Skincare is super important, there’s no ifs, no buts, after a certain age you need to at least wash your face and moisturise it so you can maintain your skins lovelyness, I know not everyone has a 10 step routine, but in all honesty the bare basics are fine. I only have a routine because it’s nice to have time dedicated to myself, but I also have spot prone skin and hyper pigmentation, so the extra steps are to treat certain issues.

In the quest for a new routine you tend to go through a few variations of the same products, which is fine, but I’m seeing people only try a product for a week and expecting it to do magic and that’s just not going to happen. Even the best products out there won’t show their full effects without continous use, and it also depends on the results you actually want – if its clearer skin, that’s going to take a while

When trying new products it’s best to give it at least a month so you’re able to see if it’s giving you a negative or a positive result. Obviously if you get a reaction or irratation then throw it away, but for the most part you need to wait to see if the product makes any difference to your skin.

Spot treatments work the best when the spot is just about to appear, if it has already sprouted it probably will just reduce the pain/swelling but once it’s out to play, it’s going to stay for a bit. As much as I love the Mario Badescu drying lotion, it won’t get rid of my spots in the middle of their cycle, it’s a great product but it’s not a miracle worker.

It’s also best to be conscious about how you use it and what step it should be in your routine. The general idea is that you use the thinner products first and then the thickest last, so if you’re using an expensive cream and aren’t getting results, it might be because you applied it after an oil – which is something I see a lot. Or applying serums after creams and wondering why the serum has no effect.

The general order is: oil cleanser – cleanser – toner – serum – essence – eye cream – moisturiser – oil

Feel free to skip some of those steps, but the order should remain the same because it’ll allow your skin to actually absorb the goodness from each product. There’s no point spending your heard earned money and then wasting it through incorrect use.

My last tip is to take peoples product advice with a grain of salt. What works for them might not work for you because everyone’s skin and lifestyle is different, so if you find something that works, don’t just switch it out because someone told you about a ‘better’ product.