Mid-20s skincare advice please?

[BreeVDKamp]

I don't know much about skincare but really want to start looking after my skin better. I wonder if there are any knowledgable MNers who can advise me on product/practises, or point me to good blogs etc?

I am 25, skin is a mixture of teen breakout and wrinkly-big-pore types. Currently pg so haven't had spots for a while :)

Current routine is Superdrug's hot cloth cleanser at night, which I do twice if I've been wearing makeup, and whatever exfoliator is in the shower in the morning (currently a Tesco own brand men's exfoliator ). I have a tweezerman blackhead extractor tool which I love. I use Simple moisturiser once a day on average probably. I drink loads and loads of water.

I want to start using SPF everyday, I've had La Roche Posay recommended to me - looks quite expensive!! Would it last a while do you think? Also worried about it clogging my pores, and would it go moisturiser - SPF - makeup?

Should I start using eye cream and anti-wrinkle cream, and if so what? I have a Bobbi Brown eye cream but am not in the habit of using it, and am worried touching my eye skin so much might just make wrinkles worse?

Toners/oils/serums etc I have no clue about. I did have a Bobbi Brown cleansing oil which I liked, but not sure what it was actually for. Would I have used that instead of or as well as my hot cloth cleanser? Sadly the bottle leaked while it was in storage - luckily I had got it free otherwise that would have been an expensive waste!

I have recently started following Caroline Hirons on Instagram and my interest is definitely piqued! But I just don't know where to start.

Thanks in advance!

Wow, that's a lot of questions! Okay:

Ditch the exfoliator in the shower. Start using an acid toner as an exfoliant. If you are prone to spots and blackheads then one with salycilic acid will be best for you. Check out La Roche Posay, Clinique Mild Clarifying Lotion or Clearasil, Superdrug and Boots all do pads with it in. Check the ingredients.

Moisturise twice a day. Is your skin a little oily, and that's why you only do it once a day? I think you need a better moisturiser, probably, but will wait and see what you say about oiliness first.

La Roche Posay SPF wouldn't clog pores, and would go between moisturiser and makeup, like you've said.

Eye cream can definitely help with wrinkles around the eyes, just be gentle with them.

An oil cleanser is good for removing make up, but you can use it as a second cleanse, especially if it's a really nice (expensive) one. You want those ingredients on your skin, not removing your make up, as Caroline Hirons would say. I use a cheap oil/balm cleanser, then a "nicer" second cleanser, be it gel/oil/cream, depends on how my skin is. That's the evening. In the morning I use something from the second cleanse category for a single cleanse. The Superdrug one wouldn't be enough for a first cleanse for me as it doesn't take all my make up off. For me it's more of a morning cleanse, but it depends how much make up you wear.

Oh, and serums you probably want something to target breakouts and/or an anti-ageing one. Bravura do a good one for problem/ageing skin:

www.bravuralondon.com/treatment/anti-ageing/15-glycolic-acid-detoxifying-gel-50ml.html

Otherwise you might want to look at something with retinol. The Amazing Faces thread has good advice on that from people in the know. I don't use retinols myself.

I'm 25 and currently use these in the evening:

Emma Hardie balm/Clinique balm plus flannel
Alpha H balancing cleanser or REN clay cleanser
REN Acid toner
Clarins Blue Orchid oil
Hydralauron
Origins moisturiser

Effaclar for any breakouts. My morning is just one cleanse, tone, oil and moisturise.

I'm not working currently, so once these run out I will have to find some cheaper alternatives.

What type of skin do you have? I have worn SPF daily for a good few years now, mainly the Clinique or Kiehls ones.

I use Liquid Gold twice a week and a very low dose of retinol once a week or so. Apparently our skin is still a bit "too young" to get the full benefits of retinol.

Not totally sold on an eye cream, not found one that really does anything for me. I live abroad so constantly wear sunglasses which I hope will help!

Thanks!!

Nabootique thanks for the help! No my skin is slightly dry and tight if anything.

So what is the purpose of an oil in your cleanse, tone, oil, moisturise routine 5446? I thought they were used as either cleansers or moisturisers.

Also what do retinols, liquid gold and serums do?

Think I'll start by definitely getting a nice 2nd cleanser and some SPF. Other than that I'm still a bit lost hah

5446 is using oil at the serum stage of the routine. I use oil in addition to serum, under moisturiser if I want to use oil in the day as make up sits better on moisturiser, and over moisturiser at night as the oil does have bigger molecules than a water based moisturiser (which a lot of them are). I like to use an oil as an extra, because it makes my face glow, is good for massage, and some help clear up the odd spot I get.

