SKIN LOVE
It's really important to take a little time for yourself. Some you time! Pamper your skin - just 10 mins or less is all you need morning and night. Whether you have dry, oily or blemish prone skin here are my top tips below.
When you are shopping for new skincare always look out for these key ingredients as they will work with your skin and counteract your skin ‘concerns’.
Oily or blemished - SALICYLIC
Uneven texture/ dullness/blocked pores - GLYCOLIC
Dehydrated - HYALURONIC ACID
Fine lines - RETINOL (stay away from retinol if you have eczema or rosacea)
By following the simple steps of cleansing and moisturising, paired with one or two specific products from below to target your skin concerns you’ll love how your skin is feeling and how makeup glides on soooo much better. It doesn’t have to be overcomplicated, the less complicated the better. Just a few key products and you’ll see a difference in no time. Yay!
Although unfortunately at the moment we can’t wonder around the shops right now, this a little tip for when we can venture out and treat ourselves to a shopping session! One of my favourite places to shop for skincare is Space NK, the super lovely beauty specialists are always on hand to offer advice or help with a product. A little top tip if you want to try a product but don’t want to splurge before you know it works - ask for a tester! (They always have tester pots behind the counter!) Their website is amazing too, also a big fan of Cult Beauty.
CLEANSE
Firstly it's great to use a cleanser to remove makeup and daily dirt from your face. There are all sorts of cleansers on the market, cream, liquid and balm cleansers. My favourites are the cream and balm ones (great for most skin types).
Massage onto a dry face and then emulsify and cleanse off with a flannel and warm water. The balm-like cleansers feel amazing on the skin and have a real luxurious feel! I find they are also great for taking off even the most stubborn waterproof mascara if you prefer a quick step routine that takes makeup off and cleanses in one go.
If you have sensitive eyes opt to take eye makeup off separately with some cotton pads and micellar water and then concentrate applying the cleanser to your face avoiding the eye area.
Here are a few cleansers that I have found work their magic -
Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel
Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser (my favourite for all skin types!)
Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter
Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing balm
Sanctuary Hot Cloth Cleanser
These all leave your skin feeling really smooth and clean without that tight feeling you sometimes get after cleansing!
EXFOLIATING
It not only helps to remove dead skin cells revealing a glowing complexion but creates a great surface for a flawless makeup application. It also preps the skin for your moisturising products to sink in. Exfoliators come in all sorts of textures - really gritty and graining to quite a soft bead.
A freshly exfoliated face (exfoliate a day or two before the big day/event!) is just a dream to put makeup on as everything sits so well on the skin 😍
One of my favourite exfoliating products is Dermalogica Microfoliant.
It's comes in powder form - sprinkle half a teaspoon onto really wet hands, rub together and this gives you an exfoliating paste!
Some more of my favourites are -
St Ive - Apricot Scrub
Caudalie - Gentle Buffing Cream
Ren - Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask
Nip and Fab - Glycolic Scrub
Kate Somerville - ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment
Goldfaden MD - Doctors Scrub
Apply with hands and then gently massage over skin, rinse with warm water and a fresh flannel.
EXFOLIATING SERUM CONCENTRATE
(anyone with blocked/congested pores or uneven skin texture)
About 6 months ago I was introduced to this amazing stuff - NIP + FAB GLYCOLIC FIX CONCENTRATE EXTREME 10%
Apply at night and it regenerates and resurfaces skin while you sleep. It brightens and exfoliates leaving you with visibly smoother and clearer skin/pores when you wake! I’ve always struggled with blocked pores on my nose and this is the only thing I’ve found which really gets rid of oil build up and this really clears things out! Be careful if you have sensitive skin as it’s quite strong so only once a week! I use it twice a week and get great results.
I also love PIXI Glow Tonic - this product also contains glycolic acid, use applied to a cotton wool pad and it works wonders on blocked pores and uneven skin tone. Win, win!
MOISTURISE
Always remember to moisturise - whether your skin is oily or dry it will always benefit from a good moisturiser that is suited to your skin.
One of my favourite light moisturisers for underneath makeup is Dermalogica Active Moist. Amazing for normal, combination/oily skinned ladies.
For dryer skins Embryolisse is a brilliant one to use after cleansing or exfoliating. Use before bed and wake up with smooth and perfectly plumped skin. Also great underneath makeup!
