Having had adult acne for years in my mid to late 20s, I finally feel like I have my skincare routine down. Although I no longer suffer from adult acne, I am prone to congestion and have extremely sensitive skin.
I am now 30 and have the best skin I have probably ever had in my life. So this is my routine, and what I have learnt to do to preserve my skin, and keep it healthy and clear.
Full disclosure - when it comes to adult acne, topical products have never been it for me. My skin has always reacted from internal aspects and only breaks out when one of these is out of balance: digestion, inflammation, gut health, hormonal imbalances. So for me keeping up with my diet and supplements is the only way to truly maintain 100% clear skin.
However skincare does help with any surface pimples I may be experiencing so they don't progress to angry inflamed acne.
It's important to also understand that we start to lose collagen in our mid to late 20s, and continue to lose it at about 1% per year from our 30s. Our 30s is also when any sun damage starts to show and come to the surface in terms of fine lines, pigmentation, larger pores and uneven skin tone.
My ethos when it comes to skin is prevention - if you're looking after your skin in your 20s and 30s, you will see the return on your investment well into your 40s and 50s.
So here is my full preventative skincare routine:
Mornings I wash my face with water and use a rose toner to remove any residue from the tap water. I drink the Radiance Powder almost every morning too.
I use a few drops of an antioxidant serum, c e ferulic from skinceuticals, mixed into 3 pumps of the Universal Serum. I do not apply the antioxidant directly onto my skin, but rather mix the two in my palms then press it all over my face and neck. I follow up with a SPF 30 - Renee Rouleau's in particular.
Most days I don't wear make up, but if I do it'll be a little bit of lip gloss and concealer. I get my lashes curled and tinted by Emmy so don't use mascara anymore.
Dehydration is the main cause of wrinkle formation, and the reason I always mix every serum I use with the Universal Serumis due to the Hyaluronic Acid content and supporting ingredients that literally nourish skin's surface to keep homeostasis and lock hydration into as many of the top layers of skin as possible.
At night I remove any make up with Bioderma water. If I'm not wearing make up I go straight in with Liz Earle's hot polish cleanser. I mix the Universal Serum with a few drops of a Retinol Serum (lab sample, sorry), or use it alone and follow up with either the Cetaphil moisturiser or Metacell Renewal gel (I alternate every night).
That is it, and that is what works for me. Remember that you need to find what works best for your skin, but in my case there is no better routine.
