and protect yourself from signs of aging. The main thing to remember with your skincare is that less is more, you won’t have as many steps as everyone else and that is completely fine. You’ll want to find yourself a non-foaming cleanser (foam cleansers can dry out your skin). Then while your skin is ready to soak things up, apply a vitamin C serum that will brighten the skin and bring some life back. Follow this with a light moisturiser (with some hyaluronic acid if you want to encourage hydration). This can all be finished with SPF. All skincare should finish with sun protection – just because the sun isn’t out, doesn’t mean it isn’t doing damage. Once you’ve mastered this and you’re feeling brave, then it’s time to try out some skin resurfacing. This isn’t as scary as it sounds, as it’s simply helping your skin follow its natural process of shedding. You’ll want to look out for low percentage retinol to get started or some AHAs and BHAs. These are chemical exfoliants that help your skin resurface. DRY If you’ve got dry skin, then incorporating and protecting moisture is at the forefront of your skincare routine. You’ll want to start with a hydrating cleanser, and you’ll only want to cleanse once a day as you don’t want to strip your skin of any of its natural oils. Then you need to tone with an alcohol-free toner to close your pores after cleansing. This can be followed with a serum for your specific concern (i.e. hyaluronic acid to lock in moisture). After that you want a nourishing moisturiser to add hydration to the skin, which can all be finished with SPF. To help dry skin, don’t use any aggressive exfoliants and try to avoid caffeine as this can dry you out. OILY/COMBINATION This is the most common skin type and perhaps the hardest to maintain. Not only does it create problems with layering makeup, but it can also impact the longevity of it. However, the quicker we tackle it and understand it, the better! To combat this, you want to cleanse twice a day with a gentle cleanser. This then needs to be followed by an alcohol-free toner to close pores. Then you want to apply a serum, ideally one to hydrate and protect the dryer areas of your face. Finally, you want to finish with SPF – don’t forget this adds moisture and protection! To help maintain the skin, you’ll need to exfoliate once a week to clear dead skin cells and you’ll need learn about face masks. A common misconception is that you have to apply the same face mask to your whole face, but this isn’t the case. Mix-and-match facemasks depending on the area’s needs. For example, you could use a detoxing face mask on your T-zone (typically, the oiliest part) and then a hydrating one on the rest. SENSITIVE For our sensitive skin readers out there, I’m sure you’re no stranger to an unscented product. Skin sensitivity can be very frustrating, especially when you are trying to bring some life back to your skin. To get you started on your skincare regime, you’ll want to grab an unscented gentle cleanser. This can then be followed by a light serum with no harsh chemicals – hyaluronic is typically a safe one. After that, grab an unscented moisturiser and finally, finish with SPF! To keep sensitive skin happy, it’s a good idea to try some emollients such as shea butter and squalane – these are brilliant for holding in moisture and ceramides. BODYCARE Not only does your face need some love, but so does your body – now is the time to get every inch of you glowing. Much like our faces, our bodies have certain skincare needs/ conditions. If you’ve got dry/ eczema prone skin, then you’ll already appreciate the importance of keeping on top of your bodycare. There are lots of things you 78
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