Four-Step Process to a Wonderful Face

Advice from online and magazine sources tell me that as a female in my late twenties, I should be embarking on this strategic routine: Remove mascara & eyeshadow/ cleanse face/ massage face/ apply toner/ moisturise/ massage face.

Sure, this sounds amazing and I wish I was in a spa having all this done for me by a trained professional right now, but I am not.  Sadly.  In all my years of looking after my face, I have always shrugged off advice on the twice daily marathon skin care routine that is always in magazines and books like The Goddess Guide etc. My routine has always been: SOAP. I love soap. Lush soap to be precise.  I feel that soap cleans all the dirt away, and leaves my skin dry. I then dab a bit of Nivea moisturiser on. Voila. Nothing exciting and probably a horror story to most of the professionals in the field out there. But it makes me feel clean and free of unnecessary 'products'. I take the same view on hair styling.

Or, well, I did.

Recently I've begun to be increasingly aware and in awe of people whose faces radiate health, and whose hair gleams and bounces.  What am I missing out on? I looked in the mirror and realised I was a plain jane and I hadn't noticed it. Time to change.

First point of call: Boots. What products were there out there? What did I need? Ok, OMG. I hadn't expected to be so completely baffled.  I mean, who knew there were 5 aisles of face-care products in my local Boots store? My task = harder than first thought.  My first thoughts were - I'm baffled, but not disheartened! and I watched, and I waited.  Like a store detective I made mental notes of this parts of each aisle the beautiful skinned people went to and then I swooped.  I'm surprised I wasn't asked to leave the store tbh with you. Anyway, I didn't get too far with this technique, perhaps I should have combined this with a vox pop? *Tsk, I think of this now?!* (Ok, next time)  

I went home and decided to look at the the brands that were most popular during my stalking of Boots customers that day.  The results were as follows: 

(Interestingly, On Boots' website you can narrow product searches down to Beauty>Skincare>Regime, and then it breaks it down again to the staple steps as per the advice at the start: Remove Make-Up/ Cleanse/ Tone/ Moisturise.  It's all pretty well laid out. I wonder who defined this 4 step process to a wonderful face?) 

So I started to investigate the options that these five brands gave me as to the four steps... and this took several days. I'm not kidding. I wanted to do some research, and I wanted to be sure that what I was going to put on my face for the next month was somehow backed up by something intelligent. My choices were these:

• L'Oreal triple active re-nourish cleansing wipes
• L'Oreal visible radiance renewing gel toner
• L'Oreal gentle eye make-up remover
• The Sanctuary Spa deep cleanse facial pore refining toner
• The Sanctuary Spa youth boosting facial night concentrated moisturiser

My choices were based on many things, but I deem these to be the deciding factors.  The products not only look nice on the bathroom shelf, but they boast some great customer reviews on sites such as 'reviewstream' and 'dooyoo' as well as having good product information on their company websites. L'Oreal is of course owner of The Body Shop, and although they are still one of the main offenders in the animal testing circle, they are tipped to be going animal friendly by 2013 which is quite exciting. [http://www.livingcrueltyfree.com/2007/06/01/loreal-is-going-cruelty-free/] The Sanctuary Spa created their products to inspire the pampering and spa experience at home, as a follow on from the treatments provided at their Spa in London's Covent garden. 

Tonight was day #1 of using my new found facial radiance kit and to be honest with you all, I've developed a love for my face.  Not in an "OMG will you just look at my FACE" way, but perhaps I have just realised how much it needed a little tlc, and my god does it feel pretty special right now...

1. Lush Bohemian Soap - I still need this. I love it, and the lemony smell and the squeaky clean feel of my skin afterwards is to die for.
2. L'Oreal eye make-up remover - Cute blue bottle simple and understated.  For sensitive skin and fine if you wear contacts like me, this is perfect for removing every bit of grime off your eyes.  It doesn't overpower you with it's smell and it feels soothing.One side of a cotton wool pad dowsed in this for each eye. Job done.
3. L'Oreal triple active re-nourish cleansing wipes - Silky smooth and not at all greasy or sticky in any way. My face felt lovely and clean afterwards. [skin is feeling renewed already!]
4. L'Oreal visible radiance renewing gel toner - Using another cotton wool pad, this pink gel is awesome, and I glide it over my face and neck. It removes more dirt. Mental - I thought my face was clean by this point. (I will alternate morning and night between this and The Sanctuary Spa deep cleanse facial pore refining toner, so I will tell you about it in the morning) 
5. Nivea Moisturiser - A trusted favourite. Tiny blobs of this sparingly placed on my forehead, cheeks, nose and chin, and massaged in.  
6. The Sanctuary Spa youth boosting facial night concentrated moisturiser - Dabbed under each eye, I massage it in, careful not to actually get any too close to my eyes.

  All in all: MY FACE FEELS LIKE SILK!

What is your skincare routine, and how did you find it?  Did you have trouble and were overwhelmed by all the products out there, or do you run out for the newest one at the earliest opportunity? Do tell! Email me or comment... I'd love to know your thoughts and comments.  Perhaps you think my routine is all wrong? Get it off your chest!

Jane_French x