New to skin care - help with basic routine please

[GlitteryFluff]

I’m 36, I don’t do anything skin care wise. I take my make up off with face wipes and I don’t wear spf every day either. I know both of those things are terrible.

I want to start looking after my skin. Main issue seems to be bumpy forehead, lots of tiny little bumps. I wouldn’t say I have dry skin or oily skin, maybe slightly sensitive. Wrinkles are starting to appear and my neck is getting crepey. I’ve lost 3.5stone since November so I think that’s making me look older/wrinkles becoming more obvious.

Boots website tells me I need a cleanser, serum, moisturiser and sunscreen in the mornings, and in the evenings I need cleanser, serum and moisturiser. Is this a good starting point?

Can someone link/recommend exact products to start off a routine for me? Should they all be the same brand/range?
When I turned 30 I bought all the ‘Simple’ stuff but didn’t maintain doing it and it all expired. My budget is tiny.

Any help would be super appreciated. I tried looking at the threads on here but they all seem so advanced and complicated. I would like to start a simple routine that I actually get into the habit of doing and then I can always add more at a later date?

Thanks so much

https://www.baseskncare.co.uk/?srsltid=AfmBOopZnBxt4Cl3cGhTHMo_IkSJ_ihazRp3xU10qnpc4eSALbX8kcNj

I use the 5 minute kit from Base Skincare. I'm 40. I started last year just using the eye serum and SPF to check it was ok with my sensitive skin and now use the full range.

I'm sorry just realised you said your budget is tight. I'll leave the suggestion here though as it's something to consider .

Try Inkey https://uk.theinkeylist.com/pages/bundle-builder affordable and good. You can build your routine depending on your skin, all products are being sold in boots as well. Get yourself some good facemasks like biodance

If you want something effective and not too expensive for those products I would recommend either Byoma, or the Habi range from boots which has those products with quite good ingredients.

I like Upcircle, but I mainly use the dupe of Liz Earle from Superdrug. And good old Nivea or Astral cream. I also use Astral cream to take my makeup off. Cheap too!

I second the Inkey List, I also find products from The Ordinary are really good. You could build a simple routine from one of those brands pretty cheaply.

If you're not too dry skinned you may find you can skip the moisturiser in the morning and just apply your SPF after your serum.... I'm 38 and more oily than dry so that's what I do.

To improve skin texture you might want to look at an acid product. You would do that in the evening and you then definitely need SPF in the mornings, but that's something everyone should be doing anyway.

If your budget is really tight then Simple's range is cost effective and would get you in the habit of looking after your skin without spending a lot of money. I found once I was in a regular routine with my skincare I was happier to branch out and try new products.

Out of interest I just went on the Boots app and built a starter bundle of six products which came to a total of £33

AM

Wash face with water
Simple Glow Vitamin C serum
Simple Invisible UV SPF 50 fluid

PM

Simple moisturising facial wash
Boots AHA/BHA pore pads (every other night rather than every night)
Simple niacinamide serum
Simple soothing water face cream

I literally just use a Day Cream in the morning and Night cream in the night.

Sometimes when I could be bothered I'll put a bit of face oil before applying the cream and sometimes I'll use a bit of eye cream (which honestly dont think makes a bean of difference 😄). That's it. I dont do cleansers, toners and the like - dont see the point. If I need to clean my face, water and a bit of soap/beauty bar is plenty good.
If you start shopping for "special products" and all the "Anti-" stuff you'll go down a rabbit hole. We cant buy youth or beauty, no matter how much we are pushed to believe the opposite.

That’s good. I also like the ordinary!
i’d rather skip serum than moisturiser and always always spf…£15 and last ages https://uk.theinkeylist.com/products/dewy-sunscreen-spf-30

It does help! No need to have 10 steps routines though, few products can help.

1. Don't eat crap 2) Sleep 3) Sunscreen 4) Drink water 5) Wash your makeup off at the end of the day 6) Moisturise. That's basically it. Anything else is expensive for little gain.

OP it can be a bit of a minefield, so I would say start slowly and just see how you get on. There’s no point in buying a load of stuff right away, it’ll be overwhelming.

Also, it really depends on your skin type and what works for you. Boots will tell you that you need 20 products because they want to sell you stuff.

I couldn’t wear a serum, moisturiser and sunscreen all together in the morning - my face would be so greasy. See what works for you, but prioritise a high level sunscreen (spf30+) and try to be consistent with it.

You say you have sensitive skin, so try new things slowly to see how you skin reacts.

There are some decent brands like The Ordinary and Inkey List, Geek and Gorgeous that are good value, but they also have a huge range of products, most of which you don’t need.

Start morning with a gentle cleanser (although I sometimes just wash my face with warm water in the mornings and it’s fine), a light moisturiser and an spf - forget the serum.

