I'd generally describe my skin as normal/combination; it's not usually dry or oily, apart from the slight sheen that's to be expected after working a 12.5 hour day at the hospital and wearing my make up for over 14 hours! I do tend to get breakouts, I've only just recently managed to get my skin to settle after what I assume to be hormonal spots. I still have the odd small spot and some redness left behind from them, but it's nothing compared to the extremely sore and stubborn under-the-skin spots I was suffering from a few months ago! I made the mistake of touching and picking at the blemishes which left me with horrible redness and scars covering most of my face which was almost worse than the spots themselves. I know it's easier said than done but DO NO TOUCH YOUR SPOTS!! They will disappear far easier and quicker if you don't try and pop them. Do as I say and not as I do! If I had a picture of what my skin was like I would put it in this post because I'm sure the shock and horror of seeing the mess that was my face would encourage you to take the advice I need to take myself.

After those disastrous months trying to sooth the angry skin and annoying scars I have become better at embracing my zits and just helping them along by using drying products targeted at the problem areas. I am much happier with how my skin is looking at the moment, and after stripping my skincare routine to the very basics, a simple soap and scrub every few days, I have slowly added in some more products and my skin seems to be tolerating the combination quite well for now. When I have bad skin it makes me feel so self-conscious, even when I have make up covering the worst of it so it's been nice to wake up and not feel instantly rubbish about my skin for the past few weeks. Admittedly there's still improvements to be made until I get that perfect, glowing skin that Emily Canham and Aspyn Ovard seem to achieve so effortlessly, but a girl can dream!!

Just to be awkward and a bit backwards, I thought I'd start from what I do before bed.
For as long as I can remember I've used the Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes. I know they're a bit on the pricier side compared to some other ones you can get, retailing at around £2-£3 (they're almost always on offer for less than this though), but whenever I've tried others that are cheaper I find they burn my eyes slightly when I take off my eye make up. The Simple ones are so gentle on the skin but are amazing at taking off make up too. They even manage to get my Benefit They're Real Push Up Eyeliner off which a lot of people have issues with.

This is a product I used for a short period of time a long time ago and I'm not entirely sure why I ever stopped using it? I mean I can't say I notice a huge difference whether I use this or not but everyone goes on about how you should have a toner in your skincare routine, and although this is labelled as a cleanser, I would classify it as a toner. With some other toners I've tried in the past that have come in my Birchbox, I've had minor breakouts, but I don't get this with the Clean and Clear Blackhead Clearing Cleanser. I add a generous amount onto a cotton pad and sweep it across my face and neck to remove any remnants of makeup my wipes may have missed. It does have an alcohol scent to it but I haven't noticed any obvious drying of my skin since using it. The blackheads I have around my nose and chin area have improved, but I'm not sure if it's down to this product, another one that's my holy grail and will talk about later, or a combination of the two, but I'll certainly continue to use this at least until I finish the bottle and then I may see how I go without it before repurchasing.

Next, I like to wash my face with this gentle cleanser from Biotherm. I haven't tried any other products from this brand but I fell in love with this cleanser as soon as I started using it a few years ago. It is pricier than what I would usually pay for a skincare product but it's so gentle and deep cleansing that I can't stop using it. It's not that easily accessible in the UK but I have found a site that sells the Biosource Fresh Foam Hydra-Toning Cleanser for normal/combination skin  for £15.95 (free P+P over £15) and the delivery is very reliable and fairly quick. I prefer to wash my face just once a day and night time makes more sense to me than in the morning as I like to make sure my pores are thoroughly clear of all make up when I go to sleep, but each to their own, this is just what I have found works best for me at the moment.

The Nip+Fab Glycolic Fix Daily Cleansing Pads are definitely my holy grail skincare product if there ever was one! I've never used a product before which had such immediate results, I woke up the morning after using one before bed and my skin was smoother and felt so hydrated, I was honestly amazed. I first heard of these when I was searching the internet for something to help reduce redness, which was my main problem once the spots themselves had finally gone. I saw a lot of sites recommending glycolic peels and facials but they can cost quite a bit. That's when I came across these and after reading a few reviews and realising that they were on offer at the drugstore, I had to go and buy them straight away. Nip+Fab is fast becoming a well known skincare brand boasting luxurious products with excellent results, minus the hefty price tag of more higher end brands. Their products are still on the higher side of the usual drugstore price range, but at around £12 for 60 pads (which will last 2 months if used once daily) I think they're a bargain considering the results I've seen in the few weeks since I started using them. As I said, the smoothing effect they claim to have was something I noticed straight away, I had some small bumps around my temples that I wouldn't call breakouts as they were so tiny with no visible head, more like clogged pores, and the next day they were all virtually gone! As I continued using them I realised my redness was in fact fading and I became more confident in my skin. I use one after cleansing my skin and rub it in circular motions all around my face and then down my neck and across my decolletage, I take my time doing this as the motion promotes blood flow and circulation to the face which helps with cell renewal. They smell lovely too, slightly citrus but floral at the same time. I would definitely recommend these to anyone but I would say if you have sensitive skin be careful as I know glycolic acid can be harsh on some skin types.

