I’ve been using the same four skincare products, more or less, for the past twelve weeks. Out of necessity rather than choice, really, because I’ve had to whittle down my product arsenal to the absolute bare minimum, but that’s not to say that I haven’t enjoyed using them. In fact they’ve worked brilliantly well for me – two cleansers, one quick (the micellar) and one more luxurious (the Balance Me Cream Cleanser), an antioxidant serum and a powerful moisturiser. Obviously there have been other bits and pieces added into the mix – SPFs, the odd toner, the Neal’s Yard Remedies Argan Oil – but the majority of my routine has consisted of the things described below.

It’s well worth noting that during the twelve weeks in question (nine with a baby, three before that spent heavily pregnant) I have a) very rarely worn makeup and b) stopped travelling into central London. I don’t know why I feel that’s relevant – maybe I would have needed a heavier cleanser had I been in daily makeup? Maybe my skin would have been more temperamental had I been travelling in and out of the city? – but I just feel it sets the tone for what follows: a minimalist kind of routine that doesn’t need to tackle any particular concerns. It’s almost like a “resting” routine!

I don’t think that I’ve ever really stuck to the same products for this long before, mainly because usually I want to keep trying new things. I have to say that I have missed my usual variety – the drawer of face oils, the vast selection of balm cleansers and – most importantly – the nighttime “rejuvenators”, whether acid exfoliant or hydrating treatment – and it will be interesting to see how my skin reacts once I bombard it with the full whammy. It’s pretty much flawless at the moment, if a little lacklustre; no pimples or dark spots or anything like that…

All of the following products are finished now, apart from a smidgen of serum left in the Zelens bottle, so I thought I’d do a quick run-down before I chuck away the packaging…

1. The Physiological Micellar Solution from La Roche-Posay, £12 here. I went off micellar waters for a while, preferring to use a balm cleanser during my daily bath, but once I started doing all of my moving house business I kind of gave up on my lengthy beauty routine and wanted more quick fixes. So a few swipes of this in the morning felt almost satisfactory and I liked that it didn’t sting my eyes but managed to remove most makeup without a problem. Not so nifty on those plasticky kind of mascaras, but then it doesn’t claim to be!
2. The Powerball Intensive Moisturiser from Time Bomb, £36 with free delivery from Amazon here. This stuff is absolutely brilliant. I know that I harped on about it a lot last year, but my feelings still stand: this is a powerful hydrator with a gorgeous, lightweight feel and it sits well beneath SPF, tinted moisturiser, foundation – whatever it is that you want to layer on top. If indeed you do want to layer anything on top. If I use this before bed, I still feel the effects well into the next day. I just think it’s superb and it’s not too pricey either.
3. Zelens Intense Defence Serum, £125 here. (Space NK have their discovery offer on at the moment – £10 off when you spend £40 online. Just use the code DISCOVER15 here to get the discount!) I’ve reviewed this in full here, have a read if you’re after a high-powered, well-formulated serum and you have a bit of cash to invest.
4. The Collagen Boost Cream Cleanser from Balance Me – again, reviewed in full here. I like this bouncy, creamy cleanser – it can be tissued off (ugh! I use damp cotton wool because I can’t stand the feeling of tissue on my face!) or flanneled off with warm water, which is my preference. I feel a bit icky about no-rinse cleansing creams because I always wonder how much of them (and therefore the grime) is left on the skin. If I use cotton wool, I follow with a swipe of the micellar cleanser. Anyway, this is soft and gentle and smells lovely. It wasn’t difficult to get through the tube, put it that way!

Onwards and upwards, then! I now have the fantabulous job of picking out my next set of products and completely starting again. I feel like a beauty virgin…