What’s the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do at night? “Cleanse, tone and moisturise, of course,” I hear you scream! And if that wasn’t your answer, it should be.
By Reef Choudhury
Since the age of about 13 my mother taught me to practice a skincare routine religiously – after all, the first thing everyone will notice is your face. It involved cleansing, toning and moisturising, which has been ingrained into my daily routine ever since.
Many people make the assumption that a skincare routine is something to worry about when they’re ‘older’. However, when we’re contending with hard water and pollution on a daily basis, our skin needs the added help. It’s a lot easier to maintain healthy, happy skin by following a routine, than to try and fix it all at once later down the line. Skincare is all about maintenance, it is not a miracle.
So now you’re wondering with so much choice, how do you know which brand to pick? And how to do it without it costing you a fortune? My response to the last – it doesn’t have to! There are many high street skincare brands to choose from if you’re on a budget.
Here are my top picks from budget to splurge…
Budget Buy
I used to use Simple’s Kind to Skin range during my university days – I loved both the cost and the results. Simple truly believe in kindness to skin and have formulated products designed to care for even the most sensitive skin types. My routine involved a facial wash in the morning and cleansing lotion at night, followed by toner and then day cream with SPF15 and night cream. My favourite product from this range has to be the night cream. Without it being heavy on the skin, it had a thick and creamy texture which made my skin feel super nourished.
Splurge
Since using Elizabeth Arden, my skincare routine now includes a few more products; exfoliating face wash in the morning, hydrating cream cleanser at night, toner, eye cream, day cream with SPF15, night cream and serum at night. I have a couple of loves within this range, the exfoliating cleanser being one. With its gentle micro beads, I can actually feel the dirt and oil being scrubbed off my face without it actually feeling rough. My night time routine does feel like a bit of an effort – cleanse, tone, serum and moisturise. BUT it’s worth it, especially when I wake up in the morning, as my skin still feels soft and moisturised. Visible Difference didn’t have a serum when I started using the range so I use the Flawless Future, which contains mini beads that help reduce the signs of early ageing. The serum has a very light finish, creating the perfect base for the night moisturiser. Why do we need two different moisturisers for day and night? They do different things – in the day our skin needs protecting from UV whereas at night our skin needs help to do its job of healing and regenerating. Big thumbs up for the Visible Difference range – this is the most nourished my skin has ever felt.
I don’t really have any signs of early ageing yet, but as I said, skin care is all about maintenance.
Do you cleanse tone and moisturise?