Skincare is one of those things I always feel like I should be better at (and that I’m failing as a girl because of it somehow). I’m lucky as my skin is fine really (I drink a lot of water) so I’ve never really done anything. Selfcare is something I struggle with generally so never found it worth the effort.
I’m thinking as I enter my thirties though I should. Just had a sheetmask and enjoyed it but I have no idea where to start generally in terms of it.
What’s your skincare routine? Is it worth the effort/cost?
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If your skin is happy, you don’t need to change what you are doing with it.
Sheetmasks and similar can be relaxing and make one feel more engaged with general self-care, so if you enjoyed that it could be good to do more often.
In my 40s with good skin, and just wash it with a good bar soap when in the shower, then a splash of rosewater whilst it is still damp, followed by moisturiser with SPF50.
My mother is in her 70s and has perfect skin - she just washes it with whatever kind of soap, including dish soap if that is what is to hand. In recent years she sometimes complains that it is getting dry - she sort of knows that moisturiser should help and even has some which would be suitable for her, but the whole idea is just too alien to her to actually get it on her face more than once every few weeks.
Dish soap as in washing up liquid?!
Not sure if this is a cultural difference, never heard of anyone in the UK washing their skin with fairy, thought it would dry it out.
Looking at this thread though it seems quite common, so maybe we’re the odd ones for not doing it!
Yep, actual Fairy liquid for dishes. If you’re old enough to remember it was advertised as being gentle enough to not wreck your hands, but she’s used harsher dish detergent on her skin & hair in her youth with no bother.
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It’s worth it IMO, not even necessarily for the benefits listed on a given container but how it makes me feel better when I do it. I can relate to your situation in the sense that I don’t really have any skin concerns and self care wasn’t a priority in that regard. Up until about a year or so ago (I’m in my mid 30s), I did nothing for my skin outside of washing it while I was in the shower and putting on body lotion.
As for my routine, I got into Asian skincare products like…two years ago and have settled on the following:
Banila Co Clean It Zero Revitalizing Balm
Pyunkang Yul Essence Toner
Pyunkang Yul Moisture Ampoule
Tony Moly WONDER Ceramide Mocchi Water Cream
Pyunkang Yul Balancing Gel
At night, I do the first four and replace the last one with Too Cool For School Pumpkin Sleeping Pack. FYI I have combo oily/dry skim and it’s like a tank in the sense that of all the products I’ve tried to get to this routine, nothing bothers it.
Altogether, my routine costs around $100 and I buy it once, maybe twice a year.
I love the idea of having a routine in a way, think the act of going through it is the self care aspect I would like moreso than the result if that makes sense? Feel like it would help me sleep better too as it’s a way of winding down for the evening
At the same time though when I’m having a depression relapse even remembering to brush my teeth can be hard, let alone anything else.
Can definitely see how people get into it though
The pumpkin thing looks cool! I have something similar that was given to me years ago that I’ve not used. I think I would probably forget to wash it off in the morning
The process of it can totally be self care. I used to love the Pumpkin Sleeping Pack too. A sleeping pack/mask can be great, particularly one that feels substantial on. Products with great sensorial aspects can be lovely to use.
Could you reformat your routine list? It’s hard to tell where one product ends and the next starts lol, even as someone who recognizes most of the brands.
I apologize, that absolutely looks like trash. I keep getting network errors when I try to edit it so here’s the list with better formatting.
Banila Co Clean It Zero Revitalizing Balm
Pyunkang Yul Essence Toner
Pyunkang Yul Moisture Ampoule
Tony Moly WONDER Ceramide Mocchi Water Cream
Pyunkang Yul Balancing Gel
Thanks! Appreciate it :)
I’ve had the same issue trying to edit comments… not sure why.
I’m in my 50s and was told my whole life that I needed a skin care routine or I’d regret it. My skin was always oily until I hit menopause so I didn’t see a point beyond washing my face every day.
So, I didn’t bother until I was like 49 and started getting a flaky forehead. Seriously, it was like dandruff of the face. It was that, and not wrinkles or fear of them (I have a few, nothing excessive yet) which drove me to using a cleanser and a moisturizer.
I just use Neutrogena Hydro Boost products, no fancy department store stuff. And it works really well, I no longer have facial dandruff. I’m told I look young for my age but I plan to age gracefully- no Botox or fillers or anything like that for me, ever.
Yeah I feel like it’s a losing battle to fight against wrinkles. Would be nice to get to a stage where I can use them as ID haha. More concerned about going grey to be honest, not sure it would suit me. I look young for my age but I have a feeling it’s one of those things where a switch flips and suddenly you look ancient
Like others have said, if your skin is fine and happy keep things simple. Don’t worry about getting a routine going, if doing nothing worked for my skin I would totally do that!
That said, if you liked the sheet mask, it was probably having a little more hydration that made things feel good. In that case you could add a simple moisturiser, maybe for night time so you can wake up extra moist, which does feel nice.
I put on a lot of moisturiser, because I am the desert without it. I use AHAs etc, but when self-care is a struggle for me I will just put some German Nivea cream or Illiyoon Ceramide Cream on and call it a day.
I think people over complicate skin care, but then again my skin isn’t fussy so I don’t know the struggle. I think SPF is the most important thing because UV is basically the biggest cause for wrinkles. So if you want to start simple, just a morning face moisturizer with SPF is great.
I do the bare minimum for my skin because a long routine is boring: gentle cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen every day. Once or twice a week use an exfoliator cream. I definitely notice a difference on days when I skip my routine, though I generally have pretty good skin, like you.
