Skincare

[MoggyMittens23]

I've been on a mission to improve my skin over the last year or so and now have aha, bha, vitamin c, niacinamide, retinol, enzyme peels! I feel like I am always using something different trying to get flawless skin ( acne prone so not going to happen) i don't mind the ritual of it all, i quite enjoy it. But trying to mix and match everything, trying to give my skin everything it 'needs' is getting stressful. I can never remember how I look the next morning after each one, whether that one broke me out etc etc.

AIBU to strip it right back to basics and simply cleanse, tone and moisturise twice a day and exfoliate a coupe of times a week? (SPF every day non negotiable of course)? And that's it.

Does anyone else have a simple skin routine that works for them? I feel like everyone these days is using all these high tech products and it's just - arrrrrggggghhhhh! I can't keep up!

Bump!

My mum has used baby oil to remove makeup and Avon moisturiser for 70 years and looks fab.
My dd that used to try everything uses Simple wipes to remove make up and Weleda Skin Food and now has lovely skin.

I use botanical lab pumpkin and papaya enzyme aha daily tonic, morning and night. It's £6 in tesco, sometimes £3 with clubcard. It's the only thing that clears my skin, to the point even my dad comments on it!

You need to use one regimen at a time for a few months to see how well it works, rather than changing things all of the time. It takes a while for your skin to get used to new things.

It does sound a bit over complicated. I used to do that and since I have simplified to the below (I alternate between the 3 regimes depending on what I feel my skin needs):

Am: splash with water. Niacinamide. Vit c. Moisturiser. SPF

Pm: cleanse. Niacinamide. Hyaluronic acid. Moisturiser.

Am: as above.

Pm: same as 1 but instead of using hyaluronic acid I use a glycolic acid to exfoliate. Max 3 times a week. Evening only.

Am: as above

Pm: cleanse. Niacinamide. Moisturiser. Retinol cream. Moisturiser. No more than twice a week.

Remember flawless skin doesn't exists. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water. Getting enough sleep. Protecting you skin from the sun with a good spf. Alcohol makes my skin worst. Don't smoke. You can improve your skin with serums etc but it won't ever be perfect. Good luck!

Thank you all. I need to just get a routine (simple one) and stick with it. Does it really take months? maybe I am too impatient for this!

I do
Morning - vitamin c and Spf, then cc cream (I don't wear makeup)

Evening - oil cleanse, Tret, ceramide moisturiser and then a thicker shea one

I have dry skin so extra moisturiser wouldn't be good for you. But I never tone or exfoliate I just don't need to work regular Tret usage.

My skin is as perfect as I'd want it to be.

I think basics are cleanse, moisturiser, Spf

Everything else is just an add on.

I'm early 30s if that is relevant.

Have you considered a tretinoin prescription from somewhere like skin and me?

One product, used at night. Cleared my acne up in 8 weeks.

I've tried all sorts of various skincare products and I believe the best routine is a simple one. It can't be good for the skin to be layering on countless products, especially if you're acne prone.

All these lotions and potions and serums and such made popular by influencers are of more benefit to their purse than to your skin.

I just use a cleanser and moisturiser twice a day (I use a spf moisturiser in the morning rather than two separate products). I also use sheet face masks about once a week which I'm not convinced does much but it feels nice to pamper myself a bit.

I use Medik8. British company, they have skin routines/products by skin type. Been using them for several years. Really really good.

The part of my routine I think really helps my skin is that I use a warm (not hot) flannel to removed my cleanser and I always double cleanse. The flannel is just rough enough to exfoliate without being too harsh. Doing this has removed some under the skin blemishes that I though were here to stay now I'm in my 40's. My skin hasn't looked as this good in years.

It sounds like you need to strip back and introduce ingredients one at a time, that way you'll know which has caused a reaction.

I do love a regime though!! Mine is:

AM: (no wash, but face gets showered on!) hydrating mist, vit C, eye cream, moisturiser, SPF

PM: double cleanse (cleansing balm of the moment, followed by a foaming cleanser of the moment), pat dry, retinol, hydrating mist (usually after 15mins), eye cream, night moisturiser. Every 3 days I switch the retinol for either an AHA or a BHA- these I alternate.

It's so easy to get carried away! I actually damaged my skin barrier by using too many complex products at once. So be careful.

My routine is...

Double cleanse in the evening, a retinol plus a moisturizer.

Then a single cleanse in the morning, whatever active is most relevant to you (Vit C is good for brightening: personally I have acne prone skin so I use La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo whose active ingredients are Niacinamide and Zinc, plus it's a light moisturiser, so really everything in one), then SPF.

A chemical exfoliating mask once a week and a fancy hydrating mask if I've got a big event or whatever.

Simple can still involve lots of powerful ingredients but you do need to give any product 3 months to see effects AND it's easy to overload and damage your skin so be focused and patient!