This Derma V10 Deep Wrinkle Collagen Filler is a product I don't necessarily think I'd go out of my way to buy again or can say I've noticed has reduced the little fine lines I have below my lower lash line. However, I picked it up one day after my Dad so lovingly pointed out said fine lines and I got paranoid! I have since realised that everyone has them and I'm not actually bothered by them at all but have continued to use this cream that I picked up from my local bargain shop as I figured there's no harm in finishing it if I've paid for it. It was very cheap, around £2 or so and just moisturises my eye area. It's not something I will buy again but I'm on the lookout for an inexpensive eye cream because even though I'm still relatively young) coming to the end of my 20th year of life) I imagine that using something that is anti-ageing around my eye area can only help prevent further wrinkles.


I always apply lashings of lip balm before bed to ensure I wake up with lovely moisturised lips. I have never suffered from dry lips until about a month ago and I can't seem to shift it. I'm not sure what's caused it; I've continued to use my lip balm before bed, when I wake up and throughout the day, haven't been anywhere overly cold or hot, so it's a bit of a mystery. Almost my entire lips are peeling and flaking away and it's not a good look at all! They're not sore yet but I imagine it's only a short time until they do start to cause me some pain if they don't get better. I use a lip balm I received in a Glossybox a long time ago by Naked Lips and it's their Superfruits one. It smells delicious, is 97% organic and 100% natural and has blueberry, acai, goji, baobab and pomegranate in it. Since my dry lip situation started I've been alternating between this and my trusty Blistex Relief Cream. I used to get sore lips in the winter time where the corners would get small cracks in them and this product would fix them overnight. So far it hasn't helped with my current problem, but I'm going to be persistent and hope that it is resolved soon. Have you got any recommendations that could help me?

If I have any red scarring from recent spots I like to add some Germolene onto the area and it seems to help speed up the healing process somewhat. I do this at night because I don't completely rub it in, I leave it in a sort of blob on the area even though this means I wake up with it on my pillow! It just helps the dark red/purple mark fade quicker and it's easier to cover with concealer too.

I went into The Body Shop when the redness was at its worst and asked the sales assistant to advise me as to what she thought would best help. She suggested I try the Vitamin E Overnight Serum-In-Oil and although it was fairly expensive at £15 for 28ml, I was willing to try anything at this point. I did use it for a couple of days before bed, you wouldn't be able to use it during the day as it is quite oily, but stopped once I noticed my usually normal skin to be very oily half way through the day. If I had seen major reductions in redness I may have persevered and just lived with the fact that I would have to regularly visit the ladies room to blot my face, but this wasn't the case and I didn't feel it was worth having oily skin for. Considering the price of it I was quite disappointed but it hasn't completely gone to waste as I apply it to a burn I got on my arm when curling my hair a few months ago and it is slowly fading the mark. If you have dry skin or don't mind the oil issue then this probably would work for you. The Body Shop are quite generous in that they will give you a little sample pot of whatever you want to try with no commitments to buying the product or anything else and you can definitely get around a week's use out of the size they provide. The oil also has a rose scent to it which smells delicious!

Another product I briefly used a while ago and have returned to is the Clearasil Rapid Action Seal-To-Clear Gel. It does reduce the size of spots overnight by drying them out, because of this I would advise only applying it to the actual spot and avoid the surrounding areas. I find that it's best to use it as soon as you feel a spot developing to prevent it growing bigger. It's relatively cheap at around £5 and if you only apply it to spots then it will last you quite a long time. I don't like to use it before I apply make up in the day because I find that where it is a gel formula, if you rub the area you applied it to once it has dried, it will flake off a bit and leave white blobs on your face.
In the morning I just splash water on my face to rinse off the remnants of any creams or gels I may have applied the night before. Some people like to use their daily cleanser here as well as or in place of using it at night but I found that when I was washing my face with a cleanser twice a day it was too much for my skin to handle. Believe it or not there is such a thing as over cleansing and it just depends on your skin type as to what "over cleansing" is for you.

As I said, I don't use the Clearasil gel in the day but I do like to use something under my make up on any blemishes I may have to try and get rid of them as soon as possible. To do this I use Tea Tree Oil. I take a clean cotton bud which fits perfectly in the snout of the bottle (you can use your fingers as long as they are clean but you'll have to wash them after as it will burn if you get it in your eyes and is apparently extremely dangerous if ingested. Read the linked article for more information about this as well as the many other uses) and soak it in oil. Any brand will do, I tend to get 100% tea tree and this is just the brand that I have found is sold cheaply at a local shop. I then dab the cotton bud directly onto any spots which can sting for a second or so depending on the type of spot. Tea tree oil has antibacterial properties which will kill off any bacteria in your pores and dry the spot out and it also soothes to reduce the size and redness of angry blemishes. It is extremely drying so try and stick to only applying it to the actual spot. It does have a strong smell when you apply it but don't be put off, it doesn't linger on your skin at all. You may also be worried that it is an oil but I wouldn't say it is oily in the literal sense and so does not leave your skin shiny (I'm not too sure how that works to be honest but just go with it)!


