How To Master Your Skincare Routine For Better Results
Are you making the most of your skincare routine or could you do better? Nobody’s perfect, we get that, so if you’re looking for a few simple tweaks to improve the way you look after your skin, we’ve got your back…
Good news: a great skincare routine doesn’t require tons of cash, hours of free time and an encyclopedic knowledge of the ins-and-outs of every single skincare ingredient out there. Of course, it’s nice to treat yourself to an indulgent facial every now and again, and sure, it can be invaluable to know the differences between active ingredients like AHAs and BHAs. But some of the most important and effective ways to boost your skincare routine are a) super simple and b) totally free.
Now, we don’t know about you, but we’re all over that.
Read on for seven easy ways to maximize your skincare routine so you can enjoy healthier skin with very little effort.
1. Find A Routine That Works For YOU
Skincare routines are very personal things so, while it’s great to take advice from others about their favorite products, what works for them might not be right for you. Of course, this one-size-does-NOT-fit-all philosophy doesn’t make it easy when perfecting your routine but if you understand what your skin needs this is a major step to skincare success.
The best way to know your skin type is to gently cleanse it (try Vitamin C Brightening Cleanser), then leave it alone for an hour or so without applying any further products. After this time, check out your skin in the mirror. Scrutinize it, touch it and you’ll know pretty much straight away whether it’s normal (pretty unlikely!), oily, dry or combination (the most common skin type). If it looks shiny all over, you have oily skin; if it feels tight and possibly itchy, it’s dry and if it’s a mixture of the two, then you have combination skin. Does it feel totally fine and look incredible? Then you’re one of the lucky few with normal skin. And we envy, sorry, salute you!
Once you know your skin type, take another look at your skin and think about the things you might like to address in your routine – be this enlarged pores, breakouts, fine lines, dark spots or dehydration.
All these important factors will help you build an awesome regime that works for your skin and its needs – not someone else's.
2. Take. Your. Time.
Whether you end up with a three-step or ten-step routine, the key is never to rush. Slapping cleanser on your face and rinsing it off without a second thought might work to an extent, but it won’t give you the same results as spending time massaging your face to boost blood flow and drain toxins. It just won’t.
Similarly, layering products on top of each other lightning fast can cause pilling if you’re not careful so give yourself a breather between serum applications or between applying moisturizer and SPF, for example. Put some coffee on, get dressed, brush your teeth, then go back to the next stage of your routine.
Trust us, spending a few extra minutes on your skin will give you much better results in the long-term.
3. Invest In A Face Towel For You & You Alone
It may seem a little decadent to have your own separate face towel but do you really want to be using your bath towel (one word: butt) on your face? Especially if your entire family shares the same towels? Heck no!
And we’ll leave that one there.
4. It’s Not Just What You Apply, But How You Apply It
The way in which you apply certain products can have a profound effect on the state of your skin. Here’s a quick guide to our favorite tried and tested ways to apply the most common products in your routine…
Cleanser
DO apply a dime-sized amount to damp skin and use your hands and pads of your fingers to gently massage it in circular motions all over.
DON’T scrub it into your skin like your life depended on it. This can damage your skin. Not cool.
Eye Treatment
DO use the smallest amount and pat it around the eyes using your ring fingers to ensure a delicate touch.
DON’T press too hard and definitely don’t drag your skin. Bad news.
Serum
DO apply straight after cleansing while your skin is still damp, pressing it into your skin with the pads of your fingers.
DON’T use too much – four or five drops should be plenty. And don’t aggressively massage it into your skin.
Moisturizer
DO allow your serum to settle first, then use light pressure to massage a quarter-sized amount all over.
DON’T apply more just because your skin feels dry. If this is the case, use a different, richer formulation.
Sunscreen
DO be generous and use at least a quarter-sized amount. Apply it the same way as you would regular moisturizer.
DON’T forget your neck!
5. Eat Your Greens
A decent, balanced diet isn’t just great for your health, it makes a vast difference to the look and feel of your skin. How so? Well sugar, salt, processed foods and bad fats are devils for the complexion as they produce nasty little end products called AGES which, as their name suggests, age your skin up super fast by ruining your collagen supplies, killing radiance and drying out your skin.
