Can you help me plan a skin are regime?

[chestnut100]

Really need some advice ladies. I'm 35 and the extent of my skin care is a quick once over of a wipe before before bed. Nothing else. I know this is ridiculous; I'm blessed with good skin (except for a horrible frown crease on my forehead), but I know it won't remain that way if I carry in like this.

The problem is; every single time I have embarked on a cleanse/moisturise/eye serum plan, I have come out in spots which I never, ever otherwise get. I generally have quite dry skin. If any one has any recommendations, I'd be so grateful. I could stretch to something about 25 per product, not a huge amount more. Thanks in advice

If you have good skin with no proper routine, then it's entirely possible it will stay that way -- so much of skin stuff is down to genetics anyway. I have a friend who literally does nothing but splash water on her face and she has the best skin ever. So I wouldn't necessarily think you have to have a more complicated routine.

If your skin is dry though, you could try adding a moisturiser. Get one for sensitive skin, ideally with no perfumes or parabens. I've recommended Avene on here a lot, as have others, it's really gentle (try Hydrance Legere, it's very light).

Is your skin dry, or dehydrated? Lots of people confuse the two... Dry skin is lacking in oils (which your regime should look to boost) whereas dehydrated skin is lacking in moisture, so you'd need a different approach (and drink more water!)

E.g. my skin is oily/combination but gets dehydrated, so I use oil-free products and concentrate on moisturising properties.

Someone with dry skin might use products which are oil-based. If you have oily but dehydrated skin, then oil-based products might have caused oil overload...

How would I work out the difference between dry and dehydrated? I'm not the best for drinking lots of water....

Honestly if your skin is already pretty good don't upset it with a fancy regime of pricey products.
The wipes are possibly drying.

If you like quick and easy routine try using Bioderma micellar water on a cotton pad to cleanse - you don't have to rinse.
Maybe find a bland moisturiser to dab on dry bits only - (unscented)

I've tried many a fancy routine, clinique, Eve Lom, clariosonic, avene, La roche posay, Most high end and cult brands.

The thing that has most effect on my skin is keeping it simple and doing it regularly. Do what your skin needs on the day - don't follow steps religously, e.g your skin may be dryer one day so need moisturiser all over, the next day it may need just a dab here and there. You may need no moisturiser some days. You may need to exfoliate and moisturise just your flaky nose area more than the rest of your face and so -on.

chestnut100- if you skin looks lovely and glowy straight out of a shower, then your skin is dehydrated. If it is tight and uncomfortable straight out of the shower, then it is dry. A nice light serum with a lot of hyaluronic acid would probably be the best first purchase for you, if you are dehydrated. Something like Eucerin Hyaluron or Clarins Hydraquench. WildBill is quite right. Simple and regular is the best. I sometimes have days when I really have to slap on the moisturiser; othertimes, a bit of serum and I'm done.

Double cleansing is something I find I have to do each night without fail(and actually enjoy it). This is because I wear a sunscreen every day and quite a bit of makeup, so it takes everything off and reduces the blemishes.You don't need expensive products for this- i use S & G Hot Cloth cleanser as my first cleanse and then a Vichy gel wash for the second.

This is great! Really useful to hear your thoughts. Going to try suss whether in dry or dehydrated over next few days

Hi there,

I was going to start this exact same thread so hope you don't mind me hopping on here. I am 34 and skin care regime consists of washing with an exfoliation wash in the morning (tend to get blackheads) and face wipe in the evening. My skin is a little bit dry but moisturiser takes are of that and i don't get spots or blemishes (although have enlarged pores).

I just want to start a simple regime that will keep my skin looking okay and was thinking of the hot cloth method but went into boots and didn't know where to start. Might try the S&G one previous poster suggested.

Nugget- I expect your skin is dry due to the exfoliating wash. They alsways used to dry out my skin too. Hot cloth method will be perfect as it is the mechanical method of exfoliation, so less harsh. You can use any cleanser really; the key is using a flannel wrung out in hand hot water to remove the product. The S & G stuff is good, as is Superdrug's Vitamin E hot cloth cleanser. Just massage in to dry skin, remove with wrung out flannel and then repeat with a gentle gel wash (Avene or some such like). Start off doing the hot cloth cleanse at night (in the morning I just use the gentle gel wash in the shower) and see what difference it makes to your skin.

Thanks so much shoe. I'll definitely give that a go. To Boots!

Nugget- you're welcome. It has been a revelation to my skin. I was 36, battling oil and spots and nothing seemed to keep them at bay. This double cleanse at night really makes my skin glow, look incredibly clean, but not tight or uncomfortable. Plus, I feel as though anything I put on my skin straight afterwards will work better.