Then in the evening, cleanse and moisturise. You could add in a gentle retinol product in the evenings, maybe once a week to start, but you have to be consustent with sunscreen during the day.

Do that for a few weeks and then you could maybe add in something like a glycolic acid in the evening once a week to exfoliate your skin.

There are loads of other things that are ‘nice to have’ but the main things would be sunscreen during the day, and then a retinol product at night.

Head off to Boots as they have a 10% off Korean skincare now.

AM:
Cleanse
Wash
Tone -
Serum
Moisturise Beauty of Joseon
Sun block Beauty of Joseon spf 50+ (non greasy, no pilling and sits well under make up)

PM
Cleanse
Wash
Tone
Serum
Moisturise

I have no wrinkles and put it down to moisturing daily, exfoliating weekly and using daily sun screen even in winter.

Byoma products are very good. Simple but effective products. With the right products you can easily wear serum, moisturiser and spf and it won’t make you greasy/dry. The key is to see what issues you want to address and take it from there.

I am also 36 and over the last few years have really focused on skincare after developing eczema and sensitive skin when I had my second baby. I had to change everything but now I get compliments on my skin! I always recommend Nip + Fab, in particular the ceramide moisturiser and the peptide oil. However everyone’s skin is different and they have a little quiz to help you find the products that would suit you best. I would recommend starting with a cleanser, moisturiser and spf. You can then build from there as you try new things or identify what you feel your skin needs. I can get a code for Nip+Fab if you think you would like it.

I am in my 50s with good skin. I have never used anything expensive or complicated. I cleanse in the evenings with Cerave and moisturise with Nivea. I used sun cream in the summer months only. I also has Botox but started when I was 50 only.
Good skin is healthy lifestyle and good genes.

Just saw you asked for links. I use all of these plus the peptide cleanser. You can buy them separately and the moisture milk is nice but didn’t make so much of a difference as the other products. You could also buy a lighter moisturiser you wanted one to use day and night. My skin became so sensitive that this heavier night cream really helps calm it but you might prefer a different one.

I absolutely love skincare and thoroughly enjoy it. I won’t tell you my regime as it might be more than you’d want to do.

The most important thing you can do is bin those nasty wipes. Double cleanse with an oily or balm cleanser. You can use a face cloth and bung it in the wash daily, or I use disposable face cloths. A vitamin C serum before moisturiser. I use a moisturiser with SPF50 in it, rather than 2 separate products. Use SPF every day of the year.

My night time regime is similar, but I also use tretinoin.

The rule of thumb is spend more money on things that sit on your face rather than going down the drain. So a cheap hot cloth cleanser from Superdrug is all you need - the muslin is the key bit really.

Then I use the Ordinary 10% Argireline on my fine lines - it’s known as Botox in a bottle and I have definitely noticed a difference when using it consistently. https://amzn.eu/d/0ck0t2FH

I use the Iliyoon ceramide moisturiser and it’s my favourite, it lasts for ages too https://amzn.eu/d/00pKYbva

I’ll use whatever spf I have - in the summer if I’m not deathly white, I will use a tinted moisturiser with spf (the Garnier one is decent https://amzn.eu/d/04V6rwGe ) or whatever spf I’ve bought.

I do use some expensive stuff like the Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta peel pads but I’ve specifically linked the cheaper parts of my routine!

It’s quite simple to get a decent routine in place and it’s a nice bit of self care.
Factor 50 spf every day is a must!
Mine is AM wash face with lukewarm water, vitamin C serum, day cream, SPF.
PM wash off make up/spf with Byoma oil to milk cleanser then a rich night cream I’m using eucerin hyaluron filler night cream at the moment which I really like and it’s not expensive.

Wow, thanks so much everyone. I’ve had a quick read through, but need to find some time to look at links properly and order things. I really appreciate everyone’s advice and time. I may be back before I purchase to check you all agree. I am a fully grown adult who can usually make decisions on her own, promise! 🤣

I have a simple routine but I often shock horror don’t even use moisturiser at night. I don’t seem to need it that often and my skin doesn’t have any wrinkles (or few). My serums I do sometimes use but even then I don’t find them essential. Cleansing my face of makeup at night and using a spf during the day is what’s helped most for me.

Do you want everything from one range so they work in synergy , or do you want to choose from different ones
If you have sensitive skin then introduce things slowly so if you have a reaction it is easier to pinpoint .

What will you use to remove products ?
Washable cloths like muslin are more sustainable . I use Waschies which I really like .

What's your budget?
Do you want to buy online or instore ?
Cruelty Free/ Vegan?

Sunscreen
Exfolient
Serum
Eye gel
Neck& Decolletage

Drink loads of water , hydrate from the inside

Adding to this, if you don’t want to wash off makeup at night you can use reusable washable makeup pads with lotion. I use these. Some are softer than others.