I really hope this will help you even though I can't guarantee that the products which work for me will work for you as well, because skin is such an individual thing.
I used to wake up every morning with a vail of grease on my face(gross, I know) and no matter how mattifying my foundation was, in half an hour I would look oily and disgusting.I was so self concious and I used to have spots around my chin and on my forehead all the time no matter what I did and it was really frustrating.
I tried a lot of products during those years and most of them failed me or helped my just temorarily. It took me a long time but these are the products that sorted out my skin:
Breakouts wise, wat literally saved my life was the LA ROCHE-POSAY- Effaclar Duo. I can't put into words how miraculous this product was to me, I can't live without it now. It's a drugstore product ,it's inexpensive and it has worked wonders on all of my friends. It has a sort of gel texture, really light, wonderfull under makeup. I use it all over my face in the morning and before I go to sleep and I use it instead of a moisturizer, because I find that if I use a classical moisturizer my skin gets oily again. For me it's perfect but if you have slightly dryer skin you would need extra moisture.
In terms of cleansing and removing my makeup, I use the BIODERMA Sensibio Micellar Water to remove my makeup and then I use the BIODERMA Sebium Foaming Gel which is a gentle cleanser for oily skin. I also use it every night and every morning and it keeps my skin soft,clean and oil free.
After cleansing I usually use a toner and this is the part of my skincare that is not stable yet. For now I am using the GARNIER Fresh Detoxifying Grape Toner. It works for me but I'm not crazy about it.
Then I use a product that I didn't use to believe in but now it's a must: LA ROCHE-POSAY Spring Thermal Water. It doesn't have to be La Roche Posay I also used Avene and Bioderma , they were all good. What this does for me is making my skin calm down after cleansing and exfoliating ,it preps it for the serum step,it's anti irritant and I find that it helps me to prevent breakouts. I just spray it after my toner and it feels so nice and soothing.
After all that and before my Effaclar Duo I use a serum and it's the ESTEE LAUDER Idealist Pore Minimizing Skin Refinisher. It is expensive but it's so worth it. It leaves the skin silky soft,large pores almost disappear ,foundation goes divine on top of it and it just makes your skin look so flawless. If you struggle with dilated, large pores this is a wise investment.
Three times a week I exfoliate otherwise I get quite clogged pores and I can get breakouts. As an exfoliator I use the BIODERMA Sebium Exfoliating Gel. It is quite gentle and it does it's job really well with oily skin.
I really hope this was helpful! My morning skincare routine is the same as my night time routine since I don't believe in heavy over the night products. I think that if you keep your skin clean, hydrated and treat it's specific problems you don't need anything else.
Like I said my skin is now completely normal, I can go outside without wearing any makeup,I'm so much more confident and I wish I knew about these products earlier.
Please let me know in the comments below about any products that you use or any tricks you have!
Love every single one of you who reads this!
xx
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