The Five-Minute Skincare Routine

 This post is proving to the world that there is literally no excuse for not having a regular skincare routine! One of the most common things I hear as a blogger whenever I take about my skin is, "How do you have time to do all that stuff?" But in reality there is no need to use a hundred different serums and creams and sprays every day, and my skin actually gets worse when my routine is more complicated. So today I'm rounding up my 4 step skincare routine which can be done in as little as 5 minutes. All of these products are available at Boots, Superdrug and most pharmacies, therefore extremely affordable - no excuse! I can't use harsh products on my skin, and I am of the belief that a mixture of natural and chemical products is best so rest assured, these are fine for delicate teenage skin.

*Quick Note! I have combination skin (normal cheeks, oily T-zone with some dry patches) and I do get some spots. I have no skin conditions, but you may want to do more research into specific treatments if your skin is drastically different.*

Step 1: Makeup Removal - If, like me, you choose to wear makeup, this is one of the most important steps. Leaving your makeup on is probably the worst thing you can do. Therefore, every evening before I cleanse, I use coconut oil to gently remove my eye makeup (this will get through even the most stubborn makeup) and pour some Simple micellar water onto a soft cotton pad to remove the coconut oil and the daily grime from my face. One pad is never enough for this!

Step 2: Cleanse - Although they're brilliant, skin cleansing brushes are really expensive and not totally necessary for a good skincare regimen. Morning and night, I prefer to put a bit of my Freederm cleanser on to my dry face, rub it in and wipe away with a muslin cloth dampened with warm water. The Liz Earle cloths are great, but any cloth, or even a flannel is fine as it allows the dead skin to be gently exfoliated and removes all excess cleanser. I like to splash my face with freezing water as well, to wake me up and get the circulation going in my skin!

Step 3: Moisturise - Moisturisation is key to beautiful skin. Whether your skin is normal, oily or dry, you need to use moisturiser! Depriving your skin of moisture causes it to overproduce oil, hence giving you very oily skin. I've been using the Nivea Pure and Natural Regenerating Night Cream for a while now, day and night, and it leaves my skin feeling hydrated throughout the day and I wake up without any dryness! Having separate day and night creams is nice, but not totally essential (I personally find most day creams from the drugstore quite greasy, so I prefer more hydrating, mattifying night creams).

Step 4: Spot treatment - Obviously, if you have perfect skin and no spots, this is a step you can skip. However, not all of us are so lucky, and most of us get an annoying zit from time to time. I like to dab a little bit of tea tree onto my spots at night, because I find that it dries them out and usually stops and further infection. I also like to use ice to reduce the swelling of spots, especially those painful under-the-skin lumps. However, if you have more stubborn or severe acne, a specialised treatment is probably best for you. Soap & Glory's Dr Spot is pretty good, but it is quite harsh and it contains salicylic acid which can feel quite stripping on the skin.

There are other treatments and products I like to use on my skin, but on a daily basis, this is enough to keep my skin happy. Let me know if you'd like to hear about my favourite skin treatments on a budget!

Love, Milly xx