CTM Routine For Beautiful Skin

CTM - short for cleansing, toning, and moisturising sounds so prevalent amongst beauty enthusiasts. Despite knowing how significantly this 10 minute routine may affect your skin's health, many of us do not execute it religiously. Even when they do, the expected results aren't achieved due to wrong selection of products. So in today's post I'll stress upon picking the products that are formulated for specific skin type and do not imbalance your skin's condition. Because the comfort level and elasticity of the skin greatly relies upon the products which we use.

Broadly, we may classify skin types in following categories- Normal, Dry, Oily, Combination, Sensitive. There are barely any skincare products which will go well for all skin types, but yes they may fit your skin regimen during certain time of year.

I fall in the category of dry skin type that is characterized by roughness, itchiness, almost invisible pores and lesser elasticity. So it's a task for me to help my skin maintain moisture using mild products. My current favourite for everyday CTM routine is Oriflame Love Nature Oat range made for Dry Skin. Oats are believed to moisturize the dry skin cells and rejuvenate them due to healthy fats found in it. It has anti-inflammatory properties and also forms a protective layer on the skin to prevent loss of moisture. This range includes three products for essential CTM steps -

Cleansing: 
A cleanser shouldn't be aggressive for the skin that leaves the skin irritated, stretchy or overdry. 'Nourishing' cleansers seem to be great to prevent dry skin and don't interfere with skin's natural. moisture. The frequency of cleansing for dry skin is recommended for once a day preferrably before the bed time so that all traces of dirt, makeup, oilyness can be washed away.  

Love Nature Oat Milky Foam Cleanser is a mild cleanser that is something different from usual soapy facewashes. It resembles a shampoo like milky texture and generates light foam which efficiently clears away grime and impurities with no residue left and without being too stripping. It has light scent that can be felt while washing off your face and then disappears soon. The skin feels no stinging after its use.
Price: Rs. 379 for 150 ml.

Ingredients: (refer image below)

Toning:
I would begin by asserting that toners are real skin refreshers. I truly love to use a toner after cleansing the surface of my skin. A toner is not to be taken carelessly by dry skinned people. Toner reduces enlarged pores and provides a suitable base layer for the skincare products that you may apply afterwards.
Love Nature Oat Face Toner is a gentle liquid that can be applied using a cotton ball or by patting directly on skin with your palms. I feel comfortable using cotton balls personally.

Ingredients: (refer image below)

The toner picks up any makeup or debris that are left behind after cleansing and further soothes my itchy skin so well. It's a well-formulated product that gives my tired skin a nice tightening effect.
Price: Rs. 379 for 150ml

Moisturizing: 

Most people would like a light moisturizer during hot summer days to hydrate their facial skin. But I still choose to massage my parched skin with an easy-to-absorb cream.
Love Nature Nourishing Oat Face Cream is my companion these days. It is really light yet gives intense moisturization instantly. The small tub packaging is so easy to carry around so that I may reapply it as per requirement. It has faint fragrance that neither appeals me much, nor bothers me at all. 

It's has moderately thick consistency that won't feel greasy on application. The cream gives even toned and soft skin by reducing dullness. It's absolutely compatible to my skin type.
Price: Rs. 399 for 50gm.

Have you used any of these products? Which is your preferred product at this moment for an effective CTM? Do let us know in comments.

Eeshha Herbal Skin Balancing Basil Astringent Toner Review

I would begin by saying I am quite careless to follow my CTM routine religiously. I mean, many a times I ignore one or the other of three constituents activities. Toning is what I skip most of the time and then it obviously shows on skin :(

Today, I am telling you my experience with a toner that has become my favourite in very few days of usage..I got Eeshha Herbal Skin Balancing Basil Astringent Toner as a part of my complete body care kit sent by Eeshha Herbal.

Product Info:

Eeshha Herbal Skin Balancing Basil Astringent Toner is specifically formulated to effectively reduce oil secretion and gently removes impurities, providing a cooling effect to the skin. It contains basil oil which has antibacterial properties that helps in keeping oil-free skin, controls acne and breakouts. It is a natural antiseptic which regulates oil secretions and perspiration and provide  hydrated toned and refreshed skin.

Packaging:

The toner is contained in clear see-through bottle. The bottle has a tight spill-proof flip open cap that avoids any chances of leakage of toner and makes it comfortable to carry even in your handbag.

Ingredients: Purified Water, Rose water distillate, honey, glycerin, date extract, cucumber extract, basil oil, menthol crystal, denatured alcohol. 

Price and Qty: Rs. 99 for 100 ml. 

Recommended for: Normal to Oily Skin.

How to apply: Apply gently with cotton pad on cleansed face and neck avoiding contact with eyes and mouth. Concentrate more on nose and chin areas.

My Experience with the product:

Even before application, what attracted me towards this toner initially was the Basil Oil as an active ingredient. Basil is being used for health and skin care since historic times and I personally use fresh Basil leaves in different ways. So noticing Basil Oil written on the bottle, I had high expectations from the product. The first sniff of the strong smell of the toner has been really discouraging for me. It actually didn't feel any pleasant. But like I sad, I like Basil based products, so I decided to use the product. The toner gave a sharp stingy feel on my skin and also irritated my skin in the first usage. I realized the toner on my cotton pad was in excess quantity, so taken a relatively less quantity for next usage. Ofcourse, the tingling sensation was still felt but was really tolerable. 

Though the toner is best recommended for Normal to Oily skin, but I absolutely had no issues on my dry facial skin after its application. The toner gently removed my makeup and traces of dirt n grime from my skin. The tired and puffy look on my face after day long work was promptly calmed. I was more than satisfied with the product effects because unlike most products, this toner didn't require me wearing a layer of moisturizer.

The toner efficiently restores and maintains the desired pH balance of the skin that is usually disturbed due to various factors. With consistent use of Eeshha Herbal Skin Balancing Basil Astringent Toner, the reduction in pore size and tightening of skin cells is effortlessly achieved that ultimately reduces the impurities to enter the skin.
The basil oil used in the toner makes it the best choice to treat skin irritation or skin infection, so I am going to keep the toner handy as an antiseptic specially for my child. 

Pros: 
Finest Ingredients.
Pocket friendly price.
Easy to carry.
Sturdy packaging.
Doesn't cause skin dryness. 
Anti-allergic, antiseptic properties.
Detoxifies the skin effectively.


Cons:
Strong Smell should be made milder.
Needs to be diluted to reduce sensation on skin.

Overall Opinion:
Eeshha Herbal Skin Balancing Basil Astringent Toner is a must-try skin toning product for handling most skin issues effectively.