Morning Skincare Routine

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

Mornings are not my time. If I had my way, I'd wake up naturally at about 7.45am, laze about in fresh white sheets chatting and pondering the day for a while, pootle about on my laptop and then at about 9.45am, meander to the bathroom and get beautiful.

Alas, those mornings are few and far between and it's more likely to be a blur of taking a toddler to the potty, checking emails on my phone as I brush my teeth and sorting through a crumpled pile of (clean) laundry in a desperate bid to piece a respectable outfit together- results vary.

With that in mind, I've always been a beauty addict and grooming is quite the event for me. I like manicured nails, bouncy hair and glowy skin (again, results vary), so I thought I'd take the opportunity to tell you about the products I'm currently enjoying to shmear (mmm) all over my face. Yes?

First things first, cleanse. This is actually the first hurdle I fall at, don't tell the Beauty Bloggers on me. Soooooo, soommeeettimmessss (read : 'quite often actually'), I sleep in my makeup. I know, I know, very bad. I can't help it. I just get really sleepy and can't quite face dealing with it all. Water wakes me up and I want to stay all sloth-like before I get into bed. Also, I'm that girl that falls asleep watching films/TV so it's usually a case of just waking up in bed, closing my laptop and taking my glasses off. Basically, bad Louise, very sorry.

So here we are, first thing in the morning with sad skin and yesterday's eyeliner all over my face. Sexy. My saving grace here is Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm (£36 for 100ml).

To use this product you scoop out a little bit (I use about as much as I would if it were moisturiser) with your fingers, massage into dry skin, the soft paste turns to lovely warm massagey oil, any eye makeup you had on slides off giving you big ol' coal eyes, take a warm, wet flannel/muslin and gently wipe off. If you have a lot of makeup on, you may want to go back over heavy areas (for me this is eyes).

It's super gentle, smells incredible (oh hai jasmine, moringa, cederwood, orange, neroli and rose), leaves you feeling refreshed, contains vitamin E to balance and purify and claims to reduce the size of pores- something I would verify that it does.

I was quite reluctant to stray from my beloved Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish but Emma Hardie has pipped it to the post. A little luxe in price but worth it for the enjoyment and efficiency.

Since I have six hundred and fifty thousand beauty products floating around my house, I have been making an effort to use them up and lighten my load. This mini Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic (£5.50 for a mini or £13.25 for 200ml) was left over from some PR samples and, if I'm very honest, I thought wasn't going to be too special.

Wrong. With ingredients like cucumber, chamomile and aloe vera, it soothes and refreshes even very tired skin as well as leaving a 'fine layer of moisture'.

To use toner you tip a little bit onto a cotton pad (I like the flat circle kind), and gently move in circular or swiping motions across cleansed skin. The idea is that it removes anything you left behind (which technically you shouldn't have) and tightens your pores.

I always thought this step was a bit 'emperors-new-clothes', but I have found it's made a difference. It kind of leaves my skin a little bit fresher and younger- and I'm very OK with that.

I have used a couple of different toners in the past but I think I like this one best and will be picking up a big bottle soon. 

Now, the anomaly of the bunch, Origin's No Puffery Cooling Roll-On for Puffy Eyes (£24 for the size pictured).

I bought this at Heathrow airport before a long haul LAX flight to replace the (much more affordable) Simple Roll On that was lost in the great Louise-Left-Her-MakeUp-On-The-Aircraft debacle of NYC. I get around haha! I bought it kind of in a haze and if I had to make that choice again, I think I would question whether I needed such a product for such a high price tag.

In hindsight, I was excited in duty free, have a deep trust in Origins (my skin loves that brand) and the packaging was pretty.

The idea of this product is that you roll the cooling metal ball under your eyes, it calms redness, puffiness and helps brighten dark circles. Whilst it certainly feels very lovely (especially on an aeroplane), I'm not 100% sure I need this in my life. However, since I paid a lorra dolla for it, I'm going to use it up and enjoy it whilst it's there.

Not a bad product by any means, just one that is only temporary in my routine. 

The final step of my morning skincare routine though? Swoon. Let me introduce you to Origins Make A Difference Plus+ Rejuvenating Moisturiser (£34 for 50ml - the size shown).

This soft, non greasy, a-little-goes-a-long-way, delightful smelling (oh hai lychee, watermelon and rose) beauty is a new staple for me.

It soothes and quenches my normal to dry skin, wakes me up (a big plus for this tired Mama), sinks in wonderfully, allows my makeup to settle well and keeps my skin happy all day. It feels gentle the sensitive areas, I've had no breakouts at any point in the month and I think has softened fine lines near my eyes (but this could be my upped intake of water and the better sleep I've been having lately).

All in all, I love it and will be repurchasing- high praise indeed from a gal who has a box full of beauty samples to delve into!

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So there you have it, my very basic but very-happy-with morning skincare routine. As with everything in my beauty life, I like to switch things up and play around but this little set up has been going strong for a few months now and I feel really very comfortable in it.

I would love to hear what you're doing at the moment and if you will be making any changes for Autumn/Winter? Also, let me know if you have tried any of these things and what you thought of them.

And finally, well done if you made it to the end of this post! It was a beast! Haha!

Toodlepip!

xx