Do we really need all the skincare products professionals claim we need?

[ChampagneWorries]

I hate my skin. I have dark circles, lines round the eyes when i smile, spot issues etc…

So i have had numerous facials by a beautician who looked at my face and told me what my skin needs.

So the conclusion is I’m to …

• Pre Cleanse
• Cleanse
• Use a daily exfoliant
• Apply anti aging eye cream
• Toner
• Serum
• Moisturiser

All of the above twice a day. These are what a Dermalogica skin trained beautician as advised. All the products above are around £60 each.

I still get spots, redness, blemishes etc.

So i decided i would try an even more premium brand La Mer…

So i bought their cleanser - too harsh
Used their lifting contour serum (it was fine but i still got spots) its also really expensive
Used their eye cream that claimed to reduce dark circles - i didn't notice a difference.
Bought the creme la mer and soft moisturising cream ( they take a while to sink in)

I still have spots, blemishes, marks on my face etc..

So now i have bought La. Prairie Skin Cavier White eye and face cream.

This claims to reduce redness, dark circles, blemishes the lot…

Now i ve been using this a week and now i have sore areas on my face and my skin feels tight. Its extremely heavily fragranced.

Im 33, yet people often think im around 37. Dark circles run in the family.

My mum is very obsessed with not looking old and is always comparing herself to people her own age who she feels look alot older than they are. This obsession with not looking your age has really rubbed off on me over the years.

So do you all use toners, serums etc every day?

Im thinking of just using a cleaner and then moisturiser and thats it, will i regret it in years to come?

Sounds like you have sensitive skin. Maybe keep it simple?

Cleanser
Acid toner
An oil/rich moisturiser

SPF

I think it really depends on your skin. I know some people who dont do anything and have great skin and people who really care for theirs and it's still not great. Luck/genetics and lifestyle must play a huge part!

For me personally I swear by the Liz Earle skincare range. It feels a little luxurious and seems to keep my skin looking it's best. They have an offer on the website at the moment for the whole range at £49 compared with £115 if you buy it all individually (I dont work for them I swear ). However I also love the Simple range as well especially the light moisturiser and that's cheap as chips!

I think finding a routine that works for you is key but it definitely doesnt need to be that expensive!!

I had terrible skin as a teenager and into my twenties.

Clinique and Clarins sold me all their stuff, made little difference

A dermatologist recommended cleansing with baby lotion and toning with witch hazel. That made a huge improvement! I’ve tried many moisturisers, but I like Nivea best!

Now I’m in my (very early) 50s, I wash my face (and everything else!) with Faith in Nature soap, and moisturise with Nivea (whichever face cream is on offer at the supermarket). I did have a soft spot for Origins before the DC were born, but can’t afford it anymore. I am frequently thought to be 10 years younger.

I am confident that not using fancy skin care has not had any detrimental effect on my skin. Quite possibly, the opposite.

I really don’t think I’d have the patience for a 7 step cleansing regime every day!

my skin has been pretty decent for the last couple of years, after being ropey for a long time. Sensitive with both spots and dry patches. Lovely.

I have become fastidious about cleansing and moisturising twice daily, and not doing anything else. I have one cleanser (light milk wash off type), a day cream with SPF, and a night cream that's a bit thicker with no SPF.

I do have a few wrinkles where you'd expect a 43yo white woman to have them, but IMO only injectables addresses that properly. every beauty b/vlogger over 40 has them, despite having free access to the finest skincare money can buy.

Main thing is spf. Nothing you can do skincare-wise about dark circles. For spots or any pigment issues, use a service like dermatica, who will diagnose and treat properly. Cleanse with whatever feels comfortable, and do it thoroughly. That's all you need. If stay away from acids and other stuff like that, personally. They cause problems.

Price =/= effectiveness, or quality. Maybe try a cheaper brand like Nivea as a PP suggested, or mid-range like Liz Earle or Glow Recipe.

Maybe watch a YouTuber like James Welsh to get an idea of what different ingredients do so your choices aren't being informed (to the same extent) by a salesperson (YouTubers will often be affiliated to brands, they declare it below the video if they've used it).

