Skin routine - is this too much?!

[lostinloz]

Decided recently to tackle my skin as it was getting spotty and washed out. Have always used moisturizer and eye cream but after advice on here I went on to Caroline Hirons' blog and then went and spent a lot of money on stuff!

I am now following the this routine:
Am:
Cleanse
Tone
Acid tone (Mild)
Eye cream
Drop of facial oil
Serum
Moisturizer
CC cream
Make up - blusher and mascara

PM:
Cleanse
Tone
Acid tone (mild)
Eye cream
Night oil
Serum
Moisturizer

Try to use very little of each product and vary the products but it seems a lot! Skin does seem nice and bright but don't want to overdo it. I'm 33.

Thoughts? Thanks!

I'm surprised the "I use spit and Nivea blue pot and am OFTEN mistaken for a toddler" brigade haven't turned up yet.

That made me laugh so much I nearly snorted my porridge out.

I'm a big believer in doing what works for you, just be aware that a lot of CH's advice is very contradictory and I'd go as far as saying some of it is complete nonsense.

Apply a critical eye with what she (or anyone else says), compare the products she recommends with what dermatologists recommend. I pared down a lot of products I used to use, and my skin is still good.

Depends where you live re sunscreen.

If you are in the UK you don't need a better sunscreen on winter than what you will get in a decent moisturizer with SPF 8.

If you are in the UK you don't need a better sunscreen on winter than what you will get in a decent moisturizer with SPF 8.

Yes and no. Spf only measures protection against UVB rays (the ones that tan you). UVB rays are indeed weaker in winter. However UVA ray levels are pretty consistent all year round. These are the buggers that cause aging/wrinkles etc. They can also penetrate glass (consider driving during the day, sitting by a window at work etc).

Using a high spf with broad spectrum protection will give you far better protection than any moisturiser or make up with spf in. Even in winter. My view is why put in all the effort of looking after your skin and undo all the hard work by not protecting it properly.

I so wish I could go back in time and tell my 20 year old self that to save all the years of damage I did to my skin

I guess I am more of a "Nivea Blue Pot"-type! (Hilarious)

I have a very scaled-down regimen. On the four or so days each week I shower, I cleanse my face with a glycolic acid cleanser. Then I scrub it with a microdermabrasion scrub (not one of the ones that is bad for waterways, though).

That is my regimen and my skin, which was terrible in my teens, looks nice. However, I should say, that before I started this regimen, I had several chemical peels and facial laser treatments to get rid of some spotting, etc that I had. So I was starting with a nice baseline.

I mostly use mechanical sun protection (huge sun hats, etc) but I do use a sunscreen when appropriate.

So mint would you think it's possible to put sunscreen on top of everything else? On top of a moisturizer or instead of?

Yes I think it's possible but you may have to relook at the moisturiser you use in the day time IF you feel that the sunscreen does not play well with it or feels too heavy. I prefer a lighter moisturiser to 'seal in ' all my hydrating products and oils (I follow an AB routine so I use quite a lot of products!)

mowglik mentioned asian sunscreens further up thread. There are some amazing ones (particularly from Japan) that are so lightweight and easy to wear - but offer excellent protection. I find my sunscreen makes quite a nice base for my BB cream.