Dry skin moisturisers:
Embryolisse
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream
Dermalogica Skin Soothing Cream
Sunday Riley C.E.O Vitamin C Moisturiser
Combination/Oily skin moisturiser:
Dermalogica Active Moist
Sunday Riley Tidal Water Cream
Dr Dennis Gross Hyaluronic Marine Oil Free moisture cushion
Normal skin moisturiser:
Clarins Hydra Essentiel Cream
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream
FRESH Vitamin Nectar Moisture Glow Face Cream
Sensitive skin moisturiser:
Dermalogica Intensive Moisture Balance
Neutrogena - Oil-Free Daily Facial Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin
La-Roche Posay Toleriane Double Repair Moisturizer
HYALURONIC ACID
Hyaluronic Acid is a great addition to your skincare - apply after cleansing, before moisturiser or serum. Without going too in depth it can attract 1,000 times its weight in water and it enhances surface hydration. As a result this keeps your skin hydrated and plumped. Also for anyone with combination/oily skin, it provides a boost of hydration without blocking pores and creating a greasy feel.
The Ordinary - Hyaluronic Acid 2%
The Inkey List - Hyaluronic Acid Serum
SERUMS
These are also great to apply before your moisturiser when you go to bed. There are many on the market targeting specific skin worries eg. firming up lines, tightening pores, adding radiance.
A few of my favourites:
Clarins Double Serum
Sarah Chapman Overnight Facial
Liz Earle Superskin Face Serum
Alpha H Liquid Gold
EYE CREAMS
Sometimes your under eyes can feel dehydrated and this can cause the look of fine lines and puffiness. An eye cream will be your new best friend if you don’t use one already! I cannot live without one now and you will not believe the difference it makes to fine lines, dark circles, puffiness and your makeup application. Popping on an eye cream before makeup really helps give your sensitive skin under your eyes moisture and helps your concealer to sit nicely without going into lines or dry patches. Trust me you’ll be obsessed!
My favourites are -
Hylamide - SubQ Eyes
Clarins - Multi Active Instant Eye Reviver
Kate Sommerville - Goat Milk Depuffing Eye Balm
Drunk Elephant - C Tango Multi-vit Eye Cream
Super Facialist - Vitamin C Eye Cream
FACIAL OILS
Having combination skin myself I used to run away from putting oils on my skin as it just didn’t make sense to me! After experimenting with many products over the years I have now found out that all you have to do is pick the correct oil whatever your skin type. I have actually found that since using oils my skin has been less oily as it's getting the moisture it needs and not trying to over produce anything to get the hydration it is looking for. Oils are great for all skins, whether you're looking for a kick of hydration, moisture or to rebalance there’s one out there for you! If you have acne prone skin, I would opt for an oil-free moisturiser instead of a facial oil.
Oily skin oil recommendations -
Clarins - Face Treatment Lotus oil
Biossance - 100% Squalane oil
BOTANICO VIDA Omega Oil.
Dry skin oils -
Clarins - Face Treatment Blue Orchid oil
PAI SKINCARE - Rosehip BioRegenerate Oil
Normal skin oils -
BOTANICO VIDA Omega Oil.
Estee Lauder - Advanced Night Repair
THANK YOU
Thanks so much for reading through these tips, I hope you’ve found it helpful and picked up a few ideas to try! The above products are just my recommendations of the products I have used before and I know work well. Of course you are welcome to use the products you know and love whilst finding your own routine that works for you. As long as you ditch those makeup wipes, cleanse your face to remove all makeup before bed and apply a moisturiser your skin will absolutely love you for it! (and so will I when I apply your makeup and it glides on like a dream!)
Ending on the final tip for super radiant skin…drinking water!
Hydrating you from the inside out, it really does show in your skin when you’ve been carrying your water bottle around with you and having your daily water intake. Although you do also spend half the day in the loo!
Take care, stay safe and I can’t wait to see you all soon!
Here are a few links to some in depth skincare blogs if you’d like to educate yourself any further on any of the key ingredients in your skincare. Sali Hughes and Alessandra Steinherr are my favourite skincare gurus to follow on Instagram!
RETINOL
https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/gallery/retinol-what-you-need-to-know
HYALURONIC ACID
GLYCOLIC ACID
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/beauty/anti-aging/a31155061/what-does-glycolic-acid-do/
ACID EXFOLIANTS
https://alessandrasteinherr.com/introduction-acid-exfoliants/
HYDRATION HEROS
https://alessandrasteinherr.com/hydration-heroes/