Skincare: The Beauty and the B edit

Now, let me just start by saying the reason I am doing this post now is because these items are all recent purchases and collectively have sorted out my skin and made me a VERY happy girl. I have also been drinking LOTS of water recently and making an effort not to touch my face, so that might have something to do with it too. But I just had to blog about these wonder products. I should also point out that I have combination skin, with dry cheeks and an oily T-zone prone to the occasional break-out, so I cannot vouch for whether these products would suit other skin types. Also note that I do not use every product every day, I only use the tea tree oil and mask when I feel my skin really needs a boost or if I've got a pesky blemish that won't back down.

1. Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel: I bought this a couple of weeks ago and so far it has been great for my skin. It leaves me with a super soft face feeling really really clean. It's a different style of cleanser than I am used to; before this I was using the old Clinque foam cleanser. To use, you rub this gel-oil in the palm of your hands then massage into your skin to create an oil which you then rub off. I would really recommend this to anyone with a similar skin type to me, but it does say it is for 'all skin types'. 

2. Bioderma Crealine H2o: Every blogger and their mum uses this, I know. So this is me being a little predictable. I actually don't like this for use on eye makeup, I'm going to go as far as saying it is pretty poor in removing mascara or eyeliner (especially waterproof) and always leaves me with the dreaded panda eyes. But I do like to sweep it over my face before I use the Clarins as it does a beautiful job in removing makeup and making skin feel nice and fresh. Looking forward to this being sold in the UK, but might have to stock up when I go to Paris next month! 

3. Sanctuary 5 minute Thermal Detox Mask: I like to pop a mask on weekly to have a deep cleanse and remove any grime a cleanser just won't get to. My mum actually recommended this one to me (thanks mummy) after reading about how brilliant it was. I have only used it a couple of times but in conjunction with my other products it fits into my regime nicely. It is a clay formula which warms up, so it feels really great on the skin and leaves you with a super clean de-toxified face. 

4. La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo: I completely bought in to this cult product, and I am SO happy I listened to all the great reviews and went for it. It is AMAZING. Literally, AMAZING. I am lucky enough not to suffer with severe breakouts, but I do get the occasional time when I get a nasty little area of spots especially when I am tired and have been eating crap. I use it as a moisturiser and it clears any breakouts up and prevents any more. It might not work for everybody but if you suffer from acne or bad skin in any way, please please give it a try because it has the potential to do a lot of good!! 

5. Lush Tea Tree water: I use this as a toner after my Clarins cleanser and before the Effaclar Duo. It is a nice effective toner that won't break the bank and is great for breakouts as tea tree always is. It also smells lovely and refreshing and feels all tingly on the skin. 

6. Tea Tree Oil: I bought this on holiday in Barbados, but of course you can buy straight tea tree oil pretty much everywhere. I just pop this on any particularly nasty blemishes as an extra treatment after my moisturiser if I feel I really need to. I do try to leave spots alone though and just use my usual products. My Mum always told me the most important thing about skin is to keep it clean and avoid using too many products, so this is only for emergencies. 

Have you guys got any other great skincare products to recommend? 

B.