My skincare routine was long overdue an overhaul. I felt being stuck at home was very good time to evaluate what I have been doing and using and whether any of it was still working. Rewind to last summer, being outside a lot in nice weather (and using SPF) I felt my skin had never been as good. Winter came, and so did more time indoors. My skin texture seemed to change with some blocked pores, and not to mention my Botox had worn off and my crows feet reappeared. Aside from the helping hand that Botox gave me, stress loves to appear on my face. Not being able to see family and friends and the absence of work and normal life, has often led to break outs or a dullness in my skin. I did a short questions and answers with some Instagram followers to see how many steps they took in their daily skincare routines and there were a few commonalities. The number of steps was not as many as I had thought – years of reading beauty columns had led me to think that my four steps was not enough, however I am not alone. Nearly every follower had four to five steps. Double cleansing is a priority in skincare and all answers agreed. This was followed by serum, moisturiser and eye cream. Very few use a toner which I was surprised by! After compiling this and asking my close pals in our What’s App groups, I went to my “skincare cupboard” and conducted an evaluation on what I have, and the products I use the most. After this, I changed up a few things and have been following this routine for about a week now, with some really good results.
EVENING SKINCARE ROUTINE
To the double cleanse! A few of my friends have been using the CeraVe SA Smoothening Cleanser and rave about it. Not only is it an affordable product it gives a lovely clean and leaves my skin so smooth afterwards. This has Salicylic Acid in it which helps exfoliate the skin. I then give my face a mist – there are two I have been loving – La Mer Revitalising Facial Mist and La Roche Posay Thermal Spring Water. They instantly give a lovely fresh feeling to my skin and another level of hydration. After this soaks in, I’ve added in a toner – Glow2OH™ Dark Spot Toner from Ole Henriksen. This is full of AHAs and helps improve skin texture as well as handling fine lines. Within about a week of using this I had a noticeable improvement in texture as well has fading pigmentation I had on my forehead. Lastly, it’s serum and oil time. Last year I discovered Allies of Skin Mandelic Pigmentation Corrector Night Serum which is designed to tackle pigmentation as well, and on top of that, prevent blemishes thanks to all the good acids in it (mandelic, lactic and salicylic acid). This is up the price point scale, so I have also been looking for other versions and have found The Ordinary have a Mendelic acid that is just 1% less than Allies of Skin so that’s next to try! And lastly, my favourite ingredient, Retinol! I have a couple of products at home that I want to get through – Image Skincare MD Restoring Youth Repair Cream, The Ordinary Retinol 1% in Squalane and Sunday Riley A+ High-Dose Retinoid Serum. All are really good and my skin is delighted with my nighttime skin recipe!
SHOP MY SKINCARE EDIT
MORNING SKINCARE ROUTINE
I used to be a little lazy with washing my face in the morning but made a conscious decision to rinse off my retinol first thing before walking the dog, and I give my face another nice spritz! For the daytime I change it up. Having done some research on ingredients to improve skin texture, I came across The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10% (You can tell I am very fond of The Ordinary!). Just a small amount is needed, and it smoothens skin like no other product I’ve tried. Before leaving the bathroom, SPF goes on! The Image Daily Matte Moisturiser is something I’ve used for a long time, and while I can’t have any professional treatments, this is working a treat!
