A few of you have asked what my skincare routine is and after several years of dropping lots of money on pretty, well marketed bottles of serums and masks, I’ve finally found a routine that suits my sensitive skin. As much as I would love to have gorgeous bathroom shelves of Creme de La Mer it’s just not cost effective (and questionably not skin effective).
I started meeting with Sam from NuYu, who, if you’re in London, I highly recommend. She sat down with me and went through every product I was using on my skin, looked at all the ingredients with me, and we threw out a bunch, kept some, and replaced a few. I’ve started being a lot more considerate about what goes onto my skin, and using brands that come from physicians, dermatologists, and although the packaging isn’t as glam, my skin defintitely is!
The way Sam looks at skincare is like this: Cleanse – Prevent – Correct – Protect.
Cleansing, Sam recommends an AHA
Prevention, a vitamin C serum (anti oxidant)
Correction, a retinol (vitamin A)
Protect, a B5 serum, SPF 30+
Cleanse
+ Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser (US/UK)
+ Obagi Foaming Care Cleanser
+ Nature’s Aid Rose Petal Toner
+ La Roche Posay Serozinc Toner
I use Cetaphil in the mornings and most evenings, swapping out with the Obagi cleanser a few times a week depending on what my skin needs. The Cetaphil is so gentle and the Obagi I use for pore unclogging and to make breakouts go away faster. The Obagi is so cooling on the face, it feels amazing, but it can dry you out so make sure to ease into it by using it a few times a week to begin with. I switch off between the rose petal toner and La Roche Posay, just to remove any leftover makeup or residue. Both feel amazing on my skin {these cotton pads are the best for toner}.
Prevent
+ Medik8 Vitamin C Anti-oxidant Serum
+ La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo (US/UK)
The vitamin C serum by Medik8 is a total game changer – my scars and pores have diminished, my skin is super soft, and makeup goes on so much smoother. The Effaclar Duo is perfect for treating spots and large pores, it was recommendd by a French dermatologist we came across while in Greece and I’ve been using it ever since. I use these daily, and the vitamin C serum I use both morning and night.
Correct
Currently waiting until my skin gets stronger to start on a low dose of retinol. It’s something you have to ease your skin into (especially if you have sensitive skin like me), but I’ll be looking at Medik8 for this.
Protect
This can be in the form of a B5/Hyaluronic acid, but I’m trying to find one that works {currently testing out Glossier’s version but not sold just yet}. Sunscreen is also extremely important and I’ve been using this under my makeup.
Masks/Treatments
+ Peter Thomas Roth Therapeutic Sulfur Masque
+ La Roche Posay Hydraphase Masque
I’m currently alternating between two masks: I use the Peter Thomas Roth Sulfur Masque as a spot treatment and it normally zaps pimples in 1-2 days (right now it’s too much on my skin to use as a full mask). The La Roche Posay (can you tell I love this brand?) Hydraphase Masque is perfect for winter when my skin is a little more dry. I’m actually using this as moisturizer right now under my makeup – it’s not too heavy but still super moisturizing.
And that’s it! I’m all about fewer products that work and and though everyone’s skin is completely different, these are all gentle enough that they should have a positive impact on your skin. If I had to pick one from this list that I would bring with me on a deserted island it’d be the vitamin C serum – can’t say enough good things about this.
What are your holy grail products? I’d love to know!
Thanks for this. I’m 30 now and have got to get on the ball. What moisturizer and eye cream do you use?
I’ve been using the La Roche Hydraphase mask as a moisturizer since it’s winter, in the summer I’ll use something a little lighter from La Roche. I actually don’t use an eye cream right now – I’ve tried a few things like the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair but I always feel like it makes my eyes puffy, maybe I’m allergic to something in it? I just make sure to put moisturizer around my eyes and it seems to do the trick (I read somewhere that eye creams are just re-packaged moisturizers). I’m also intrigued by using retinol around the eyes, apparently this is a good one to start late 20’s/early 30’s.
Hello!
I use Effaclar Duo day and night and I would like to incorporate vitamin c into my skin care routine. But Effaclar Duo contains niacinimide and some say that niacinimide and vitamin c aren’t supposed to be mixed together. So, is this combination working for you?
P.S. Greetings from Greece