Skin care for a 40 yo beginner, help me graduate from soap and water!

[AngelicCurls]

Rapidly approaching the big 4-0 and I’d like to up my skin care game as not happy when I look in the mirror. Really hoping I can get some no-nonsense sound advice 🙏

Currently use soap then wiped off with a warm flannel. Supermarket own brand moisturiser, says has hylauronic in and non-greasy. SPF 15 in winter and 30 in summer.

Dont really wear make up, just a bit of benetint, boots tinted moisturiser if I’m going out. Don’t like the heavy feel of foundation.

Skin is probably combination, historically oily t zone, less so as I’ve aged. Skin looks dull tho, biggish nose pores and the odd blemish intermittently

Dabbled with nip and fab glycolic pads in the past and think possibly they did something so have just bought again but wondering if it’s time to do a bit more.

Budget/mid range price bracket, can’t afford to spend a fortune. Ive looked at the ordinary but totally unsure what to buy🤦‍♀️

I did the online questionnaire for Inkey a couple of months ago and ordered their suggestions. They are really clear about the order of things which is what confused me with The Ordinary. Can definitely see the difference in my 55 year old face

I'm 38 I'm a bit of a skincare addict! I've tried most things but right now my routine is fairly simple. I use Garnier vitamin c serum in the morning and then Garnier anti dryness SPF 50 after, under make up. I use SPF 50 all year round. I use face wipes to remove eye make up as I find nothing else works. At night I use skin+me, which I have a subscription to as it contain Tretinoin ( a strong retinol) which you can only get on prescription. This helps with fine lines and wrinkles as well as hormonal blemishes I used to suffer with. If my skin is feeling dry I use Cerave moisturiser about 10 minutes after or sometimes vaseline. I don't usually use any cleansers just water and a flannel but I got a free cleanser and moisturiser with my subscription so I've been using that and it's great. My skin looks pretty amazing even if I do say so myself but that could be as I started young with the skincare and I have good genes! If you interested in trying skin+me you can get a month free just p&p £3.50 using my link/ promo code it's

www.skinandme.com/?promocode=LAURENS5YP3

Morning

• use a gentle cleanser. cerave are great.
• Paula's choice BHA
• moisturiser (with SPF)

Evening

• cleanse with gentle cleanser
• retinol serum
• night cream

And of course, drink enough water. dehydrated skin is not a good look x

I’ve just started looking after my skin a bit better recently. Caroline Hirons Skincare Freaks group on Facebook is great to get some advice and see what others recommend.

Clinique clarifying lotion is fab.

Keep it simple, routine boils down to:

Cleanse, moisturize, protect.

In the morning you don't even have to wash your face, just SPF is enough but you need actual SPF not a moisturizer or other product with SPF. The protection is not the same.

Evening: cleanse skin, moisturize.

Avoid fragrance in products, and it's good to keep it simple. CeraVe and Cetaphil are great, affordable and fragrance free brands.

Using an oil cleanser to break down SPF and dirt and following with a water based cleanser is great (double cleansing).

Highly recommend Dr. Dray on YouTube, she's a dermatologist and her advice is all centered around evidence based research.

I think soap is too much, it can strip the oils of skin...
Get sth to remove makeup (you need it for removing anything with colour in it and for sunscreen). Look at Avène, La Roche Posay or Toleriane. They're not expensive brands and they're great. Embryolisse is great too and they also have a cream that doubles as a primer. If you want to keep it simple get a cleanser one you can wash off.
First you need to figure out what type of skin you have: dry, combination, oily?
Then you need to figure what your worries are and target those: anti-ageing? Spots? Acne? Rosacea? Big pores?
Start simple, work out a very simple routine (cleanse, moisturise, SPF) and then add things (active principles).
Shiseido's a great brand too, a bit more expensive than the French ones. I mix them tbh. I have products from all of these.
You don't need every single thing other people use. I often use a moisturising spray instead of a cream.
SPF is super important, if you need one thing, it's this, wear it alone and you'll see a difference after a while. From experience make up brands aren't as good for SPF (Estee Lauder, Clinique, Clarins, the lot, avoid!). Stick to regular sunscreen and always wash it off at night to let the skin breathe.
People will likely advise retinol. I strongly suggest you research that here, there and everywhere. It's not be used lightly and some people know sh*t about it. They'll be the ones wearing it before their make up in the morning...! Get used to putting on sunscreen every morning then think about retinol. If you forget sunscreen, retinol might stain your skin!
Be careful with active principles, in how you use them and mix them. They can't all go together!
Sb mentioned Caroline Hirons. I'll absolutely second that. She's a bit of a skin guru. Have a look at her website but if you have the $$, instead of investing heavily in a bunch of random stuff, see a dermatologist first.

I'd be careful re: Caroline Hirons, she's an influencer and a sales woman, her objective is to sell people products and get affiliate sales.

She's an aesthetician, not a dermatologist, so her product and skin knowledge is not always 100% reliable, she's a skincare enthusiast and one of many YT skincare influencers but not actually a professional.

Caroline has these interesting cheat sheets. So they're good to get an idea of what should go first and what should follow. For sb getting started they're not bad imho! The OP's 40, not 20 so I assume she's a bit immune to shady advertising... As for the products she recommends, well, like most things in life take it with a pinch of salt! I've seen a bunch of dermatologists telling people to do dermaplanning (for which they sell their own product) and to buy a LED mask (which they also sell under their brand, what a coincidence) which by the way scientifically hasn't been proven to do zilch... A bit of common sense (and sunscreen) goes a long way!

I'd be wary of going on with loads of actives in one go! You'll get people recommending retinol, vit-c, glycolic, salicylic, hyaluronic... Some truly fabulous products out there but go slowly!

Start with a good cleanser (I like Superdrug B Melting balm), an exfoliant ( a glycolic toner would work or Sali Hughes new multi one), Moisturiser and sunscreen. And water. Lots of water.

See how your skin looks and feels after a month or so before you try other stuff.

If i had your skin I would do:

Morning
Cleanse with Cerave Cleanser

Vitamin C serum - to make your skin brighter. I like Medik8 one but if that's too pricey I like La Roche Posay

Spf 50 maybe supergoop or altruist fluid

Evening
Cleanse with oil or balm - Inky List Oat Milk or M&S rose one

3x per week Paula's Choice BHA
3 x per week a retinol eg Inky List one
(not on same night)

Moisturise - I like La Roche Posay but really any you like, doesn't need to be pricey

That's all I would do really should target your pores, congestion and protect for future

Op, I think what you’re doing is fine (assuming when you say “soap” you mean facial cleanser? I’d stay away from actual soap. Any cleanser that says “preserves the skin barrier” is fine. )

If you want to, add a serum after cleansing and before moisturising. The serum can be vitamin C in the morning and a retinoid in the evening. The Ordinary is a reliable, affordable brand.