Diary of Evening Cleansing Routine That Really Works

My skin is like a stroppy teenager, the kind you'd see wandering the halls of Summer Bay High, texting its epidermis-y friends, rolling its eyeballs every fifteen seconds and wondering what it's supposed to be when it grows up.

Some days this teenage terror is so well behaved that I congratulate myself on the great job I've done. Other days it just won't stay in line and I resort to threatening it with the skin equivalent of the wooden spoon. 

But I have developed an evening cleansing regime that works for me. It keeps breakouts at bay, it leaves my skin cleansed with the 'squeaky clean' or tightness feeling and I enjoy using the products so much that I don't head to the bathroom cabinet like the poor fella below.

My skin is combination with a sensitive soul. I have to be careful what I use on it because it's prone to reddening and reacting badly to certain ingredients.

First up, if you've haven't already made a solemn oath to yourself that you shall never sleep without double cleansing (you can read all about it here) then I would urge you to do it this minute. From my experience, it's the one thing that will make the biggest difference to the condition of your skin.

I always start with an oil cleanser. Not being able to remove my eye makeup with an oil while I had my eyelash extensions on is actually one of the main reasons that I have stayed away from them. Well, that and the fact that they left me BALDY.

This one from l'Occitane is a good pick (€20 for 200ml). It has 5% shea oil so if you find your skin is not a fan of shea, maybe try something like Una Brennan Super Facialist Oil (calpol issue notwithstanding). 

I follow it up with La Roche Posay's Physiological Cleansing Gel (€15.99 for 200ml). This one is especially designed for sensitive skin and is soap free, alcohol free, colourant free and paraben free. I can actually feel it soothing and telling my skin it will all be alright.

But once a week (usually before a face mask) I use NeoStrata's Foaming Glycolic Wash (€24.95 for 100ml). Now usually the words foaming and glycolic would cause my sensitive side to start foaming at the mouth but actually my face reacts really well to this. It is formulated with 18% glycolic acid and 2% lactobionic acid to gently exfoliate, unclog congested pores, and stimulate cell renewal. But approach with caution, it does sting a little so it isn't recommend for very sensitive types.

And the final and possibly most important ingredient - a clean face cloth for every wash. Some people invest in muslin cloths but a three pack from Penneys does the job for me. 

Now if you'll excuse me, I've to move on to exfoliators, masks, serums, creams and oils. 

What is on your bathroom shelf? Is there a cleanser that you can't be without? And do you have any recommendations for your own skin type? To the comments!