Talking about my skin, it's like a family heirloom: my mother and my grandmother both have very oily skin that, when they were more or less my age, became highly acneic.
Unfortunately, when my mother and my grandma were sixteen there weren't many remedies for acne, if not some very aggressive medicines which ruined their skin even more, so their skin still bears the marks of this acne.

Fortunately, I was born in "a bit more modern era", which allowed me to test different products and find (finally!) the perfect mix, that takes care of my skin and makes it improve every day.

First we start by cleaning frequency: I usually wash my face twice a day, in the morning when I get up and in the evening just before going to bed.
I do this because during the night your skin sweats, it's in contact with your pillow that's the house of many bacteria, and therefore your skin requires a cleansing also in the morning.
During the day the dust, sweat, makeup, smog penetrate your pores, closing them off, and they create those pimples, often under the skin, and those black heads we hate so much.
Your skin therefore requires continuous attention: remember that a lack of cleanliness is very bad for your skin, but cleaning it too much is as bad as not cleaning it at all, because it unbalances its natural balance.

In the morning, when I wake up, I tie my hair in a messy bun and I rinse my face with water only, to pull away the residues of the products I applied the night before.
I wipe my face and the second step is to use a gel for oily, seborrheic, acne-prone skin called "Primaecure Purifying Cleanser Gel", I love it and it's changed considerably for the better the appearance of my skin.
To continue the work of purification and improvement of the skin, I apply a quite nourishing cream which also has an active ingredient that is supposed to eliminate pimples and blackheads, reduce excess sebum, refine skin texture. It's from a French brand, and it's called "Active SVR Lisalpha créme". I really noticed all these changes on my skin, I love this product and I also recommend it.
The only thing that's a little lacking is hydration so, since the cleansing gel leaves my skin lightly dry, I always apply a moisturizer after the SVR créme. What I'm using at the moment is the Clinique Dramatically.




And after a busy day, I'm finally at home!
As soon as I get home, if I don't have to go out again, I remove my make-up.
I use cleansing wipes to remove make up from my face, usually the Cien ones or the Clinique ones, I find them both very good although the INCI (the ingredients of the product) of the Clinique ones is by far better than the one of the Cien cleansing wipes.
For the eyes, I usually use a biphasic makeup remover from KIKO Make up Milan or Douglas, but I also love the single-phase one from NIVEA. I haven't found anything good about the Essence makeup remover, it's too oily, it doesn't take off  mascara at all; the INCI is also bad, in fact the product contains "paraffinum Liquidum", a petroleum derivative, highly comedogenic (which means that it brings pimples).
Immediately after removing my make up I cleanse my face, again with Primaecure gel.
To remove the last remnants of foundation, or in general sweat and dirt that I have accumulated during the day, I use a tonic from La Roche Posay, a pharmacy brand I am really in love with, that's called Effaclar Astringent Lotion Micro-Exfoliant; it cleanses the skin deep, it doesn't "burn" at all and doesn't make your skin look red or more sensitive, it isn't comedogenic.
Third step is the  SVR Lisalpha cream, then I apply an antibiotic preparation that I was recommended by a dermatologist, the Zindaclin. I apply it all over my face, especially on areas such as the forehead and cheeks, where I tend to have a lot of pimples. The peculiar formula of this antibiotic makes it dry in a few hours, so I apply it in the areas where I need it and then I go to sleep, leaving it on all night.
This is my favorite product in my skin care. It isn't a true antibiotic, since it's an "antibiotic preparation", and it also acts from the outside and not from within, it isn't aggressive at all and the results are so amazing: I haven't even a pimple on the forehead anymore, I have only some (but really few) on the cheeks.


I also have a mask twice a week, my favorites are those from KIKO, 'cause I see miraculous effects on my skin. I use three, depending on how my skin is the day when I do the mask: Purifying Mask, Peeling Mask and Energy Mask .
I scrub twice a week to eliminate blackheads and pimples under the skin: I use the scrub from KIKO and the one from Cien, but I'm looking for something that has a better INCI.

What about you? 
What about your skin and your skin care routine? 
Do you have an oily and acneic skin, normal skin (lucky you!) or do you have problems with dryness?

I need you: what scrub do you use? Could you recommend me a mask that has the mattifyng active ingredient? 

If you want to write me, ask me and give me advice, have a chat, you can find me here: agnesesblog@hotmail.com

Love,
Agnese