla.