My everyday Skin Care Routine for Winters!

Hey There! 

Kolkata is perfect right now. Perfect chill in the weather. Not too cold but cold enough. And this obviously demands a change in the skincare/haircare/clothes and practically everything. 

My skin loves the cold… it behaves itself, it’s not angry or grumpy. (Of course minus the mood swings during PMS times )

Thankfully the routine I’ve been following since a month is working well for me. Touch wood…  And I hope this helps you some way…

My Skin type- Unpredictable. Combinational. Ultra Sensitive. 

Hence i'm trying to make a consious effort to use products with less alchohol and parabens.

Skincare routine

Step I-

 I use Johnson’s Baby Oil as a makeup remover/cleanser. And it works beautifully! It breaks down every bit of the makeup. It works on waterproof mascaras Like. A. Boss.

I’ve literally forgotten about my Loreal makeup remover after using this. I’m not even tempted to use that or anything else for that matter.

 Does not irritate my eyes. Does not break me out.

I know a lot of you’ll be thinking…”Girl! That baby oil has mineral oil in it!.”  Yeah. I know. With regards to the debate whether mineral oil is good or bad, I think it's all a MYTH. If it’s good enough for a baby…it’s damn well good enough for me.

Anyhow here are a few links you can check out and make up your own mind.

https://askanesthetician.wordpress.com/2012/11/05/why-does-mineral-oil-get-such-a-bad-rep/

http://skincare.about.com/od/skin101/tp/Skincare-Myths.htm

Basically I believe if a product works for you… Use it. It’s not necessary that a natural product won’t break you out. It’s all about what works for YOU. Individually.

Price:  50ml ; MRP: Rs.48/-

Step II-

After I’ve scrubbed the oil out of my face, along with the dirt and all, with cotton, I use my Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash. It does not foam too much. And I like that for the colder season. The foaming face washes dry out my skin too much. Just finished my Neutrogena Clean Facial cleanser (Look out for my empties post for this quarter). Love it. Also Clean and clear facial wash has been my staple since like…ever! (Do you realise my mental affiliation towards Johnson & Johnson related products)

Price: 250ml ; MRP: Rs.695/- 

Step III-

After I’ve dried my face with a clean towel, I use The Body Shop Aloe Calming Toner. Just a few drops on cotton suffice. 4 drops, to be exact, for my face and 2 drops for my neck. It soothes my skin and removes any remaining dirt on the face (Believe me even after all those previous steps the cotton turns out dirty :\)

Initially I didn’t realize the importance of this step. But before, I would get these acne kind bumps on my face. Not really acne or pimples. It did not hurt or itch, nor did they turn into white heads. The skin specialist said it was kind of an allergic reaction to something.

But since I started using this toner, the bumps (I don’t know what to call them!) have visibly lessened. Toner majorly helps to maintain the PH level of the skin and calms down the irritations. Now someone with a normal skin type might not realize the difference after using a toner. But those with sensitive skin, I’ll urge you to start using a toner. Start with rose water. Use it religiously twice a day, if you don’t want to invest in something costly.

Price – 200ml ; MRP: Rs.795/- 

A 200ml bottle is going to last me forever!

Step IV-

I let the toner set and dry for 4-5 mins. During daytime on weekdays when I have to go to work I put on my Neutrogena Ultra sheer Dry touch Sunblock, over it.  

At night or during the day when I’m home, after the toner dries, I then apply the Aloe Soothing cream. Just a pea sized amount is enough for the whole face and neck. This range also has a night cream. But this is moisturizing enough for me. Need to be a little careful since excess makes the face oily. But that's ok for the night when I'm retiring to bed anyways.

Neutrogena Ultra sheer Dry touch Sunblock Price- 88ml; MRP:Rs.499/-

TBS aloe Soothing cream Price- 50ml ; MRP: Rs.995/- 

STEP V-

I then apply the Vitamin E Eye cream under my eyes and on my eye lids. This I apply only at night while I’m retiring to bed. Keeps the eye area super moisturized. Claims to reduce appearance of fine lines, puffiness and dark circles. Everything that I need.

Honestly I still don’t know if it’s working or not. But I know it's an essential for the longer run and I’m a hopeless optimist.

Price- : Rs.995/- My Buy: Rs.746/- ; 25%OFF

Step VI-

When I’m all moisturized and squeaky clean, I finally dab on some lip balm and I’m done!

So that's my routine and has been helping me for quite sometime...

