As with my most girls, I get readily swayed by pretty packaging, but as we all know packaging in not always a fair reflection of what's inside.
Case in point - Witch Hazel.
Every day I take my make up off with baby wipes. I can hear your gasps of horror, but I'm sticking with them. They're cheap as chips and I never break out from using them; presumably this means that my skin is as tough as old boots. I should also add that baby wipes are one of my top 5 products of all time in the whole world, ever (This is mainly because I have a pathological fear of stickiness and a quick use of a baby wipe soon remedies this!) They're also infinitely cheaper than the too small to be of any use, Wet Ones.
(Helpful tip - don't use baby wipes as a specs cleaner, I managed to destroy a Prada pair of specs using them - it took the glaze right off.)
Anyhow, I digress. After a quick make up removal with my baby wipe (Huggies is my favourite, in case you were wondering), it's onto the Witch Hazel. Witch Hazel is a natural astringent, meaning that you can physically feel it pulling your skin tighter. Applied with cotton wool pads, it also tones, cleanses and removes any stubborn make up that has been left behind. It really is a miracle worker and costs just £2 a bottle. It's also available at any supermarket or drugs store. A small footnote - Witch Hazel has a pretty strange smell, but this disappears within a few seconds.
Step three is my face wash, which has to be Clearasil's Daily Clear Vitamins & Extracts Wash and Mask. It retails for around £5, and is the best face wash I've ever used and the only one I've stuck with for more than 5 washes. If I'm feeling extravagant I'll keep it on for a couple of minutes and use it as a face mask. Once I've rubbed it off using a clean flannel, it feels like my skin has been resurfaced - the smoothness of my cheeks is unreal.
The next step is when I get a little frivolous. I use the Body Shop's Nutriganics Drops of Youth to almost seal in the tightness that the previous products have brought to my face. I know that sounds ridiculous, but honestly, I love this product. At £22 it's a little bit on the expensive side of things, but you only need to apply a couple of drops each night. After just a few days your skin really does start to radiate and glow.
My second expensive purchase is also from the Body Shop and it's part of the same Nutriganics range. This time the Eye Cream, priced at £14. Now I'm in my twenties I'm conscious of the first signs of ageing, specifically fine lines around my eyes. I'm pretty convinced that this stuff works and even if it's just a placebo effect, I'm sticking with it for the time being. It's worth noting that the two Body Shop products may be bought far more cheaply if you sign up to their mailing list. They'll regularly send you offers such as 50% off which makes both products far more affordable.
So that's it - my evening routine, done and dusted. There's only one more thing I want to add, and that's a note on SPF. I wear SPF every single day, without fail. Nothing ages you more than the UVA and UVB rays on even the most cloudy of days. To combat this, I avoid facial sun cream and simply use a foundation that has it already included - therefore saving me even more time in the morning. For me, it has to be Benefit's Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow, pricy at £26.50. With no horrible stickiness or residue, this foundation is extraordinarily light, covers all flaws and most importantly whacks a serious SPF 25 punch. Don't bother with using products containing SPF less than 15 - they're pretty pointless.
What are your favourite beauty products?
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