5 TIPS TO STREAMLINE YOUR SKINCARE ROUTINE

 

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Today I have a really simple post for you on how to get the most out of your skincare routine in fewer steps. Sometimes things can get complicated and you feel like you need to run out and buy every new product or ingredient to the market, then you end up with a ridiculous number of products to try and work into your routine and it's all a bit much! Today we're taking a step back and figuring out how to have a quicker, simpler routine without sacrificing on its effectiveness...

The first tip I have is that moisturisers can often contain active ingredients you want in your routine, so by choosing products that give a bit more than hydration and soft skin, you're getting that bit more bang for your buck. During the summer, I often want a simpler routine, and products like this are great if you're just a busy person with limited time to yourself in the morning. Night creams with retinoids can be just as effective as using a standalone product followed by a moisturiser and take some of the guesswork out of which products pair together (just look for airtight, opaque packaging rather than products in jars for maximum stability).

In a similar vein: do you really need to use a hydrating toner, a hyaluronic acid serum and a moisturiser with more hyaluronic acid and glycerin in it? If you like to and you have the time and money for that, then go for it (I definitely enjoy a hydrating toner), but if not: take a look at the ingredients in your moisturiser. I can guarantee that 90% of you will be getting humectants like hyaluronic acid in there already, and you really don't need to be loading this ingredient into every single step of your routine (some people actually find that can irritate their skin in large quantities, in fact).

I often talk about not getting 'distracted' by whatever buzzy product or ingredient comes to market, simply because they don't have years of research to back up big claims they might be making. As a creator, I do try 'new innovations' to share my anecdotal experience of them, but if you don't have a lot of time or money or you just find yourself overwhelmed by the world of skincare: you can't go far wrong by sticking with the 'tried and true' ingredients like Vitamin C (particularly ascorbic acid) and retinoids plus of course sunscreen. I chatted a little more in depth about these tiers of what's proven and what's not in my well-ageing post if you'd like to learn more about investing wisely in your routine (the only ingredients I'd add to that 'tried and true' list are acne-related: salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide). 

Single-ingredient active skincare definitely got us engaged in looking at what's actually in our products, but I personally think we've reached a place where it's confusing people more than anything else! It may cost a little more to invest in a product that combines different actives, but it might not be as much more as you think; you're no longer buying 4 separate serums and you no longer need to try to work out how to use them all in conjunction with each other. It takes the guesswork out because you know a cosmetic formulator has figured out how to make the ingredients work alongside each other and put them into a texture that's quick and easy to apply to the skin. 

There's a bit of a misconception that sunscreen-moisturisers are inherently inferior, but I actually think this is a very easy win if you follow a few rules of thumb: go for a minimum SPF of 30, choose something in opaque tube or pump packaging as opposed to a jar and ensure you apply as much as you would with a dedicated sunscreen (rather than a moisturiser amount). On busy mornings, you can honestly just slap on a product like this and go!

How do you simplify your skincare routine?

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