My updated skincare routine

Hey, guys!

I am hardly jumping back into the swing of things, considering what feels like a very long pause I have taken from this blog, but here's a no-excuse, no-explanation post about my newest skin care heroes, because I have to start somewhere and I do want to keep bloging from time to time. Let me just say, that I have not been wasting time and 2014 has been starting off nice and busy.

If you have been following me from the start, I wrote this post a while back about my skin care, where I expressed how I try to maintain a "less is more" attitude when it comes to my skin, among other things wanting to keep my routine as simple as possible.

However, I also wrote about feeling like there is certainly room for improvements as I have found my skin to be not only dry, but also sensitive over the years. I knew I wanted to do an updated routine probably ever since I wrote the first one, but reading back at what I wrote made me realize just how much has changed over the past few months. Using better products helped me see, that using the old ones did in fact irritate my skin, I simply had nothing to compare it to back then. My skin is not perfect, it actually breaks out probably about as much, but it FEELS so much nicer and my little routine is something I'm actually looking forward to every morning and night, which is new.

As you can see, it's as simple as it gets, which is a big plus in my book. At night I begin by removing my makeup with Bioderma (just like everybody else in the entire world, it seems) - it's just t.h.e. best at removing makeup in so many ways. I soak 2 cotton pads in the cleansing water and keep them on my eyes for a minute or so to soften the mascara, before removing the makeup. After that or starting straight with that in the mornings I'll apply 1-3 pumps of the Madara Purifying Foam, which is absolutely lovely on the skin - gentle, soft and effective - if I happen to have a spot, the slight sting makes me feel that it's working. I wash my face with water and can then sense my skin feeling very "naked" and dry, so I apply the Comforting Toner, also from Madara Cosmetics and let it dry for a few seconds. Lastly, I apply the SOS* Moisture cream and my favorite lip balm - the Oriflame Tender Care balm in Blackcurrant - that stuff is seriously amazing. And that is all!

I don't have the patience, finances nor knowledge to experiment and come up with my own unique combination of skincare products, I love being able to use a range or a line of products which is already designed to work together and geared towards a specific skintype.

I have talked about Madara before, but it's a Latvian organic skincare brand (although it can easily be bought here in Denmark as well, I tend to stock up when I am home) and I'm actually pretty proud of this line as a fellow latvian, which is why I love to support it! (Trust me, I don't get paid to say this, even though I wouldn't mind at all, haha) I love the packaging and the price range is not too high, considering the quality. The products are natural, organic, cruelty free and all around come from a very good brand, especially the products designed specifically for Nordic skin, where the weather's colder, the wind's stronger and the sun's... hiding :) I recommend checking it out. It also works a lot better under makeup than my Nivea cream did and makes my face feel moisturized and protected all day long.

Now, I only need to purchase an eye cream that I like (Bobbi Brown, I am looking at you) and I am more or less all set, minus the occasional mask or serum :)

What are your skincare heroes and do you stick to a routine or love to experiment? Have you heard  of (or use) any of these products?

Hope you're having a great week and I will see you guys soon!

Renate ♥