Skin care routine not working

[CrazyOldBagLady]

I recently bought some Clarins cleanser and toner for combination skin. I figured this was the best suited to me as I have dry patches but a greasy T zone. I already had a couple of moisturisers that I continue to use, Aldi Q10 and and an Oil of Olay one.

However, I don't think it is serving me well. I'm still getting dry patches and overall my face looks quite pink after I have done my routine.

Last night my friend commented that my skin doesn't look as good as it normally does, and when I looked in the mirror I had flaky bits everywhere (that were not there in the morning!)

I've been thinking since the start that this regime is not really working, but tried to stick with it to see if things would settle down. Now I'm thinking I need to try something else, so I hope that Mumsnetters can help.

For a bit of background I used to use just soap and water and a lush scrub or flannel when I saw any flakiness, but I was constantly battling with a greasy nose/forehead. The T Zone seems slightly better now but the dryness hasn't improved. Now I use the Clarins cleanser with cotton wool and wipe off with a warm flannel, tone, then moisturise. What am I doing wrong?

Why don't to try going for some facials? Also - drink PLENTY of water and have a think about your diet/lifestyle. My skin is terrible when
I don't drink plenty and my diet is crap!!

I think my diet and lifestyle are ok. I gave up smoking and started running 6 months ago and I don't eat a lot of crap. Mainly home cooked meals bulked out with veggies. I do drink A LOT of tea (without sugar) so I could perhaps substitute a few cups with a glass of water instead.

I use Jan Marini Bioglycolic cleanser every day. I've always had good skin but this made an immediate difference and quite a few friends have now switched to it. It's like having a mini facial every day.

Oh and facials might be an option, but I don't have loads of time for things like that, and I would like to figure out a routine that doesn't depend on that sort of thing if possible.

Thanks Sorrel, didn't see your post when I hit reply. Is that good for every type of skin?

For flakiness, I would be exfoliating and heavy moisturising.

To moisturise, I would add in a night cream - I use a Clarins face oil and then Origina Night A Mins most nights, once or twice a week I use an overnight moisturising mask too. It seems a bit overkill to use both, and they make your skin all shiny and slippery - so no good for daytime - but soak in overnight so skin feels soft and "bouncy" in the morning.

I don't know what toner you got, but the Clarins exfoliating toner is great at clearing off dead skin and flakiness, it feels really refreshing. Good to use before overnight moisturising, so the moisturiser has a chance to really sink in.

Yes, I think so. It tingles a bit the first couple of times you use it but then your skin adjusts. I have very sensitive skin and have not had a problem with it at all. I did use the rest of the range too but whilst they're lovely products I found that just using the cleanser with other decent products seems to give the same results.

For moisturisers I rate anything in the La Roche Posay range and Dior Dream skin (very expensive though!).