On the flipside, fresh fruit and veggies, oily fish, nuts and seeds are incredibly good for your skin, feeding it from the inside with essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and more. Leafy greens, in particular, are chock full of skin-loving stuff like vitamin A to strengthen the skin, vitamin K for improving circulation, zinc which helps reduce breakouts, and zeaxanthin, a powerful antioxidant.
6. Tap Into Your Water
Tap water contains chlorine which is an essential disinfectant for killing off harmful bacteria and maintaining hygienic conditions. Great, right? Actually, not so much for your skin. Chlorine depletes the skin's natural oils, causing dryness and accelerating the aging process. Oh dear.
Tap water is also full of dissolved heavy metals like calcium, copper, iron and magnesium – especially in areas where water is notoriously hard. And what does that mean for your skin? Well, hard water has a higher alkalinity than soft water which can upset the pH balance of your skin. Also, if your skin errs on the side of sensitive, hard tap water can compromise its barrier function, causing further dryness, irritation and redness. It can even exacerbate existing conditions such as psoriasis, acne or eczema if you cleanse with hard water on a regular basis. What the…. whaaaaat?
Don’t fret too much, however. If you live in an area with soft water, you’re totally fine. However, if your tap water is hard and you feel like your skin is suffering because of it, you might want to think about investing in a shower filter or a complete water filtration system in your home to help lessen the blow.
7. Be The Queen Of Cleaning
From questionable countertops to week-old bedlinen and murky-looking makeup brushes, all surfaces trap bacteria, dirt, oil, sweat, allergens and the like. Just because you can’t see what’s lurking on something, it doesn’t mean it’s not dirty and potentially impacting the health of your skin. So, be clean.
Our general rule of thumb is as follows…
DAILY: wash face towels, wipe kitchen counters and clean your smartphone.
TWICE WEEKLY: deep clean surfaces in the bathroom and kitchen.
WEEKLY: Launder your bed linen, wipe down light switches, doorknobs and other surfaces in your home, and shampoo your makeup brushes.
Awesome skin, here we come!
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![The Easiest (But Most Effective!) New Year Skin Goals]()
Incoming... skincare goals that truly make a difference. Count us in.
We don’t know about you, but years of making pointless new year’s resolutions ‘just for the sake of it’ have made us somewhat over them. Sure, it’s great to have ambitions and personal goals to strive for, but forcing yourself to come up with something, just because it’s the start of a new year? That’s a hard pass from us.
Making skincare goals, however, is something we can totally get on board with. And if you’re reading this you’re probably in complete agreement. Because knowing you’re doing your best for your skin – even if you change only one habit or add just one extra product to your routine – is worth a thousand ‘I shall spend less at Starbucks’ false promises.
So, on that note, to follow are some very doable skincare goals for you to totally crush this year.
DO Reassess Your Skin
Your skin is not the same as it was ten years ago. Heck, it’s not even the same as it was this time last year. So, spend a few minutes taking a good, long look in the mirror to see what’s going on. Are you noticing some redness? Maybe a few extra dark spots have appeared? Perhaps your skin is feeling more dehydrated than it used to? Or, wait, is it weirdly oilier?
You can only deal with skin concerns if you actually know what they are, so make sure you’re totally on the ball with where your skin is at right now. Then you’ll be able to act accordingly with targeted skincare and better lifestyle habits.
DON’T Use Cleansing Wipes On The Reg
Face wipes are fine in a pinch but most of them are doused in drying chemicals that do your skin zero good. Granted, they might be called ‘cleansing wipes,’ but rarely do they actually cleanse your skin thoroughly – instead they simply move surface debris around a bit. Then there’s the fact that they’re mostly made from synthetic, non-biodegradable materials which end up hanging around in landfills for up to 100 (no joke!) years.
You might be tired, but make it a priority to cleanse your skin with a decent face wash morning and night. Try Vitamin C Brightening Cleanser which is so delightful, you’ll actually enjoy using it.
DO Moisturize Skin When Damp
You’ll have had undoubtedly heard this trick before, but we bet you don’t actually put it into practice, right? Well, try it. You see, applying moisturizing while your skin is still slightly damp from cleansing helps to seal in those tiny droplets of water that are left hanging around at the surface. It’s basically free moisture your skin will really benefit from – especially during winter when the air is extremely drying on your poor skin. C’mon, when we put it like that, it seems insane not to.
