How to plan a new skin care regime?

[Weareoutofwine]

I had a rather unflattering selfie taken with a friend over Christmas and I realise I need to overhaul my skin care, but I don't really know where to start and really need your collective expertise! I've read a few blogs but find it all so confusing - so I'm hoping to use some mumsnet tips and experience to help me see the wood for the trees and set up a better skin care regime please which is relatively simple to follow 🙏

I'm 44, have combination skin, medium sized pores which can sometimes look blocked - I need to tackle this. A bit of sun damage from too much time worshipping the sun in my 20s. I have fine lines emerging around the eyes and on my forehead. I don't tend to suffer from spots. I'd like to tackle the pores, set up a good anti ageing regime and get back my once dewy complexion.

Things I already do that I will stick at and seem to work - a good daily spf (30) and a caffeine type glow cream under my eyes to help with puffiness from lack of sleep. These seem to work well.

Things I have instigated this week to tackle the problems from the inside out include:

• drinking more water to hydrate my skin

• reducing sugar intake
• daily multi vitamin (rather than forgetting 5 days out of 7!)

-trying to stick to an exercise routine twice a week which is swimming and yoga (no real time for anything extra)
-I need more sleep, but work and children prevent this.

But what magic wonder lotions and cleansers can I use?! Which serums, retinol and creams should I use to tackle the fine lines, pores and create a lovely dewy complexion. And in what order please!? My budget isn't huge I gusee I have around £50 to play with this month.

Thank you, a ever hopeful and grateful fed up women who wants her mojo back...

Oh should add and then prob same amount ££ next month and month after to top products up and build up whats needed over time.

In your shoes If start with finding a good cleanser that works for me. If you're wearing makeup as well as SPF I'd look at double cleansing with a balm first and then cream/gel/whatever formula you prefer afterwards.
Lots of budget cleansers to try (it's mainly being washed down the sink so not essential to put money into this step as long as you are using it regularly).
Inkey list oat balm, body shop camomile balm might be nice to try. For second cleanse I toggle between Clarins milky cleanser because I like it, beauty pie Jeju cleanser and random wash off cleansers that appear as GWP or in beauty boxes.

I'd think about adding in a serum after a week or so, once you know the cleanser isn't irritating you.
Again, there are so many to choose from.
Sali Hughes did a Guardian article recently in budget serums, well worth a look, and is not behind a paywall.

On SPF I'd upgrade to SPF50, it's likely to be much more cosmetically elegant which means you'll apply and re-apply it properly.

The usual suspects will be along in a minute to tell you not to be conned into buying things you don't need because men wash their faces with soap and everyone knows blue pot Nivea is the same as La Mer (spoiler alert: it's not). Ignore them.

You don’t need to spend a fortune. There are some really good lower cost ranges available. The key is consistency.

For glow a Vitamin C would be a good idea. Also exfoliate regularly. But not with a harsh facial scrub. Start with something gentle. Paula’s Choice do a few options and they do most of them in travel sizes so you can try one out to see if it suits your skin. And only use twice a week initially.

Don’t introduce too much at once. You won’t know what if anything you might react to.

Double cleanse. First cleanse is to remove makeup and SPF. Second cleanse is to cleanse your skin. You can use two cleansers or use one for both.

Byoma is a nice gentle range available in Boots. Superdrug is also good.

AM I would -

cleanse
toner - either a hydrating essence or spray or your exfoliant
eye cream
vitamin C
moisturiser
SPF

PM -

double cleanse
hydration toner
eye cream
moisturiser

I would start with that introducing new products gradually and then in a few weeks start to look at a retinol.

Not sure what you read but while I wouldn't dissuade anyone from drinking plenty of water and reducing sugar the effect on skin is really overstated by many. Same goes for multivitamins, unless your deficient they're a waste of money. Omega 3 supplements have some aesthetic effect to skin but it's better to get it from fatty fish and overall it's better to focus on a well rounded diet than these stop gap solutions.

If you want to see results from skincare quickly then start with a chemical exfoliant. BHA is great for blocked pores and refining skin tone. Paula's Choice 2% bha perfecting liquid is a really good one but cheaper options are available. As you have to slowly build up use (start 1-2x a week and then up to every (other) day) that'll keep you occupied for a few weeks. Then you can think about incorporating vitamin c and eventually a retinol.

If you're using a retinol or tretinoin you'll need factor 50 SPF, which might end up being the most expensive item due to the amount required to sufficiently protect your skin. I use Avene but La Roche Posay do a few different ones. It's a question of finding one you're comfortable to wear daily and is affordable. SPF in moisturiser and make up won't be enough.

