Until my early 20s, I’d highly underestimated the power of having a good skincare routine. I always thought that all you needed was a cleanser to wash off your makeup and that was enough.
I barely ever moisturised or used sun protection. It was “good enough” for me – I didn’t need to buy in to the whole skincare obsession thing.
All those product reviews seemed fake and whenever I tried something that’d been “holy grail-ed” by beauty blogs, beauty YouTubers and IG beauty influencers, they didn’t seem to have the same effect for me.
After exposing myself to some subreddits like r/skincareaddiction I realised that what worked for some people wouldn’t work the same for others. So I stopped making purchases completely off what other people said and tried out a bunch of stuff until I found stuff that worked for me.
If you’re a skeptical as I once was, just look at what <1 year of taking care of my skin did for me!
May be hard to see for mobile users, so here are the “before” photos closeup.
As you can see, I have quite a lot of redness and irritation, uneven skin tone and dull looking skin. There are also the acne scars on my chin. I always “resolved” these issues by rigorously applying layers of concealer and foundation until you couldn’t see them anymore.
Here are the “after” pics close up:
The first one was taken before bedtime from a super unflattering angle lmaooo but you can see a massive difference! It was also taken at “that time of the month” when I always break out massively on my chin. Unfortunately, it’s likely hormonal (as my dermatologist commented) meaning that it’s likely stuff that’s happening within my body to cause the acne, so products applied externally are unlikely to prevent them.
Other than the hideous chin acne, there’s a hugely noticeable difference. My skin looks much brighter, skin tone is much more even and the redness has decreased immensely. You can even notice more of a glow!
The second pic was taken literally less than five mins after I woke up, so excuse the bed hair! I looked in the mirror that day and thought, “wow, my skin looks nicer than it has in years”! It’s much smoother and radiant, and this was pre-period so there’s no angry acne just yet – even the acne scarring is lighter than before.
I also got my brows shaped the week before so my face is framed much nicer and gives my face an overall “cleaner” look.
I’m currently using rosehip oil on my acne scars to try and get the scarring to fade a bit more. Hopefully I’ll be able to post some comparison pics in the next couple of months!
If you’ve got skin like I had in my “before” pic, I would highly recommend my current routine. To clarify, I had combination skin (mostly dry but oily t-zone). Also the red pigmentation, accentuated pores, fullness and acne scarring.
Morning:
Use a gentle cleanser such as the Dior Hydra Life Foaming Cleanser, Innisfree Hydrating Cleansing Foam with Green Tea or Clinique Foaming Sonic Facial Soap. 
After this step, you’re meant to use a toner — I still haven’t adopted this step into my routine yet but it seems so have worked well without it. I’m interested to try to incorporate this step in the future to see if I can get better results.
Anyway, after cleansing, I apply the Dior Capture Totale Lotion-Serum. I find that (aside from smelling like pure heaven) it makes my subsequent products absorb much better.
Lastly, I apply a moisturiser. I recommend either the Dior Capture Totale Multi-Perfection Creme or Dior Capture Totale Dreamskin Advanced. The Dreamskin Advanced is probably a better option if you’re in more of a rush as it absorbs faster and works as a primer too.
Night:
If you’re wanting to remove all makeup (waterproof, heavy makeup), you can use either the Maybelline Makeup Remover with a cotton pad (it’s honesty the best makeup remover ever, takes everything off nice and easy) or the Tatcha Camellia Cleanser.
Cleanse with La Prairie foam cleanser or Dior Hydra Life Foam Cleanser. Both are gentle and remove makeup and dirt without drying out your skin.
Again, apply toner if you want.
Then, apply serum again. You can use the same one from the morning routine.
Next, apply moisturiser. I recommend either the Dior Capture Totale Multi-Perfection Creme, Chanel Hydra Beauty Nutrition or Bare Minerals Butter Drench. All are equally as good and leave your skin looking hydrated and luminous in the morning.
Remember to pay special attention to your eye area. If you need, apply some eye caviar too. I would recommend the La Prairie Essence of Skin Caviar Eye Complex with Caviar Extract. It absorbs very well and keeps your undereyes hydrated and looking bouncy.
Finally, this is a new step for me. If you’ve got annoying acne scars that just won’t go away, try using rosehip oil. You can get some from your local pharmacy or health supplement store. It’s meant to fade scars – even really old ones! It takes some time to see results but you need to make sure you stick to it.
You should also incorporate masks into your routine 1-3 times per week depending on the needs of your skin. I found that Dr Jart’s Micro Jet Clearing Solution Mask helped clear up angry and red pimples really fast. I would recommend using this product once a week though because it seems quite strong. If acne isn’t a primary concern, you should use a mask that’s brightening or hydrating. I would personally focus on brightening masks though as the rest of your skin routine is already focused on hydration.
And there you have it! Obviously, it may be the case that you won’t see the same results as I do, but don’t let this dishearten you. Find products that work for you, do your research and only use one new product in your routine at a time. This way you can more easily see which products are working and which ones aren’t.
I would also recommend taking comparison pics. Once every two weeks should be enough. Again, don’t be disheartened if you don’t see results straight away as most products take weeks to months before you can see visible results. Try to take the comparison pics at the same time, at the same place and same angles each time. It will probably also be helpful if you take close-ups of your problem areas using your phone’s back camera instead of front — much high megapixel count for a clearer comparison.
Lastly, don’t count too much on what other people are recommending as it’s likely their skin type and skin concerns are different from yours.
Hopefully this article was helpful to you! I wish you the best of luck on your skincare journey and would absolutely love if you’d update me on how you go with various products.
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