Anyone with gorgeous skin willing to help me?

[Timona]

So today I was reminiscing with my sister (via WhatsApp) over some photos we took together three years ago and I can't believe how much more shit I look after just a few short years . I know a couple of obvious things I need to change -drinking more water, eat healthier food, exercise and get more sleep- and have decided to start all of that straight away!
But looking in the mirror, my skin is so terrible. Mainly it's really blotchy and awful pores..plus dark rings.

So my question is, are there any beautiful skinned people out there willing to help me by telling me their skincare routine? I've honestly never had any sort of routine, just face scrub once a day in the shower, so I'd like as much detail as possible because I have no clue 😬

Any help is appreciated, I'm just coming out of a long depression that has shot my self confidence to pieces so am trying to make an effort to look after myself. (I am also planning to also start wearing make up..so may need to start another advice thread again soon 😉).

Thank you in advance.

[doadeer]

There's also a difference between having good skin and having glowing skin.

I naturally always had good skin but only when I started to really invest in a lovely routine which helps me a lot in the evening to relax did people start to comment and ask me what I use.

Both my siblings have been really unlucky with spots, my brother has acne which requires medication and my sister suffered with hormonal spots for many years into her 30s. After she started using some of the products I got her, she had a confidence I've never seen before. That didn't come from soap and water.

[timetest]

I’m in my sixties and have been using Retin a for over 20 years. It definitely helped me to ward off the lines. So for me it would be Retin a, factor 50spf, and a vitamin c serum. I cleanse with aqueous cream and a soft was cloth.

[Paisley2018]

Try ‘The Ordinary’ products.
They are reasonable priced, my skin likes it and the little glass bottles look nice in my bathroom.
You don’t need loads of different products and you shouldn’t introduce them all at the same time anyway - as if English were to have an adverse reaction, you wouldn’t know which one was the culprit.
I use Bioderma Micellar Water (blue cap) to remove my make up at night, followed by The Ordinary Squalene Cleanser. I then use Niacinimide serum to help fade some post acne marks, followed by Hyaluronic Acid serum to moisturise then the Natural Factors Moisturiser to seal it all in!
I use the Bha/aha peel once per week. It’s scary looking but it does the job.
My skin was a wreck 6 months ago. I definitely think these products helped me.

[nuitdesetoiles]

Up until a year ago I had pretty good skin, it's partly genetics (mum and grandma amazing skin) but also because I've had a religious skincare regime from age 12 starting with clinique 3 step that my mum gave to me as a 12 th birthday present.

I don't use that anymore, but anytime I go for cheap or very processed products the difference is immediate for the worse. So my skin is no fluke. What I've learnt from this thread is up try the retinol and factor 50..☺️ any tips on how to tackle redness and inflammation gratefully received.

[carlaCox]

Id totally disagree. It may be that Bluntness has good skin genetically so doesn't need anything, but my dry skin would be much, much worse if I didn't moisturise

Yeah sorry I should have made that clearer. Obviously the basics like SPF and moisturiser are going to help, I was more referring to these complicated 25 step regimes and "anti-ageing stem cell DNA reversing bla bla creams" which many studies have shown do bugger all. Obviously if you have a particular skin issue and you're getting something specific for that (especially if it's on prescription) then that's a different story.

But for general anti-ageing it's very hard to do the counter-factual isn't it. It's all well and good saying "my skin is amazing because I've spent years applying this specific cream" but how could you possibly know what your skin would be like otherwise? I've read blogs by women who were using loads of products who then say their skin was much better when they threw it all in the bin (excluding SPF and moisturiser of course).

Anyway I think what this thread shows is that everyone's skin is pretty unique and one person's miracle cure is another person's expensive con.