Refreshing Products for Morning Skincare Routines

Today's post is all about starting your day the right way. It's really easy to forget to look after your skin in the morning - all too often we're in such a rush to get out of the door that our skincare routine takes a back seat! I'm going to walk you through a quick and easy routine that will get your skin clean, nourished, primed, protected and brightened in just four simple steps. 

Reach for a gentle, refreshing cleanser

It's really important to cleanse your skin in the morning to remove the natural oils that build up on your skin overnight. I'm really enjoying using Murad's Essential-C Cleanser* in the morning. I find the pump bottle makes it incredibly east to use (even in the shower if you want to save on time) and helps me manage the amount of product I use, saving me from wasting any. It's a light, refreshing gel cleanser with a zesty citrus scent. It isn't too drying and it's a perfect way to kick off your skincare routine in the morning. I've been enjoying it so much that I'm considering trying the rest of the Murad Essential-C line.

Use a light moisturiser to keep your skin hydrated

Once my skin is cleansed and dry I like to apply a light moisturiser. It keeps my skin soft and smooth and really improves the way that make-up sits and wears on my skin. I've just discovered Amie's Morning Light Hydrating Daily Moisturiser* and it's a really lovely option. It's an affordable option that isn't a compromise on quality. 

Apply a light reflecting eye cream to brighten up your under-eyes

Once I've moisturised my face I like to focus on my eye area. I have dark circles under my eyes and I find that I look so much more awake (with or without makeup) if I reach for a brightening eye cream in the morning. I really like Vichy's Idealia Eye Contour Idealizer*, it offers light hydration along with a pinky pearlescent glow that does my skin so much good. If you're interested you can read my full review here.

Prime your skin to prepare if for your day ahead

Once my skin is hydrated, I like to use a primer. I've found that Flint+Flint's Primer* works well under make-up and also offers SPF 30 protection. I've been reaching for this most days, even when I'm not planning on wearing makeup. I think that wearing SPF really helps maintain youthful skin in the long run and I'm hoping to get into the habit of wearing SPF to minimise sun damage throughout my life.

My First Impressions: Amie Spring Clean Cooling Clay Mask

A long while ago I received a single sachet sample of Amie's Spring Clean Cooling Clay Mask* in a goodie bag and I finally, finally got around to giving it a try. It was actually the first Amie product that I've tried so I was quite excited about it, and I'll explain why. Amie doesn't test its products on animals, they're suitable for vegans and vegetarians, they're made in the UK and they're free from nasty ingredients like petrochemicals and parabens. All of these are great qualities as far as I'm concerned, especially as all of Amie's products are very reasonably priced - a 75ml tube of Amie's Spring Clean Cooling Clay Mask is £4.95 in Boots.

Now, the face mask itself was really impressive for such an affordable skincare product. I was rather surprised at first because unlike most other face masks I've used this was one a mint green colour and it smelt very fresh, but there was no chemical scent to it. Once applied it was indeed very cooling on the skin which was almost certainly down to the peppermint oil content. The mask contains white clay which dries relatively quickly because the mask isn't super thick - which is both good and bad. It's good because it means the mask isn't too hard to remove and it isn't too harsh on sensitive skin. However, I tend to find thicker clay masks more effective at deep cleansing the skin so this isn't the most hardcore of cleansing masks. After I used it my skin was a touch more pink than it should be so it might not be suitable for those with very sensitive skin but I did find that it has deep cleansed my skin enough for me to want to use it again. The following day I also felt as though it had helped rein in my usually very oily t-zone, and for me that's another reason to reach for it again.

All in all, I was really impressed, I definitely feel like Amie's Spring Clean Cooling Face Mask outperformed it's price and I would definitely consider purchasing the 75ml tube in the future. My first experience of Amie has been great and I'd definitely like to try out some more of their skincare range.

Have you tried any of Amie's skincare products before?