Cruelty-Free Skincare for Dry & Sensitive Skin

Proof I'm sticking to my new year's goals.

I've spoken a handful of times about the topics I studied at college (aromatherapy and massage being my favourites) but I've never really applied any of my knowledge to the ol' blog. When I was at college I ran a different blog and shared a series of posts all about skincare - how to determine your skin type, the best corresponding products to use and how ~professionals~ perform a facial routine. I really want to brush up on my knowledge and skills as I've moved away from them over the past few years and I think they're a real asset. This also falls in nicely with one of my new year's goals, which was to get back into my skincare routine! Now that I've finally figured out the type of make-up I like to wear, having clear, soft skin as a base has made all the difference.


My skin is both sensitive and dry, with brief periods (no pun intended) of oiliness during that time of the month. I don't usually have a lot of blemishes to content with, so my skincare routine has been curated to battle my flaky dry patches, large pores and redness.

There are a few key words I look for when choosing skincare, mainly because I know the ingredients that irritate and ingredients that soothe my skin. I avoid any type of foaming cleanser, preferring to choose something like a cleansing milk or balm, as they're more nourishing and most foaming cleansers can be quite drying - great for oily skin, not so much for dry! I also avoid tea tree, as it's way too harsh for me. Ingredients like vitamin E, aloe, oats, camomile and cucumber are incredibly gentle on the skin, so I usually go for anything containing those.

Cleansers.
I'm using two cleansers at the moment - the Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil and the Superdrug Naturally Radiant Hot Cloth Cleanser (v). I'll use the cleansing oil as m 'pre-cleanse' to remove any make-up residue, remove it with a damp flannel and then work in the hot cloth cleanser. I'm still not sure if I like the cleansing oil - it leaves my skin feeling incredibly soft, but the oiliness leaves me feeling a little mucky. I'm quite sure it's all in my head, because it's a lovely cleanser, but I won't be repurchasing. The hot cloth cleanser has been a favourite of mine since 2015 and my skin feels incredible after using it.

My make-up remover of choice at the moment is the Body Shop Camomile Gentle Eye Make-Up Remover. I've been using the B. Micellar Water which works fine for me, although it stings my eyes! The Body Shop Camomile make-up remover is gentle but still v powerful! I wear thick layers of mascara and it dissolves it quickly and easily. Love!

I also have the Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter, which I haven't used yet but thought I'd mention as it ticks two of my boxes with the calming camomile and the nourishing effect of the butter formula.

Exfoliators.
These exfoliators are the newest additions to my skincare routine but my skin had been gasping for them for aaaages. The Hot Cloth Cleanser does a pretty good job of removing build-up and buffing away general flakiness but using an exfoliant once a week has really helped brighten my skin and keep the dryness at bay. The two I have are both from Superdrug: one from the Vitamin E range, the other from their Simply Pure range which is specifically for sensitive skin.

The Vitamin E Gentle Oatmeal Exfoliator (v) was chosen mainly because of the name! I knew that the Vitamin E, 'gentle' and 'oatmeal' would be kind to my skin and it's been working nicely so far. It's full of little oats and tiny pieces of walnut shell, which is carried on a deliciously scented cleansing milk-type liquid. The Simply Pure Smoothing Face Scrub (v) is even gentler again, carried on a fragrance-free cleansing milk with less exfoliating pieces through-out but sometimes that's needed for extremely sensitive skin.

Toners & Moisturisers.
This Body Shop Aloe Calming Toner is, weirdly, my favourite skincare item! I had been using the Superdrug Vitamin E Toning Mist and it was really hydrating but not particularly good at toning. I have a lot of redness and quite large pores scattered across my nose and cheeks, so I needed something to ease all of that whilst still sucking in those pores and sealing my skin after cleansing. This toner is brilliant for both of those things!

The moisturiser I'm using right now is the Vitamin E SPF15 Moisturising Cream (v) from Superdrug. It's okay but nothing to write home about!

Masks.
I've spoken multiple times about my love for the Superdrug Cooling Cucumber face mask (v) but here we are again! It's been specifically formulated for sensitive skin but is still great at absorbing extra oils, cooling redness and deep cleansing blemishes during my moon time! I can't rave about this mask enough, honestly.

This routine has being doing my skin the world of good. I used to get self-conscious about foundation clinging to my dryness, but it's not the case anymore. I tend to follow this routine in the morning and (guilty) use a micellar water to remove my make-up at night. Ideally I'd do it morning and night, but I'm accepting small victories at this point hah!

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