‘Mummy, you have little holes on your face. Why?’ Urgh. Trust kids to really give it to you, slap you with the truth at 7.30 in the morning and pick at every little detail.
Of course that night I skipped an episode of Fringe and went straight to the mirror.
The truth is I have sensitive, acne-prone skin with tiny scars from my teenage years. I also have enlarged pores that will peek when I fall behind in my skincare routine. Lately I’ve been doing just that and to make matters worse I’m pregnant. Major skin disruption! And unfortunately I do not have that awesome pregnancy glow and dewy skin that most women are sometimes blessed with.
The next day I made my way to a beauty counter. As I was chatting to the salesperson about the various products I use, I realised something. I was applying my products wrong! I pulled out my notepad and pen (oh yes I did) and told her to give me the basics, how to use the products I own and how to benefit my skin.
When it comes to skincare you can either be the type who has a ten-minute daily routine or the type who has a half- an- hour daily routine. Let’s assume you’re all like me, the ten-minute type. This is what you should be doing every night before you go to bed in this particular order.
- Makeup remover: A super important step, one that we all should know about. But knowing sometimes isn’t enough. You also need the right product and if you know me and have been reading my blog then you know how much I love Bioderma Sensibio H20. This product has a cult following and rightly so. It is totally awesome, suitable for all skin types and effective. It will rid your skin of every and any trace of makeup and grime making it squeaky clean and ready for all the other goodies you have lined up.
- Cleanser: By using warm water and a good quality cleanser you are opening the skin pores to free them from bacteria and debris. An extra step here would be to exfoliate, which I do twice a week to remove blackheads. Oily and combination skin types will find that gel-based cleansers work better while dry skin types should probably go for milky cleansers. I recently purchased Kiehl’s Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash.
- Toner: I skipped this step for ages. Hence the holes Georgie was talking about. A toner will reduce the appearance of pores, tighten the skin and help to regulate oil production so its kind of vital for oily skins. I love REN’s Clarimatte Clarifying Toner.
- Skin correctors/ serums: This is the point where you should use any specific products you have for correcting skin problems and reducing imperfections. Whether its acne or enlarged pores or brightening or wrinkle reducing.
- Eye cream: I didn’t start using eye cream until two years ago. Dab it on lightly before the final step so as to allow it to be absorbed. I use Aesop’s Antioxidant parsley seed eye cream.
- Moisturiser: The last step involves a product we all own or at least should. Its actually non-negotiable even if you have oily skin, like me. I, by the way, use coconut oil as a moisturiser as I haven’t found a product that works on my skin better. If you have a moisturiser you’re excited about but want to try an oil too you can do that as oils can actually penetrate moisturisers.