A serum should be used to address your skin concerns, like anti-ageing or breakouts, then a moisturiser should be for your skin type.

Retinol is anti-ageing and resurfacing, but I think you're too young to worry about it, to be honest. The ladies on the Amazing Faces thread have some great advice on them so I'd read that thread if you're interested.

Liquid Gold is an AHA treatment, designed for use 2 or 3 times a week, not on consecutive nights. I do two nights a week. You put it on at the acid toner stage and then do not put anything else over it to get the full effect. It's a smoothing/resurfacing thing.

Congrats on your pregnancy :)

Firstly, you shouldn't be using retinols while pregnant so you can definitely forget about that for now. As nabootique says, they are for resurfacing the skin so you shouldn't need them anyway at 25 unless you have some sort of damage to your skin (sun damage, or acne like me :(). Because of that they are also anti-ageing, but more in a "repairing" sort of way. For preventative anti-ageing, you just need SPF.

However... if the cost of LRP SPF seems high to you, I'd do more research before going out and buying all these products straight away. Liquid Gold is £30 a bottle for one thing. I saw someone recommend a £2 Superdrug SPF on another thread, but depending on your lifestyle (how much time you spend outside etc) you could also try getting into the habit of wearing a hat all the time during the summer. Most SPFs aren't cheap, and no they don't last a while, because you're meant to put a teaspoonful on your face every time you apply (to get max protection as stated on the tube) and also reapply every 2-3 hours you're in the sun. The SPF I like is £20 for a small tube so I try to stay out of the sun rather than spend loads and loads on it, but as I say, depends on your lifestyle.

Finally, FWIW I am 28, seeing a dermatologist for acne and apart from the prescribed products she has me on, I'm using (as recommended) some of the cheapest cleanser and moisturiser you can buy - Cetaphil. I don't cleanse twice either, but use makeup remover. Aside from that, I do think you need some sort of exfoliator (not one with anything gritty in it), but I can't comment on it because one of the things I have been prescribed does that job for me.

Good luck, you probably don't need to do as much as you think :)

Oh and I know Caroline Hirons is worshipped on here, but remember that a) she has no medical qualifications and b) she gets paid to talk about products on her blog. So maybe take things she says with a pinch of salt, you decide.

Oh God, Blair drew my attention to something. Salycilic acid, although is probably fine in small topical doses, it is generally advised that you don't use it in pregnancy. Some people will say "OMG, don't touch it!" and others will take a different view, there's enough literature on it to make an informed decision, however, glycolic acid is totally safe for use, if you did want to use something with acids in.

I write that because I recommended some salycilic products.

You ARE a cynic Blair No, she has no medical training, but she did a few videos with Sam Bunting recently about acne, rosacea, who is a qualified dermatologist. I think she turns to professionals for advice on medical skin conditions, if that makes sense? Most of the blog stuff is more around smoothing, hydrating, anti-ageing, glowing and the more superficial stuff.

Most of the stuff she talks about on her blog isn't paid, but that's not to say she won't recommend a product of a brand she has done work for, because she likes that product or the brand. I think she's just in a position where she can pick and choose to work for brands that she likes.

Loads of great advice here already. I've had problem skin for years, ok ish now but it's taken a while to get to this point.

Im 38 this year and what I wish I'd done at 25 is wear an SPF EVERY SINGLE DAY.
If you start using AHAs now but don't SPF you're storing up even more issues for your late thirties onwards.
Prevention is better than the cure and all that

I am nabootique! But I'll admit I haven't read much of CH's stuff, it seems a bit OTT for me, especially when I'm already paying ££ for someone to sort my skin. So I'm sure she would be a lot more helpful for others :)

And yes, if you're using any kind of acids or retinols you must wear SPF every day as those make your skin susceptible to sun damage.

Aha, things are becoming clearer!! Thanks all!

I will only be pregnant for another couple of weeks max, so making notes of all recommendations for when everything is back to normal :)

Deffo going to look into cetaphil!

Cetaphil is recommended by dermatologists for people suffering from acne and a lot of people on here rate it highly, but if your skin is dry, I don't think it's going to be good for you.

Sunscreen. I'd wear a separate one not a moisturiser with spf.
Eat well.
I'm assuming you don't smoke or sunbathe? (If you do then all advice is useless.)
That's it.

I have very dry/dehydrated skin and Cetaphil was awful for me.

I use oil because of my skin type, it needs all the moisturising it can get!

Right now, I'd focus on getting another cleanser, glycolic acid toner and SPF.

Of course you are going to be incredibly busy for the foreseeable future, but I've got my cleansing routine down to about 3 minutes. Totally worth it.