MY NEW SKINCARE BASICS

Effective skincare is simpler than you may have thought, with three simple steps in the morning and at nighttime.

Back in the Dark Ages (you know, 2019) I treated my skin like a distant cousin; someone I occasionally said hello to, but really didn't know well. I believed that there was nothing I could do to truly improve the texture and tone of my skin.

But now I'm older and wiser... and I have better skin!

The problem was one that we're familiar with nowadays — information overload. Every time I went online or ventured into the skincare aisle at the pharmacy the flood of claims and products was overwhelming. Where was I supposed to start?

Eventually I took in a couple of calming breaths and began some serious skincare research. I found that there were a few experts who seemed to talk sense. From one of them, Caroline Hirons, author of Skincare: The Ultimate No-Nonsense Guide, I learned that a simple daily skincare routine was actually easy to master.

In a nutshell —

• The purpose of a morning skincare routine is to protect your skin.

• The purpose of a nighttime skincare routine is to repair your skin.

I discovered that when it comes to skincare, there are really only a few ingredients that have been shown to work effectively. We can call these active ingredients — like vitamin C, retinol, and sunscreen.

Armed with this knowledge, I designed a simple morning skincare routine of —

1. Cleansing,

2. Applying a vitamin C serum, and

3. A layer of sunscreen for protection.

My evening routine is just as simple and easy —

1. Cleansing,

2. An application of retinol for skin repair, and

3. A night cream to seal it all in.

You don't need to put money into dozens of fancy, expensive products. Cleansers are on your face for a short time, so there's no point having them packed with active ingredients. But the products that do stay on your skin, the lotions & potions that contain active ingredients, should be of top quality.

When it comes to skincare, patience is key. We're not talking days before you see results, we're talking weeks and months before your diligence and daily routines begin to pay off.

You don't need to put money into dozens of fancy, expensive products.

I was nervous when I recently visited my favorite facialist for an annual check-up. I thought my skin was looking better, but would she see improvements under her microscope? She noticed immediately that my skin was less red (especially on my cheeks), my pores were more refined, and my skin was smoother and generally perkier.

Thank you, active ingredients!

Skincare Basics

1. Start a morning and an evening routine with the purpose of protecting and repairing your skin.

2. Invest in a vitamin C serum for the morning routine and retinol for the evening.

3. Stick with a simple, 3-step program for a few months until you begin to see improvements.