Saturday Skincare: Thirsty Skin

Since my last skincare post, my routine has changed considerably; mainly because it was very basic (you'll know if you caught my Instagram Live a couple months ago!) and also because I've received a fair few new skincare products through PR packages, so I've been giving them a whirl and thought I'd share my new routine/suggested products for this month of fasting when our skin is most likely lacking in hydration!
I try to wear even more minimal makeup in Ramadan than I usually do because I like to use it as a detox monthand focus my saved time elsewhere either spiritually or at least focussing more on skincare.
I've followed the Spend/Save theme as before where I could below, suggesting both affordable and high end options for you to check out if you're feeling spendy.
Read on to see what steps I'd recommend for parched skin; some of these are suitable for combination to oily skin types too of course 💗

Masks

Save: Sheet Masks - from £1+ So usually when my skin is feeling dry I go for a sheet mask as they usually contain serums in them that I can rub into my skin after I take the mask off for super hydrated skin. I have a plethora of masks thanks to my friends who have recently travelled to places like Japan and Malaysia.. as well as Sephora in Dubai. As there's so many sheet masks available now, if you're looking for hydration I'd suggest finding one with hyaluronic acid or if you're feeling brave then a snail mask (I have tried these too and they're amazing!) I recently tried a Tony Moly Avocado sheet mask too (gifted by my mate who knows I love avocados so much) and it felt pretty great on the skin too although I much prefer eating avocados and am sure the benefits for my skin are better when consumed 🤔
Spend GlamGlow ThirstyMud - £14-39 If you're feeling spendy or are really into skincare, then the GlamGlow range will be like a playground for you. The name of this one says it all really, if you have dry/thirsty skin (or have had your skin dried out by acne treatments) then the ThirstyMud will help replenish your skins hydration instantly. I'm slowly working my way through the GlamGlow masks and will eventually report back on all of them here, but when I popped into the GlamGlow pop up shop I gave them all a whirl on the back of my hand and loved the coconut scent of this one.. not to mention my super hydrated hand lol.
Chemical Exfoliation / Peel

Save Nip + Fab Extreme Glycolic Pads - £7.45 (currently £5 here) If you read my toning pads blog post last year, you'll know that I absolutely loved the Bee Sting Fix pads; I still use these when I notice lines appear on my forehead when my skin must be dehydrated, so I would recommend these pads if you feel like your skin needs some plumping.  Since then, I took advantage of a Nip+Fab offer at Superdrug and got the Extreme Glycolic Pads for when I'm feeling lazy and feel like my skin needs to be decongested. I'd use this about once a week max as I don't like to over use exfoliants as it can aggravate the skin. Spend The Body Shop Youth Liquid Peel - £18 Part of the Drops of Youth range, I was sent this along with the new Youth Fresh Emulsion (further below in this post) and was actually eyeing up the Drops of Light version of this Liquid Peel before I received this. I'd tested the Drops of Light one in store and was waiting for my birthday reward to come through before I was going to buy but then this one came and I was excited to see the same (gross) peeling effect. (FYI there's also a Vitamin C Peel too).
I'm still unsure as to whether its actually dead skin peeling off or the product drying and then peeling off, but either way my skin feels fresh and clean. Takes a good massage to get off properly and can get quite messy as the peel is sticky to wash off but again, when I feel I've used a lot of makeup products in the week and want to decongest my skin, I'd use this once a week too.
Mechanical Exfoliation / Cleansing

Mechanical Exfoliation L'Oreal Pure Clay Glow Scrub - £5.99 (currently £3.95 here) I don't actually own any high end cleansers/scrubs (my previous simple routine only consisted of using a L'Oreal Skin Perfection micro exfoliator.. now seemingly discontinued!) so when I was sent the new L'Oreal Pure Clay washes, I was looking forward to seeing which would suit me best. As I am now more combination skin, I like to use this scrub once a month (I chemical exfoliate more often) and I tend to only use it on my cheeks along with the Purity (green) wash on my t-zone as I feel it mattifies best out of the three washes. Cleanser

Nip+Fab Glycolic Cleanser - £7.95 (currently £3.97 here)

I got this along with the Extreme Glycolic pads above at Superdrug and use this mainly as an everyday cleanser unless the weather looks like it's sweltering (then I'll use the L'Oreal Purity Wash to mattify). What I like about this cleanser is the fact my skin doesn't feel too stripped/matte after use even though it contains glycolic acid. It also has olive oil in it which I assume leaves the comfortable feeling.

Toners

Save Rose Water - 79p!!!! If you did catch my Instagram Live on the topic skincare, you would have seen me mention this suuuuuper cheap toner option that I've been using for months now as a gentler/everyday toner. Sure it smells like an elderly lady but I recently took it to a good friend of mine in hospital and she was amazed at how her skin felt.  I use this pretty much every day as I feel it's the most gentlest and hydrating toner of the three I have. I picked up the TRS version in my local Asian shop (decantered into the small spritzer above) so I wouldn't spend any more than a pound but Boots have an organic Botanics Toning Spritz (£4) with Rose Water if you'd prefer something less kitchen cupboard-y.
Spend Pixi Glow Tonic - £10-18 Another Glycolic Acid product (can you tell I'm a fan?), again I use this sparingly when my skin feels a bit congested and usually after the Nip+Fab cleanser as it doesn't make my skin feel too stripped. I do also use a Lush Tea Tree Toner Water (£4.75-8.95) when I have a mini outbreak of spots so I use these three "toners" on rotation based on my skin needs.
Serum/Oil

