I'm a great believer in starting at base level when it comes to make up, so skincare is paramount.
Just as I opened up my make up bag, I thought I should let you in to my skincare regime too.
Lets assume that I've just woken up. . .
Dermalogica Ultracalming Cleanser - use with a muslin cloth for a gentle exfoliation. This genius product can be used with water or just wiped off with cotton pads. It's gentle enough to use whatever issues your skin may be having and seems to calm all manor of problems.
Dr Hauschka Facial Spray or Shu Uemura's Depsea Water - spritz onto clean skin to refresh and rehydrate. I like to spray just before applying my moisturiser or serum, to make sure that the hydration is locked into my skin, and doesn't just evaporate. I also like to keep another bottle in the fridge for an instant revive.
I have a wardrobe of serum's for my skin. That may sound over the top, but being that our skin is our largest organ, and is the one that comes most into contact with environmental aggressions, it good to have options. Depending on what you've been doing and where, you will find that your skin needs different things. For example, if I have been running out in the cold, my skin tends to feel tighter after I've cleansed it. I know it needs a bit more hydration, so I reach for some Skin Hydrating Booster by Dermalogica to either mix with my moisturiser, or apply some directly to the areas in need.
For the past few months, I've been applying Estee Lauder's Idealist - Pore Minimizing Skin Refinisher, to shrink the appearance of pores and generally repair the skin's texture. I've been really pleased with the results and know of other users who have been equally pleased with it's pore-minimizing ability.
I also love Dermalogica's Skin Firming Booster round my eyes, under my eye cream.
My skin used to LOVE any sort of moisturiser I put on it, which made it great for trying all of the beautiful lotions and potions I get kindly given. It also meant I could try things out before putting them in my kit. If they worked on my slightly sensitive skin, I knew I could trust them for putting on models skin and not having a reaction on my hands.
My skin is no longer playing ball and is refusing to let me use anything slightly anti-ageing, or anything that might increase my chances of looking any more radiant anytime soon. As soon as this changes, it'll be News to you.
Never fear, there's always a tried and tested solution for those of you experiencing any sort of similarly annoying behaviour by your skin. Dermalogica's Active Moist and Skin Smoothing Cream. The first: a lightweight, oil-free moisturiser that hydrates without any oily residue, and a medium-weight cream that hydrates and improves texture. No artificial fragrance or colour added to either - just pure unadulterated hydration.
Whether the sun's in or out, it's best to protect yourself from the most ageing environmental factors we have to deal with; the sun. I love the texture of the Chanel UV Essentiel Protective UV Care Anti Pollution SPF 50. It gives a matte finish, a beautifully smooth base for putting make up on to and it protects for a full day.
Having said that, after a long Winter of reduced sunlight hours, I whole-heartedly believe in getting out in the Spring sunshine for an hour or so to let your skin create some much needed vitamin D.
Again - I like to have a few to hand. During the Spring and Summer months, I like to wear spf everyday. For this I use Dermalogica's Total Eye Care spf15. It's light pink colour, from the physical sun protection within it, which also helps to hide dark circles. I'm also loving Estee Lauder's Time Zone Eye Cream, and am using Sisley's Botanical Eye and Lip Contour Complex at night.
During Winter months, I occasionally wear a facial oil over my moisturiser, for added protection against the weather and the drying effects of central-heating. This Winter I've been mainly using MAC Care Blends Essential Sweet Orange + Lavender. Lovely stuff; really calming and healing. Very good on skin that needs a bit of TLC every now and again.
Equally, just a good quality almond oil can work wonders for skin, hair and nails.
I add an extra oil-cleanser step to my night routine, just to get the make up off and give my skin a deep clean. I LOVE Shu Uemura's Classic High Performance Balancing Cleansng Oil, Dermalogica's Precleanse and Ren's No.1 Purity Cleansing Balm . All three emulsify beautifully, taking all your day's make up with them when you rinse. I then follow with Dermalogica's Special Cleanser, using a muslin cloth to gently exfoliate.
And so to the legendary Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair. It's constantly winning awards and seems to be in all of the Beauty Lists published by magazines on a yearly basis. I've been using this product for a few years now, and don't plan on giving up the habit for quite some while.
We all need a pot of magic or two to reach for when we don't quite manage to get the amount of sleep we need to let our skin recover from daily stresses. Mine comes in the form of an iconic deep-blue bottle with a gold lid: Guerlain's Midnight Secret. Use it when you feel your skin needs a pick-me-up, when you know your evening's entertainment might show the next day, or when you just know you need more sleep. It feels incredible when you put it on and the fragrance works instantly on making you feel better. Trust me. A brilliant investment.
Last but not least, spots. We all get them from time to time, but there are products out there that work. Lavender essential oil, Sudocream and Dermalogica's Special Clearing Booster are my favourites. I tend to alternate between the three.
