Would anyone be willing to help construct a skin care regime please?

[Baabaagreensheep]

Hi ladies,

I'm 31 and feel like I need to start a proper skin care routine.

My face is okay-ish, I'm starting to get lines on my forehead, have blackheads on nose and chin. Large pores between my eyebrows but don't suffer from spots and my skin tone is quite even.

I've got a bit extra money this month, and have been looking at the Paula's choice website but, honestly, don't know what I'm looking for.

What is your routine? And if anyone has any recommendations based on what I've said I'd be very grateful 🙏

So from watching a million videos by dermatologists... we all need:

Cleanser (double cleanse in night time)
Moisturiser
SPF 30+ in morning (can be in moisturiser)

Your key concerns seem to be pores/what's in them and lines. Which means you need a chemical exfoliant and a retinol. Generally cleansers and moisturizers can be relatively cheap, whereas active like exfoliant and serums tend to be pricier.

So a good routine may be:
Morning
Cleanser (gentle, try cerave perhaps)
Gentle chemical exfoliant - Paula's choice BHA has a great reputation
Moisture w SPF 30+ (la Roche Posey has a great reputation, cerave too, but to be honest many will do

Night time
Cleanse with something that removes make up - oil cleanser or Micellar water
Cleanse again with gentle cleanser
Retinol serum
Moisturiser without spf

Visit the facetheory website and click on "build a regime". Answer the short quiz and see what they recommend. Even if you're not going to buy from them click on each item they suggest and read the description. They are great at explaining how x helps y skin. I've learnt from them rather than feeling like a need a science degree to see past some of the claims made my some skincare!

Nadine Baggott 5 products video is the simplest and she gives straightforward yet scientific explanations as to what each product does and gives suggestions for each price point.

Basically though:
AM
Cleanse
Vit C (it's not essential but it will make the biggest difference in terms of glow)
Moisturize (whatever you like/is suitable for your skin)
SPF 50 always.

PM
Cleanse X 2 if you've worn make up.
Active serum if you fancy it (retinol etc)
Moisture.

Thank you very much for the suggestions! I'll go do some reading now!

Just to note retinols are the only thing that have an evidence base in reducing wrinkles and preventing more wrinkles. Vitamin C has an evidence base in looking glowy-er. HLA has an evidence base in looking less wrinkly but not as much in reducing them long term. BHA in reducing fine lines and pore congestion.

All decent skincare will take some time to work - talking at least 6 weeks so dont give up too soon!

Oh and SPF is a MUST - reducing future aging and helps all the other ingredients work without being attacked by the sun.

Last point - without an okay diet and good water intake, skincare is fighting a bit of a losing battle so think about this too

I will put mine below. But I think the most important thing is finding something that you can be consistent with, no good spending loads of time, effort, and money researching on something you will won't keep up with. You also need to be careful with some ingredients - retinols and acid exfoliants are great, but they do make you more sensitive to the sun so you really need to be prepared to be dedicated with SPF if you use them, otherwise you will age with the increased sun damage!! The best skincare routine is one you can keep up with.

*A.M.