When I typed this post, I initially typed ‘3 Skincare Products that I’m Loving This SUMMER’ because it really does feel like summer right now. We’ve had fab weather and we’re still only in spring.
Changing seasons is the perfect time to review your skincare products because it means you get to do it 4 times a year, and your skin has different needs depending on the time of the year. You’ll want to move to lighter moisturisers and opt for products that have an SPF formula
** Please excuse the fact I’m not an Instagram model and I don’t spend all my time in the gym. My treadmill is gathering dust, and other than surfing, sea swimming, and walking, I don’t regularly exercise. Terrible, I know! But if I’m honest, I’d rather eat pizza and go on little van adventures with my fiancée and my dog. So here’s my curvy pizza belly (until I start my wedding fitness plan).
There are so many products out there, it’s hard to know what to buy, so here are my 2 cents on what works for me. Psst! It doesn’t have to be expensive!
Organic Raw Virgin Cocoanut Oil
Over the past couple of years I’ve religiously been using Garnier Skin Micellar Cleansing Water. It always got my makeup off without needing to scrubbing or irritating my face. I recently learned that there is a cancer-causing ingredient in this product though which (unsurprisingly) has turned me off using it anymore.
There are tubs of coconut oil all over my house, in the bathrooms, in the kitchen, on the bedside table, you can’t get away from the stuff. So incorporating cocoanut oil isn’t something new to my beauty regime, as I started using it when somebody told me that’s how they got super soft skin in 2012 when I was living in Australia. HOWEVER, I never used it to remove makeup. My skin is quite oily, so I thought this would just make it worse.
One evening I was in a bit of a pinch and needed a cleanser, so I used the coconut oil and it removed all the dirt and makeup without any hassle. It’s all-natural, it’s ridiculously cheap and it smells heavenly, too. So I’ve chucked out my nasty chemicals back with PHMB (Polaminapropyl Biguanide, and moved to a natural cleanser.
NIVEA Q10 Firming Rich Body Lotion
I’m so lucky that I’ve never had a problem with having dry skin – it’s actually quite oily the majority of the time. This does mean I’ve got a little complacent and I don’t moisture as much as I should. I’d usually apply cream to my body a couple of times a week, but now I’m making the effort to apply it twice a day, especially on my legs. I’ve been keeping up with my new routine for a couple of months and now I couldn’t imagine not moisturising everyday single day, because my skin feels so much better for it and 100% healthier.
Finding a light cream is difficult. Body butters feel too thick on my skin and I don’t like applying it, I prefer something that will glide over my body. Recently, I was introduced to the NIVEA Q10 firming rich body lotion with Vitamin C and I’m officially in love. The bottle claims to noticeably firm the skin and improve elasticity in 10 days and I can hand-on-heart vouch for that statement.
The lotion comes in a new pump format which helped me get into a routine of using it everyday, as it’s easy to just pump a bit of lotion and go. The pump also works quite nicely with my busy schedule, I really have no excuse. People assume that because I have my own business that I can just float around at home all day maxing and relaxing, but the truth is that my calendar is packed full of deadlines every single day! So the fact it has a pump and it keeps your skin moisturised for 48 hours is everything right now.
Deliciously Ella Rose, Lime & Cucumber Set
I’ve been using the Deliciously Ella rose, lime and cucumber facial wash and daily moisturiser for a year and a half now, and I love it even more now than I did when I first started using it. Firstly, it smells gorgeous (just like the rest of the Neal Yard range – check out the de-stress aromatherapy blend – it’s my favourite 💙).
The refreshing facial wash is suitable for all skin types and is made with antioxidant-rich blueberry and acai. It does a stellar job at removing everyday impurities using a beautiful blend of fresh, organic ingredients (instead of harsh chemicals!). Once I pat my face dry with a fresh towel, I use the beautifully light moisturiser which again, smells amazing! It makes such a difference not having a thick cream on my face and I feel so much better. Once the cream has absorbed into my skin I then apply SPF50 and a primer if I’m applying makeup.
You can pick up the combo on the Neal’s Yard website for a cool £42 with free delivery.