New year, new you, let’s talk about skincare. I’ve personally had a skincare routine since the age of 12 (with many changes over the years) thanks to acne. I’ve gone through the good and the bad and come out on the other side. Here are the products that have stood the test of time for me (some I’ve used for over 15 years), the mistakes I’ve made and the tips and tricks I’ve learnt along the way.
Disclaimer: I am wearing makeup; mascara, under eye concealer, spot concealer and powder as well as brow product (otherwise I’d have no brows and I’m not about that life), but I’m not wearing foundation and have done zero touch-ups on my skin using Photoshop (which I usually do). So, enjoy all the pores as well as the glasses marks on the bridge of my nose!
Makeup Removers
Most of my skincare is done in the evening a few hours before bed (I used to also have a morning routine when my acne and oil production was at its worst but that meant I was exfoliating twice a day which I would not recommend and know better now).
As soon as I get home from a day of wearing makeup (I give my skin makeup free days as much as possible). The first thing I do (after having changed out of jeans and put joggers/loungewear on) is, if I’m wearing a bold lip, remove that first with a baby wipe. My N°7 Radiant Results Revitalising Cleansing Wipes are reserved for the rest of my face as they are a lot more expensive/precious to come by living in Belgium. But if the lip product is too stubborn or is only oil soluble then I use the Lancôme Bi-Facil Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover with a cotton pad (so I’m essentially not smearing red lipstick all over my face trying to remove my makeup).
For the rest of my face I use 2 to 3 N°7 Radiant Results Revitalising Cleansing Wipes. I know wipes are a controversial topic as they are not good for the environment and some people wipe off their makeup and call it a day. I have yet to find an alternative for wipes (I’ve tried a few cleansing balms/oils but they have either caused spots or I’m not comfortable scrubbing them around/in my eyes to remove mascara as I’m also a contacts wearer) and regarding the latter this is just the first step in my skincare routine (I do double cleanse).
* I quick tip when buying these wipes is to always pick the packets furthest away from the display lights otherwise, you’ll find your wipes smell of fungus because the heat of the display lights is interacting with the product inside and making them expire/go bad much quicker. Also, after each use I turn over the packet of wipes so that the liquid doesn’t just build up at the bottom of the packet leaving you with dried out wipes at the top, this way each wipe is nice and moist every time.
Facial Wash and Scrubs (Foreo Dupe)
By the time I’m washing my face some time has elapsed since using the N°7 wipes; as that is the first thing I do when I get home (so that I’m not wearing makeup in the evening) but it’s still too early to do the rest of my cleansing routine. As an evening bather the rest of my routine is usually combined with my bath (not a shower person). However, if I’ve bathed in the morning, I don’t do my skincare routine then I leave it till the evening and just wash my face and do my routine then.
I used to start off with the Neutrogena Spot Stress Control Daily Scrub but have stopped using that product because it contains microbeads (see… I do care for the environment where I can). Until the EU law banning microplastics comes into effect and forces Neutrogena to change their formula I’m sticking with my physical sponge scrubs (with Brexit who knows how far this is going to be put on the backburner regarding that judicial mess).
Physical sponge scrub-wise I love the Boots Exfoliating Face Sponge but since I have not been able to find it on my two most recent UK visits in any Boots, I picked up the Daily Concepts Facial Mini Scrubber instead. Granted, it is a lot less harsh on my skin (which can only be a good thing), it’s rather bulky and clumsy to use (I’ve concentrated on using just the four corners at the minute). Anyway with either scrub I use the Neutrogena Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Facial Wash now re-labelled as the Neutrogena Refreshingly Clear Facial Wash.
Next, I go over my face again (this might technically be a triple cleanse), with the Neutrogena face wash and my Foreo dupe which is simply a silicone cleansing pad (Boots had their own branded one but since they’re now selling Foreo they seem to have disappeared). Don’t worry Amazon do them in any colour, I would highly recommend this pad over the Foreo as it is much more flexible around the nose area, you can vary the pressure to your liking and don’t have to worry about batteries or charging, plus it’s 1% of the Foreo cost! What’s not to like?!
Toner / Micellar Water
Once I’ve dabbed my face dry with a towel, I apply the Neutrogena Blackhead Eliminating Cleansing Toner (ignore the cleanser bit in the name, you don’t rinse toner off). On nights when I wash my hair, I get to the face drying stage, then go in and blow-dry my hair and apply hairspray. To remove all traces of hairspray that inevitably lands on my face (which causes spots if left) I go in with a cotton pad and micellar water (my preference is the Bioderma Hydrabio H2O Micellar Water) then rinse that off (as micellar water is technically soapy water) and only then do I go in and apply toner.
