New Year, New Skin

Hello, lovelies!

How are you all doing?

Today I want to talk to you about my skin and how much it’s changed these past months, and why. It was looking quite dull and in desperate need of more water, and it was also breaking out quite often. So I decided to change my whole routine, bought new products and I’ve been trying them since mid-November, to see if they actually were worth spending the money.

To start things off, if you’re new to the blog or just haven’t yet read about it, my skin type: blemish-prone, oily but due to lack of water, which means I actually need loads of hydrating products to prevent me from getting oily. Basically, my skin overproduces oil to compensate for the lack of water, which is why it’s oily and why I should apply more hydrating products.

First, I bought the normal size of the sample I got back in October that I loved so much:

Modern Friction – Nature’s Gentle Dermabrasion, Origins

Modern Friction – Nature’s Gentle Dermabrasion, Origins

Modern Friction – Nature’s Gentle Dermabrasion, Origins

Modern Friction – Nature’s Gentle Dermabrasion, Origins

I’ve already talked about it on quite a few posts (including my Best of Beauty 2016), but it’s got to be one of the best things I’ve ever put on my face. Considering my skin type, I’m not supposed to exfoliate but this one actually works because it’s so gentle. Leaves my skin super soft, like a baby’s bum. I’ve been using it once a week, as a replacement for my clay mask which just removes too much moisture from my skin during this time of the year.

Then I bought another cleanser, since (as I mentioned on my Worst of Beauty 2016) I hated the Burt’s Bees one I got back around September/October.

Blue Herbal Gel Cleanser, Kiehl’s

Back at the beginning of November, when I got the Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado, I did the little test they have on the website that tells you which products are best suited for your skin’s concerns and for what you’re looking to get. It advised me to get this cleanser and I did. It’s 250ml, so rather big, which makes spending the money less worrying. I love it! It feels like it’s properly cleansing my skin, without being too harsh or stripping it from the little moisture it had left. Hands down, best cleanser I’ve ever used!

Then I also got one of those serums that are meant to help your brow hairs grow faster, since I’ve been growing mine for the past year and it’s about time they start looking more decent (I still feel like a cavewoman everyday!).

Eyebrow Enhancing Serum, RapidBrow

I have to say, it really does work! My brow hairs have been growing like crazy, I’ve been getting them were I didn’t use to anymore, which is why I bought this product in the first place. Only problem is, it doesn’t last long at all. And it’s expensive, so I wasn’t expecting to run out of it after a month! Truth be told, I wore it day and night, it was the first thing in my routine right after the cleanser. Still, I was expecting it to have more product, since I don’t think I’ll be able to repurchase it anytime soon.

Considering my morning routine, this is it:

Morning Routine – Winter Time

I start by cleansing the skin with the Blue Herbal Gel Cleanser by Kiehl’s, then I apply the Eyebrow Enhancing Serum (I still do, though I’m pretty sure there’s none left, in the hopes that there is). Let that sink in, then apply the Vitamin E – Intense Moisture Serum by The Body Shop (I wish I had the one with the exact same name by Rituals, which’s many times better). After that, the eye cream and I finish it off with the Seaweed Mattifying Day Cream, also from The Body Shop.

It’s the night time routine that’s changed the most. I also start by washing my face with that same cleanser but then I apply this serum instead:

Hydro-Plumping Re-Texturizing Serum Concentrate, Kiehl’s

This one was also advised by the little test on Kiehl’s website, since my skin needs moisture and it does have texture. I find the formula of this serum so weird, but it seems to be effective. I guess you do pay for effectiveness…

After the serum, I go in with the eye cream (same one), which I follow with the night cream:

Make A Difference – Night, Origins

An overnight hydrating cream that also repairs the skin sounds just like what my skin needed so I picked this one up and I’m really glad I did. It was rather expensive as well, but I feel like it’s been working wonders. Also, it has a nice, subtle, citric scent, much like the gentle scrub.

After that, the star of the show:

Midnight Recovery Concentrate, Kiehl’s

Midnight Recovery Concentrate, Kiehl’s

Midnight Recovery Concentrate, Kiehl’s

Another product that the little test recommended was the ever so famous Midnight Recovery Concentrate (that test’s the devil’s work, I tell you!). I actually had been wanting to get a night oil for over a year since, with skin like mine, it’s recommended to use one to trick the skin into thinking it’s producing enough oil, making it overall less oily, thus more hydrated (if that makes sense to you). This oil’s been helping a lot with all of the issues I had to begin with, and it has a nice lavender scent to it, which is supposed to help you relax and sleep better.

Evening Routine – Winter Time

And I thought I’d better take some before and after pictures to show you how much of a difference it’s been making:

Before

2 weeks in

1 month in

Before

2 weeks in

1 month in

Before

2 weeks in

1 month in

I’ve been getting quite a few compliments on my skin lately, which means this routine really is working and that that’s clear, not only to me. For someone who’s always struggled with acne and oily skin, it’s great (and a whole new world) to see my skin looking the clearest it has looked for about half my life!

Have you guys tried any of these products? What did you think?

Love,

Alice ♥