To ask what your daily skincare routine is?

[CityCommuter]

Due to sensitive skin I cleanse my face using Simple Micellar water and Simple eye makeup remover. In the morning I apply Simple Face wash and rinse it off in the shower. This is followed by No7 toner, Nivea Q10 eye cream and Q10 moisturiser. I don't use face masks much as they tend to irritate my skin and give me spots

Makeup wise I use No7 light reflecting foundation and No7 under eye pen concealer, a slick of No7 sensitive eyes mascara, a dab of No7 loose powder and little brush of No7 bronzer - I use a cherry colour bees wax lip balm for a hint of colour.

I think the products I use are gentle and are calming to my skin but a friend said today that all the products I use are actually shit to use her own word!. She recommended all these ridiculously expensive products that she knows I can't afford and tbh I don't know if they're that good anyway!

What do you use or recommend I use?

@thepeopleversuswork except for retinol which is proven to work
That has made the biggest difference to my skin. I don't spend a massive amount (the prescription is about £20pm) but the changes are insane

Everyone's skin is different OP, if your routine works for you I don't see an issue. Most important thing with skin is sun protection I reckon. Is your friend trying to sell you MLM products or something?

I wipe face with micellar water morning and evening. Never moisturise, it just ends up in eyes and makes them blurry/stingy so I gave up on it. Since lockdown I have not worn any make-up. Good skin, plumped up, do not smoke and take HRT . I am 51

[quote PawsQueen]@thepeopleversuswork except for retinol which is proven to work
That has made the biggest difference to my skin. I don't spend a massive amount (the prescription is about £20pm) but the changes are insane[/quote]
That is true actually about retinol.

But overpriced skincare creams with pseudo scientific claims are pure snake oil. 4000% mark-up for some nice branding.

Wash in the morning in the shower with sanex soap. Moisturise with Superdrug vit E oil.

I have a simple, cheap, natural and plastic-free approach to skincare. I'm 31.

Bar soap and water morning and evening to wash face.
Coconut oil to remove eye makeup.
Once a week face mask (usually homemade using banana / avocado) or homemade scrub to exfoliate.

It seems to me that 'micellar water' is actually a weak detergent solution.

I'm 60 and have always been blessed with good skin. It's definitely gene related. I have always been told I look a good 10 years younger than my actual age. Up to about 2 weeks ago I just washed my face with lukewarm water and smeared a bit of Nivea moisturiser on if my face felt a bit dry. Then I saw my face in really good natural light and got a bit of a shock. It looked dull and lifeless. A bit wrinkly, not a lot. I had a facial pdq and invested in some products. All Nivea because I like it and my skin seems to like it. So,
Morning
Cleanse with cleanser
Remove with bamboo cloth wrung out with warm water
Toner (bamboo pad, washable)
Q10 eye cream
Serum
Q10 day moisturiser
BB day cream with SPF

Night
Double cleanse
Toner
Q10 eye cream
Serum (different. In a little bottle with a dropper)
Q10 night time moisturiser
I'm still enjoying it after 2 weeks. I'm getting complimented at work. The girls there are 20-30 years younger than me. So it's all good. My skin feels and looks great.
So, products from the cheaper end of the market are definitely working for me

Also forgot to say if I wear make up I take it off with Nivea Micellar professional make up remover stuff

I don’t have any wrinkles I am 40 but I had terrible acne which I have finally cleared up. I never manually exfoliate, only chemical

The ordinary cleanser
Water
Pat dry
Nicinamide
La rochy posey factor 50 clear sun tan lotion
IT cosmetics CC cream

Evening
The ordinary cleanser
Pat dry
Nicinamide
Clinique moisture surge intense cream

Every week - the ordinary AHA/BHA peel alternated with salicylic acid peel

Morning - sunscreen on before makeup
Whenever I arrive home - Cleanse, put on Body Shop vitamin c glow booster moisturiser (can't recommend this range enough)
Before bed - apply retinol, apply moisturizer again (this time Superdrug oatmeal) and put on a smoothie or frownie plaster in between my brows

Once or twice a week I exfoliate my face too and occasionally put on a mask. Also I occasionally put bio oil on my face.

I''m 30 and have upped the ante lately.

put on a smoothie or frownie plaster in between my brows

A what?! This sounds like something I need… off to Google

@WeeFae

I run my face under the shower for a couple of minutes. Pat dry with a towel. Age 41, no wrinkles.

Photo or I don't believe that.

