Very basic skin care regime help?

[whatthefoxsaid]

I looked in the mirror today, properly, and I need to sort out my skin!
I drink lots of water and eat a fairly decent diet so I think it's products I need.
I'm ghostly pale and fast approaching 30. Classic sleep deprived look thanks DD so dark circles/general zombie. But I'm more bothered about the blemishes/uneven tone and random blotchiness, especially red around my nose creases. Prone to dry skin, rarely get 'proper' spots but when I do they leave a red mark for weeks and weeks.
I'm thinking a good cc cream to cover, but what to treat? Acid? Serum? Help! On a budget, just to complicate matters

Get a skin consultation at a boots No7 counter, the products are amazing, reasonably priced with lots of 3 for 2s & they'll tell you exactly what you need.

The no7 bb cream is fantastic for coverage, very light but looks like proper foundation and gives a good glow

Go to your gp too..dark circles and pale skin are a sign of iron deficiency anaemia..i had dark circles pale skin ect and now take iron
A lack of sleep can take its toll on the skin
I use a micellar water cleanser, an exfoliating facial wash, and a good moisturiser . I sometimes use serum under my moisturizer when i can afford one. A green tinted concealer will cover red as will a green tinted cc or bb cream If you dont like using foundation .
Choose a moisturizer according to your skin type..yours sounds sensitive
Remember spotty skin can also be dehydrated
If you dont use make up cleanse skin with a facial wash according to your skin type, then tone and moisturise. You may also use a serum. If you use foundation use a cleanser as well as the wash
There are lots of different products..personally i find no7 causes me to break out in spots and i think they are expensive and unless you are interested in their anti ageing creams ( which have been clinically tested and found to work) id stick to the other brands on the shelves
Loreal olay and garnier all do good creams for first signs of ageing or just general day creams
The body shop also do good facial skin care..you might want to start with them
Avene/ la Roche Posay do very good creams for sensitive skin
I personally use boots time delay which i feel works just as well as no7 but are cheaper
If you can afford it clinique / elemis / clarins do good ranges

Forgot to add serums are good for those interested in anti ageing..olay and loreal do good ones. If you are not interested in anti ageing i wouldnt say you needed one. At 29/30 a moisturiser is enough
Body shop vit c one is good

Thanks for the tips! I use no7 foundation, after trying a load of different ones I came back to it and it's still my favourite. It makes me look less dead but it just didn't sit right yesterday, hence I thought the 'base' was wrong.
I forget they do skincare as well as make up though!
I wondered about my iron but it seems a bit of a trivial thing to take up a gp appt?! I had low iron in pregnancy and had to habe two blood transfusions after I had my DD because it was so low. I need to go for contraception soon so I'll mention it then.
Not sure about the anti ageing thing. On the one hand it's probably something I could start thinking about but I'm also of the mindset that it'll happen anyway!
Praying I take after my wrinkle-free dad/grandma!

I'm a couple of years older than you OP and I have iron deficiency - definitely go to the GP.

I came off the pill a few months ago and my skin is horrendous now, I get spots when AF is due and I felt like I look old. I've started a new skincare routine and within a week I looked better!

I've pretty much ditched alcohol, just having a glass or two of wine or gin at the weekend. I drink a lot more water and decaf tea.

Mornings I use Liz Earle hot cloth cleanser followed by a toner then L'Oreal revitalift serum, eye cream and a day cream with SPF50. 3 times a week I use a face scrub, but if not then I'll use micellar water followed by hot cloth cleanser, toner, serum, eye cream and Olay night cream. When I use the face scrub I follow with Clarins toner and oil.

Thanks chillychicken it's good to hear you saw results so quickly! I've read good things about the hot cloth cleansing stuff so I think I'll read up on it a bit further.
I don't tend to wear a lot of make up, certainly not day to day, but when I look like this I feel like I should just to brighten me up a bit.
I'll make an appt next week and ask about iron. It would make sense as I feel breathless quite easily and constant fatigue. DD doesn't sleep brilliantly and I just assumed I was terribly unfit but it's worth ruling it out.
I don't drink often just binge every few months and I thought my water intake was OK but I do rely quite heavily on caffeine. Would that effect my skin? I suppose it could. But coffee

affect my skin

If you’re looking for some budget skincare then the ordinary is good and very cheap.
It is a bit of a minefield though so you may want to read a bit on the boards here to find what products you might need