Morning Routine - October 2017

I realise that I haven't shared a morning routine since May. But unlike my ever-changing nightly routine, the morning routines do stay relatively simple and I tend to reach for the same products (until they run out).

 

From L-R: The Body Shop Seaweed Toner, The Ordinary Agireline, Liz Earle Soothing Eyebright Lotion, Scinic Aqua All in One Ampoule, The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid, The Ordinary Niacinamide, TonyMoly The Chok Chok Green Tea Watery Cream and Biore UV Aqua Rich SPF 50.

 

I'm still just using a simple toner as my morning cleanse and freshen-up. I'm loving The Body Shop for toners (I have my eye on two new flavours even though I still have yet another unopened toner in my stash!).

 

It is with much embarrassment at my previous review of the Liz Earle Soothing Eyebright Lotion, to show that this is still used in the morning and evening routines without fail every day! I really didn't give this a chance. When I'd used up the first bottle I realised that I actually quite missed it. So it's not an eye make-up remover, I've not been using it for that, but it really is quite good at refreshing and toning my eye area. It's just a nice product. So after a couple of weeks without it, I went and bought two more bottles!

 

Then I use my newly acquired The Ordinary Agireline around my eyes and on my forehead.

 

Next comes the hydration stage. I mostly reach for the Scinic all-in-one Aqua Ampoule. I found this in TK Maxx a while ago - it's a massive 250ml tub and it was just £9.99. This is going to be tough to get through as you actually don't need that much product.

It's such an amazing hydrator - lovely and cooling and sinks in really well. Great for layering.

If I'm in a giving mood then I will use my new The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid - and by 'giving mood' that means that I want to be fair and give new products a decent try. But it's much stickier than the Scinic Aqua Ampoule so it can also be a matter of time-saving too as The Ordinary HA takes longer to sink in.

 

My absolutely Holy Grail skincare product next and one that I will always use every morning is The Ordinary Niacinamide. This gives me a fantastic glow for the day and is also so hydrating and sinks in well before makeup.

 

Next to daily moisturiser - when I ran out of my TonyMoly Fresh Phytoncide Gel Cream I opted for another TonyMoly moisturiser - The Chok Chok Green Tea Watery Cream as I really do love those water-based moisturisers. It took a couple of weeks to start to enjoy, but now I'm loving it for a really moisturising, but light daily cream.

 

And as ever, throughout all seasons, I finish off with my Biore UV Aqua Rich sunscreen. As I've said before, SPF is a daily must and this product is my Holy Grail as not only does it afford high protection but it's light, moisturising, leaves no white caste, gives great glow AND is the best primer I've ever used before I apply my foundation.

 

Pre Gym and Swimming routine

 

 

On mornings when I go to the gym and swimming I still take the night off with a simple toner and then I have started to use this White Rabbit Olive & Avocado cell restoration serum. I don't use this at any other times as it does have quite a strong scent which I'm not keen on. But I've found it acts as a great barrier before I go swimming to protect my skin from the chlorine. When I get out of the pool, as a short stop-gap before I get home and do my skincare routine proper, I'll slap on any cheap moisturiser so I don't dry out completely. This is also a great way to use up moisturiser samples that I don't fancy adding to my regular routine.

 

 

Extra Morning treatments

 

I seem to shower more at the gym than at home these days, but if I do have a morning shower at home, sometimes I'll wear a clay-based mask when I'm in the shower and take it off when I get out.

Once or twice a week I like to do a gentle physical exfoliation. More and more I'm turning to enzyme peels as a gentler way.
I'm still loving The Body Shop Drops of Light liquid peel, but I do find the little pills of product that get left behind and stick to my skin a bit irksome.
I recently got this deluxe sample of the Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel in my Tili Box and it's very quickly become a well-loved product.
The smell is divine and it's so gentle and creamy. Just apply and leave for ten minutes before washing off. The results are amazing - super soft, clean and clear skin with added illumination. The full size is slightly pricey, but it's definitely a product I would repurchase because of the great instantaneous results.