Save Nip+Fab Dragons Blood Hyaluronic Shot - £25 (currently £12.45 here) If you don't already know, Hyaluronic Acid can attract up to 1000 times its weight in water, which is why it's such a popular ingredient in hydrating type products. This was sent to me last year and I use it mainly at night when my skin needs a bit of a moisture boost but sometimes during the day when it's feeling dry e.g. after the L'Oreal Purity wash. You can mix it with your moisturiser or even foundation if you feel like a foundation is too matte.
Spend The Body Shop Intensely Revitalising Facial Oil - £30-38 Part of the Oils of Life range, I got this earlier this year when they had their random sale on everything including Oils of Life, Expert Facial Masks and more (I raved about the sale enough on my IG so be sure to follow me if you're not already!) I actually got it as part of this set which made it better value for money although I haven't used the cream yet and am unsure if I will or just gift it.
As my skin is combination oily, I only use this after I use a deep cleansing face mask like The Body Shop Himalayan Mask or GlamGlow mask in my last skincare post, which I use roughly once a week or once every two weeks. It makes my skin feel suuuuper silky and I like to leave it overnight so the oils work their magic and make my skin feel plump by the morning.
Moisturiser

In order of affordability, I've picked three moisturisers from ones I've been trying of late. All three have been sent to me and I tend to change up my moisturiser every couple months depending on my skin type/concern anyway so these are the ones I'm trying at the mo. I also use a high SPF in Summer (i.e. now), you can read about these here. Save L'Oreal Hydra Genius - £9.99 (currently £6.65 here) This one is the one of the most recent ones I've received and have tried it a couple times since, so all I can offer is a first impressions like I do on my Instagram story. What I like best about this is how fast it absorbs, there's not a sheen to the face (which can translate to greasy in a couple hours) which means it is perfect for hydrating oily skin types too (although there is a Hydra Genius for Combination skin too). It has really hydrating ingredients: both Aloe Water and Hyaluronic Acid. It does have a strong aftershave-y kind of scent and doesn't contain SPF so that's something to consider if you're thinking of trying it. Spend The Body Shop Youth Fresh Emulsion - £22 Again, part of the Drops of Youth range, I received this last month and have been using it every day since and love how my skin feels plump immediately and looks dewy; I feel confident enough to go out without foundation/highlight and still look glowy (on non hot days mind you!) It contains SPF 20 which is nice for an everyday moisturiser and has "nature's anti pollutant" ingredients in it (Thyme and Buddleia extracts) which apparently help protect against pollution and hydrate the skin.  The smell is really pleasant/fresh and not overpowering at all which I like too, but powdering is needed if its a sweltering day.
Perricone MD Cold Plasma - £129 Admittedly, this one is way out of my budget, however when I was offered one to try I thought.. why not? It claims to counteract 10 signs of ageing including loss of elasticity, radiance, smoothness, redness, texture and more.. it's their cult product that delivers a "supercharged shot of nutrition" so I figured it would be perfect for this month when my skin will be lacking nutrition during the day lol.
It's still early days as I only received it recently, but from what I've tried so far I can tell you this: my skin looks and feels plump immediately, doesn't look over dewy but hydrated and almost cushiony soft to the touch. I noticed a small red spot I had did look significantly less red the next morning but then I'd need to get more spots to test this further!
It does have a slight smell to it (reminds me of cod liver oil that I avoided in childhood), but that's because of the special DMAE ingredient which is supposedly why the product is so effective, so if you've got a sensitive nose, this won't be for you. I use mine at night so that the smell isn't as noticeable and also so that any potent ingredients can work with the natural repair system of the body when sleeping. It also doesn't contain SPF so it's best used at night in my opinion.
Facial Mist

Save Mario Badescu Facial Spray - £7-12 You can of course just use the kitchen cupboard rosewater as suggested above, but if you're going to wear makeup and bake, I tend to find this Mario Badescu Facial Spray helps set my makeup better and also smells better than the TRS one I have lol.
Spend Caudalie Beauty Elixir - £12-32 Back in my retail working days, this would be a best seller for Caudalie and I never understood why as I wasn't overly fussed about skincare and was busy loitering around the Urban Decay counter most of the time. But fast forward 7 odd years and I got gifted this by a friend who said it's a real good all rounder; toner, facial mist or setting spray. It does kind of have a tingling feeling to it but I realised that it has organic balm mint included in the ingredients which explains the tingling.
Lips

Save Boiron Homeoplasmine - £5.50-13.95 In Ramadan I tend to try and steer away from wearing liquid lipsticks as I feel they accentuate any dryness of the lips and also just in case I eat away at it. My skincare friend Sam got me this Homeoplasmine from France which I imagine was even cheaper there as it's like the French version of Vaseline but better. It's multi purpose like Elizabeth Arden's 8 hour cream but has no scent and is less oily.. more matte even. What I like best about it is this matter finish (I'm not overly fond of glosses) and also the fact my lips feel comfortably soft and hydrated and not dependant on more of this product like they usually feel with Vaseline alone. I've linked Guru Makeup Emporium above, but at £13.95 I wouldn't personally buy it, so I scoured eBay and found it at £5.50 here.
Spend Perricone MD No Lipstick Lipstick - £25 Again I was sent a trio gift set of this "no lipstick lipstick" and have actually been wearing it everyday for a wash of colour on my lips if I'm going to the shops or even stay and play sessions. It's got SPF 15 in it which is fab too but again it's the non-dependant feeling that I love best about it; lips stay comfortably hydrated and when rubbed off I don't feel the need to reapply. I also like using lipbalms usually to rehydrate/top up dried up or faded liquid lipsticks, so this is perfect for that as they're slightly tinted too.
So there you have it.
My current skincare routine, with the addition of all these new products in the space of a year or so.. I'm really getting more and more into skincare as I get older so I'd love to know what your favourites are and why!
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