Okay guys, so, a lot of you have been asking about my skincare routine and honestly I was putting it off for ages because I don’t really do anything, you know? Like, I’m not a professional at all, and I don’t really know what I’m doing, and I didn’t want skincare TikTok coming after me, ha!
But it means a lot that people care and want to know, especially because I had such bad skin before, like, really bad, to the point I didn’t want to leave the house. I had really bad acne, lots of spots, then they just sort of cleared up, which is really lucky. I think a lot of that was down to just drinking more water and eating healthier, because I’m now, like, 80, 90% plant-based, just with some fish or chicken every week, but I’ve really only got into skincare stuff this year, and now I have a proper routine.
Like I say, it’s not much, and I’m not a professional so I wouldn’t recommend this for everyone! It is life-changing, though. Like, you can see my skin now is so great, it’s glowing.
So, first, cleansers. I always, always, always, double cleanse. I want to scrub away the sins, ha ha ha! So I go in first with this balm, which feels sooo good and hydrating, and it just melts away my makeup. I don’t wear much, just a bit of concealer, mascara, then contour and stuff when I’m going out or working. So I rub that in reeeeally gently and just wipe it away with this, which is, like, a reusable cloth thing with microfibres. This isn’t sponsored… Unless they’re watching, and want to sponsor me, ha! Tag them below so maybe they’ll start paying me for all the free promo I’ve been doing - I’ve been telling everyone about these.
Okay so once that’s done I get this gel cleanser, which smells sooo good, it’s got aloe and all that good stuff. And I just massage that in for a minute - I always do it for a full minute - to get all the grime and dirt away. I like to feel, like, squeaky clean, you know?
Then once every few days, exfoliator. I know everyone’s so against physical exfoliators, they like all the chemical ones, but I really like to feel mine working, so I just get some rock salt and mix it with these tiny crystals - I think it’s rose quartz? Really great for healing - and I just vi-go-rous-ly rub it in. You’ll see my skin’s kind of coming away and there’s red underneath - for me that means it’s really working. I really want to just buff away all that nasty stuff, the skin, and feel red, raw, like, exposed. You know? You know when you just want to be a, like, open wound, physically?
Can I just pause here and say how much I love this, the routine of it? I feel like this is self-care, for me. It doesn’t matter if I’ve had a bad day, if I get to do all this at the end I feel totally restored and ready for bed, it’s just relaxing.
Anyway, so next on the self-care train, choo choo! - ha, I’m so embarrassing, what am I saying - we go in with the chemical exfoliator. Yep, I like to use it after the scrub, so you still get the benefits but it’s going on that fresh layer. I just put it on a cotton pad and rub it in. It stings, but I like the burn! I deserve it!
Next, serums. Now, I use retinol and some hyaluronic acid, but you really need to find out the right acid for you, like what works for my skin might irritate yours. So just be careful and do your research.
So I put on the retinol, just a little, avoiding my T-zone and focusing more on this area, I don’t know what you’d call it, is there a name for this bit? Like the cheeks and chin, but not the nose. Basically if you put it on your nose your pores will get massive, and I don’t know if you guys are the same, but I’m already spending hours looking into my pores in a magnifying mirror and picking at them until anything will come out, anything at all, and making new marks to pick, so I don’t need them any bigger! Ha! So yeah, just the chin and cheeks, the ‘ch’ bits, ha ha ha. I guess that’s what we’ll call it, the ‘ch’ zone.
Then I go in with my ice globes, which I keep in my little skincare fridge in the bathroom. So cute. I know it’s extra, but I didn’t like keeping them with my food, it just felt weird. So yeah, just gently massaging. Mm. Nice.
Next! Moisturiser. I like this one for nighttime, it’s a really heavy, thick cream and I feel like when I wake up my skin feels so nourished. So yeah, make sure to really take your time and massage it in, because that’s key for the next step.
Okay, now don’t judge. I know I should be using tweezers but for me I just like to use my fingers, and I’ve washed them so it’s fine. I just like, I’m not sure how to explain, you need to really see the technique. I just take my nail and scratch the upper left corner of my forehead, right by the hairline. Can you see? I just put my nail and really dig until I’ve got in and made a hole. See, I’ve got it now, I’ve got a place to grip.
I just wipe away any blood, with a cotton pad or with my microfibre cloth, and then once I’ve got a good hold I can gently start peeling. I just pull away the nasty, old skin layer. Sometimes it’ll all come away in one, like a mask, and that’s soooo satisfying - ha, I’m so weird, sorry! - but if it’s like, strips(?) of flesh, that’s still great. I just want to be pulling away as much as possible. Like I say, I want to be raw.
So I peel off that layer, and it’s okay if it comes away at my neck as well because actually I want to do the whole body, so don’t panic if your skin does the same. And don’t stress about the blood and the other, um, fluids - sorry, such a gross word! That’s just part of the process. You just keep picking holes and peeling away and once you’ve done the first layer, it’s fine to keep going on to the next one. I wish I could hit bone, ha ha ha ha. Just ignore me, honestly, I’m making all these jokes to myself.
You can just keep peeling and all the little marks and imperfections are gone and the new, younger skin can grow in. And it’s like you’re a new person, honestly. You’re just stripping away all the stuff that’s been exposed to the world or that’s been touched or that’s come into contact with all the toxins in the air. You’re fully cleansed. You’re clean and fresh. Ha. You’re nothing. You’re gone.
And yeah, that’s about it. You can add an oil on top if you like. Hope you enjoyed and see you next time!
No idea what most of this is but I am glad you're back and I love that you're laughing at your own little jokes in this - the little 'ha's and 'ha ha's throughout make this art