Skincare suggestions needed

[QueenOfHalloween]

Hi,

So I'm a complete novice when it comes to skincare. I've never really been one for creams or stuff like that so I'm pretty clueless when it comes to skincare. On Wednesday I went to purchase some new make up (mine is old.... Really old!) My skin has been pretty horrendous lately, in fact the worst it's been since I hit puberty. I'm now 36. I've always had red skin but now I'm covered in spots... Anyway to cut a long story short I went to several different counters in several different shops and nothing would cover my skin properly. Everything just got sucked into my pores and looked patchy and awful. Girl on the last counter asked me about my skin care routine and looked pretty stunned when I confessed I only used cleaning wipes and which ever brand was on offer at the time. She says my skin is really dry which is weird because I always thought it was greasy... Maybe that's my paranoia. She has suggested a good cleanser and some moisturiser. I only work part time due to illness so I'm on a really tight budget. I've been looking at the Simple range, but then someone on a thread I was reading suggested the body shop aloe range, someone else said Aldi, etc so I'm stumped....

So folks, what do you use and what is your daily routine like?

Thanks 🙂

[ChardonnayKnickertonSmythe]

Step away from the wipes.

Simple range is fine, but do as little as possible until your skin calms down.
Gentle cleanser, a simple moisturiser and then see how you get on.

If your skin is still red and angry go to the doctors, they can give you topical ABs to sort it out.

[ChardonnayKnickertonSmythe]

Other people's routines and recommendations won't help you because their skin and needs are different, don't get sucked in.

[CremeBrulee]

I get the same issues with wipes. I just can't use them without my skin looking terrible.

I use a cream cleanser to remove make (La Roche Posay make-up remover milk is my fave) and then wash once with a mild face wash like Balance Me or Organic Surge.

Have recently added a quick wipe over with a Dragon's Blood pad from Nip+Fab which has made quite a difference to the look & feel of my skin.

Foundation wise I tend to stick to Estée Lauder Doublewear Light (find this wears well & wears in so looks better a couple of hours after applying) and am about to try out the Doll 10 Hydragel range.

[WiltingTulip]

I'm a bit older than you and dermalogica saved my skin. I started with 3 products (cleanser and moisturiser daily- gentle exfoliant occasionally) and have since started chemotherapy which is notorious for being hard on skin. I have upped my moisturiser to a different dermalogica one for the bad (dry) days but kept going and my skin's still looking good. I haven't worn foundation for a while.

[qwertytrewq]

No7 stuff is great and has different ranges for different skin types and problems. Go to a big boots with a No7 consultant and they'll chat through everything and give you samples. There's always offers or free gifts or something going on.

[botemp]

If makeup is getting sucked into your pores but you think you are oily/combo skinned you're most likely dehydrated which is different from being dry skinned.

Dry skinned = lack of oil, dehydrated = lack of water, it's an additional condition rather than a skin type and not all that unusual to be dehydrated and oily, combo, or dry, especially after turning 30.

Superdrug do a very affordable serum that you put on after cleansing before your moisturiser. If you are genuinely oily you might get away with not using moisturiser and only the serum.

Acid toning (the Nip + Fab pads above) will also aid this but not something I'd recommend to jump on when just starting a routine from scratch.

I'd echo the advice above though to see a GP before throwing every single product that sounds good at your face as it might only make it worse.

If you do want to start a routine on your own, slow and steady is the way to go. Start with a gentle cleanser and moisturiser, wait a few weeks to see that your skin is responding well to the new products before introducing anything else.

It takes on average 6 weeks to evaluate whether a product is working for you, cleansers being the only exception as this is pretty evident in days of use. Breakouts and purging do not indicate your skin is getting 'used' to a product (with the exception of acid toning and even there one needs to proceed with caution), it means it's irritated and continued aggravation will not aid it.

[QueenOfHalloween]

Thank you for all the responses. It's really appreciated.

I'll steer clear of the face wipes from now on. I'd no idea they weren't great for your skin. I drink on average 1.5 to 2 litres of water per day but maybe I need more.... I don't mind the water but the constant toilet trips are a tad annoying!

I also experiment with some different cleaners and moisturisers until I find one I think works well. My other half fetched me home some Garnier micellar cleansing water and their soft essentials rose water face cream which I've begun using. I'll give the products at least a few months so they have time to actually start working. I'll also visit my GP and see what he says about my skin. My nose is now bright red and looks like one massive, angry spot on my face so clearly i probably require more help then just a good skin care routine!

Hopefully it won't be long until I can buy some new make up.

Thanks for all your suggestions.

[CremeBrulee]

See what you think of the micellar water. I tried it after it was raved about on MN but the Garnier one was way too harsh for my skin and brought me out in red sore lumps and bumps.if your skin n is already sore, I'd tread carefully.

[QueenOfHalloween]

Thanks CremeBrulee Seems okay so far. My skins certainly no worse at any rate. Only a few tiny spots and the old ones seem to be healing better now. The area is generally not as sore. Skin doesn't feel any softer but it's still early days.

[Blueisthemagicnumber]

Sometimes skin is dehydrated, not dry, and a serum will help with this. This Superdrug one is great www.superdrug.com/Skin/Face/Serums/Superdrug-Simply-Pure-Hydrating-Serum-50ml/p/342700

[JogWithADog]

I can't use Garnier Micellar Water either, it makes my cheeks burn. I love Ole Henrikson melting cleanser. Can't remember the exact name but it's orange. The Nurture Me cream is lovely too and smells amazing but it's so expensive.