Is my skin routine OK?

[Iknowacrackingowlsanctuary]

I don't know anything about skincare because I've always been a baby wipe type of person but now I'm 37 I think I need to up my game

I've started using a vitamin c hot cloth cleanser, Garnier Vitamin C (3.5% Vitamin C, Niacinamide, Salicylic Acid) SPF and moisturiser in the morning and then rose hot cloth cleanser, retinol alternate nights, q10 serum and q10 night cream at night.

Does it sound OK or am I going to peel the skin off my face with all this different stuff??

Also eye cream, do I need this?

Depends on what kind of skin type you have and what you’re looking to get from your skincare. improvement of skin tone or anti ageing etc

As a general skin care routine, it seems good. Do you have a lot of breakouts? Because if you don’t, you don’t need need salicylic acid and niacinamade.

Other then that i would say it seems ok.

Thank you!

I think I have combination skin, shiny forehead at times but dry around my cheeks

I don't have a lot of breakouts but seem to have a lot of pinkish patches and like the leftover marks from spots. Almost like scarring but not, hard to explain!

You don't really need two different cleansers. Unless you like the choice obviously. If you wear make up and spf, then cleanse twice on a night to make sure you've got it all off. I like a toner but again that's a choice. And I have some scarring and red marks from spots and found azalaic acid amazing for lightening them!

I would definitely stop using salicylic acid then if you don’t get breakouts.

Niacinamide should help with the rest of the those issues like the dry cheeks etc. used eith vitamin c you should hopefully see an improvement in the redness and scars.

depending on your budget, i highly recommend REN glow tonic. I started using that every other morning it has done wonders for my skin. Has definitely helped fade some minor scars i’ve had. Or on a lower budget aldis glow tonic is good too

Definitely not to be used at night with retinol though.

@Covetthee

I would definitely stop using salicylic acid then if you don’t get breakouts.

Niacinamide should help with the rest of the those issues like the dry cheeks etc. used eith vitamin c you should hopefully see an improvement in the redness and scars.

depending on your budget, i highly recommend REN glow tonic. I started using that every other morning it has done wonders for my skin. Has definitely helped fade some minor scars i’ve had. Or on a lower budget aldis glow tonic is good too

Definitely not to be used at night with retinol though.

The salicylic acid in is in the garnier vitamin c serum already, do you recommend trying a different serum without that in?

I did buy a toner when I was last in Aldi, think it was healthy glow Glycolic toner? But didn't want to start using it mixed with all the other stuff

I feel like I'm 12 trying to understand all this rather than knocking 40

Retinol every other night seems a bit frequent if you've just started. Mine says to start once a week and build up, apologies if you've done this.

I would recommend a vitamin c on its own without any other active ingredients . By what you have described your skin doesn’t need the salicylic acid and might make the dryness worse.

Its all a learning curve, you just have to see what works for you. It does take a while to see a difference so I wouldn’t be out off if you dont see results straight away.

Yes the glycolic toner is good and would definitely use that a couple of times a week to help exfoliate the skin.

@GettingStuffed

Retinol every other night seems a bit frequent if you've just started. Mine says to start once a week and build up, apologies if you've done this.

No apologies needed, I am literally clueless so any advice is welcome!

Will scale the retinol back a bit and build it up, thank you

@Covetthee

I would recommend a vitamin c on its own without any other active ingredients . By what you have described your skin doesn’t need the salicylic acid and might make the dryness worse.

Its all a learning curve, you just have to see what works for you. It does take a while to see a difference so I wouldn’t be out off if you dont see results straight away.

Yes the glycolic toner is good and would definitely use that a couple of times a week to help exfoliate the skin.

Great, thanks for taking the time to help me out

The hot cloth cleansers are nice but personally, I prefer a flannel instead of a muslin cloth. It's less abrasive but still works well to exfoliate. I have acne prone skin in my 30s (😭) and the flannel still gets everything off. The main thing is not to go all in from the start. Build up gradually and introduce new products one at a time. I made the mistake of following Caroline Hirons and throwing everything she recommended at my face all at the same time. My skin ended up sore, red and irritated for a week.

It sounds good. I'm in the "eye creams are overpriced moisturisers camp" so I wouldn't bother.

An over the counter Retinol is likely to be mild so unless you have irritation I would keep doing every other day. Plus some irritation can be normal as your cells turnover at a faster rate.

The ordinary do a vit c powder and you can just add a bit to your moisturizer each day. I think it's £4.

They also do hyaluronic acid which is hydrating