Anyone spare a moment to help me with skincare?

[Justhereforaibu1]

Would be much appreciated. Complete novice, early 40s. Feel like I should implement some sort of skincare routine. Doing OK so far, a few crows feet starting, one deep frown line on forehead, beyond help for that one I think! Skin is slightly combination, no spots, but prone to redness. Very dark circles under eyes, no bags. Wear spf in summer but otherwise very little. Please could someone give me some pointers for where to start, nothing too fussy as 2 young children, happy to pay up to about £40 max for a product. Nothing too scented or oily Thanks so much.

I love origins products - they have Black Friday discounts on atm and some good deals on sets. A nice cleanser is probably ideal and you can pop it in the shower to get it into your morning routine.

Otherwise retinol is amazing for skin you can really see the difference! Just have the be careful with sunlight and not overdoing so start low. The ordinary have great deals.

Thank you so much, yes I was thinking I might see something on black Friday x

After writing that I went and placed an origins order as there was such great Black Friday deals. I’ll blame you for that one 🤭

Haha sorry about that 😂
Anyone else?

Have you considered something like skin+me? You fill in a questionnaire and send some photos and they prescribe something to suit your skin. You can use it in place of (or as well as) an evening moisturiser. It’s about £25 a month, but you can change it as you go to address skin concerns. I think it’s a good starting point.

what sort of cleansers do you enjoy the most? Balm/cream/oil? I’ve got dehydrated skin which can lean a bit oily, also prone to redness and I’ve tried loads but settled on a cream cleanser. My skin loves niacinamide which you can pick up for less than a tenner ( try the ordinary / inkey list).

If you could wear a sunblock all year round a retinol at night is effective. Can’t be used without sunscreen or you’ll get pigmentation areas forming.

Yes, another vote for SPF every day. I use F50.

Hi, not heard of skin+me, I'll have a Google. Thanks for the SPF tip, I do wear it in summer but not winter, would a high factor be necessary with retinol?
I don't know which cleaners I like I guess something not too oily. I use an in shower at the minute, la Roche posay.
What does nicotinamide do?

Niacinamide sorry 😅

Cerave do a gentle cleanser. Skin and me is good. Usually has niacinimide and retinol in. Use an spf 50 all year round. A specific spf not a moisturise with spf in.
You could add a vitamin c serum in or a moisturiser with ceramides.

Cleanse, mist spray ( skin needs to be demo before serums) , serum, moisturiser, spf all year round. I would say vit c serum in the summer. Hydrating one in the winter.
spf I do 50 in the summer and 25 in the winter. But never go without if my face sees the sunlight.
I like beauty pie. You can get a whole host
of goodies on there.
Personally I would avoid retinols/ retinoids until you become meticulous with your spf habits and even then I would only ever use them in the winter.

Damp not demo!!!

It’s fine to use retinoids all year round as long as you use spf. With retinoids I built up gradually and barely had any redness/peeling - I started off with milder high street versions from Avene with retinaldehyde, graduated on to Medik8 retinol serums, then used Adapalene then finally moved on to tretinoin which is prescription only and the one proven to improve and prevent wrinkles/aging. I now use a nightly Skin+Me tretinoin/niacinamide mix. Niacinamide is great at evening out skin tone.

I use a cheap Vitamin C product from The Ordinary in the morning to brighten, before moisturiser and spf.

For moisturiser I love Dr Sam Bunting’s Flawless Moisturiser

Another vote for beauty pie - you can dip in and out of products to find what suits.

I started using Skin + me a couple of months ago and I really like it. My skin has really improved and it's a simple routine to follow. Have a look at their website - I got a special offer for my first month too, only paid a few pounds so you could try it for a month to see if you like it.

Supergoop spf 50 is fab!It's full of goodies!

To be honest you're probably best off going to a department store or a Space NK and having a look at everything. Sali Hughes or Caroline Hirons have both written good books about skincare if you're interested in learning about it.

I'm in my 40s. My own routine is:
AM - rinse off cleanser (I use Glossier milky jelly cleanser)
Serum - Drunk Elephant C-firma
Moisturiser - I like Lumene Arctic Hydra Care at this time of year

PM - balm cleanser - Farmacy Green Clean, used with a flannel
Acid toner - Pixi Glow
Serum - Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair
Moisturiser - as above

I think the specific products you use are less important than sticking to a good routine. There are some great inexpensive ranges out there eg The Inkey List.

As a rule of thumb, spend most on your serum and least on your cleanser.

Anything capable of changing skin like acids, retinols, benzol peroxide is going to require sunblock or you’ll get pigmentation patches.

Also uv is aging us everyday even in winter.

My typical routine includes
Am - cleanse, Vit c, Hydrate, moisturise and spf
Pm - double cleanse, treatment and moisturise.
Should note I'm 36, skin can be on the dehydrated side with the occasionally hormonally acne.
Ideally you would spend more on the middle products and less on cleansers.
Caroline Hirons has a blog, worth a read. Also try downloading the Skin Rocks app, you fill in the quiz - skin type, concerns etc and it will populate products of varying prices that would match your needs.
Remember you don't need to spend expensive to build a routine, don't need to buy products from one brand either. Also don't go straight into the deep end, slowly add products one at a time to ensure your skin is fine with it.
Skin & Me/Dermatica are also worth a shout as your treatment stage in the evening, both prescription type services that can prescribe retinols and other actives. Start slowly with these - every 3rd day etc but always wear an spf.
Lots of deals to be had at the minute - Cult Beauty is my usual go to as it stocks most products I use.

I try to strike a balance between making sure I use skincare every day but not having too complicated a routine (as otherwise I don't do it and my skin also starts to complain.)

I'm late 30s and my routine is:

Morning: Wash face with Aldi hot cloth cleanser (I love this as you just put it on dry skin and wipe off with a warm flannel. It's also cheap and lasts for ages.) Then serum.

Evening: Cleanse like in the morning. Glycolic acid toner. Then night cream.

I keep my home routine really simple but every six weeks I also get a 60 minute facial. It's lovely relaxation time for me but my skin appreciates it.

Update for anyone who's interested! Thank so much everyone for your advice. I've decided to go for at the moment :

Aldi hot cloth cleanser morning and evening
Inkey list hyaluronic (sp?) acid
Inkey list niacinamide
Lancome multi lift (I think, got it as a free gift) moisuriser day and night versions.
LRP facial suncream , being honest I've not really incorporated this yet as I work in a cave.

I had horrific pilling with the hy acid, nia and night cream combo so I need to see which one caused it, or maybe I used to much.

Definitely listening to a poster who said get a routine in place then look into retinols etc. I've looked at skin and me.