DON’T Give Up On Retinol
Retinol is one of the most effective topical ingredients for the skin. It deals with premature aging, it helps keep acne under control, it protects your skin from environmental damage, it does your laundry. OK, so that last one is a bare-faced lie, but you get where we’re coming from.
The problem with retinol is that its potency can be hard to deal with – especially during the first few weeks when it can make your skin especially dry, red, flaky and even a little itchy. As long as it’s not causing discomfort, however, a little initial irritation is OK, it’s just your skin adjusting, so don’t give up. Simply reduce your frequency of use as your skin acclimates, then build back up again. Easy.
DO Give Your Neck Some Love
You may be meticulous with your facial skincare routine but if your habits stop at your chin, you’re doing yourself a real disservice. How so? Because your neck is one of the first places to show signs of aging.
The skin on your neck has fewer sebaceous glands than your face, you see, which means it can’t produce as much oil to keep it soft and moisturized. This is seriously bad news in the fight against dry skin, fine lines, wrinkles and sagging because moisture is essential for the firmness and elasticity of your skin.
Whatever you do to your face, continue down to your neck and décolletage area. Cleanse it, tone it, treat it with serum, moisturize it (we love Renewing Longevity Moisturizing Cream for the neck area) and protect it from the elements. It’s the least you can do.
DON’T Fret About Your Imperfections
If we asked you to name something you hate about your skin we bet you could reel off a few without taking a breath. Well, do you know what, those crow’s feet you hate or monthly breakouts that drive you crazy are not worth crying over. You’re not perfect. But big deal, who is? So instead of sweating over the bad stuff, do the best you can for your complexion with a consistent skincare and good lifestyle habits. And, instead of feeling all the skin self-hate, try to focus on the good. Sure, you have fine lines around your mouth, but hey, isn’t your forehead looking pretty fabulous?
DO Trash Old Products That Rarely See The Light Of Day
Skincare products do not last forever. In general, they’re usually good for around one year if previously opened or two years if unopened. Unless it says otherwise on the label, of course.
Go through your vanity and trash anything that’s older than two years. Allowing your products to collect dust in the vain hope you might go back to them one day? Not gonna happen.
DON’T Underestimate Your Bedtime Skincare Routine
Sleep time is crucial for your skin. As your brain goes into rest mode, your skin gets super busy. Blood flow increases to nourish it with valuable nutrients; cell turnover accelerates to bring fresh, healthy skin cells to the surface; collagen production revs up big time and your natural antioxidant system kicks it to help nix any free radicals which may have built up during the day.
If you go to bed with unclean, unmoisturized skin, this whole rejuvenation process becomes compromised. So don’t do that. Make sure you’re doing everything you can to ensure your skin is thoroughly cleansed before bed, then apply your favorite serum and moisturize with Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream.
DO Exfoliate More
As you get older, your skin doesn’t turn over as quickly. What does this mean? Well, when you’re in your 20s the life cycle of a skin cell is around 28 days during which time it’s created, moves up to the surface, then dies and sloughs away. Great. As you age, however, this process slows down and dead skin cells get ‘stuck’ at the surface where they cause uneven texture, blocked pores and dull-looking skin.
The good news is that exfoliation helps keep things moving at a more favorable rate, so how about increasing the frequency of your exfoliation game going forward? This can mean anything from once a week to three or four times a week but it depends on your skin so play around to find what works.
Our Vitamin C Gentle Face Scrub is fantastic for gently brightening and exfoliating your skin without drying it out making it ideal for regular use. You could also try our 6% AHA, BHA + PHA Liquid Exfoliant which does without scrubbing particles and instead uses gentle skin acids to slough away dead cells. Neither are a bad choice. Far from it.
DON’T Ignore Sketchy-Looking Moles
Noticed a change in a mole? Get. It. Checked. Out. Moles that change in color, shape, texture or just start to feel or look wrong should always be immediately looked at by a qualified expert to rule out serious concerns such as melanoma. The chances are your mole is totally fine or, at least, can be treated quickly and painlessly, but it’s better to be on top of them.
The Easiest (But Most Effective!) New Year Skin Goals
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