If I had a dictionary entry for my name, like Mary Poppins does, it would go something like this: “Juggling. Multi-tasking. Balancing.” The downside of all this is I live in an almost permanent state of stress (also I don’t juggle actual objects, so I can forget about leaving everything for a career with Cirque Du Soleil), and stress, as we all know, is bad for skin, especially as mine likes nothing more than acting as the display window of whatever thoughts and emotions are going on inside.
Thankfully, in the last few years I have been following a regular morning skin regimen that works really well for me. Word of caution: it’s not a one step and go routine, in fact it’s inspired by the Asian regimens (though it doesn’t have half the number of steps, some of us have a job to go to in the morning, who has time for sheet masks every morning?!) but it works for me and I usually am able to complete it within 15 minutes tops, especially as I use the times between products, when you’re meant to let them sink in, to do other things like brush my teeth, apply body lotion etc.
By the way, I will share the secret that my facialist in London taught me: you don’t always have to go for the same products everyday, it’s totally ok to adjust depending on how your skin (or wallet…) feels, but try to find what works for your skin and give that a few weeks to see some real improvement.
Step One – Cleanser
Most days, I opt for a foaming cleanser in the morning, and at the moment I’m loving the Tatcha Rice Polish, because its little particles create a mini exfoliation effect whilst the foam gives my skin a deep cleanse. Rice enzyms are also known for soothing irritated skin, and seeing as my skin sometimes wakes up with a little break-out or two (yes, stress again, or sometimes just hormones), this is perfect; mine is the classic one. The idea is you massage it over the skin in circular motions from your neck up until your hairline, and rince it completely under the shower. I never use oil cleanser in the morning because 1) I don’t like the film that remains after an oil cleanser, it doesn’t let me apply skincare or make-up properly and 2) I don’t have time for a double cleanse to remove said film in the morning .
Step Two – Toner
On most days I go for Here I like to opt for Glo Skin’s Resurfacing one, or the famous P50 by Biologique Recherche. The idea is to pour a little bit on a cotton pad, and pat the product into the skin, softly, to create a chemical exfoliation; you do not drag the cotton across your face with the strength of a builder trying to strip paint off a bathroom wall pre-refurb. If your skin is super sensitive then you need to opt for a calming toner, but for me these two are great at keeping congestion and dullness at bay and prepping my skin for everything that comes next.
Step Three – Essence
What’s that? An essence is a concentrated formula with ingredients that are meant to penetrate deep into your skin, before serums and creams, specifically targetting wrinkles, fine lines, and dull and uneven skin tones. The one I use is the Whamisa Organic Flowers Deep Toner, it has fermented ingredients (as good for skin as they are for your tummy apparently, but I don’t advocate drinking this…). I love its texture, like a very watery gel that I first pat down, before going over it with my face massager. This is the perfect step for a good massage because the texture of the essence allows to go over skin a few times; right now I’m using my travel face massager by BeRelax, it’s good but not great, but that’s because the very expensive full size face tool I bought from NuFace is absolutely useless and could never charge properly so I’m now waiting to be able to travel abroad and get a proper one from Purelift.
Step Four – Eye roller
I use an eye serum with an incorporated roller because the skin around the eyes is super soft and so benefits from an extra tlc. The Apotcare EyeLift Roller has a depuffing effect that is perfect for me. I think this particular one has been discontinued but the Hyaluron Plump Serum seems to have the same claims, I’ll report back when I run out of my original one.
Step Five – Serum
If you only take one thing from this whole routine, let it be this: Skinceuticals CE Ferulic Serum is a total game changer as far as skin texture goes and you need it in your bathroom. We all know the marvels Vitamin C does as anti-oxydant, both in terms of preventing and correcting age damage, however most products have tiny amounts of it, drowned in water etc. This one packs 15%, which is better than most products I’ve seen. I apply it every morning religiously and have for the past three years, and it has helped clear out most of my pigmentation spots and those pesky little skin bumps. Some use it twice a day, but in the evening I prefer Retinol for its sloughing effect, and both don’t mix. I cannot insist enough: this is the product I buy in pairs or trios every time I’m abroad (they sell it in many beauty clinics here, but with a hefty margin to the already expensive price…), though it lasts forever, I usually go through maximum three bottles a year.
Step six – Skin treatment / SPF combo
Most mornings, assuming I’ve done a good job moisturizing the night before, my skin doesn’t need anything heavy, so instead I use one pump of Sisley’s Brighteing Daily Defense Fluid, which comes with a nice SPF 50. This combines sun protection with continuous treatment against pigmentation (can you tell I’m a little obsessed? You should have seen the pigmentation I had post pregnancies, a leopard would have been envious) and weeks of daily usage will leave even the most stubborn cheeks brighter and firmer (yes, firmness is another thing that’s quite big for me). On days when I’m simply in the office, that’s plenty SPF, but if I’m going to spend my day outdoors, I usually layer up another SPF on top. You can never have enough sun protection, right?
Step seven – Blur and lip balm
I like to go around with minimal or no make-up at all, and on days when I don’t want any make-up, my last step in my morning routine is to apply the Tatcha Silk Canvas, which has a fabulous silky texture but can take a little getting used to when it comes to application. I use a tiny amount and pat it down on the key areas that need help (where did those pores just on the side of my nose come out from?!) and I use it as a blur finisher, never as a primer as I found that whatever foundation I try on top of it clumps, no matter how little of it I use. I finish off with a lip balm, either neutral or with a little bit of colour, and that’s that.
If I need a little bit of a put-together face for some reason, I skip the last step and move straight on to a proper make-up routine… which I can write about on a later post, if you would like.
With love, S.
A Styled Life 