Clari(ns)fying My Skincare Routine.

 I've always been pretty slack when it comes to determining a skincare routine and actually maintaining it. I try my best to ditch the face wipes, dedicate myself to cleansers, toners, oils and of course remember to apply a day cream and a night cream. This usually lasts about a week and out come the face wipes! However, this time I am adamant that I will keep up the dedication and actually nurture my skin ... for good!
My skin is normal/dry, I get dry skin usually around my nose and slightly on the forehead. I've used Clarins products in the past and I have always benefitted from doing so. Item's that spring to mind from previous skincare routine's I followed are the Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel and the Clarins HydraQuench cream. These products rejuvenated my skin through times whereby I was struggling with breakouts and blemishes.
 So, when it came to the first Saturday after sitting an exam I thought I'd pop into the hustle and bustle of Birmingham City Centre and treat myself to something new. I had no idea at this point what I was going to purchase, but what I did know was that all it would take was a pretty lady behind a fancy Clarins counter in John Lewis with great makeup and a persuasive "Have you saw our sale items today ladies?" to convince me to crack out my card! I do justify this purchase with the fact I'd been meaning to get my butt into gear with regards to sorting out a proper skincare routine for a while. And, well, its Clarins isn't it?!

Clarins Cleansing Vanity Case

The little bag that the items come in is quite simple and I have definitely bought Clarins products in nicer packaging such as the coral bag that came with their products last year. It is a plain white background with yellow detailing, it does the job it is required to do however I think the design could have been better.

 

What counts is what is inside ...

Clarins Vanity Case set on sale £23
Each product usually costs:
-The Clarins eye makeup remover in 200ml bottle £19
-Cleansing milk £19.50
- Toning Lotion £19.50

The items I purchased are specifically for normal or dry skin however they're also available for combination or oily skin. 

The eye make up remover is a favourite of mine as I believe it truly works better than any other I have used before. I can see why it is called 'instant' as whenever I pop a little bit onto a cotton pad and place it over my eyelids and eyelashes, the make up comes off in seconds, even stubborn products. It contains rose and cornflower waters which allows even the most sensitive skin to enjoy this product.

The cleansing milk is described to lift makeup and impurities with spa like efficiency, when I used the product it was extremely easy to take off my makeup and the scent certainly creates the spa like efficiency described. I use this of a morning to cleanse, and night time to cleanse and remove makeup. I do so by squeezing a little bit onto my hand and sweeping it all over my face doing circular motions about 5 times and then rinse it off with warm water.  The ingredients that create such a smooth and satisfying application with this product are Alpine Herbs, St Johns Wort, Almond, Marshmallow and Linden. This leaves the skin feeling and looking radiant with plenty of moisture. 

After cleansing and taking the day away, it is important to apply a toning lotion. I apply this on a damp cotton pad and gently sweep it all over the face and neck. The Clarins toning lotion is refreshing as it is alcohol free and is enriched with Camomile, Alpine Herb and Linden extracts. A toning lotion of any kind will benefit your skin by purifying and soothing it before applying a moisturiser. This one in particular improves the skin quality as it contains vitamins A, B and E.

At the moment I'm using a No7 moisturiser after this routine which I will do a separate blog post on at a future date!

The main skin care tip I have to give everybody whether you're a face wipe addict, exploring the world of cleansers and toners or an absolute skincare genius is to drink plenty of water!! It can be easily forgotten and we certainly don't drink enough of it, you should aim to be drinking 2 litres of water a day, a great way to keep tabs on your water intake is by using water tracking apps. There are free ones available such as 'Daily Water' which you can log your amounts of water into or others which narrow down to the measurements of your water e.g. bottle, cup, pint. 

I hope this has benefited people when considering what skincare products to buy and that this has been a helpful insight on Clarins products!

Thanks for reading, Hayley x