Digital Colour Swatch Palette - Soft
We all know the importance of a good skincare regime, but how many of us actually follow one? Good genes only go so far.
It’s been a popular subject during a few of my recent consultations and with the weather turning much colder, seems like the perfect time to help you address it.
Did you know that skin is the largest organ in the body? It provides a barrier against infection and protects our bodies from harmful elements. So it goes without saying that good skincare is vital to keep it healthy and able to do its job so that your natural beauty shines through. But, it won’t happen overnight.
Adopting a proper skincare routine for your face will reap rewards, as will a healthy lifestyle – what you put in matters as much as what you put on it as covered by Julie Woodward at our event in October. Read the post event blog here.
Plus, with your skin in tip-top condition, it will also provide you with a good base to apply your make-up (in the right shades of course).
No matter what your skin type, it’s best to follow a routine morning and night if you can.
Three step routine
Step one – Cleanse
Cleansing helps to remove excess oil, makeup and dirt from the skin and pores. Your morning routine will rid the impurities which you expel overnight whilst sleeping. At night, to take off the day!
Some experts suggest a double cleanse as the first simply removes the makeup but the second really cleans the skin and pores.
Step two – tone
Toning tightens the pores but it also removes any residue left behind from your cleanser. My tip is to apply with a damp cotton pad which will prolong the use of your products too.
Step three – moisturise
A moisturiser forms a protective layer to your skin. The trick is to hydrate the skin, revive it and keep it supple.
Day moisturisers containing SPF will help protect the skin from harmful rays, even in winter. For the evening, a night cream which is nourishing and thicker than your day cream to help it repair.
Serums
Most improve the appearance of the skin by plumping and renewing the cells and the skin’s surface, helping to remove dead skin cells for clearer and smoother skin. Try using before step three.
Exfoliators
These are designed to remove dead skin cells from the surface. Try to exfoliate at least once per week.
Masks
Help to balance out any skin complaints. They can help stimulate blood circulation and remove impurities from the skin. Use weekly.
Choose products to suit your skin type and if you are introducing new products, personally I find that introducing one by one (rather than a complete overhaul) will help in case of any reactions and to stabilise the skin too.
Facial wipes
Very handy for travelling but try to avoid using them regularly, or as a substitute to a cleanser as they don’t cleanse deep enough and can be harsher to the skin. Try a Micellar water if you’re not into cleansing and toning.
Eye products
It’s important to use products designed for use around the eye area as they are less heavy and can be too rich. Gentle tapping motions are recommended.
Age
Younger skin tends to be more oily than older skin which can dry out, so you will find the need to switch up your routine to accommodate for any changes.
Colour me Beautiful skincare solutions
When Colour me Beautiful introduced their new skincare range last year, I was nervous about trying the range, as my skin could be rather sensitive to changes. I didn’t feel I could recommend the range to my clients if I hadn’t actually tried them myself. So, I gradually swapped each one of my skincare products out and now I am converted!
Being a consultant, I knew the quest of the company and the MD’s vision of providing a skincare range that fulfilled a rigid criteria without costing the earth. They wanted the range to be organic because we all promote natural beauty. Vegan, because we don’t advocate or support animal cruelty. Paraben free as there are no parabens in any of our products and all the products are in recyclable packaging and made in the U.K. Plus, the entire range is infused with lovely essential oils.
I can honestly say that my previous products couldn’t tick all those boxes, so I was happy to move, but at first, I didn’t really understand too much about what organic or vegan actually meant so I thought I’d share some information here for you too.
Organic
More and more people choose organic food, so why not for what you slather onto your skin?
Organic beauty products are actually known to be safer as they don’t use toxic chemicals which can also irritate the skin. Instead, they are plant based and more gentle on the skin and therefore less likely to cause allergic reactions.
There’s no need to ‘test’ organic products on animals as they use naturally grown ingredients which means there’s no animal cruelty involved either.
Vegan
Again, more and more people are turning towards vegan food and this of course is extending into people’s skincare regime. Products which are vegan mean they do not contain any animal products.
Lanolin
This is a popular ingredient which is actually found in many products. It is derived from animals though, so many people look to avoid it. There’s no lanolin in the Colour me Beautiful skincare range.
Parabens
Most people don’t know what Parabens are. Essentially, they are used to extend the shelf life of products but have been shown to penetrate the skin and disrupt hormone functions. Some reports even link cancer to the use of them, but I haven’t been able to validate that. There’s no parabens in any of the Colour me Beautiful products.
My routine
I often get asked what products I use and my routine. I adopted a three step approach in my late twenties as I had many skin complaints and breakouts. During my thirties, it definitely settled down and I introduced an SPF into my daily morning routine and an eye cream.
In my late thirties and now I’ve entered my forties, I’ve stopped using face wipes on a night (I was just being lazy) and introduced a Micellar water and night cream to help replenish the skin with an occasional use of serum during the day. I also use an eye cream in the morning and at night.
For the morning, here’s what I use:
- White grapefruit revitalising cleansing gel
- Rose balancing toner or Jasmine hydrating toner if my skin is feeling very dry
- Grapefruit and orange illuminating facial serum
- Anti ageing eye cream with green tea extract
- Rose co enzyme anti ageing day cream (with SPF25) or Geranium moisture boost day cream if my skin is feeling particularly dry
For the night I use:
- Rose cleansing Micellar water
- Anti ageing eye cream with green tea extract
- Chamomile and jasmine replenishing night cream
Weekly, I exfoliate with the mandarin and natural bamboo exfoliating facial scrub followed by the avocado, apple and aloe Vera cleansing mask.