No expert but here's my opinion:

Genetics play a big part and you can't change that. What you eat and drink and smoking also play a big part and you can change that. Lots of water, plenty and varied veg, and oily fish.

In terms of skincare:
AM: Facewash, serum, moisturiser with high SPF or moisturiser and SPF.
PM: cleanse, glycolic toner (this exfoliates), serum, then moisturiser if I need/want.

Don't have to be expensive but look into the active ingredients with serums. Hyaluronic acid AM, retinol one at night, vitamin C good too.

You can pick up a used copy of Sali Hughes book "Pretty Honest" for a few quiz online might be a good starting point to help you think about what you do and don't need.

I have a cereve salicylic acid cleanser that I use alongside a very mild Beauty Bay cleanser. I use the salicylic acid slightly more than the BB one and everyday at when pms causes more pimples to flare up. At night I remove make up with the inkylist oat balm or just one of the cleaners on its own if I have no make up.
I use a liquid exfoliant a couple of times a week, everyday seems excessive.

I have a toner/serum stuff that I pat on the morning but not every day tbh. I use a cerave and elf moisturiser and at night I use a rosehip oil or a retinol moisturiser.
It seems that retinols are the key to better skin as you age. And factor 50 in the day. I've been using these routine for about a year and my skin looks better than it has for a very long time.

I've never used La Mer but it seems to be just a rich moisturiser. I discovered youtube videos for skincare in the lockdown and now buy skincare for the ingredients I want, not the brand or cost.

The main things for me are
Cleanse
Moisturiser
SPF
Retinol

Everything else is just nice - I like vitamin c in the morning and a chemical exfoliator if I'm having a night off retinol. Really depends on your skin but the basics are cleanse, moisturise twice a day and SPF in the am

Your skin sounds very sensitive and the brands you have mentioned have lots of added 'stuff' to justify their price.

I am 41 and make sure I cleanse and moisturise (plus SPF in the morning) every day and night. I usually add a serum or oil before moisturiser. My skin is very dry so I wouldn't want to recommend a product to you.

I would suggest going back to basics though - Boots and Superdrug do their own brands. Then build and try and extra product - like serum - once your skin has settled down.

As a pp mentioned James Welsh is really good

Over the years I've done loads and nothing my skin. I don't think anyone, except me when looking very hard, would notice the difference.

If anything the more I do to it the worse it gets. My breakouts are definitely better when I just wash my face and use a basic moisturising lotion.

I use hot water and a clean flannel twice a day, and Aldi day and night moisturisers with a very high SPF in the day one, they're about 6 quid each. I don't like my skin colour as I go very pink with any sun at all and I've burned in the past so it's not brilliant, but otherwise my skin is fine. I don't really wear make up as I think I would have to wear very thick foundation to cover my skin and I don't like that look. I think you're right that this is far more about your mum's low self esteem rubbing off on you than any particular need of yours.

I would say though that I did buy a Phillips Lumea for my heavy facial hair and that was over £250 which would have paid for a lot of cream. So we all have things that we pay for.

I would try going without creams and make up for a few weeks, see how it feels.

Thanks all!

I have thousands of pounds worth of products on my dressing table so im very reluctant to add any extra thats why i was wondering if its so bad to just cleanse and moisturise and forget the rest?

I would have a go at nivea though as thats really cheap compared to alot of brands and would probably be no more than £50 for the full sensitive range.

In reality I know supermarket unscented soap and water and an unscented basic moisturiser work absolutely fine, with a cheap unscented rinse-off cleanser for removing make up if I wear it. A damp flannel exfoliates well.
However I do buy more expensive stuff for the sake of it, currently Avene products because I can quite often get them on offer, three for two or whatever. But I know I could easily do without.

Yeah, there will always be a massive market around skincare as long as money can be made out of people's insecurities.

