I always took shortcuts with skincare. Why should I fork out on expensive products? I don't have acne or problem skin, blah-blah. How those words came back to bite me later in my twenties ... I don't experience heavy breakouts, but I do get the odd flair of rosacea, redness and pimples. The reason? Thinking that my ordinary cream cleanser and cotton pads soaked in Bio Oil would be enough to strip off layers of makeup. I mean ... we take the effort to apply layers of serum, moisturiser, sunscreen, primer, colour corrector, foundation, concealer ... shouldn't we make the same effort to take these products off to let the pores breathe a bit? It dawned on me that I wasn't putting enough effort into my skin at night. One swipe? Fine. A layer of old caky mascara the next morning? Whoops, but okay. YOLO and all those lame philosophies. No way. I needed to invest in an ACTUAL makeup remover. And not to start my gym workout with a full day's makeup still clogging my poor face.

Enter Bioderma Sensibio H20 Cleanser, introduced to me by glowing reviews all around the web, and my best friend, a budding makeup artist and beauty enthusiast (with the best skin I've ever seen on a 31-year old woman). I hesitantly looked at the price tag of R180, but realised that I could no longer reach for the cheapest stuff and then ask why my skin is throwing tantrums. Not only does this clear, fragrance free water cleanser goes on soft and smooth without actually stinging your eyes and making your skin bunch up in a dehydration shock, but I can actually FEEL how my foundation-clad skin breathes a sigh of relief as I strip my makeup before going to gym. This serves as the perfect pre-cleanser before you wash your face in the shower with your regular cleanser and after a month of usage, I actually swear that the meticulous new habit of proper makeup removal cleared up those red veins and breakouts. I already have a fresh new bottle sitting in my bathroom cupboard because I'm scared of running out ... like, actually, paranoid-scared of being without Bioderma, and I've recently invested in the Sensibio cream for rosacea, so I am excited to see how my skin reacts to my newly updated routine.

At the age of 27, life investments are important, but often people diss beauty as being 'skin deep', forgetting that your skin is the largest, most visible organ of the entire human body. Thanks, Bioderma, for pushing me in the right direction. I would highly recommend Bioderma Sensibio H20 cleanser.