Realistic Skincare Guide

'Skincare routines' are the new makeup routines of the social media world. There are a few reasons why I'm not a fan of these. Firstly, it ignores the major factor that is genetics. Even if I follow an Insta-model's skincare routine to a T, I will still have a few little blemishes on my face. Because that's just how my skin is, no matter how well I look after it.😭   Secondly, these 'skincare routine' posts are usually just an opportunity for 'social influencers' to market products for companies who have paid handsomely for the promotion.


What an ironic start to a skincare post, you must be thinking. I started with a mini-rant about skincare routines mainly to highlight what this post will do differently. My advice won't be to buy a specific product. Unfortunately, you can't just buy one product and magically get flawless skin. However, there are some steps you can take that will visibly improve the state of your skin.

• Water, Water, Water 🚰 → This is the most effective, easiest, and cheapest way to dramatically improve your skin. Yeah, yeah, 6-8 glasses a day, you've heard it all before. Actually, I don't advise 6-8 glasses. I personally try to drink at least 2.5, preferably 3 litres of water a day (about 10-12 glasses). 3 litres is what is best for my body. I always notice a huge difference even one day after drinking 3 litres. And if you hydrate consistently for a few weeks, you'll see that your skin has improved.                                                 DISCLAIMER: It won't get rid of all your acne. I'm saying that now because when beauty gurus talk about it they promise that it will clear up your spots. They don't know what they are talking about really - most of them think that getting an occasional pimple counts as an acne problem. 😑 What proper hydration does is give your skin a glow. You'll be glowing like a pregnant lady if you drink 3 litres a day for a month. And at that point no one will notice your spots, anyway!

• Find your personal holy grail(s) - As I said at the start of this post, people are constantly claiming to have found the one and only miracle skincare product. The reality is that everyone will have a different 'greatest' skincare product. Finding the product that works for you can be time consuming (it took me years), but it is time well spent. Here are some tips on how to find your holy grail product or products faster (and therefore saving you some cash in the process). I have combination skin myself, so I'll tackle that it a lot more detail in below. But don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the rest of you!

         1. Combination Skin Bible - for dry and oily skin (my affliction):

                           - Exfoliation is key! Exfoliate regularly but gently! I used to use the konjac sponges (the white ones, not the charcoal ones), but they only sold them in Sephora where I live and it was too expensive for something that goes bad after a few weeks of use. After many failed attempts, I have finally found a cleanser that I personally am happy with - Clinique's Pep-Start. If you suffer with combination skin that is acne prone, I would test it out. But the basic point is to find a gentle daily exfoliating cleanser. PLEASE DON'T USE a Clairsonic or anything like it. I don't trust them. Brushing is for your hair and for your teeth. 

                         - Ditch the toner and thank me later. Seriously. I've used Clinique products for most of my skin-product-buying life and have liked most of them, but their toner is a no go. It's too harsh on the skin and causes breakouts as a result. Gentle cleansing will do fine.

                        - Moisturise right, not a lot. The problem with combination skin is that you need a moisturiser that is strong enough to get rid of dryness, but is not so strong that it encourages oiliness. An oil-free, mattifying moisturiser is the best way to go. I have loved using Clinique's 'Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel', but I wish it was a tiny bit more hydrating. But because it doesn't make my skin react, I have developed a technique to lock in more moisture without using tons of product. Let me know in the comments if you want to hear about that. 

       2. Oily Skin: Glow is great, but I know excess oil is a headache. Especially when it comes to getting makeup to stay put. I feel you. Some advice:

              - Clay masks are great for oily skin, because they are very absorbent but at the same time not drying.

              - You still need to moisturise! I've heard people say they don't need to moisturise because they already have too much oil, but that's backwards. Moisturising will help keep excessive oils at bay, and in turn help prevent pesky pimples.

      3. Dry Skin: I also suffer with dry spots, so I know it ruins a good makeup look. And is just generally annoying. Here's my advice:

          - If you still use toner, STOP! No need for this really. See my section above on combination skin for an explanation. 

          - Gentle exfoliation is key - again, I wrote about this in the combination skin section. Exfoliation will help get rid of dryness, but it's important not to go too heavy as this will irritate the skin and dry it further.

          - Moisturising - I'm afraid, as a combination gal myself, I don't have any recommendations for a good moisturiser for you. If you go to a department store or a Sephora they'll surely give you some samples of some designed for dry skin. Try them out, leaving some time in between testing so you know which product worked best. If you would be interested in hearing my tip for making moisturiser last longer, let me know in the comments!

• Sunscreen 🌤 → Wear this daily. End of story.

• Diet 🍕 → And no, I don't mean dieting/cutting your calories. I just mean watching what you eat. The typical advice is to cut out all sugar, all dairy, all processed foods. That's great advice for general health, but it won't necessarily improve your skin. It didn't for me. I went through weeks of a vegan, zero salt, close-to-zero added sugar diet, and my skin looked the same. Why was this? Well, when I began to eat a bit of salt and dairy, and generally diversified my diet again, I realised what the sneaky culprit was...... MUSTARD! Mustard, of all things! The low calorie, delicious condiment that I loved so much had betrayed me.😢 It was mustard that was causing irritation. With no salt, sugar, or dairy, I had resorted to mustard to give my bland fare some flavour. So after all that fuss, the diet backfired. The moral of the story? Do eat healthily, but also make sure to be mindful about how your skin reacts to those foods that aren't commonly labelled as 'bad'. 

Now for the less typical advice that I swear by:

• Exercise 🏃 → How on earth is this related to skin care? To be honest, I still don't know. All I know is that after I started running more consistently, my skin became more glowy. I personally believe it has to do with increased blood circulation as a result of intensive exercise. Try it out and see if it works for you. Yet another reason to take up a healthy habit!

• Alternate products --> I know this sounds contradictory to my point about finding your 'holy grail' products. But what I mean by this is to use something different once in a while. After using the same cleanser for an extended period, I notice that my skin will disimprove a little bit. Change it up for a few days, and it will kick your skin out of that rut. When this happens to me, I swap the Pep-Start for a clay mask for a day or two. I use this Cattier one. It lasts forever, largely thanks to it coming in a powder form, and it just really agrees with my combination skin. I recommend finding a clay mask that comes as a powder so that you can make it into it's intended thicker paste or make a cleanser alternative by creating a more watery consistency. 

• Use a period tracker - I strongly recommend for all of us ladies to use a tracker with a section recording the condition of your skin. I use Clue, which allows you to track not only your period, but also your skin, your state of mind, and your cravings, just to name a few. Clue provides information for scientific research, and has partnered with my alma mater for that purpose. What's not to love? Of course, the tracker doesn't directly affect your skin. However, tracking your breakouts together with your cycle made me less anxious about the state of my skin. I was no longer thinking, 'Oh no, more pimples. I should start looking for a better cleanser' etc, and instead would think, 'Three days till my period, well that explains the spots!' A positive, stress-free mindset is the best recipe for good skin. 😇