Oily dehydrated skin… what?!

Hi guys,

hope you’re having a lovely weekend. I certainly am… (except for the massive load of University work that is still waiting for me to complete it. But hey, nothing’s more important than a roast dinner at a pub on a Sunday, right?!)

Today, I wanted to talk to you about my skin. The one on my face.

Now, I have written (spoken?) about this subject a lot before and from what you can gather from my previous post,  my skin has always been very problematic. In the weekday mornings (and I do not know why there is a difference!) my skin is quite smooth and manageable, as at the weekend mornings it turns into a dry mess that makes applying foundation, without a dump beauty blender, pretty much impossible (is it the lay in? Please tell me it’s not the lay in…). No matter how my skin behaves in the mornings, by about 2pm you could literally be able to see your own reflection on my forehead. No, I am not exaggerating. The sebum build up on my forehead, nose and tops of my cheeks was something that has haunted me ever since my teenage years. I have always blamed it on having oily skin and kept using moisturises focused on this condition or… not use a moisturiser at all (I know, beauty addicts, it’s a sin!). It was only very recently that I have decided to get my skin checked by a skin expert (they probably have a specific name?) at a SPA we went to and I could not have been more wrong about my skin. I found out that my skin was classified as oily DEHYDRATED skin. At first I was like… is this even a thing? My poor, ignorant self has only ever heard of three skin types; oily, dry and combination, so this was a complete mystery. It turned out I had to thoroughly hydrate my skin in order to stop the excess sebum production, because apparently that’s what happens when your skin does not have enough moisture.

So… I have completely switched up my skincare routine in order to match the needs of my skin. Maybe, this will help someone out there. I use these products in the order shown, except for the last Aveda mask which I only put on overnight. These products are highly moisturising and nourishing which is apparently what my skin has been missing. I have noticed that with the right primer (hello, Benefit Porefessional!) my skin does not produce half of the oil is used to and has sorted itself out in the morning. I still get an occasional dry skin on my nose but I am yet to find a good exfoliator. Any ideas?

Thayer Cucumber Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera Alcohol-Free Toner – £16.00 – 355ml

Avene Soothing Moisture Mask – £11.50 – 50ml

La Roche-Posay Hydraphase Rich Cream – £17.00 – 50ml

La Roche-Posay Hydraphase Intense Serum – £19.00 – 30ml

My skincare routine

Today, a little bit about my skincare. I wouldn’t necessarily say that my skin is problematic but it is certainly indecisive. One day, I will wake with my t-zone so oily you could actually almost see your reflection in it and then on others I can barely smile because it is so dry. Having proper combination skin really sucks, but here are the products that I use to try and calm it all down.

1. First cleanse – Avene Micellar Lotion, 400ml, £16.00 I use this to take the majority of my make up off. It is really delicate on the skin and doesn’t sting my very sensitive eyes when removing mascara. It doesn’t really have a smell which some people may see as a big benefit, I personally don’t mind. It lasts a long time, does the job, doesn’t irritate my skin even on its worst days. Would recommend.

2. Second cleanse – Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser, 100ml, £14.00 Absolutely love this stuff. Although not too keen on the smell (I don’t know? Minty? Maybe it’s the eucalyptus in it) it really does properly cleanse your skin and leaves it feeling as soft as it has never been before. I apply it to dry skin to take off any left over make up and dirt, massage it into my skin and then take it off using a wet muslin cloth. Looking at the cloth afterwards, you realise how much you have actually needed that second cleanse!

3. Toner – Pixi Glow Tonic, 250 ml, £18.00 I do admit, I did buy this because of the massive hype around this ‘cult’ product, but I have now also fell in love with this. I have used this twice a day for a while now and there are visible results. Although I am again not too keen on the scent, the luminosity of my skin has improved and it doesn’t clog my pores too much. I feel like it has really balanced my skin’s pH out and made my skin glow, but not due to excess oils for once!

4. Oil – Botanics Organic Facial Oil, 25ml, £9.99 I really feel that Boots does it just right with skincare. The Botanics range is really inexpensive and does a great job, but this has to be my favourite product of all. Before I started using a face oil, I was afraid, because why would I want to add more oil to a face that is already oily? But I couldn’t be more wrong. Your face produces oil because it is too dehydrated so hydrating it actually reduces the production of oil on your skin, hence why this steps seems almost necessary. This facial oil is soothing, smells nice and moisturises my skin, leaving it soft and looking fabulous.

5. Moisturise – Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser – Normal/Combination, 50ml, £20.25 Having combination skin I have tried so many moisturisers in my life; most of them, despite claiming to be aimed at combination skin were always either more on the dry skin or oily skin side. This I have found to work really well with balancing out my skin’s pH and leaving it nice and matte throughout the day without drying it out. It is really light and easily absorbed and doesn’t sit on my skin and clog my pores. A winner.

Hope you have enjoyed my little rant about skincare. Do you have any products you swear by for your skin type? Let me know, I might try them out. Have a lovely day and I hope to hear from you soon.

Julia x