Cruelty Free Cosmetics: Morning Skincare Routine

I never used to be much of a 'skincare routine' kinda gal. I had products that I used regularly, but it was far too chop and changey to be a routine. Recently I've found products that really make a positive difference to my skin, and I've been motivated to use them daily. I even have a nice little routine for the evening too, and this will feature in next weeks post. :)


Skin Type?
Probably combination. It's not too problematic but I do get the odd break out and visible pours around my nose and chin, although breakouts happen less with this routine, and pours have significantly improved. Yay! These products may not be the ones for you, but if your skin is anything like mine, then I can't rave about them enough!

The Products
This is the exciting part! I try to use products that are as natural as possible. You're skin absorbs a lot of what you put on it, so using natural ingredients just seems to make sense. While I use a few different products, I'm a firm believer in keeping things as gentle as possible. I don't want to attack my skin - I want to work with it. My main aims are keeping my skin clean, and protected against any long term damage from the sun/pollution/life.

Step 1:
Faith in Nature Purifying Cleansing Lotion OR Faith in Nature Exfoliating Face and Body Polish
£6.25 for 150ml each (Certificated Organic Products,Vegan.)

I use one of these in the shower every morning to wash my face. I'll apply it to wet skin and massage it in circular motions, before washing it all off. You don't have to be in the shower, but I find it easier and less messy. Most days I'll use the purifying cleansing lotion, then one or two times a week I'll use the exfoliating polish for a slightly 'deeper clean'.

Both products are gentle, but have still really helped to clean up my pores, which started to look less visible very quickly. The both have a lotion like consistency, and the exfoliating polish has added little gritty bits of black current exfoliant. They're very small but you can still feel them working away, so if you normally prefer a heavier exfoliant I'd say size definitely isn't everything!

Both do a great job of removing dead skin, leaving my skin feeling extra smooth and clean :)

Step 2:
Lush Eau Roma Toner Water
£4.25 per 100g (Vegan)

This is the most recent addition to my skincare, and I think it has a more important place in my evening routine when it follows a cleansing balm, but it definitely doesn't do my skin any harm! It is the most skip-able product in the morning, but that doesn't mean that I don't like it!

I close my eyes and hold the toner at arms length, spray it on to my face and wipe it off. Its a easy way to make sure that all the residue from my cleanser/exfoliating polish have been removed to stop my skin from being overloaded, and making sure that its nice and hydrated.

I picked the most sensitive skin friendly toner from Lush. Its not got anything in it that will upset my skin, and it helps to keep it happy. (At least I think it does. I'm sure water would remove my cleanser just as well, but its adds a little bit of luxury and papering to my morning).

Step 3:
Sophyto Total Protect Serum
£32 for 30ml (86%Organic, Vegan)

This product came in a Vegan Kind beauty box. Its not going to be repurchased as its pretty pricey, but I do like it! Its part of an anti aging range so I was worried that it would be too heavy and full on for my skin - I want a serum to protect my skin and keep it looking youthful, but at the moment it doesn't need to reverse anything. However, I was pleasantly surprised! Its a heavily concentrated antioxidant replenishment to protect your skin against things like pollution and UVA rays, but its also full of natural ingredients (including apple, green tea and grape) and it hasn't sent my skin into a panic!

I only need one pump to cover my face so it does go a long way (it's just a lot of money, my poor poor student bank account just wont be able to hack it), and while the pump is sometimes a bit spluttery (The serum has a thick consistency so I would probably prefer a pipette style applicator) this isn't a major problem. Although its a massive pig to photograph, this is a pretty major problem.

Step 4:
Fair Squared Facial Sun Cream, SPF 15
£13 per 50ml(Fairtrade, Vegan)

I've reviewed this product in full here, so I'm not going to go in to great detail. I will say that it moisturises my skin nicely and stops it from burning, which is pretty much all I want from a self titled moisturising SPF. Yay!

Other extras that sometimes feature are Lush Grease Lighting Spot Treatment, and Abby Essentials Moisturising Eye Cream, but I'll talk about these in more detail in my evening skin care post.

Do you have a favorite skincare product? I'm always keen to discover more natural brands, and do let me know if you have any cheaper serum recommendations! :)