Back to basics

A little while ago I was having issues with my skin and nothing I used could control it. It was spotty and oily one day, dry and flaky the next, spotty and flaky the day after and so on. No two days were the same. I switched to the Simple range of cleanser, toner and moisturiser, with the odd scrub and mask thrown in for good measure. It was okay - I mean it didn't aggravate any problems - but it also didn't seem to control them. It was just a very blah range. After a while I'd introduce different bits and pieces until I was using such a vast concoction of products that it was difficult to tell what was making my skin flare up again.

I decided at the end of August that enough was enough. I consulted Mrs-Know-It-All aka The Mother and she told me to cut out the crap and use one single product. The same single product she'd recommended to me in my teens and I hated. Pah - what do Mothers know?! I decided that my skin couldn't look any worse than what it did though, so for once, I took her advice and began using a very basic skincare routine.

So long to the numerous cleansers and toners, farewell to the umpteen mosturisers, auf weidersehen, goodbye to the unneccessary rubbish I was piling on my face, each claiming to make me and my skin look perfect... And HELLO to my new skin saviour - E45 cream.

This little pot of cream costs around £3 and worked it's magic within a few days. It's for dry skin conditions such as eczema, and as I said, my Mammy has been recommending it to me for years. I dabbled with it in my teens (on her advice) and absolutely despised it. I thought it was too thick and made my skin feel tacky, and it was a nightmare trying to put make up over the top of it. It does still make my skin feel tacky, and it is still a nightmare trying to put make up on over the top of it, but I have found the best way to use it. I (obviously) need to let it sink in! I apply a liberal amount to my dry face as soon as I step out of the shower, then by the time I dry off my body, brush my teeth and put the radio on, my skin feels smooth and soft and prepped for make up. Perfect! I also use Superdrug's Natural High eye brightening cream to help get rid of dark circles before my make up.

I wanted to keep the rest of skincare routine as minimal and simple as possible too, so to remove my make up at night I use Boots botanics eye make up remover and Simple cleansing wipes, a splash of cold water to refresh, then some Nivea Creme.

I had bought the Nivea when I was trying everything and anything to rescue my skin, but found it too thick and greasy for daytime use. The beautiful Muhsine from Bubblegarm recently suggested using it as a night cream, so I try it that way and it's gorgeous! Most nights I use Nivea Creme but if I feel my skin is a little on the oily side, I revert back to E45. To combat the occasional spot (I'm so glad I can finally say 'occasional spot'!) I use a little dab of cult favourite Sudocrem at night.

Once a week I exfoliate, normally with Lush's Ocean Salt and I occasionally use a face mask - normally one of the fresh ones by Lush. I recently purchased two new products from Soap & Glory - The Greatest Scrub Of All and The Fab Pore face mask, so I sometimes use those. I'll be doing a full review on them for you all soon :)

So I guess I'm trying to say that Mammy's really do know best! My skin is by no means perfect, and I still need foundation and concealer... but it looks a lot more 'normal' now, which is all I ever wanted to achieve.

If you are having skin issues, I really recommend stripping back your products. Do you really need cleansers, toners, exfoliators, moisturisers, serums, pentapeptides-this, amino acids-that... every single day? Get some basic products that you are happy with, and your skin will thank you for it, I pinky promise x