Formulating A Skin Care Routine That Really Works

Often I talk about skincare and completely forget there was once a time where I felt so lost and confused when it came to the world of cleansers and moisturisers. Up until the age of 21 I didn't have a solid skincare routine in place and just used whatever happened to be laying around or was on offer. I was completely clueless with where to start when it came to building myself a routine that was going to work for my skin. So think of today's post as a complete beginners guide to creating a skincare system that will work for you.

WHAT IS YOUR SKIN TYPE?

Probably the most important thing to know when building a routine is what skin type you have. In an ideal world, we would all be able to go to a skincare consultant and speak to them but that isn't the reality of the average girl. So I've found you have two options in front of you and that is to do your own research or talk to someone at a skincare counter. Personally, I've found doing my own research has been a much more successful route and I'd highly recommend Liz Earle - Skin Secrets and Sali Hughes - Pretty Honest. Both books make understanding skincare lingo super simple so you're not left even more confused than before.

RESEARCH WITH CAUTION

I have to thank the beauty blogging world for helping me build my skincare routine and introducing me to brands and products that I might not have heard of otherwise. However, with everything in life it's important to take all reviews with a pinch of salt. Even though someone might have the same skin type as you it's never guaranteed that you will have the same results with a particular product.

START SMALL

Once you know what type of skin you have you are more likely to understand what products will work for you. Starting small is key as I've found by using 10 new products at once only results in very stressed and confused skin which often leads to breakouts. A good question to ask yourself is what do you want from your routine? If you have any problem areas what are they? and a big factor is how much can you afford to spend on your routine. Here is what I think are staples in any skin care routine alongside the extras you could add in if you wanted to.

EXTRAS

Oils.
Serums.
Masks.
Toners.
Exfoliators.

STAPLES

Makeup remover.
Cleanser.
SPF (can be included in moisturiser)
Moisturiser.
Spot treatment (if required).

BE PATIENT

Particularly when you've got problematic skin it can be difficult to wait to see results but you've got to be patient when first introducing a solid routine. It's important to pay attention to your skin and see if the products that you're using are really working for you. Which can be super disheartening when you've spent your hard-earned cash on a product only to realise it's simply not compatible with your skin. A large part of building routine is trial and error so don't give up!

Do you have any tips for building a skincare routine?

R x

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