Never in a million years would I have thought I'd be able to type up a skincare post. Even now, as I'm typing up this rambly (per usual) introduction, I'm still considering the idea of just deleting this post and moving on to the next. But a couple of you guys said that you wanted a skincare post from me, and I have definitely settled down with a routine that has done wonders for my skin. So here I am, tying myself to the chair and finding the courage to go through this post. 

As some of you might know, I had terribly horrible skin the past half year or so. I had blemishes visiting three times a week, old scarring that overstayed their invitation, and dehydrated, combination, sensitive skin as a foundation. Not the best in the world. That combined with the hard water and the change in climate upon moving to London, I stuggled to find a routine that would calm my skin. Several weeks and a lot of experiemting later, I think I've found the dream combo that's able to make my skin for the better. 

I almost always immediately take off all my makeup after I get home and am 90% sure that I don't need to go out again. The L'Oreal Skin Perfection 3-in-1 Purifying Micellar Solution seems to be doing a pretty good job. After soaking a cotton pad in the water-based solution and removing the majority of my makeup, I like to take another also soaked in the soution and do another wipe-down, just to make sure. The L'Oreal Solution is capable of taking off my waterproof mascara, quite miraciously, but it takes quite a bit of time. So more often than not, if I'm wearing waterproof mascara, chances are there will be residue left over the next morning if I don't double cleanse. On the days that I feel like the Micellar Solution just isn't enough, or I'm too tired to do the double cotton pad cleansing routine, I find myself reaching for the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser. Much hyped up by the blogging world, I was actually quite surprised to find that it was relatively inexpensive, if you compare it to the other hyped up cleansers like the Eve Lom, or the Emma Hardie one. Back to the product itself, the Liz Earle cleanser definitely deserves all the hype around it. With half a pump (sometimes a full pump if I'm wearing quite a bit of stubborn makeup) and a gentle massage, even the most stubborn waterproof eyeliner melts away in seconds. And when you use the muslin cloth soaked in hot water to remove all traces of the cleanser, there's a certain amount of satisfication and relaxation. It's like a soothing cup of (non-caffeined) hot tea at the end of a long day. 

I realize that I'm using a lot of cleansers in my skin care routine. But after years of battling with troubled skin, I've came to the realization that no matter how many beneficial, miracle products you slap on afterwards, it won't really matter if you don't have a clean base. The Origins A Perfect World Cleanser was one of the first skincare products that I bought after arriving in London and realized my old skincare routine just couldn't battle-prep my skin well enough for the nippy wind. It's a really gentle but effective cleanser. I felt my pores opening up again and my face feeling fresh. And like the other Origins products I've sniffed, this cleanser smells wonderfully refreshing. 

With the lengthly cleansing process out of the way, I have a clean base ready to absorb all the followup products. Whist shopping with the flatmate, I accidentally stumbled upon the Pixi store. Without hesitation, I dragged the flatmate inside, picked up the much raved about Pixi Glow Tonic and left with a huge smile on my face. I don't know how to put this product, I can't really feel a difference in my skin when using it, but I can definitely see the healthy glow afterwards. I can also see the difference in my skin if I don't use it. So I guess this one's a keeper. The only thing I don't like about this is the strong rose scent. I'm just not a lover, it always reminds me of old grandma scent. (No offense to all the rose lovers out there!) 

The one product that has carried on over to the new routine from the old one is the Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair. I still have the old version of this, and it works wonderfully. Again, it's one of those products that you don't really feel like it's working, but you can definitely see the difference when compared to the days you "forget" to use it. It's quite expensive but in my opinion, every drop is worth it. I can already see myself splurging on the new version of this as soon as I run out of this bottle. 

I don't know if you're supposed to use two serums on your face, nor do I know if I'm putting this on in the right order. But following the ANR, I smear a dallop of Hydraluron all over my face, focusing on the cheeks and around the nose. Again, a much hyped up product in the blogging sphere, I had ridiculously high hopes for this as there were bloggers out there saying that they could feel their skin "bloating up from soaking up the water from their mositurizer". I think I was being silly. This is a great product that has helped counterreverse my dehydrated skin, but I definitely don't feel my skin bloating up. Or I could just be desensitized? 

Lastly, but not least, I finish the daily night night routine with a fair amount of Origins A Perfect World Moisturizer. I bought this in their Christmas set that included the cleanser, a body butter, and a mini sized daily serum from the same line. It shares the same yummy smell as the cleanser, that's supposed to be white tea. But I've never drank White Tea so I can't say if it's accurate or not. Back to the moisturizer. Like all the other products I've tried from Origins, it's really good. The perfect moistuizer for my dehydrated, combination skin, it moisturizes and somehow manages to balance my skin throughout the process. How it does it, I have no idea. I just know that I'll probably be repurchasing this little tub of miracle when I run out. 

My morning routine is slightly different from my night night routine, and involves a lot less products. If you want to see it, then let me know and I'll try to arrange something. 

Well, that was a lengthly post. But you know me, once I start, I can't stop. Have you been switching up products to combat the nippy weather? What's your skincare like?