Start with the basics and then add more if needed!
Not sure my contribution is of any value to you, but I am a gay male in my 50’s. Never did much in terms of skincare. Only washed my face with water and was a heavy smoker up till about 15 years ago. Up until I started tuning bald people estimated my age to be 10-15 years younger. So I personally think genetics is the biggest determining factor. That said. I started using hyaluronic acid about a year ago because of dry skin, and it does SEEM to make the few wrinkles I had appear less and make my skin more firmer. All in all, I think some skincare helps a little bit, but never expect big changes or improvements. Most of it is just (bad) luck. I would at the very least never buy products that are ridiculously expensive. The cheap ones work just as well, just make sure you read the ingredients. This is just my personal, anecdotal experience and opinion ymmv
Always valuable, I only referenced the girl thing because it’s something all the women in my life seem ‘on top of’ and it feels like I didn’t get a memo.
It’s insane just how expensive some of the products are, feels like it’s just selling false promises at a certain point
I do the bare minimum. Avoid touching my face (and fail while bored at work so I always get pimples where I use my hand to prop my head on the desk), wash it once or twice a day and **make sure to use sunscreen of SPF30 or more, 50+ preferably when going outside. ** Really if you hydrate well and your skin has no issues, best you can do is protect the status quo. UV radiation is what speeds up skin aging, not to mention the other issues it can cause. Moisturizers are also a good idea, especially during winter (assuming you live in a temperate area). I personally don’t bother with them mainly because I forget.
Just had a sheetmask and enjoyed it but I have no idea where to start generally in terms of it.
They’re always a treat. I dislike them for personal reasons but I see them as a treat, they can get really pricey if you use them daily 😅. Start small and don’t look at the popular influencers using a ton of products on their face. Listen to your skin and recognise when you actually need to use certain products.
Just routine use of AHA and that’s it. I’m in my mid-40s, spent a lot of my 20s & 30s drinking heavily with tons of sun exposure, and currently people think I’m a decade younger than I am. That’s allllll glycolic acid, baby. (I admit I used to need benzoyl peroxide when I was younger for acne, but not anymore finally.)
I think more complicated skin care routines are fine, IF you enjoy the ritual and routine of the whole process. But if it feels like work or if you feel like there are better things you’d like to be doing with your time, then it’s not worth it.
I literally wash my face with Dawn dish soap (if it’s good enough to wash birds, it’s good enough for me!) and slap on a glycolic acid gel and call it a day. Works just fine.
If you’re happy with your skin, I don’t see the point in changing anything. Screw gendered expectations, they’re all made up.
I’ve struggled with acne for most of my post-pubescent life (currently in my mid-30s), and I’ve been on a journey these last few years of having a good job and affordable healthcare access to get it under control. I finally have a skincare routine that keeps my skin largely clear, and will probably not deviate from it for a while. Might do some treatments at my dermatologist’s office to deal with some acne scarring/rosacea.
My routine is: wash face with homemade face soap (lye soap made with non-comeodogenic oils, superfatted at 8%, plus tea tree oil added at trace), then Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence, then Aveeno Calm + Restore Redness Relief Moisturizer mixed with two drops each of The Ordinary’s squalene oil and rose hip oil. This is both my morning and evening routine, except every other night I skip the snail mucin and use my prescription tretinoin after the moisturizers, then put a thin layer of petroleum jelly on top. I would use the tretinoin every night, but I find it makes my eyes dry. The rose hip oil is supposed to help with redness, but I’ve seen far better results improving my (admittedly mild) rosacea with the Aveeno moisturizer.
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For my skin it makes a big difference, but everyone is different! If your skin isn’t dry, or oily, or acne prone, you keep doing what works. I have combination skin, and I do a morning cleanser, then moisturizer with spf, which also helps a little bit of under eye concealer blend better. At night it’s a cleanser then retinol. A cheaper moisturizer all over after a bath. For me, if I skip any of these things, I feel it.
You don’t have to get complicated, there’s a few key things in my experience:
Most importantly, sunscreen. One you will actually use every day. Formulas have gotten so much better in recent years, so there’s lots of great ones out there. When picking a sunscreen, the first choice is chemical or mineral. Personally, I live in the south and tend to run warm and sweat easily, and I have found that chemical formulas are fine on my body, but they get into & sting my eyes as soon as my face gets dewy in the heat. So I use a Supergoop! mineral formula called matte screen. It has a texture like those powder gel primers and a mild beige tint (minerals can leave a white cast.)
Cleanser: does your cleanser leave your skin feeling dry, greasy, taut, soft? Try different formulas-watery/micellar water, gels, cream based, oil cleansers, experiment until you find a good everyday cleanser, and one that’s good for washing off stubborn makeup.
Moisturizer: having a relatively light one for everyday use and a thicker or richer product for the occasions when skin needs extra moisture may not be necessary, but it feels that way for my skin. Which ones to use is a personal thing you can only learn from trial & error, but understanding your skin type and common issues will help guide you.
The only anti-aging item (other than sunscreen) that is evidence backed: Rx retinols. Don’t waste your $ on OTC retinol/retinoid products. If you want to try retinol, getting a prescription for tretinoin (or something similar) is pretty easy. (I used the Nurx app and dodged the annoyance of an in person visit.)
That’s pretty much it, unless you feel you need a toner. Masks, serums/actives, peels, these things have all gotten trendy, but they’re optional, and are best worked in after establishing the foundations above and learning what your skin isn’t going to react poorly to.
Please visit us at !skincareaddiction@sh.itjust.works if you wanna learn more about skincare and get some help getting started! 😊
