My current skincare routine feature is back! In typical Crilly fashion, I stopped doing my seasonal skincare videos and posts because I had bored myself with the same format. My skincare routine, four times a year, documenting any notable product discoveries or weird quirks with my skin I felt as though I could still be turning out the same quarterly update in twenty years time. But it turns out that people like a familiar, regular video format and who am I to argue?
So after a brief hiatus (I missed out spring and summer this year) heres the autumn skincare routine for 2021, focussing on the fact that my face had a brief meltdown and needed some gentle care and attention. This is why the theme of this feature is really; skincare SOS and creams that aid repair and recovery. I go into this more in my previous post 3 Best Beauty Buys: SOS Skin Creams so do take glance at that here for more details, but to summarise: I had a weird stomach bug, woke up afterwards and my skin had gone all strange and bumpy underneath. It was then dry and itchy. It felt rather like Id overdone it with my retinol but I hadnt done anything new or extreme.
As I mention in the post SOS Skin Cream post, the best thing to do whenever the proverbial shit hits the fan, face-wise, is to just pare everything right back. Gently cleanse and then moisturise with something that will help strengthen the skin barrier as well as deeply hydrate. Lets do a deeper dive into the complete routine its quite different to my default one:
My normal default skincare routine
- Morning: cleanse quickly + antioxidant serum + moisturiser and/or SPF
- Afternoon: cleanse deeply + a) retinoid (once every 2/3 nights) or b) hydrating serum + moisturiser (other nights)
My SOS skincare routine
- Morning: swipe over cleanse + rescue cream
- Afternoon: gentle cream cleanse + hydrating serum + rescue cream
My skin sorted itself out over the course of about a week and a half and now Im pretty much back to the default routine, having cautiously reintroduced the retinoids every few days. Here are the products I pared back to all of them great at any time, but especially if youve overdone it with your peels or intensive masks or retinol product or all of them at the same time (yikes):
Cleansers
Ive been using a lot of the Kate Somerville DeliK8 Cleanser, 34 here*. Its a beautifully soothing cream cleanser thats great for angsty skin. The whole range is gorgeous but this is a particular treat.
You know that I love Emma Hardies Moringa Gel I did a whole raving love post about it here. It gets my vote as best luxury cleanser because its so suited to both dry and oilier skin. Those who dont get on with essential oils, avoid, but for anyone who wants a sense-tickling cleanse with something light then this is it!
Beauty Pie Hot Oil Cleanser here* is sumptuous and luxurious but (if youre a Beauty Pie member) doesnt come with the steep price tag. This is an unscented balm that removes every trace of makeup and dirt and I have nothing bad to say about it! You can find out more on Beauty Pie in this video I made recently.
SOS Repair Creams
Please refer back to this post for more details on these, but as a quick reference list:
Medik8 Ultimate Recovery Cream*
Serum
No7 Hydrating Skin Paste (at Boots here*)
I love this paste its actually a creamy, lightweight serum. More towards a light moisturiser than a runny, watery kind of serum but great to layer up under other creams and/or your sunscreen for an extra boost of hydration. If you dont get on with sticky, tacky hyaluronic products then this is a nice change. Comfortable texture, housed in a metal tube like an oil paint (annoying lid), is fresh and cool on application.
Face Masks
Skinceuticals B5 Mask, online here*
I dont tend to go in for a lot of moisturising masks most of them just feel like a good, rich night cream except you then inexplicably flannel them off and rinse them down the sink. This one from SkinCeuticals, however, is one of the weirdest (yet effective) Ive ever tried. Its feels like what I can only imagine having a melted jellyfish stuck to your face would be like. Its melted jellyfish in a tube. (Its not made from jellyfish, calm down.) It almost seems to repel water so when you try to rinse it off it doesnt just rinse away, you really have to use a washcloth or flannel. Marvellous stuff and the effects are noticeable.
SPFs
SkinGenerics SPF30 at Superdrug here
This sunscreen requires its very own post because its so groundbreakingly lightweight, but I want to do some comparison tests first with other weightless SPFs. Quite honestly, though, I doubt any will come out topping the Niacinamide + Osmocity Moisturising Cream SPF30*. It feels like a water gel (nothing like a cream) on application and then simply disappears. No residue, no tackiness, and equally as important no feeling of tightness or dryness. Its as if you havent applied anything at all, yet you have. Admittedly if it was SPF50 then it would be absolute perfection, but for those who want something for incidental exposure or who just hate the feel of other sunscreens so much they are willing to drop down to a 30, I cant imagine you can beat this for invisible look and undetectable feel.
Retinoids
Just as a by-the-by, the retinol products Ive been using since returning to the default routine are the Skin + Me (ultra powerful!) daily dose Tretinoin (find Skin + Me here) and the Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Night Cream (find the range here*). Not together, I hasten to add!
Skin + Me Tretinoin
This one is specifically for me Skin + Me make creams specifically for you once they know your skin type and skin goal. Which is ascertained via online questionnaire, filterless photos and any additional questions from the team. Ive been doing some AD work with Skin + Me and so have tried them quite extensively its a great idea and they make it very easy to form a simple, massively effective skincare routine. (Use code RUTH2 to get your first month for 3.50 instead of 19.99.)
Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Night Cream
An old favourite, this is pokey as you like in terms of effectiveness and is hydrating enough that you dont need to use any separate moisturiser over the top. Theres also a serum and eye cream in this range but I like the cream for its all-in-oneness for lazy nights! Find the whole range here* at time of writing there are some good discounts going on!
Ill be back in a couple of months with my winter skincare routine until then, if youd like to browse the historic back-catalogue of skincare routines then they are all here.
The post My Current Skincare Routine: Autumn 2021 appeared first on Ruth Crilly.
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