Top Tips on a Great Skincare Routine

It’s so important to look after your skin from the base because makeup is only a temporary thing so I thought I’d put my thoughts together to shed a bit of light on what a great routine would look like (and don’t worry we all have a night or two where we fall off the band wagon!)

Cleansing;

Ideally you should be double cleansing, i.e. doing it twice. The first cleanse will remove your makeup and the second one actually cleans your face. I sometimes use a micellar water or my cleanse off mitt to take off my makeup - they are both so quick! Bioderma Micellar Water is great for quickly removing make-up but doesn’t strip the skin. You can find this product here;

I tend to use Image Skincare mostly and I just find it amazing. Granted it doesn’t agree with everyone so be careful if you’re one of those but in general it’s a fantastic brand. I love the Ormedic Balancing Cleanser. FYI - whenever you see the word balancing it’s usually suited to combination skin, which is definitely the most popular Irish skin type! If you have dry skin try using an oil based or creamy cleanser, and if you are more prone to oily skin go for a gel wash that will help to degrease your skin or a cleansing milk.

Image Ormedic Balancing Cleanser can be shopped here;

Toning;

Gone are the days of the 100% alcoholic based toners thank God!! Now it’s more so based on lotions - a rose water lotion is so gentle on and definitely an easy one to use. Or the Pixi Glow Tonic is very popular - it’s like a light exfoliant but suited for drier skin with glycolic acid in it.

You can shop Pixi Glow Tonic here

Serum:

This is by far the most vital part of your routine and often one that’s over looked. We all used to think cleanse - tone - moisturise; when in reality serum is the key player. It can be difficult to justify sometimes because you’re looking at the high price tag for a tiny ml bottle but serums are much more concentrated and will penetrate the skin deeper! Also having vitamin A in your serum is probably the most important ingredient for your skins health in general so try and locate some of that in any of your products! Ones to look out for are;

Image Iluma, Environ AVST, Kiehls Midnight Recovery Oil, Alpha H

You can shop Alpha H Vit A Serum here

Masks/Exfoliators:

These are what I call the luxury products you may not be using them everyday but they really help to prep the skin particularly if you have an event the next day or that week!

Exfoliators:

Try not to go for anything too abrasive you don’t want to be removing layers of the skin! Depending on the strength of it exfoliator can be used 2/3 times a week.

Dermalogica Superfoliant is a great powder based one that is nice and gentle on the skin. You can shop that here and Image Clear Cell is a great one if you’re having breakouts which you can shop here

Masks:

I love a good sheet mask, these are excellent for prepping the skin. Make up goes on like a dream afterwards and they are give a great hydration boost to the skin. My favourite ones so far are; Garnier Moisture Bomb, No.7, Image, and the Seoulista range which you can find here

Moisturize;

I would always add moisturiser, for my skin I definitely need it. When choosing moisturizer base it on the consistency. Go for a creamy consistency at night or if you generally have dry skin; and choose more of a milk of gel texture if you’re not that in need of moisturizer and don’t want to create too many layers before makeup!

I adore the Kiehls Ultra Facial Cream and it’s such a good base for makeup too! Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream is also top of my list but i’m just not sure if it’s worth the price tag. For a really affordable and lovely moisturizer i’d go for Bioderma Hydrabio Moisturizing Concentrate which you can shop here

SPF should be included in your routine also so if you can get it into your serum or moisturizer it will save you time and layers otherwise pick up a sole based SPF to apply after moisturizer and before makeup! Beauty Base is a three in one primer with SPF 30, Hyaluronic Acid and Pearlized Cream that leaves a gorgeous golden glow on the skin!

The image below is also a really good guide as to how much product to use. Some of us think the more we use the better but honestly there’s no need, the amounts in the image below are standard and will also help your products last longer!

And lastly, I know I am friends with her, but I would also highly highly recommend having a consult with Jen Skin Nerd’s team if you’re someone who’s suffering with your skin or just wants to have a routine that suited to you. You won’t regret it and believe me they know their stuff !!

Hope this helps!

Love Aimee x