My routine is very  important to me. It keeps me going and I feel good doing it. I almost never skip anything. The only time that happens is when I accidentally fall asleep or when I oversleep, but that basically never happens to me. But if it happens I don’t feel so comfortable. Maybe it’s because I’m quite a control freak, but also because I just don’t feel clean and that is not a nice feeling.
I have tried a lot of things and a lot of different products over the years, but at this moment I think I have the perfect routine. Because I know a lot of people are struggling to find a good routine or good products, I thought it’s a good idea to tell you mine. Maybe it’ll not work for you, maybe it will and maybe it only inspires you to create your own routine. I’ll tell you what I do in the morning and the evening and I’ll also tell you something about each product and how I use it. I hope you will enjoy reading this.

In the morning I always brush my teeth. I use the tooth tabs, ‘Miles of Smiles’, from Lush for this. This is my favourite as it has a nice fresh and minty taste. I only use half of one tab, because that is more than enough. I use the other half in the evening. You use it by chewing on it and then brush your teeth with a wet toothbrush. I love it! It’s also so handy for holidays, especially when you fly as you don’t have to put it in a plastic bag at the security. Another benefit is that you use everything. With toothpaste it can be quite tricky to finish it all, but with the tabs that is never a worry.

Then my make up. I only use a bit of foundation and mascara, which are both from ‘Barry M’. I started to use this quite recently and I’m very happy with it. The foundation has a good coverage, though I would be even happier if the colour was slightly lighter. As long as you don’t touch your face too much it’ll last as good as the whole day. Now the mascara is just amazing! The mascara I used before always smudged a bit under my eyes, even though it was waterproof, and I was always aware of this. It made me feel uncomfortable at times and I was always trying to make it go away, even if I wasn’t sure it was smudged. The mascara from ‘Barry M’ gets quite hard, but it doesn’t smudge at all and it gives a lovely length. I’m very happy with it. The only trouble maybe is that, because it’s stays on so well, it’s a bit tricky to get it off. But I got something for that, more about this later.

For my hair I only use a bit of coconut oil. It doesn’t really matter what brand, but I do make sure it’s organic and virgin. I do have to say that I really like the brand I’m using at the moment, called ‘Nutiva’. It has a very strong and not so obvious smell. I’d recommend it. So I just melt a bit in my hands and divide it over my hair. You have to be careful not to use too much, because then it looks like you didn’t wash your hair in weeks. Not a sexy look! I love the way my hair smells after it and it feels light, soft and there are zero knots.

Now in the evening.. I always try to take a shower straight when I get home. Just so I’ll not be too tired before bedtime. The big star under the shower is definitely ‘Olive Branch’ from Lush. I do everything with it. I use is as a shower gel, for shaving, for scrubbing, for my hair and.. to remove my make up! To remove my mascara I first make my face wet and wait for about 5 minutes so the water can make the mascara a bit softer. Then I put only a tiny bit of ‘Olive Branch’ on my finger tips and gently massage is on my closed(!) eyes. Then I also wash the rest of my face with it. Rinse it off with water and it’s gone. To make sure everything is off my face and to calm it down, I use ‘Herbalism’ from Lush. I use this since the beginning and I love this product. Once you have a little bit of product in your hand, you add a few drops of water with it and rub it in your hands to wash your face. It smells nice, gives a very mild scrub and is gentle on your skin.

I scrub my body about once a week and I use ground coffee for this. Yes! If you like to try this too, this is how I do it: Apply the ‘Olive Branch’ over your skin and dip your hand in the coffee and then simply scrub scrub scrub.. I also use it for my face, but you have to be careful with this when you have a sensitive skin and always make sure you make soft movements and not for too long. You don’t want to break your skin.

My favourite Lush product in terms of smell is ‘Ro’s Argan’. It’s a body conditioner, but I use it more as a lotion and I sometimes even use it as some sort of perfume before I go somewhere. The idea is to put it on your skin, leave it for a bit and then rinse it off, just like a conditioner for your hair. I use it after taking a shower and it makes me smell define. It’s a shame it’s so expensive, but I love it so much that I do buy it. A real treat!

As a nightcream, after the shower, I also use simply coconut oil. It’s a perfect natural moisturiser and your skin smells amazing. Coconut oil is anti bacterial, has vitamin-E and has anti-aging properties. And when I have a bit more time, as it takes a bit longer for coconut oil to be absorbed by your skin, I sometimes also use it as a body lotion. This is when I’m not using ‘Ro’s Argan’ of course.

Last but not least and very important. Deodorant! I tried so many brands and techniques, but now I found my ultimate favourite. And it’s the most simple and definitely the cheapest one. I use ‘Salt of the Earth’. It’s actually just salt what you rub on your armpits. You have to make your armpits a bit wet before applying it, but the handiest way is to just use it after the shower. It’s unscented, but it works for hours (24+ for me!). I bought my one over a year ago and I’m sure it’ll last me at least until the end of this year. It’s amazing!

To easily find my favourite beauty products in the shop yourself, here is a handy list:
*Tooth tabs ‘Miles of Smiles’ – LUSH – £5,95
*Face cleanser ‘Herbalism’ – LUSH – £6,95
*Shower gel ‘Olive Branch’ – LUSH – £9,75
*Body conditioner ‘Ro’s Argan’ – LUSH – £16,50
*Coconut oil ‘Nutiva’ – Health shops – £9,50 (on sale)
*Deodorant ‘Salt of the Earth’ – Health shops – £4,99
*Foundation ‘Barry M’ – Superdrug/Boots – £5,99
*Mascara ‘Barry M’ – Superdrug/Boots – £6,49

*These are the prices I paid for it. The prices may vary of course.

Do you also have a routine? Are you always using the same products, or maybe even one of the products I use too? Please let me know or show me by using #PlanetManel on Instagram. Thank you! X