That being said, I do make some effort with my skin - there are lots of brands now making affordable stuff with proven ingredients (niacinamide, vitamin C etc) - I think the Ordinary started this, but there's also Superdrug, the Inkey List, Revolution and more. I would experiment with these kinds of brands, where you're not shelling out too much. The Ordinary do a regimen builder where you can tell them your concerns and they will make recommendations. It sounds like your skin is quite sensitive so I'd stay away from things with perfume and essential oils and do patch tests. That said, there is nothing wrong with just using a bland cleanser and basic moisturiser!

The other thing, of course, is that no amount of products is going to give you perfect skin - things like eating healthily, drinking plenty of water, getting plenty of rest and staying out of the sun or using SPF are probably more important.

I left expensive moisture, toners etc a long time ago. My mum has used soap all her life and some random cheap mositurer and her skin looks good.

I also now just use soap when I'm showering and sometime sill buy niven or I use argan oil.

My skin only looks terrible if I eat crap food and am dehydrated. Something as small as having even one can of coke two days in a row and ill notice the difference.

Different for everyone I suppose.

There was AMA from someone who worked in cosmetics I found interesting. Explained that toners are mostly water with a bit of detergent and essential oils in it...bit eye opening considering the cost of the products.

I use murad products which I like but I only do a full routine in the mornings and I just wash off any makeup with a flannel and water in the evenings and moisturise. As a pp mentioned, sali hughes is fab and she has a great column on oil cleansing in the evenings which I do occasionally. I always wear spf.

No. My skin has never been better since using CeraVe.

No I really don't believe that we do.

I have always just washed with dove soap and I use Nivea q10 day cream and a sun cream on sunny days.

My dad used to work for Proctor and Gamble in charge of their cosmetic manufacturing plants. The same production lines make both high end and low end brands, and they also make for some supermarkets/white label brands. So as others have said its all to do with the ingredients and what your skin reacts to.

I have sensitive dry skin, I'm 42 but people say I look 35-40. I use Aldi day and night creams most of the time but will treat myself at Christmas to one luxury moisturiser and i always look forward to seeing how my skin feels in January! Last year I tried Occitane, made no difference after a month. A few years back before my wedding I was given Creme de la Mer which felt really nice and was very rich so lasted me about 3 months for 1 pot. I use micellar water to remove makeup and a tissue mask every so often if my skin feels really dry. Lots of products with acid or scrub type things make my skin really raw and red so I never use them.

I use

AM wash (just soap and glory)
Vitamin c serum ( think from revolution beauty, don’t rate it much tbh spf if I remember- not good, need to work on that)

Pm wash face
Acid toner (inkey list)
Tretinoin (over the counter here, £6)
Moisturiser (la roche posay - whole family use it so not a special buy)

I tried to pare it down to stuff that has some clinical evidence behind it.

Main thing is spf.

//// This. Really, this. I'm mid flurries and spent most of my adult life a total mug buying Clarins and honestly? You really can't tell, I should have stuck to soap and water.

That's possibly a bit harsh as there are good brands out there but you really don't need to spend a fortune. The SPF thing? I think it's so important (I say this as an idiot who sun worshipped in her twenties. I'm so angry at my stupidity now ). I actually think it should be taught in school!

I recently discovered a chap called James Welsh on YouTube gosh he's a beautiful creature who had lots of sensible advice about brands.

Slap on that SPF OP! La Roche Posey do a good one (orange bottle) for daily use. Or Ambre Solaire also do a light F50 which sits beautifully under make up, about £7.

Aaaggh mid forties, that should say

Some good advice here from others OP, in terms of streamlining your routine.

I also have an aversion for paying too much for day, a cleanser, as generally it gets wiped straight off. So I'd spend a bit more on a good SPF/moisturiser/

I'd strip the routine right back tbh. Plenty of water, SPF, a daily moisturizer that won't aggravate your skin. I use La Roche Posay Hydreane - I tend towards dryness and react to some brands - but I hear the Aldi stuff is great. You don't need to buy anything expensive.

Spend a while with just that, allow your skin to settle and then if you want to add in sheet masks/ cleansers etc, slowly introduce one thing at a time.