Serums
Next step is the application of my two serums. First, I use 2 pumps of the Avène Radiance Serum all over my face (avoiding the eye area) which is a new addition to my routine but I’ve seen it help with my skin texture so I’ve kept it in (although the pharmacy I buy it from often has trouble sourcing it). Then I use a double pea-sized amount of the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ Blemish Treatment (not the tinted version) again all over the face except the eye area. This is technically a moisturiser, but I use it as a serum since it doesn’t provide me with enough moisture long-term but does minimise my skin texture well (i.e. stopping your forehead from looking like sandpaper).
Hyaluronic Acid
While I still have a bit of those two products left on my hands I add a few drops of The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 and spread it down my neck and décolleté area. You’ll know from my Winter Saviours post that I’ve struggled in the past to moisturise this area (The Body Shop Body Butters give me spots), and while the hyaluronic acid was a bust for my face (it gave me spots because I was over saturating my skin with moisturisers by using it there) on my neck and décolleté area as the only product applied it’s awesome and no spots!!!
Next I wash my hands from those products to start off fresh and to avoid spreading any acne treatment anywhere near my eyes.
Eye Gel
As I’m prone to milia but still want an eye moisturiser I found that any type of cream is a no-go here, instead I use a gel. So for each eye area I use half a grain of rice-sized amount of the Boots Cucumber Eye Gel.
Moisturisers
Next comes the actual face moisturisation. Having gone through the very drying process of Accutane in my early 20s, my skin is no longer oily but rather combination. And no one cream can both mattify my T-zone and provide enough moisture to my cheeks…so I just use two different moisturisers in those areas (might seem excessive but works). On my cheeks I use the La Roche-Posay Effaclar H and on my T-zone I use the Avène Cleanance MAT Mattifying Emulsion (I’ve used this one since I was maybe 14 or 15 it’s been with me for the long haul that’s for sure! 28 now sniff).
Blemish Treatment
When I complained about my blackheads to my dermatologist she gave me a few free samples of the Avène Cleanance Comedomed Anti-blemishes Concentrate which I also only put on my T-zone concentrating mostly on the nose (i.e. my blackhead prone area).
Benzoyl Peroxide
Now if I’m having a particularly angry spot, then I put a tiny and I do mean tiny amount of prescribed Epiduo Gel on it, but I can only do this two nights in a row - anymore and this stuff burns my skin.
* Be careful benzoyl peroxide acts as a bleach! It will bleach your pillowcases, but to avoid the unwanted polka dot effect either have white pillowcases or always use the same damaged one whenever you have it on.
Lip Balm
Again, you’ll know from my Winter Saviours post that I love the Nuxe Rêve de Miel Lip Balm (the one in the pot not stick format as that one isn’t as moisturising). It might be pricey at £11 per pot but one will last you a year easily, even with daily use. I put it on every night where it acts as an overnight rich lip balm/mask and again a bit in the morning, while I put on the rest of my makeup, before wiping of any excess and applying more often than not a liquid lipstick. I do this year-round and have not had cracked lips in years now, my lips are legitimately always in pristine condition (another product that has stood the test of time, 5 years strong now).
Brow / Lash Growth Serum
Finally, the last step of my nighttime skincare routine (I hear your sigh of relief) is applying the N°7 Lash Impact Lash Serum to my brows (obviously when I’m barefaced and haven’t got them drawn on). I have tried this product on my upper lash lines (not waterlines), but I’d wake up with puffy and irritated eyes, no bueno, so stopped applying it there. I have noticed my brow hairs grow quicker with this product, but until I stop the nervous/perfectionist habit of plucking them into oblivion, there’s not much else I can expect from this product. But brow lamination sounds like it might be the solution for me since I only ever pluck the hairs that aren’t growing in the right direction (granted which is most of them at the moment).
As this blog post is long enough as it is, I will have a second one coming soon with all My Skincare Tools & Extras that aren’t necessarily things I do daily but more like weekly…stay tuned
P.S. on my nails is 3 coats of Essie All Daisy Long
What are, if any, the skincare products that have stood the test of time for you?
Do you have both a daytime and nighttime routine? How do they vary?
Are you as excited as I am for Caroline Hirons’ first ever book “Skincare”?! I know I am since the announcement inspired me to do these posts! :)
xxxemma