Morning - No.7 blue cleanser used as a face wash if I wash my face in the sink. If I have a shower, I tend to just use water.
I use a rich hand cream on my body and sometimes put that on my face too (doesn't seem to give me spots). Then no7 serum and moisturiser either the Loreal red and white one or no.7 or Cerave balm with HA. I don't particularly rate the Cerave one after all the hype.

Evening - in theory use some lactic acid to exfoliate, then serum and night cream. In realite, quite often don't do anything and don't wear makeup often these days as I'm wfh. I also sometimes 'slug' with vaseline as my face is pretty dry.

I also try to get enough water, but don't generally manage it, and take cod liver oil or Omega 3 tablets and I STILL have pretty dry skin as I've aged.

I got my first wrinkles in my late twenties and I still get people telling me I don't look my age. Even if those people are flattering me and I look bang on my age, I just don't believe these people who claim to be into their forties and have no wrinkles at all. Even pretty young people have crow's feet at least.

"Possibly a bit strong but your friend isn't wrong about most of those products."

Why? I really like no.7 products.

"Lots of people using Cetaphil cleanser here, might have to try it!"

Isn't it for acne?

[quote PawsQueen]@thepeopleversuswork except for retinol which is proven to work
That has made the biggest difference to my skin. I don't spend a massive amount (the prescription is about £20pm) but the changes are insane[/quote]
If you have a prescription then surely it retinoin/retin-A rather than retinol, which is weaker?
But I gather there is some proof for retinol too.

I just use some Nivea Creme every evening 🤷‍♀️

Tbh, there’s no hope for me where wrinkles are concerned.
I’ve had terrible hay fever all my life and scratch and rub my eyes and nose so badly every summer that despite being young and not smoking or drinking and having a decent diet I already have eye wrinkles and deep lines across my nose.

Thewiseones top Tips for good skin 😁😁

ALWAYS Remove your make up, ideally a double cleanse

SPF should be your last step in the morning

Start using a retinol NOW if you don’t already

Use a glycolic acid toner after cleansing at least 2-3 times per week in the PM, you do not wash it off just continue with serum and moisturiser.

Don’t over complicate your routine with too many active products at any one time

DRINK plenty of water, lower caffeine intake and of course GIVE UP smoking if you do it because it’s just the worst thing you can do plus it makes you stink, gives you yellow teeth and damages your lungs 🤢

Try to have a good nights sleep

Don’t poison your body with fillers and Botox, trout pouts are gross.

I love The Ordinary AHA BHA Peeling mask used once per week / fortnight

@Gwenhwyfar why on earth would you not believe that @WeeFae hasn't any wrinkles? She's only 41ffs! I'm also early 40's and have no wrinkles. I think my very oily / problem skin has some advantages then!

@Gwenhwyfar yes, tret I just used retinol as if I put tretinoin then nobody seems to know what it is!
It's changed my skin completely, and so has a retinol eye cream

[quote CityCommuter]**@Gwenhwyfar* why on earth would you not believe that @WeeFae* hasn't any wrinkles? She's only 41ffs! I'm also early 40's and have no wrinkles. I think my very oily / problem skin has some advantages then! [/quote]
Well, as I said because most people I've seen have wrinkles from late twenties and early thirties. 40s with no crow's feet, no elevens, no forehead wrinkles, no naso-labial lines, no lines on the neck?
Show me a closeup photo and I might believe it.

[quote PawsQueen]@Gwenhwyfar yes, tret I just used retinol as if I put tretinoin then nobody seems to know what it is!
It's changed my skin completely, and so has a retinol eye cream [/quote]
I think the difference is quite important though. It's the strong stuff that will give results.
I've used a lot of retinol and not seen any improvement and I think that may be to do with the amount in the products.

@Thewiseoneincognito

Thewiseones top Tips for good skin 😁😁

ALWAYS Remove your make up, ideally a double cleanse

SPF should be your last step in the morning

Start using a retinol NOW if you don’t already

Use a glycolic acid toner after cleansing at least 2-3 times per week in the PM, you do not wash it off just continue with serum and moisturiser.

Don’t over complicate your routine with too many active products at any one time

DRINK plenty of water, lower caffeine intake and of course GIVE UP smoking if you do it because it’s just the worst thing you can do plus it makes you stink, gives you yellow teeth and damages your lungs 🤢

Try to have a good nights sleep

Don’t poison your body with fillers and Botox, trout pouts are gross.

I love The Ordinary AHA BHA Peeling mask used once per week / fortnight

Why is the glycolic acid better than lactic acid? I've got dry and rough skin in certain parts of my face, developed just this year, which means that makeup won't blend in there. Should I switch to the glycolic do you think?