*What do you think works for you best? *

The Body Shop Haul

This is the first time I went all out and treated myself to a TBS Haul.  I have used the Vitamin E Day cream before. In spite of the raves, it did not impress me too much. I found it was too oily for me during daytime. I used it up during winters as a night cream. I have combinational skin type (face)…most of the time. During winters it is quite dry. To make things worse, I have super sensitive skin. I get rashes due to anything and everything. I want my day time moisturizer to be gentle with minimum chemicals and do it’s work i.e. moisturize  without making me an oily mess.  (Not really an ‘au natural product’ person; anything that does not irritate my skin shall do. )

I searched online and came across some good reviews about the The Body Shop’s ‘Aloe’ range. It sounded interesting and I was in a mood to splurge!  ;)

 

These are what I bought:

1)        Aloe Soothing Day Cream for Sensitive skin   (50ml ; MRP: Rs.995/- ; After Discount: Rs.746/- ; 25%OFF)

2)       Aloe Calming Toner for Sensitive Skin  ( 200ml ; MRP: Rs.795/- ; After Discount: Rs.596/- ; 25%OFF)

3)       Vitamin E Eye Cream  (15ml ; MRP: Rs.995/- After Discount: Rs.746/- ; 25%OFF)

       4)      Vanilla Bliss Lip Balm [Holiday Edition]   (6gm ; MRP: Rs.400/- After Discount: Rs.200/- ; 50%OFF)

       5)    Blueberry Body Butter [Special Edition]   (200ml ; MRP: Rs.1195/- ; After Discount: Rs.598/- ; 50%OFF)

      6)      Rainforest Balance Conditioner (250ml ; MRP: Rs.795/- ; After Discount: Rs.398/- ; 50%OFF) 

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 I wanted to get the combo Facewash-toner-cream all from the Aloe range. But didn’t find any amiable reviews on the face wash so skipped that.



The Body Shop - Aloe Soothing Day Cream



The Body Shop - Aloe Soothing Day Cream

 

The Body Shop - Aloe Soothing Day Cream

 

It’s been almost a month since I’ve been using the toner, day cream and the eye cream religiously. So far so good. My skin is noticeably behaving better. Won’t claim using this has stopped the acne or my rashes but it’s MUCH better. I can see the difference in my skin. More healthy. More moisturized.

 

After I’ve cleansed my face with my face wash, after drying I then  apply the Aloe Calming Toner with a cotton pad. It takes some time to judge the amount to be applied. Too much makes the face a bit oily. 3-4 drops work good for me (It’ll last forever!!). I let it dry a while…like for a min. Then apply the Aloe Soothing Day Cream. Again little goes a long way. It feels oily right after applying, but after a min or so it soaks in giving a healthy look.

The Body Shop Haul

 

 

 

During Day time I usually wait a min to let the cream soak in, then apply my BB cream.

During nights, I use the Aloe day cream (maybe a few dots more) and then the Vitamin E eye cream. Dot the eye cream around my eye sockets and massage it gently with my finger.

The Body Shop - Vitamin E Eye Cream

 

 

Frankly haven’t figured out whether the eye cream is working wonders or not. I have always had terrible under eye dark circles and eye bags.  But a month back I discovered a few fine lines along my eyes, which freaked me out. So I splurged at this best selling eye cream.

The Body Shop - Vitamin E Eye Cream

 

 

My dark circles are better. But that could be because my sleeping hours have become more regular and more importantly routine. I’ll probably write an updated post on the eye cream after better usage. 
 


The Body Shop - Vanilla Bliss Lip Balm

 

I bought the Vanilla Bliss Lip balm completely on a whim. And ‘thank the whims’ that I did!


The Body Shop - Vanilla Bliss Lip Balm

 

While checking this out in the shop, I swatched it on my wrist to check the scent (The sample had lipstick marks on it from previous use I presume. Ladies pls try the samples on something less private… coz it’s just gross for the next person!!). I quite liked it and the packaging was too adorable plus it was on flat 50% discount . So ofcourse I grabbed it! Half an hour later, while sipping on my hot chocolate, I suddenly realized the shimmers on my wrist and a slight vanilla scent still lingering. Ohh the joy!! My lip balm smells of vanilla and has shimmers in it!!

With Flash

The initial scent is a little artificial toffee-ish but it settles in well. It’s quite moisturizing without being sticky and it keeps my lips moisturized a good 3-4 hrs. Even after that it does not leave my lips dry.
Coming to the shimmers, no it’s not very noticeable or chunky on the lips. It’s just transparent balm with fine shimmers which slightly reflects light a tad bit making the lips look shiny and healthy and Oh-so-Pretty!    



The Body Shop -Vanilla Bliss Lip Balm

 

 

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Me saving the Blueberry Body Butter for Winter. Smells AH-MAH-ZING. Very fruity, true blueberry scent. Am just a 'sane' breath away from licking it!!
Need to buy the Rainforest Balance Shampoo first, to go with the conditioner. Shall post on these later once used.

*Did you go crazy on The Body Shop Sale too? What are your favs?*