I think a prescription tretinoin subscription works out quite well economically, people here use skin+me or dermatica.

I use medik8 crystal retinal. Not cheap but lasts a couple of months.

Also, don't pay full price for any skin care, there are always deals on somewhere or discount codes for first orders or downloading an app or something.

Cerave is good for basic cleansers and moisturisers.

All the effective anti aging stuff can make your skin more sensitive so gentle cleansers and non scented basic moisturiser is best. No scrubs and I stay away from anything foaming but I do rinse off my cleanser.

I don't prefer expensive things, my skincare requires minimum spends.
So my routine:
Morning:
Using water to wash your face,
Sebamed clear face gel,
Garnier spf
Evening:
Cerave moisturizer,
Tretinoin (0.1) from skinorac
Sebamed clear facial gel

Keep it simple and buy 3 or 4 high quality products rather than more. People often recommend up to a dozen between the morning and evening. Layering and waiting is inconvenient and it can overwhelm your pores and skin barrier over time.

Firstly a good cleanser for the morning and evening. Choose one with exfoliants and glycerin to effectively clean and rejuvenate your skin. Medik8 surface radiance is fantastic and on special for £18. I ordered yesterday. You can replace this with a toner if you prefer.

Secondly a moisturiser with hyaluronic acid to plump and hydrate your skin. This will restore your glow. Try BeautyPie triple hyaluronic acid. It is stacked with it. £22.

Thirdly a retinol or retinoid as a night cream. Retinol has lower strength than retinoid which are usually available by consultation. Either are a must. Monderma and Skin+me sell tretinoin which is a retinoid. This is the most important step in any routine as it reduces fine lines and age spots. Both on special for £5, down from about £25.

Finally a sunscreen. Try to apply it daily or at least throughout the summer. Prioritise one that's lightweight and oil-free otherwise it'll interfere with your foundation or any makeup you apply. Particularly when it's hot. Heliocare ticks all the boxes for £15.

4 products: cleanse and moisturise twice a day, sunscreen in the morning and your night cream in the evening. £60 all inc so a tad over your budget but this gives you a premium skincare routine. 90% as good as with La Mer and co.

Thank you for all the advice so far. Slowly working on a list... when I say slow I've decided on three products so far 🤣 and wondered if they sound sensible working together? (Not yet purchased!)

A serum - Olay's super serum with vit c. For AM does this go on after cleansing, before moisturiser or in place of moisturiser? And then SPF.

PM - an Ordinary retinol. I'm not sure which one though - so any advice for a first time retinol user is welcome 🙏

I'd like to eventually move to NATURIUM
Retinaldehyde Cream but want to see how my skin reacts first so thought the Ordinary is a good price point to start at.

So now I need to find a good gentle cleanser, exfoliate and super hydrating nightcream? Does this all sound like a sensible good start?

Thanks again!

High street type brands that add Vitamin C to products like Olay usually don't really deliver on the potential of those ingredients. I'd steer clear of the Ordinary retinols, they're not great.

I'd suggest looking at Geek and Gorgeous, you could pretty much buy everything there including a retinaldehyde and a really good vitamin c serum and it's all fairly affordable. Their jelly cleanser is probably on the expensive side if you compare it per milliliter to something like cerave but I use their cleansing balm which is great and a little goes a long way. The only thing they don't sell is SPF.

I've just started a new regime, same age as you.
I got 2 different starter sets from superdrug me+ range so I could try some things without the outlay.
I've also got a factor 30 moisturiser.
The me + range gets good reviews and is fragrance free which I find helpful

Drink lots of water in addition to retinol, caffeine eye serum etc

Firstly drop the multi vitamin if you have a healthy diet you don't need them, if you don't have a healthy diet it will show in your skin.

Don't dive in with too many products all you need is a basic cleanser, toner/essence/serum and moisturiser /sunscreen. On a sunny day you need a sunscreen of at least 30 factor. On a dull day in winter in the UK you don't need a sunscreen - the other day we had a UV index of 0.

Oh yeah if you're intending to get pregnant stay away from retinol as they're a vitamin A derivative.

I’ve been slowly figuring it out too. What helped me loads was keeping it really simple: gentle gel cleanser, hyaluronic acid serum on damp skin, then a basic moisturizer and SPF.

At night, I started using a light retinol (twice a week at first). I got a nice toner and serum combo from milycr.com – proper Korean stuff, and it gave my skin such a nice glow without wrecking my budget!

This is a must by the way