My Bedside Skincare Stash and Nightly Routine

I think skincare, especially bedside skincare is always something I like to have a good snoop at when other people post about them - call me nosy, but I'm always interested in what ladies (and gents) are putting on their skin before they head off to sleep. So, let's start with a good double cleanse, which I think is pretty essential after a long day, as I think it not only makes my skin look good, but it makes it feel good. Taking the day off your face is a very good feeling - it's like being fresh as a daisy, but for bed. Recharging and repairing, it's all about feeling and looking better. For my double cleanse, I start with my Una Brennan Vitamin C Cleansing Oil (£10.99, here) followed by Sanctuary Polishing Hot Cloth Cleanser (£10.50, here) and although any double cleanse is a good one, these are two products that I've found work for me really well. Combined with a good ol' Primark flannel, it's the start of that fresh skin feeling. 

After I've double cleansed and gently buffed away at my skin with the flannel, I splash my face with cold water two or three times, just to feel a bit more awake (which is weird, I know, since I do it before bed) and then, it's onto my products. First up, is La Roche-Posay's Serozinc which I use for double toning - the first spritz is removed with cotton wool, before spritzing again - which I leave to sink in for a minute or two, before I apply my eye cream. Now, as far as eye creams go, I've used quite a few, and I've found that I can't use anything too thick or fancy, as the skin around my eyes is so sensitive, I'll just break out into blisters. I know. Under eye blisters. Ew. So I just stick to my Una Brennan Vitamin C Dark Circles Eye Cream (£12.99, here) which I apply under the eye, and on the eyelid. It's moisturising, but a thin enough fluid to be used on the eyelid, which is a big seller for me. After that, it's straight in with La Roche-Posay's Effaclar Duo + (£15.50, here), it doesn't require a lot of product to do its job, so a tube can last a good while, when applied day and night. It's my main spot fighting treatment, as I find it just keeps my skin under control when teamed with my other super products. 

After Effaclar, it's all about Indeed Labs Hydraluron Moisture Boosting Facial Serum (£24.99, here) with its hyaluronic acid, which is a proven moisture booster - so basically, everything you apply after this, is going to sink into the skin and be drunk up, leaving you with plump glowing skin. After I apply about, a pea sized amount of this to the skin, I like to give an extra pow of a moisture boost, so I spritz on a bit of Caudalie Beauty Elixr (£10.90/30.40, here) and it just gives me that 'mmm, lovely skin feeling' which I adore - and it smells amazing, so what's not to love? After that, it's time for the oil. If you're a reader of my blog, then you know I do loooooove love love my Trilogy Organic Rosehip Oil (£16.50, here) because it does wonderful things to my skin, and I've almost finished the bottle, so i'm close to tears until I buy my new bottle. I apply two drops to my fingertips, then massage it into the skin before breaking out my Medieval implement of torture aka my Body Shop Facial Massager (£6.00, here) which I run over my face in downward motions. I start at the centre of my forehead, then go down the outside of my brows, over my cheekbones, down my jaw and neck. This removes the build up of toxins from the skin, and makes your skin glow with all the loveliness of circulation. After repeating the motion on the other side of my face, I then work out from my nose, and apply the same method, taking it down the neck. Then my chin, and et voila.

The next step, is not something I do every night, as Estee Lauder's Advanced Night Repair (On offer at £38.70, here) is quite rich for my skin, so I apply it three or four times a week, in order to aid my skin in its rejuvenation and just to give it something else to sink it's teeth into. Last facial product for the night, is Soap & Glory's Beauty Sleep Accelerator (£13, here) is the moisturiser that wraps it all up together. It's a thick, rich cream that leaves my skin feeling plump and looking wonderful when I wake up in the morning, as I know that thin creams in the night leave my skin looking dull - as even though I have oily skin, I need that moisture overnight. Two little additions to my bedside skincare, is the Korres Wild Rose 24 Hour Moisturising & Brightening Cream (£20, here) which is in the oily/combination option, and works wonderfully well as a day moisturiser for me, as it allows my skin to breathe and look healthy throughout the day, without my makeup sliding off, or making my skin look even oilier - which is a constantly struggle for me and my t-zone. Last, but not least, it my little wonder product from Nuxe, and it's their Huile Prodigieuse Multi-Purpose Dry Oil (£17, here) which is my all rounder, in terms of dry skin, dry hair and flaky patches on my legs. It just does it all, without feeling greasy or too heavy for the skin. It's almost all organic, so using it on your face isn't something to be overlooked, should your skin be going through a dry patch. It's a 'use it all over' oil, that I couldn't be without.

What are your bedside essentials? Are there any here that have caught your eye?