Whilst I let the tea tree oil sink in for a few minutes I will again apply some lip balm.
I'm someone who is bad at moisturising! I know you're meant to do it regardless of your skin type but I just don't find that I need it regularly and if I use it often I get clogged pores no matter what brand or formulation I use. When I do use it though, I reach for the Garnier Dark Spot Corrector Daily Illuminating Moisturiser once again, to help reduce my red scars. This sinks in very quickly and has a lovely smell as it contains Vitamin C. It doesn't leave my skin oily or shiny at all and although I get small bumps if I use it too much, it doesn't break me out and that issue is not due to the moisturiser itself but my annoying skin!
During the summer months I heard a lot of people talking about the Garnier Moisture Match range and I thought I'd give the Protect and Glow formula a go. I was drawn to this one over others in the range as it has SPF20 and is called a "light illuminating lotion" as it gives your skin a subtle glow. Again, I don't use this very regularly as it did make my skin shinier quicker in the day, not anything too obvious or overly oily but more than usual and so I use it for particularly sunny days (not that we get many of those in gloomy Britain)! It has a gorgeous scent to it that I won't even begin to try and describe because I can't put my finger on any one smell, if you sniff a tester in the shop or have it already you'll hopefully know what I mean. Although I said it makes me slightly shiny, the cream itself is very light. It takes a bit longer to sink in than the dark spot corrector but as it has SPF in it this can only be expected. It only takes a couple of minutes to fully absorb into your skin and you're left with radiant looking skin that's protected from the sun too.

Around about the same time I began noticing my eye wrinkles I also noticed how puffy and dark my under eyes were. I'm not sure if they had been like this for a while and I was just hyper-aware of my eye area at this time or if it was because of my sleeping pattern/sleep quality at the time but it was noticeable enough that I had to do something about it. I know there are a lot of products out there designed to help with these problems but I wasn't prepared to pay the astronomical prices of some of the ones raved about online. Instead, I went into my nearest Boots store and had a browse of what they had to offer. After looking around and comparing prices and reviews on my phone, I decided to get the Botanics All Bright Refreshing Eye Roll-On which is a brand specific to Boots. It is a bit pricey at £8.99 but this is fairly cheap these days for a product like this. The roll-on ball is metal which is lovely and cooling on the eye area in the morning and the product comes out with a gentle squeeze as you roll it. Similarly to the blackhead cleanser, I'm not sure if I'm noticing a great deal of difference as I don't know whether this was a problem specific to that time I noticed it or if it has actually improved something I had for a while. I'm nearly finished with the tube and so will see how I get on without it before deciding whether I want to buy it again or not.

Whilst I don't regularly use my Biotherm cleanser more than once a day, I always wash my face in the shower when I wash my hair and so if I happen to shower in the morning I will end up using it twice - once in the shower and then again at the end of the day as usual.
After using the cleanser, I go in with a facial scrub. I used to think that the more I scrubbed my face the more dirt I'd get out but I soon noticed that it was in fact doing the opposite of what I was trying to avoid and giving me more blemishes. I only exfoliate my face when I wash my hair which is usually every other day and I like to use the Clearasil Ultra Blemish+Marks Scrub. I used to use the normal Clearasil Rapid Action 12hour Scrub which worked fine for me but when I had all the redness I thought that one specifically for reducing blemishes and marks might be even better. I always get a bit nervous when I change a product, not because my skin is overly sensitive or reactive to new products, luckily, but because like most products on most people, when you try something new you often have to let things get worse before they get better as the product begins to draw out impurities. I wasn't overly worried with changing to this as it was by a brand I trusted and it has actually made a difference. It is quite a bit different to the scrub I previously used in that it has a more gel-like texture to it with small beads as opposed to the larger beads of the other one and it also has a smell to it that I happen to like. It has helped me keep my spots at bay, for now and my redness and dark marks have improved greatly and have almost completely gone (except for one or two more recent marks). I then go ahead and apply my make up as usual.

Phew! That was an essay and a half! Although it may seem like a lot written out like this, it is fairly simple and it's a routine that seems to be working for my skin right now. I like to wake up as late as possible so my skincare has no choice but to be fuss-free and easy, not to mention cheap because unfortunately student loans and bursaries aren't overly generous. I like my food too much to sacrifice it for overly expensive skin care products when I can get great results with these affordable items, most of which can be found at your local drugstore.

Of course good skin has a lot to do with what you're putting on the inside as well as the outside which is why I'm desperately trying to up my daily water intake, even if it does mean I'm going to the toilet every 30 minutes! I am yet to become dedicated to buying more veggies though. It's not because I don't like them but more due to the fact that I just can't find the time to cook them all, the storage to keep them on my lone shelf in the shared fridge and I can never use them all up quick enough resulting in a lot of wastage as I am only cooking for one. It's a bit of a dilemma really! If you have any suggestions on how to combat this then please do share.

Talk soon,
Mercedes