Starting off: Skincare

Hoorayyy it's the first Starting Off post!!

I'll just do a brief intro in case you haven't read about the Starting Off project. There are over 100 beauty bloggers involved, and every week we are going to do a post aimed at people just starting to use make up - giving tips and our favourite products etc. This one is all about skincare, what products I use to look after my skin and how I use them. 

Green Clay Soap -  clearing blackheads, cleaning oily skin

Why? Like a lot of people, I have combination skin on my face which means that it gets both dry and oily. I use a bar of soap on my oily areas (my nose and chin) because soap really dries up all the blackheads and cleans it. I'm currently using this green clay soap which is beneficial for skin anyway, but any bar of soap should work just the same. I don't use it on the rest of my face because it's so drying it makes my forehead go flaky! 

How? I just lather it up on my fingers then apply it to my nose and chin just using my fingers. 

Leave it on for about 2 minutes then just wash it off with hot clean water or with a flannel/sponge/etc. 

Tea Tree Foaming Facial Wash - cleaning whole face

Why? Tea Tree is supposed to be really good for skin so I always go for tea tree products whenever I need new face wash. I like this one because it foams when you push the nozzle, which means it lasts for ages and its also super easy to apply because its not liquid. The one I'm using currently (in the picture) isn't actually my favourite one, I love The Body Shop version because you can actually feel the difference on your face after you've used it. Definitely recommend that one!

How? I usually use this in the bath or shower, so I just squeeze some onto my fingers, apply it onto my face and then wash it off in the hot clean water after about 30 seconds. 

Simple Make-up Wipes - taking off make up

Why? I'll be honest - make up wipes are actually not supposed to be very good for your skin. I think it's something to do with all the chemicals in them that keep them moist and usable for so long. However, they are just so convenient, and I've never really used anything else to remove make up and I've never had any problems. So I'm going to keep using them! But if you're looking to really look after your skin or have sensitive skin, then I'd go for a cleanser or something that's free from these chemicals.

How? Get wipe, wipe until no make up left. Simple!

Simple Eye Make-up Remover - removing mascara

Why? Mascara is so annoying to remove!! If you've ever worn mascara then you already know this. It just smears around your face for ages and you end up using a whole make up wipe. Or is that just me? Anyway, I've found that it's a lot easier to remove with an eye make up remover. 

How? This is a liquid so you'll either need cotton pads or if you don't have any of them then I use tissue (because I am on a student budget and new shoes and alcohol comes before cotton pads). Just apply some of the liquid onto the pad, and wipe your eyes gently until it's all come off. 

Superdrug Cleanser & Toner - cleaning face at the end of the day

Why? A lot of the time I'll just go the whole day with no make up on, especially now it's the holidays and I'm at home! But even when you're not wearing make up, your face will get dirty from things like sweat and mucky pollution stuff in the air or something. So you need to clean it! I use toner because it's like the Superman of cleaning face stuff. It's supposed to remove dirt and oiliness, shrink your pores, restore pH balance and moisturise. 

How? Wash your face first using clean water. 

Apply it using either a cotton pad or your hands. Make sure your hands are clean! You don't need to wash toner off - just wait for a few minutes then moisturise. 

Dove Silkening Moisturiser - moisturising face and body

Why? Everyone should moisturise! I know it's a total pain and completely boring and whatever, but unfortunately it is also the key to looking 20 when your 90! ;) I haven't really tried out loads of different moisturisers - but I'm currently using this Dove one and it does the job. It leaves my skin looking a bit shimmery and feels very soft. 

How? Put some on your hands, rub it into your skin. With this one you can use it anywhere - face, legs, arms, wherever you fancy. 

There's also one more thing I use that isn't in the picture because I don't actually have any at the moment - body exfoliator. This shouldn't be used too often because it irritates your skin. I usually exfoliate maybe once a fortnight or if my skin is looking particularly dull. 

♡

Done! Wow, this post was a lot longer than I thought it was going to be! You should be able to find all of these products or similar ones at Boots, Superdrug, The Body Shop or any sort of phamacy shop place. Next weeks Starting Off post will be about concealer! So it will probably be a lot shorter than this one.

If you have any questions or anything, please don't hesitate to either comment below or tweet/DM me at @perpetual_style  and I'll be happy to answer your questions :) 

To read more Starting Off project posts about skincare, go to StephsInsideVoice and click any of the 120 bloggers links!

Thanks for reading!