Quick Beginners Tips: Basic Skincare

This is something you all know I hold closely to my heart because lets be honest I’ll have nobody else to blame if my skin is crap at 30 so why not care for it now.  So many women only take notice of their skin when they start seeing the dreaded crows feet, crease between the brows and of course the frown lines the just don’t seem to fade away as quickly as they did before.

Well I thought I’d give you a few basic skincare tips that I’ve learnt along the way and steps that I refuse to skip in my routine.  Yes, even when you’re tired or a bit drunk!

1. Remove makeup, EVERY night:  So many of my friends tell me that they just wash their face in the morning, which means that your face is clogged up with makeup the entire night. When does it breath? Remove your makeup every night with either Micellar Water (my current favourite is the Garner Oil-Infused one), cleansing balm (I like the Lulu & Marula Balancing Cleansing Balm) or regular makeup remover and cotton pad.  Note, I didn’t mention face wipes because I’ve always found that they’re super harsh on the skin.  Have  you ever noticed that your skin is all pink/red after using a remover wipe, or your eyelids are extremely sensitive – reason: the wipes!
2. Wash your damn face: Yes, it’s a pain, yes you’re tired but wouldn’t you rather skip the annoyance and sheer inconvenience of that huge pimple that will inevitably crop up the next day and stick around for the better part of two weeks.  Just save yourself the trouble and wash your face morning AND night.  And while you’re at it, I’d say stay away from using foaming cleansers, you know the ones I’m talking about, the ones you used in high school that make your skin feel like you’ve used the shrink-wrap machine from VeriMark.  I like using something like the Lulu & Marula Balancing Cleansing Balm to remove the bulk of my makeup and follow up with the Avene Milk Cleanser.  Both leave my skin feeling moisturised and happy.
3. Moisturise, yes even you oily skinned ladies:  I was guilty of skipping this step for years, because my skin felt oily I never wanted to add anything else to my face, thinking it would only add to the oiliness.  There are many different options for every skin type so you have no excuse.  I always suggest the Skin Creamery Everyday Cream because it seems to work for every skin type, is cruelty free, locally produced, has amazing ingredients and smells beautiful.  Avene also has a very nice Light Hydrating Moisturiser (ps, Clicks is currently having a 3 for 2 on Avene) which is great for Summer.  If you don’t initially find a product that you love, keep looking, it’s often trial & error with these things.
4. Treat Yoself, atleast once a week:  I’m big on my me time, weather it’s 30 minutes at the end of the day going through my skincare routine while watching a YouTube video, 45 minutes in the bath, an entire pamper evening or even just slapping on a 5 minute  mask.  I don’t feel guilty about that time or substitute it for anything else – I need it to re-energise, destress and calm myself.  This will be different for everyone depending on your lifestyle and scheduled but it does need to fit into the schedule, so it actually happens.  Pop on a 5 minute sheet mask on while you wash the dishes, scroll through your phone or paint your nails.  It can be as simple or extravagant as you want but I think you need atleast one mask per week.  Some of my favourites are The Body Shop Warming Mineral Clay Mask, Aesop Parsley Seed Mask, Skoon Ruby Marine Overnight Mask & REN Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask.

These are the beginners basics for skincare, just the tip of the iceberg.  My skincare routine incorporates quite a bit more than this, but for now, this will do, if you’re starting out.

If this has been helpful, please let me know, and also do tell me what other topics you’d like me to chat about in this ‘series’.