My Spring Skincare Routine
I like to think that I take really good care of my skin after living my teens and early 20s not really paying much attention to it at all about it. Back then I’d just happily put on allllll the make-up and barely take it off!
Nowadays my skincare routine is my self-care thing and I actually really enjoy it, I take my time with it, it feels indulgent and I can make my skincare routine as long or as short as I want to.
Seasonal Changes to Skincare Products
My routine changes depending on what my skin needs at that particular time, so I sometimes add products in or swap products for others.
My Spring skincare routine adds in lighter products because the harsh Winter has gone and my make-up is lighter too, but that’s for another post. In Spring, I also need UV protection but more hydration because of the heat.
Skintype: My skin is probably referred to as combination as I experience the odd hormonal break out now and then but can get dry in places.
Morning Spring Skincare Routine
CLEANSE
Avene Cleanance Cleansing Gel £11.00- For gentle but effective cleaning this cleansing gel from Avene has long been in my bathroom cabinet. It helps to balance my skin brilliantly. When the weather starts getting warmer I need to really clean my face in the morning, I’ve probably had a small person stealing sharing most of my bed from the early hours of the morning, which has made me hot. Make-up looks much better when you’ve done a good skin prep and that for me starts with really clean skin. (It’s also available at Boots and is on 3 for 2 at the moment and also comes in 100ml which I take with me when I travel here) or
Elemis Gentle Cleanser £28.00 – which is a foaming cleanser which I prefer when my skin isn’t necessarily on the oily/blemish prone side this is a very gentle foaming cleanser and doesn’t leave my skin feeling stripped. This removes make-up really well.
Garnier Micellar Water £1.99- I use Garnier Micellar Water for sensitive skin water in my Spring skincare routine twice a day. I like this one one as it’s one of the first micellar waters I’d heard of. I love that I can buy it anywhere (in with the weekly shop) but annoyingly, the bottle is usually 125ml which means it can’t go in carry-on. So I use other brands when I travel. I use micellar water after I’ve used the Avene or Elemis foaming cleansers to remove any last bit of eye make-up and to remove actual cleanser residue from my jawline and hairline.
TONE
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Toner – I pat this toner on my face with my hands and this helps mattefies my skin, balances PH levels and prevents breakouts. It’s really good and isn’t drying.
Side note: If you have blemish prone skin I recommend
La Roche Posay Anti-Blemish Kit
SERUM
The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% £5.90 – My skin has a tendency to be on the dehydrated side so in my Spring skincare routine, I like to keep it hydrated by using a hyaluronic acid under my moisturiser. It helps my skin look and feel plump. The prices of these products from The Ordinary are amazing plus they’re actually really effective – this product is about £5.90 direct from ASOS (be quick, because it sells out fast on there) or otherwise you can get it from Deciem directly or Amazon for about £11.00 on Prime (I have no idea what I’d do without Prime in my life).
MOISTURISE
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Eye Rescue* £40.00 – This is one of my favourite eye creams, I like my skincare to feel like it’s actually doing something and this eye cream helps reduce puffiness, smoothes, refreshes, reduces dark circles, improves wrinkles and gives skin energy. I look forward to putting it on, I really like the consistency.
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream £70.00 – I have been using this moisturiser for at least a year and I think it’s such an effective moisturiser that really keeps my skin moisturised all day. It’s also not full of perfume which is really important to me. I love the smell of certain products but I’d much rather the smell comes from the ingredients than added perfume. This is a great all-round moisturiser regardless of your skin type it also has SPF 15 my skin looks dewy and plumped up after using this.
La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL SPF 50 £16.50 – (not pictured) This is one of my favourite SPF products, its super light and is really good if you have skin that is sensitive to the sun or products in general. You definitely need a moisturiser over the top of this as (see below). Poppy and I both suffer with eczema occasionally which we manage well and we have found that La Roche-Posay products are particularly good for us.
To Remove Make-up
Bobbi Brown Cleansing Oil – £10.00 for 100ml (not pictured) this is a great first step for melting away make-up including eye make-up. This isn’t effective to remove make-up on it’s own but it does give a good head start. This one from Bobbi Brown is nice and gentle. or I also like to use
Foreo Night Cleanser – £30.00 this is an oil-based night cleanser melts from a gel into a milk. This cleanser removes impurities, makeup and pollutants for a clean and supple skin afterwards. It removes everything but the oil means your skin isn’t stripped.
Clarisonic Cleansing Brush £130.00 or the Foreo Play Cleansing Brush £39.00 – I use either of these according to where I am. I don’t tend to travel with the Clarisonic as it’s quite bulky. My Foreo Play is much more portable (it’s about the size of a golf ball). Using a face brush is so much more effective at cleansing your face than just using your hands. I will alternate using a brush and using an exfoliating product, I never both in the same day.
Lancome Gel Eclat £23.00 – The Elemis Foaming Cleanser I’ve mentioned is really gentle. this one from Lancome is not necessarily ‘gentle’ but it is probably the best cleanser I’ve listed here. If you wear lots of make-up this will literally leave your face feeling squeaky clean.
Evening Routine
The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution – This is one of my favourite exfoliators, it’s another sell-out product that removes the top layer of the skin to give brighter appearance, decalog pores and give skin a more even appearance. What’s not to love.
— after exfoliating — The product you put on the skin after exfoliating really matters, your skin will really absorb the product, so at least once a week I use a sheet mask after exfoliating. Some of my favourites are the Charlotte Tilbury Instant Magic Facial Dry Sheet Mask £18.00 – helps my skin looks healthy, glowing and refreshed. If my skin is congested I’ll use Dr Jart Clear Skin Lover Rubber Mask – it really calms my skin down and gets rid of breakouts.
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Eye Rescue – Same as above, the Charlotte Tilbury Magic eye Rescue, I use a bit more at night so it can sink in.
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Night Rescue – I rave about this on my Instagram Stories, I love the consistency as this is actually a balm. My skin feels really hydrated and firm in the morning. Because I put The Ordinary Retinoid on over the top this prevents my skin getting dry.
The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% – (not pictured) Another great product from Deciem, adding a retinoid has duel effect for me. Retinoids are amazing for preventing ageing and they’re also great for blemishes and hormonal acne. Win:win.
Trilogy Organic Rose Hip Oil – I alternate this with the Retinoid. Rose Hip Oil is loved by celebrities, models and Royals (David Gandy and Kate Middleton are both fans of Rose Hip Oil). It hydrates, plumps and firms skin. I have just started using the light blend* of this oil which is a swap of the original blend for Spring and I this one is great. Evens skin tone and prevents ageing, and it helps that it totally organic and natural – its a great treatment oil.
Cyran
Cyran is the founder and editor-in-chief of Corporate Style Story. She loves good pyjamas, good food and good company.
