Skin care routine help

[GFB]

Hello S&B

I need some help with my skincare routine please. I have oily skin with bkackheads and I'm starting to notice that my skin is starting to show signs of aging with some fine lines and my eyelids are looking heavy. I also have some mild acne scaring mostly red patches between my eyebrows and around my nostrils.

At the moment I use, Garnier micellar water or Garnier pure active for cleansing and in the morning I use Vichy capital soleil as a moisturiser and a l'occutaine immorrtelle creme in the evening.

Any recommendations for alternatives for the above or products I should be adding to my routine to help improve my skin are welcome. Thank you!

Ive learned a lot from here

https://www.paulaschoice.co.uk/

Look in the beautypedia section

I haven't bought from there, but I read up on whats best to use and how to use then go track down what's recommended - usually buy from The Ordinary

You don’t give your age but here is what I think.

morning: wash your in the shower with origins checks and balances. When you get out, apply a hyaloronic acid - boots and simple do affordable ones. Then follow with a moisturiser rather than the current sun lotion. As you have redness use one of the green lotions like rosalique which also has spf. This is your base if you apply make up so don’t use liquid foundation, use bare minerals or sinker powder based.

for your evening cleanse, micellar water to remove makeup, then double cleanse with a soothing product, I like the body shop chamomile. If you are not allergic, use retinal/aha/niacinamide etc serums follow with your inmortelle which is the nuts and absolutely love it. I’m skint at the moment so can’t afford that and finish with a rose oil and a fine layer of sudocream which helps my redness (TikTok made me do it!).

for your ageing, learn how to gua aha with your hands to drain lymphatic system.

Sorry about the spelling and random words my phone is an idiot, I’m not 😂

If you're adding new products to your routine, do it in stages so if you break out/have a reaction you know what's causing it. I'd suggest:

AM: wash off cleanser for oily skin, e.g. CeraVe or La Roche Posay effaclar
Vitamin C serum particularly on any acne scars e.g Geek & Gorgeous or Medik8
Sunscreen (if you're happy with your current spf, stick with it)

PM: double cleanse with miscellar water followed by wash off cleanser
Toner e.g. Sali Hughes placid or Geek & Gorgeous AHA/BHA
Moisturiser e.g your current PM moisturiser or effaclar

An AHA/BHA toner will help exfoliate, unclog pores and clear up blackheads. Vitamin C will help fade acne scars, and over time I'd consider introducing tretinoin as it's got good evidence for acne and ageing, but I'd start simple with three steps in the morning (cleanse, treat, protect) and three in the evening (cleanse, treat, moisturise).

The best thing that you can get is:
https://www.paulaschoice.co.uk/skin-perfecting-bha-liquid-exfoliant/m2010.html

Also Vichy face gel (green one not transparent) is great

I'm not goign to make recommendations on specific products as the variety is huge. But your overall routine needs an overhaul. A miccelar water is not a sufficient cleanser. So that's your first key change. With slightly oily skin with blackheads, you probably need a cleanser with soem kind of acid - salicyclic or glucolic acid. I'd recommend having a look around for what works for you. You could try a squalane cleanser too.

I'd also consider an exfoliator 1-2 x per week. You could use a traditional one in the shower in the morning or look at something like a BHA chemical one.

Once you've nailed those, then you can consider if you want to toss a serum in there or change your moisteriser.

Thanks so much everyone for all your thoughts and suggestions. I agree an overhaul is definitely needed! I will have a proper read through and do some research.

Micellar water is actually a gem, I started using it last year and it is awesome. So here is my routine that I follow:
Morning:
Using micellar water to clean my face,
Sebamed clear face gel,
Amber Solaire Uktra spf
Evening:
Vanicream moisturizer with ceramides,
Tretinoin (0.1) from skinorac
Sebamed clear facial gel

@UmberMoose do you not clean your face at night? That's really bad - i you're only going to clean once a day (very common - I don't bother most mornings), night is better to remove make up, spf etc.

And micellar water is great, but most dermatologists agree it's not ideal for every day and the heavy cleaning you need after make up/spf etc.

Im so glad Im not the only person recommending Paula's Choice. Her advice is sound on what works without promoting brands. I like to read up and then find the brand that suits my wallet and believe it or not Im getting good results with budget/ supermarket brands

Its all a mine field starting out. I only started last year aged 58 and Ive gone from a very reactive skin what was flaky and sore, red and just bloody awful, to a near normal - still working on T zone - without going high end

Just reading up on which ingredient is going to give best result, then googling what the best in that catergory was, and then saying this is my budget , does that get good reviews? and going for it

When you are first starting out and trying new regimes, don't be spending money thats going down the plug. If Retinol 2% is what's recommended then buy the budget ( not every one can get along with ret ) and if you find it suits, move up a brand with the nice scent etc

As a PP, just make one change at a time, try a week, if all is ok, add a new regime. I now know I cant use a certain serum on my chin, fine and working everywhere else, but it dries my chin

Rather like cooking, we are all using the same ingredients, some just cook better then others xx

This is a good regime. Though for oilier skin I'd use a BHA toner (Paula's Choice is good, but there are identical toners on the high street that are much cheaper and have the same % of acids- Nip and Fab do one, most ranges do tbh)

I'd also ditch micellar altogether as it needs a second cleanse to remove the residue left behind and I can't always be bothered with double cleansing.

Wrt Paula's Choice not promoting other brands - in fairness she's hardly likely to, is she? She promotes Paula's Choice products. 😂

Her stuff is good, excellent in fact, but these days the same ingredients can be found much cheaper and in Superdrug.

Watch some Nadine Baggott videos (she also likes PC but always offers products at all price points) The 5 ingredients video is excellent.

I recently got a second hand copy of Caroline Hirons book for about £3. I'm not a fan of hers but she does explain skin care routines/needs really well in the book. It's also helped me understand tret how to use and what with. Worth a read I'd say. I've attached a page FYI re misceller water.

@ASighMadeOfStone what I mean is she explains the science behind the active ingredient, explains how ingredients work , not telling you to buy hers or anyone else product. Her advice is sound , just go and find the ingredient in a product that is purse friendly , I have

Thanks for sharing

I get how overwhelming a skincare routine can feel. There are a million products out there, and choosing the right ones can be tricky. I think it’s best to keep things simple, especially if you're starting. I’d recommend focusing on the basics: a good cleanser, a moisturizer, and sunscreen for the daytime. These three are essential for healthy skin.
To level up your routine, look into serums for concerns like dryness or uneven tone. I’ve heard great things about prothilo birmingham for some targeted help with skin issues. Everyone's skin is different, so it might take a little trial and error to find what works best for you.

Along with a gentle cleanser and non-comedogenic products, treatments that focus on skin regeneration can really help with fine lines and redness. I’ve seen good feedback about botanic exo, and when people explore options like https://tothebeauty.com/shop/skin-booster/botanicexo/ as part of a professional approach, they often mention improvements in texture and overall skin tone. These types of skin boosters are usually aimed at calming redness and supporting long-term skin quality rather than just masking acne. For blackheads and oil control, consistency with mild exfoliation is key, but it’s important not to overdo it.