Introducing skincare

Hey, guys!

I've been on a pretty flexible schedule lately, which has allowed me to put posts out on regular basis, I've been really enjoying that and I hope you appreciate that too, because I'm going to try to keep it up when my routine packs full a couple of weeks from now. I have multiple posts in mind and I hope you'll enjoy seeing my hauls, outfits, makeup bits, updates, posts regarding confidence, food & fitness and many others, so stick around :)

I was a little hesitant about putting this post out at first, because I'm really not that into skincare and haven't ever been. Until now I've been living by "less is more" and apart from the absolute musts I haven't done anything excessive at all. I feel it's worked out fine for me and my big sisters and my mom still get by perfectly just by doing the simple necessities, but I also feel like 22 is a good age to start focusing on my skincare a bit more - adding a few extra steps, such as an eye cream and changing up some of my products for a higher quality ones.

But this is where I have to start at, this is what I look like now, this is what I do. Hope you'll enjoy and let's begin!

This was a pretty fun picture for me to see side by side. There's an exact 5 year difference between these two girls. See, what a Latvian summer looks like in comparison to a Danish one - my skin is tanned, my hair is sun lightened vs having darker hair and a paler face. You can also see what 5 years in front of a computer means, finishing a bachelor and waitressing night shifts at a bar for three years looks like (dark circles, anyone?). Some red areas have appeared, but that might also be because I'm paler, so it's more visible. All in all I think my 17 year old self and my 22 year old self still feels pretty okay with her bare face and rocks that 5 days out of the week usually. If it weren't for my dark circles, I don't think I'd bother too much with makeup anyway. I really would love to have those improve. But there doesn't seem to be water enough in the world for me to drink or sleep enough I could get to make them go away. Someday, maybe.

I've always had dry skin. Wanna know, how I know? When I was little, I loved water (still do) - I loved baths and showers and lakes and the sea and pools and... okay, you got it. And every time after I got out of the water I could feel my skin drying up, sort of... shrinking even! The hour long drive from the seaside home became the longest ride ever, if I (my mom, lets be honest) had forgotten to pack the good old Nivea. I remember the instantly calming feeling it gave me, when I finally put it on. Since then, I haven't stopped moisturizing and I haven't stopped using Nivea. It's brilliant. It's so rich and thick and soft and gentle and yes, I love it.

When I started using makeup, I started using makeup removers and face washes and now I feel like I have a very simple, very easy routine (with room for improvements).

I don't have (or used to not have) problematic skin. I get the occasional breakout, no doubt, but nothing major. In the past few months, though I've been having SOMETHING on my skin at all times. Just that one, red, annoying spot on my chin, above my lip, on my forehead... just one at all times somewhere. So I've been focusing on washing my face diligently and regularly and it has seemed to help.

When I get up in the mornings, I wash my face with a splash of cold water. It seems to wake me up and give my skin a bit of a pick me up. After that I use a cotton pad with the brilliant Bioderma cleansing water and pat my face dry gently with a towel. Then I'll put on the Nivea soft on days I don't wear makeup and on days I will - I'll use the Nivea makeup starter, which works as a light moisturizer and a primer for me. The Nivea Soft is way too thick to be worn under makeup, I've found it doesn't last at all and slides all over the place. The Nivea makeup starter works fine, but I think I'll invest in a good, yet light day cream instead. (Feel free to leave me your recommendations down below, I'd love to hear them!) And of course, I have to use a lip balm, otherwise my lips get very dry. At the moment I'm using the Oriflame tender care, which I got from my mom. It's light, but very soft and buttery and lasts a long time.

As for my body, I use the Nivea Express Moisturizing body lotion, which I have refilled in a travel bottle before my holidays, but I actually prefer it that way because the pump makes it very handy. At the moment I use the Nivea Pure & Sensitive 24h deodorant (I seriously don't get paid by Nivea, I wish though! I buy their stuff all the time anyway) and  with the weather getting colder, I keep the Cottage Garden hand cream in my bathroom and the wonderful Bulgarian Rose one in my handbag.

If I've been wearing makeup, I'll remove it with Bioderma, also my eye makeup, but if I have something heavy on, I'll use the Nivea (wow, I really just see a pattern now) Double Effect Eye Makeup Remover, which works really well, because it's very thick and oily and dissolves makeup well, without irritating my skin, I just make sure to keep the cotton pad with the remover on my eye for a while to soften up the makeup.
I'll then put on the Clearasil Wash and Mask with my hands and massage it in a bit. We had a rocky start and I thought this was what broke me out, but recently I've been having no problems with it. I don't think I'll repurchase it, as it would work better with oily skin, but I don't mind using it up. And then I'll use my Body Shop face sponge (which gets twice as big when wet) and wash my face with it until it's clean. It's very gentle and exfoliates my skin slightly. After that I'll sometimes use the Body Shop calming toner, but lately I haven't. Similarly, I sometimes use the Calming Cleanser instead of the Clearasil one, but haven't for a while. I just brought them out again to remind myself to finish up the products, so I can throw them away. (Being economic.)

After that my skin feels too clean and pretty naked, so I LOVE using the Nivea Soft cream to calm it down and put moisture back into my skin. I'm contemplating investing into the Bobby Brown eye cream, but before that I want to make sure I have the stamina to include this step into my routine, so I've decided to use up some of the eye cream samples I've been given and give them a go. This one, for example is Madara's eye repair cream and it's a Latvian organic skincare brand (can easily be bought here in Denmark as well) and I'm actually pretty proud of this line as a fellow latvian! (hey, if I like it, why buy a Bobby Brown one, if I can support a local brand, right?) They're doing very well and have become pretty international, so I usually buy presents from there for my international friends and Danish ladies I know here, it's usually a hit. It took me some getting used to, because the smell is very... natural. Like, literally, weeds. And meadow. But I think I'll try their cleanser and their deodorant and maybe a body lotion and maybe a shampoo... :) We'll see. Just letting you know, because I think it's a pretty unheard of brand and I happen to have tried it. And lastly, of course, a lip balm. And an earlier pictured hand cream. That's when I call it a night!

So, there you have it, guys! My skincare routine. Let me know, if you recognize, use, love (or dislike) some of the products I mentioned and if you have some great recommendations for me, I would appreciate it!

Hope to hear from you! And have a great weekend.

Renate ❤