My Night Time Skin Care Routine

I have to be honest, skin care in one of my favourite subjects and evening skin care is the most exciting element of my routine.

 

Every single Christmas or birthday for the past five years or so, when friends or family have asked me what I’d like, my answer is always the same! Skin care! I can’t get enough. There’s always a product I have my eye on, a new formula that’s being created or a new ingredient that beauty gurus are telling us is essential to keep our skin in check.

 
It’s easy to be caught up in the hype of the latest product, but it’s so important to research before you buy. Are you buying for a designer name and fancy packaging? Or are you investing your money in clinically proven, quality ingredients?

 
As I said in my morning skin care routine, which can be found HERE, I am not a skin care expert. For that, look no further than Caroline Hirons. I know I’ve mentioned her several times but she really is a genius and will educate you on exactly what’s what. For instance, she highlighted to the world the importance of NOT buying products containing mineral oil. Mineral oil is a mega cheap ingredient that has literally no benefit to your skin whatsoever. But brands often pack their products full of the stuff and whack a hefty price tag on their jars. She taught us that plant-based oils are where it’s at. No argument. Always be in the habit of checking the ingredients before you buy. I do this anyway because I’m allergic to nuts and unfortunately a lot of creams and oils contain sweet almond oil, which is gorgeous by the way, but makes my skin break out in tiny red bumps that hang around for months unless treated with prescription. Ugh. But back to my point, know your ingredients. Now I know that many of these can be confusing and overwhelming but a quick google can tell you the good, the bad and the downright ugly and mineral oil comes under the latter.

 
Here is a very brief low down of the ingredients you should be looking for in your skincare wardrobe:

 
Hyaluronic Acid – The importance of this was mentioned in depth in my morning skin care post but it basically keeps your skin moisturised and plump by keeping water in your skin.

 
Alpha Hydroxy Acid – Resurfacing acid which helps the skin keep radiant and may help with fine lines, hyper pigmentation and age spots. Glycolic is a well-known one!

 
Salicylic Acid – Removes dead skin cells and is wonderful for acne or spots

 
Vitamin C – Comes in many forms and is known to keep skin younger looking and brighter

 
Retinol – Derived from Vitamin A and is the key ‘anti-aging’ ingredient. The molecule is tiny enough to get deep into the lower layers of the skin finding the collagen and elastin. Helps with skin texture and targets fine lines and hydration levels.

 
I must stress that this just a mini round up of the ingredients I look for, but there are multitude of others if you’re interested, research further.

 
Now, onto the best part. My evening routine.

 
Cleanse
My evening cleansing is exactly the same as my morning cleansing. I remove my make up with the Garnier micellar water (LINK). I pop some on a cotton pad and wipe all over. I especially love this on my eyes as it’s very gentle and has no fragrance. It just feels like water but is very effective at combatting those panda eyes! I then massage a heavenly dollop of my Clinique take the day off balm (LINK) into my skin which feels wonderful on my dry skin at the end of a busy day. Next I take a fluffy face flannel, soak it in warm water and squeeze out the excess water. I then use the flannel to gentle buff my skin, removing every last scrap of make-up, dirt and oil. The flannel provides a gentle daily exfoliation, leaving the skin clean and ready to absorb your products. If your skin isn’t clean, your serums, creams and oil not be as effective (as they can’t penetrate the skin) It will also stop product build up from clogging your pores and causing spots and blemishes. Use a fresh flannel every day. It’s a lovely treat! As L’oreal would say, You’re worth it.

 

 
Toner
Toner used to be quite an old-fashioned step. People often thought that this step was to remove any last scraps of make-up. But we’ve come far in the development of products in the toning department. I religiously use Pixi Glow Tonic. I raved about this in my Glowy Skin Care blog post. It’s a cult product known as the ‘glow giver’. It brightens, tones and conditions your skin after cleansing. It’s enriched with glycolic acid. However, if you have sensitive skin and aren’t used to using AHA Acids, then start off slowly. I would recommend with starting off using this twice a week. You can use it every night (I do) however build up to this gradually. It’s IMPERATIVE that you use SPF daily when using this as it will make your skin sun sensitive. This is the case for all chemical exfoliants. I recommended my favourite SPF in my Morning Routine.

 
Eye cream
I’ve suggest that eye cream should always be applied first so that it’s penetrating the targeted eye contour before you apply the rest of your skin care, which is likely to touch this area and would prevent your eye cream from doing it’s job. Since Christmas, I’ve been using the Charlotte Tilbury magic eye cream (LINK) and I love it. It’s extremely rich and that’s exactly what my tired eyes are craving at bed time and I wake up feeling hydrated. I mix it with The ordinary caffeine solution 5% (LINK) to make my own little concoction. This product helps with those perky dark circles and puffiness.

 
Serum
My favourite serum of all time is Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair (LINK). It’s expensive, but there’s a reason why three bottles are sold every minute! It targets a whole host of skin issues such as dryness, ageing, dullness and pigmentation. The lady who first sold this to me in a department store described the aging process like leaving a peeled apple out. It will shrivel and develop brown spots. She claimed that this works to prevent this happened to the skin. I have been using this for years – I guess I will report back in a couple of decades! I always buy from Boots to keep my advantage points growing!

 
Treatment
This is when I like to apply The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2%(LINK). This product is comparable to Sunday Riley’s LUNA oil which I loved, but it’s also ten times the price tag, but with very similar ingredients! This will keep your skin looking more youthful as mentioned earlier as part of the retinol family. Did I mention that The Ordinary are ridiculously cheap? Just remember to use your SPF the next day, I can’t stress the importance of this!

 
Oil
There are lots of oils I enjoy. Having dry skin it’s one of my favourite topical treatments. Currently, I’m using Kiehls Midnight Recovery Concentrate (LINK). It’s hydrating, smells beautifully relaxing and is a joy to massage into your face in the evening.

 

Night cream
I’m going to give you two different price points here as there are two creams that I love, one is certainly a splurge and the other is very affordable! I’ll start with the latter. The Avene Extremely Rich compensating Cream (LINK) is absolutely gorgeous and SO hydrating and nourishing. The texture is like butter and my skin feel supple upon waking. It has plant based active ingredients which helps restore essential lipids lost to due to damage or irritation. It’s an absolute bargain and I will never be without it.

Now I have to say that the next product is one of my favourite creams despite the eye watering price tag! The Charlotte Tilbury Magic Night Cream (LINK) is insanely moisturising. Applying this feels like I’m giving my skin some medicine. You’ll never wake up with tight, uncomfortable skin the next day. It’s an utter delight to use. However, unless your skin is dry, I don’t think you need this, you may find it slightly greasy. But dry skins? You have to give this a try, but unfortunately you’ll become addicted! You can blame me for that….

 
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my favourite evening skin products. Remember, a lot of products that smell beautiful contain fragrance to mask the smell of the active ingredients. It may make the process feel more special, but generally the fragrances are bad for our skin and of course have no benefit. Always go for the contents and ingredients before how the product looks and smells!

 
And always invest in your skin care before make-up. Your base is what will make your make up look fabulous. Happy shopping! All products in bold are linked to reputable websites.

 
‘Beautiful skin requires commitment, not a miracle’

 

Love