Skin care advice please

[Evamoda]

Hello all, after only ever using moisturiser and spf50 in the day and nothing at night, I have started a better skincare routine thanks to the wonderful information available in this forum. What encouraged me to do it is being 41 and starting to become more aware of fine lines, dull, dry skin etc..

So for a few months now I have been using (in this order):

AM:

Superdrug naturally radiant hot cloth cleanser Superdrug vitamin C super booster
Nip + fab dragon’s blood plumping serum
Superdrug vit E boost facial serum
Superdrug vit E moisture cream
Spf50 heliocare advance

PM:

Superdrug naturally radiant hot cloth cleanser
Indeed retinol reface
Once a week I replace retinol by Superdrug naturally radiant glycolic overnight peel

I can definitely see an improvement on my skin, as it feels a little plumper and brighter. I feel I am now ready to step up my routine as I no longer feel a tingling sensation when putting on the serums and the retinol.

But I am at a loss as to what exactly I can do to improve my skin care.. Would I benefit from replacing any of the current products by stronger versions? Better brands? Stronger retinol? Improve my nighttime routine?
I don’t put on anything else than retinol at night as I do it just before going to bed and don’t have the 20 minutes available to wait before putting other products..
If it helps I don’t wear make up and my budget is not huge so wouldn’t be able to start spending huge amounts more than I’m already doing..

Thank you for reading and apologies for the tedious post. I am aware there many similar ones on the forum.....

Hi, any ideas? 🙂

To be honest I wouldn't use all the different serums in the morning, maybe switch to a slightly stronger vitamin c, then moisturiser then spf , possibly keep the nip and fab step if you need the hydration from the Hyaluronic acid. A step up vitamin c wise might be the Revolution 12.5%, it's about £10 but probably stronger than the Superdrug.

Retinol Reface is lovely ( I use it too) but probably not very strong, I moved on to Medik8 Crystal Retinal but that's about double the price. Or the new No7 retinol might be worth trying while it's at a reduced price.

Thanks Ponks! I’ll have a look at the alternatives. I can see there are different strengths for Medik8, which one would you recommend as a step from reface? I’ll also check no7..

I would say medikate 3 if you haven't had a reaction to others. There's lots of info on her website about this.

If you want an acid toner - pixi is a good brand which isn't crazy expensive. To use after cleansing.

I love an oil but they do tend to be the more expensive products.

Caroline Hirons - queen of all skin care (checkout her cheatsheets on blog) recommends putting your money into the serum stage I believe.

I went straight in to Medik8 crystal retinal 6 with no ill effects. It's expensive but I get from facethefuture which has it discounted.
But may also be worth having a look at Nadine Baggott on YouTube and instagram, she is doing a series on budget beauty on IGTV which is great.

Thanks Doadeer, is the acid toner instead of any of the things I am already using or an addition to them?

Ah it's in addition to. It's the "exfoliation/tone stage after cleansing (not if using Retinol, but you could add in morning) - it helps cells renew which improves appearence of skin.

I do:
Cleanse twice
Pixi glow tonic
Eye cream
Serum
Facial oil
Moisturiser
(pm)
Plus Retinol 3-4 times a week

Cleanse once
Oslo vit c
Sun cream
(am)

I have a toddler so time is always tight in the morning for me!

Oskia not Oslo 🙄

Pixi glow tonic is a glycolic acid if I remember so it would be instead of the one your using now. If you use a stronger retinol I would moisturise at night too but this depends on your skin, yours might not need it.

Thanks all! The glycolic overnight peel one I have from Superdrug, I have only used 3 or 4 times, once a week, and use retinol all other days. Do you think I should change the frequency or keep using it this way? I’m not sure how much it’s helping as I use it so little.
Once tub is consumed I could get the pixy glow one and use it in the mornings instead. Could I still use the dragon’s blood nip & fab after? I really like how it makes my skin feel :)