My four step skincare routine

Recently I've been trying to slim down my skincare routine and stick to the same few products. As the season has changed I'm feeling a little more sensitive and trying not to overload my skin.

#1. Removing makeup with Garnier Micellar Water
Micellar Waters have been my makeup removed of choice for a few years now and Garnier's Micellar Water is the best I've found. It removes all of my makeup quickly, feels refeshing on the skin and it's really affordable especially as it's frequently on offer. I like to saturate some cotton pads, removing what's on my face first, which is usually minimal. Then I hold the wet pads on my eyes to let the water dizsolve my makeup, and gently wipe away. I wear Benefit's They're Real mascara and find it comes off fairly easily as long as I have enough water on the cotton pad.

#2. The heavy duty cleanse with Superfacialist VitaminC+ cleansing oil
If I've been wearing heavy makeup, a high SPF or just want a little bit of facial massage, I use Superfacialist as an evening cleanse. This is a really nice oil, capable of really breaking down any heavy grime at the end of a long day, and giving a good slip for facial massage. Personally, the smell reminds me a bit of cleaning products as it's citrus, but it's easy to get over. This comes in a 200ml bottle for £10.99 or less if it's on offer and it will last you for absolutely ages. I've decanted mine into a Muji plastic pump bottle for ease of use.

#3. The gentle cleanse with No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Balm
In the mornings or if I've not been wearing makeup or anything heavy I'll opt for a cream cleanser. This is an old favourite formulated for dry skin with cocoa and shea butters. It's nothing exciting but a good consistency, and fairly kind to my skin. I'd also recommend Superdrug's Naturally Radiant Hot Cloth Cleanser or the Good Things Manuka Honey Creamy Cleanser.

#4. The foam cleanse with Balance Me Pure Skin Face Wash
Finally, in the evening as part of a double cleanse I'll use Balance Me's face wash. I know that foaming washes are meant to be avoided and can be drying, but I really like this one from Balance Me. It's made up of mostly natural ingredients and I think it really balances me skin.

This four step cleansing routine is really easy to work with, and keeps my skin happy on the most part. I've not used a physical exfoliator for a month or so now but I think my skin is missing it as for the first time in a long time I've had a couple of small spots. If you also like some gentle exfoliation, I'd recommend step #5.

#5. The gentle exfoliation with Lush's Angels on Bare Skin
I've been through six or seven pots of this now, it's by far my favourite physical exfoliator. I enjoy chemical exfoliation too but there's something to be said about physically sloughing off the dead skin and washing it away. Lush's Angels on Bare Skin is mostly made up of ground almonds which means it's really gentle on the skin and you can get away with using it daily if you like. Go for the smaller pot as it's the same price as the larger and you're more likely to get through it before the use by date.

Finally, I like to apply everything with my fingers, onto dry or damp skin (dry for cream/oil, damp for foaming or exfoliating) and wash off with a clean, warm flannel.

Garnier Micellar Water, £4.99 for 400ml, Superfacialist VitaminC+ cleansing oil, £10.99 for 200ml, No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Balm, £9.50 for 150ml, Balance Me Pure Skin Face Wash, £16 for 125ml,  Lush's Angels on Bare Skin, £6.95 for 100g.