current skincare routine: cleansers

Since I seem to have gotten my skincare routine down perfectly and my skin isn't being crazy dry or overly oily, I thought I would take the time to share a little bit about what has been going onto my face in the mornings and evenings. All these items are definitely interchanged, what I use tends to depend on what my skin feels like, what I've been up to that day, etc. but these are the products I have been rotated around within my routine.

To stop this post from getting mid-numbingly long, I've separated it into two sections, so here is the first installment -- cleansers. Stay posted for the second.

1.  Bioderma Hydrabio
Since I previously reviewed this lovely micellar water here, I won't go into too much depth about it. I use this with a cotton pad to remove my makeup before I get into the shower (where I usually wash my face).

2. Bobbi Brown Eye Makeup Remover
For the times that my mascara is being ever so stubborn, I'll dip a cotton bud into this and swipe it over my eyes to remove anything that wouldn't come off with the Bioderma. Unlike oil-based eye makeup removers, this formula contains aloe vera and rosewater extract which is extremely soothing on tired eyes and I've found over multiple times of accidentally stabbing my eyeball with the cotton bud, that it doesn't sting.

3. Clinique Mild Facial Soap

I was given this centuries ago when I had the typical teenage oily skin, hence, I didn't feel like it really cleansed my skin so I put it away in the corner of my bathroom for a while. However, now that anything overly harsh and oil-stripping seems to wreak havoc across my face and leaving me looking awfully blotchy, I've resorted to the 'Mild'-ness of this soap which seems to be doing its job. It leaves my face feeling cleaner but doesn't turn it into a flaking disaster of dryness.

4. St Ives Naturally Clear Blemish and Blackhead Control Apricot Scrub
This will be a little controversial to the skincare-obsessed-nazis out there since it is a very harsh particle-grainy scrub, but I have used this for years and it really makes my skin smoother whilst getting rid of outrageously stubborn flaky bits I tend to get sometimes. I have never used a chemical exfoliator before because I simply have not gotten around to it since I tend to absent-mindedly repurchase this whenever I run out, but perhaps I will venture into one in the near future. 

5. Sebamed Clear Face Active Cleansing Foam

I use this in the mornings since I always do a thorough cleansing at night and there is absolutely no reason to over-cleanse. I like foaming cleansers in the morning because they are quick and easy (awesome for when I'm running late) and this one in particular doesn't seem to make my skin act up. I've been using this for a few years now but I have yet to find another foaming wash that seems to tick all my boxes.

Bioderma Hydrabio H2O Solution Micellaire

After using the cult favourite Bioderma Sensibio micellar water to remove my makeup for about the last half a year or so, I found my skin becoming drier and drier. Whether it was due to the flying between cities or the bipolar New York City weather, I had to do something to stop my skin from flaking away around midday when the effects of my (multiple) moisturizers would wear off. 

So I was at the Bioderma section at my local Hong Kong drugstore (Mannings), ready to pick up another giant bottle of the glorious pink-lidded make-up remover when saw this lovely blue bottle which is supposedly the same sort of micellar water, just with extra moisturizing properties. I grabbed a 250ml bottle of this (doesn't come in the big 500ml bottles for some reason), hoping it would be equally as effective as the Sensibio, if not better for my parched skin.

Does it work? Yes. It works on my face almost equally as well as the Sensibio and even better because I haven't been getting awful dry patches like I did before. But then again, the lack of dry patches may be down to the fact that I've got my skincare routine perfect now (I like to think this product is somewhat significant but who knows really). However, on the eyes, it isn't as effective as the Sensibio. All my mascaras are waterproof, somehow even waterproof ones just smoosh everywhere after a certain point in the day because of the humidity and my oily eyelids, but that's a whole other issue. The Hydrabio does manage to remove the majority of my eye and face makeup, but it's just certain remaining bits of mascara that tend to be a tad tougher to get off. Other than the slightly trivial and almost irrelevant mascara issue, I am definitely loving this micellar water.

bioderma

One of the most incredible make-up removers out there, it is perfect for on-the-go cleansing since you don't have to rinse afterwards, it's gentle and doesn't feel greasy, weird or like there is a film of something left over the surface of your face. It definitely lives up to its hype and I think everyone should have a bottle of this stuff at hand.

*Photo taken with Nikon D700, 50mm f/1.4.