Skincare is really important – even if you wear makeup, you want to have a good base to work with. With so many different brands and products on the market, it can be hard to find a routine that works for you and won’t break the bank. Over the past few years, I’ve tested so many different skincare products from a whole load of brands. I’ve tried the very cheapest drugstore items all the way to the most expensive high end brands. I’ve found that although in general, you do get what you pay for, this isn’t always the case when it comes to skincare. You don’t need to spend hundreds of pounds to find something that works for you and I’ve found 5 items on Notino that cost under £20.

When it comes to removing makeup, I’ll either use plain coconut oil which is really cheap and readily available in all supermarkets or I’ll go for a cream cleanser like the Embryolisse Lait-Creme Moussant. I find that cream cleansers are a lot more gentle than other types of makeup remover, they’re also great on the eyes. If I am having difficulty removing my eye makeup then I will go in with an oil, but generally they’re pretty good. In the morning I like to wipe my face over with some micellar water, one of my favourites is Bioderma Sensibio H2O.

I am prone to blemishes and spots, so I like to make sure I use a product to keep them away. Every day, I’ll apply La Roche Posay’s Effaclar Duo [+] before my moisturiser. This helps to keep blemishes at bay but it also works to fade scars leftover from old blemishes. If I forget to use this, then I do really notice a difference in my skin.

Of course, I can’t always keep spots away – especially at that time of the month. So, when I do get a nasty spot, I’ll use La Roche Posay’s Effaclar A.I. on a clean face just before I go to sleep. It works overnight to reduce the size of my spots and can also help to bring them to a head if they’re not there already. One small tube can last me well over a year, so it’s worth the price tag.

I have dry, often dehydrated skin so I need to use a moisturiser that caters for this. I have recently discovered Embryolisse’s range and my favourite moisturiser from them is the Lait-Creme Concentre. It’s rich but doesn’t take too long to sink into the skin. This is the perfect product to apply just before my makeup as it leaves a slightly tacky residue behind which works as a primer.