Hello beauties!

Something I learned while working at The Body Shop a few years ago, is that everyone’s skin is different (well, duh). Different skin types require different products. The same moisturizer I use, won’t always be the same you’ll need. I’ve always considered myself to have a combination/oily skin type.

While working at The Body Shop, I was lucky enough to use their skincare tools to fully determine exactly what my skin needed. The verdict on my skin: combination/oily and dehydrated. “Dehydrated” you say? What does that mean? WELL, there’s a big difference between dehydrated skin and dry skin. As you can see from my diagnosis, your skin can still be dehydrated and oily at the same time.

The Body Shop describes the difference between dehydrated skin and dry skin here. In short terms, dry skin = not enough oil, dehydrated skin = not enough moisture. Here are the products that I use for my skincare routine:

1. Thayer’s Alcohol Free Lavender Witch Hazel Toner

I’ve seen so many people with extremely clear skin that say they use witch hazel, so I decided to grab a toner to add into my routine. This toner does not contain alcohol, so it does not dry out my skin or cause any burning sensations. Toners usually burn my skin and are too strong, but this one has been great. If I haven’t worn any makeup, I usually wash my face with warm water and then splash cold water on myself to shrink my pores. Toner will help wipe up the extra dirt and makeup residue left over after washing your face.

2. Differin Acne Treatment Gel

Okay, so this product has changed my life. Over the last two years my acne has gotten so bad. I break out in painful, cystic blemishes that come back every few days. Differin Gel has really helped lessen these breakouts. I’ve read a lot of reviews on this product and haven’t gotten a definite answer as to when in your routine you should use this, but I use it before my moisturizer. The directions tell you to use the gel all over the face, not just the affected area of breakouts, and only once every 24 hours. I use a pea sized amount for my whole face. Since I started using Differin, I’ve seen a dramatic change in my breakouts and my skin has started dramatically clearing up.

3. The Body Shop Drops of Youth Youth Cream

Remember the dehydrated skin I was telling you about? Well, this product will help put hydration back into your skin. The Drops of Youth line contains various plant stem cells that help with the renewal of skin cells, while also adding hydration (moisture) into your skin. I love this moisturizer, because it’s a cross between a cream and a gel. It’s lightweight and leaves your skin feeling soft, while also addressing early signs of again with the plant stem cells. I had a lot of experience with this line while working at The Body Shop and it quickly became one of my favorites.

4. The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil

Back to the breakouts… I don’t use tea tree oil daily, but it’s definitely worth mentioning in my routine. This oil is used as a spot treatment and will help targeted areas. I use this during the day whenever I’m having a bad breakout and will see results within 2-3 days. Of course, no product will give you overnight results when it comes to acne, but this is the closest thing yet. I dab a few drops onto a Q-tip and place it on my breakouts. The redness will go down drastically and clear up any bacteria that is causing a blemish.

Items worth mentioning:

5. The Body Shop Seaweed Pore-Cleansing Exfoliator

If you haven’t discovered yet, I am a huge snob for The Body Shop items. I use this exfoliator 2-3x a week after washing my face to help remove any dead skin cells and to help keep my skin smooth. This exfoliator helps clean deep into your pores to reduce blackheads, while balancing out the natural oils in your skin (great for a combination skin). It’s a rough scrub, that uses jojoba beads and olive stone to exfoliate.

6. The Body Shop Seaweed Oil-Balancing Clay Mask

I don’t do my facial masks nearly enough, but when I do, this is my go to. This is another product from the Seaweed line a The Body Shop, that works great on a combination/oily skin type. Again, the seaweed helps balance out natural oils within the skin, while deep cleaning your pores. After cleansing my face, I use my finger tips or a mask brush to evenly distribute the mask onto my face. The mask dries to a greyish clay after 10-15 minutes that will leave your face a little stiff (I personally love clay masks, because they remind me of the spas you’d think of as a kid). After washing off, you will immediately feel the difference in your skin. It’ll actually feel clean and smooth, without drying out your skin.

7. Tarte Cosmetics Maracuja Oil

Someone suggested this to me a while ago when I asked for help on dry spots on my skin. My skin is mostly oily and I know it’s not due to stripping my skin of natural oils, so during the winter months I will get random dry patches near my nose. One of my closest friends (shoutout to Crystal at Stay-At-Home Girlfriend) gave me a trial size she received in one of her Ipsy bags and I’ve barely made a dent in it! I can’t stress this enough… A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY! Two drops on my finger tips, after I put on moisturizer, is more than enough to evenly place on my entire face. This is another item I don’t use daily, but when I get those pesky dry spots, I’ll use this during my night routine, so it can soak in my skin. Surprisingly, the few times I wore this during the day, my skin didn’t appear oily though!

I know my routine seems over the top simple, but as I mentioned before, it works for MY skin. Unfortunately, I still break out more than I’d like to though. My skin isn’t perfect, but it’s gotten a lot better. If you have any suggestions for breakouts and clear skin, let me know in the comments! What products do you use for your routine? Have you tried any of the ones I am using?

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