SKINCARE

Skincare can be a very touchy subject for me, ever since I can remember I've been cursed with what I would say is the worst possible skin ever - oily, sensitive, bad breakouts, red you know the list goes on. When I think back I probably didn't have the best skincare routine I was always switching between high street brands and constantly trying new products on my face - all of which of course never worked. Since I've been blogging and reading a lot of beauty blogs I understand that sticking to a routine and using products that work for me are key. After speaking to Thom over at manfaceblog.com about the problems I had with my skin he recommended I go out & buy some clinique products. With my skin being over sensitive and oily I was advised to stick to gel based products especially when shaving so with a voucher I received from a Debenhams press day I made my way to the clinique counter before I started my shift one day.

Clinique for Men Aloe Shave Gel

The Aloe Shave Gel is great for sensitive skin, the gel works as a great lubrication and you honestly only need one pump as a little bit goes a long way. The gel itself is actually fragrance free and contains chamomile which helps to soothe and prevents razor bumps (which I had been getting a lot of thanks to my previous shaving foam). The best way to shave your beard or in my case strands of hair is to go with the grain. I only need to shave a couple of times a week but this is when I noticed my breakouts happening the most and knew I had to change up my shaving routine, I can honestly say after using this for a couple of weeks now my shaving routine is more enjoyable and I don't dread taking the razor to my face.

Anti-Blemish Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel

Sticking to a gel based product again here, the Anti-Blemish Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel is designed to help treat current and future breakouts. The gel contains Salicylic Acid, an ingredient I'm more than familiar with and anytime I use a product which contains it, it genuinely helps clear up my skin. The way I use the gel is after cleansing the skin I apply a small drop to my fingers and apply all over the face quickly. The gel drys up the skin super quick so you need to be fast and I usually keep my eyes closed as the salicylic acid gives it a kick and can make the eyes a little bit watery.

Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel

The bottle says its a gel but if I'm being honest it's more of a lotion with a rich silky feel to it. The gel has no heavy thickening agents and doesn't include any oils at all which is perfect for my skin . I tend to try and use a generous amount on my skin as after the first few days I noticed that my skin was still feeling a little dry so it really does help to just use that little bit extra. I try to stay away from products that are fragranced as these tend to irritate my skin so with this gel being fragrance free I'm in love.

 

Special Cleansing Gel

I got a hold of this special cleansing gel at an event months ago and it was just lying in the bathroom drawer doing nothing, waiting to be used. So when I bought my clinque products and didn't have enough left over for a new cleanser I knew this was the perfect time to give it a go with it being gel based. Again with this a tiny drop goes a very long way. After you rinse off of the skin you really can feel the face tighten a little, this is great for people who tend to break out a lot. The gel doesn't leave any oils on the skin but instead a slight moisturised feeling. This product is also fragrance free so is another one at the top of my list.

Daily Microfoliant

I've only used this product a couple of times as not a big fan on exfoliation. I know you will tell me otherwise but my skin just feels red-raw after using them and that's with me doing it gently. The microfoliant uses tiny grains and you can decide how much water you wish to add which makes it a little bit more fun I suppose? Depending on how much water you add to the crystals you end up with a different texture for me I added a lot of water as I wasn't too sure of how harsh the crystals would feel against my skin but in all honesty I couldn't tell I felt as if it was just another cleanser in a sense. After I rinsed the product away and patted my face dry I could tell that my skin was feeling a little smoother but dried out a little. I wouldn't use this product everyday but that is out of choice - As I stated I'm not an exfoliating fan but will continue to use it 2-3 times a week as works really well.

The order in which I use my products are;

Clinique Aloe Shave Gel 

Special Cleansing Gel 

Daily Microfoliant (every other day)

Anti-Blemish Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel

Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel

So I've been using these products for around about 2 weeks and I'm in love with them all. I've been getting so many compliments on how good my skin looks which really has given me a confident boost. 

I also just wanted to tell you quickly about my favourite hand product which is the Arran Aromatics Citrus Shore Moisturising Hand & Nail Cream - This is my favourite scent from Arran Aromatics - I go absolutely mad for it! The cream is made up with sheabutter and beeswax both known to naturally moisturise the skin. The smell is really uplifting and has an amazing citrus kick to it. I wasn't really a huge hand cream fan until I started using this so hopefully I've inspired you to give it a go to!

And if you want to know what scent was burning away in my picture I've been using the Flamingo Candles Black Raspberry & Vanilla which was only £2 !!!

Do you use any of these products? If so how have you been getting on with them, I'd love to know!