Building a Skincare Wardrobe

11/25/2020 01:37:00 pm

Let's start at the very beginning,

A very fine place to start.

-The Sound of Music
It's been a while, quite a while in fact, and what better way to return than with the ultimate effective, but simple skincare routine.

Celebs will have you thinking they either use every lotion and potion on their skin, or that they use absolutely nothing, and it's 478573853 litres of water that keeps their skin clear and firm: to be fair, everyone lies somewhere on that spectrum, but with a bit of know-how, some understanding of what ingredients do, and the knowledge of how your skin reacts, you can build the ultimate skincare wardrobe.

From years of experience, I know my skin. I'm a lucky girl in that I was thrown into the aesthetic and skincare world straight out of uni, and the love and learning I felt as a 21 year old has never waned. The first thing I learnt? SPF and cell turnover. The two together are a wonderful combo, but how do you make it happen? We can't exactly sandpaper our face (you could, but don't). So I was taught about glycolic acid, and this was introduced to my regime via monthly, superficial peels. From this my knowledge built. Please note, I have extremely hardy skin, and this is my personalised routine. Don't try and shove all these on in one go!

So where does my routine stand now? It stands right about here:

Balm cleanse - pm. Takes off all my make up and SPF without any harshness. Also reminds me to give myself a facial massage, have some me-time, and stimulate my skin.

Gentle, nourishing cleanse - am & pm. To ensure skin is sufficiently cleansed and prepped to receive our next steps.

An exfoliating acid - as and when required. I use salicylic when my skin feels clogged (lipid soluble so cleans out the pore deep down), perfect for those spotty days; lactic or glycolic when I feel skin needs a bit of oomph. Lactic is milder as the molecule is larger, therefore penetrates less layers of the skin, resulting in less irritation. Glycolic, being a smaller molecule, can be much more irritating. Both help with dissolving the "glue" between skin cells, helping them to shed more efficiently, and revealing your lovely new layers of baby skin.

Hyaluronic acid - am & pm. Can hold 1000 times it's weight in water, thereby attracting moisture to the skin, plumping skin and making you look twelve again.

Vitamin C - am & pm. Huge antioxidant properties, keeps the skin looking young and wonderful.

Tretinoin (in a formulation with niacinamide and azelaic acid) - pm. Tret is a harsher - for want of a better word - form of retinol, or vitamin A. It is one of the only truly proven ingredients in aiding with the ageing process, on account of its cell turnover properties. The niacinamide aids the production of ceramides that fortify the skin's barrier, whilst the azelaic acid gets to work on pigmentation. 

A moisturiser containing ceramides - am & pm. See above note on ceramides.

And with that, I have the best combination that allows my skin to stay healthy and mainly problem-free. The important thing is consistency and not changing up my products too often.

But the key is knowing your skin.

Fun add-ons, to be used as and when needed include: clay masks, exfoliating mask, a plethora of serums and oils. Not necessities, but things to experiment with, to pamper yourself with, to just have fun with!

Have you built your skincare wardrobe?

@Instagram