When it comes to healthy skin, there’s no denying the importance of beauty sleep but great skincare prods help too. As a follow up to our morning routines, we share our PM edit below and the prods we trust to work their magic overnight.
Enjoy! x N&J
N //
Step 1: Makeup Removal – After I couldn’t get my hands on a replacement Clinique Cleansing Balm, I stumbled upon The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil. Pleasantly surprised by this prod, I’m already onto my second bottle ! One pump removes a full face of makeup, including eye makeup and mascara. I find a damp muslin cloth is the best way to remove the milky oil and my face is perfectly makeup free. If I think my skin needs it, I will follow with a quick cleanse with the Ultraceuticals Brightening Cleaner.
Step 2: Serum – A couple of drops of the Skinceuticals Phyto Corrective Gel (also applied in AM) keeps my spots at bay. This anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial serum helps to ease my problem skin, and feels super cooling on my skin. Oh and I just need to mention that it is a bright green colour, ha !
Step 3: Moisturize & Treat – There’s something about a serum in the evening that reassures me I’m getting the most out of my beauty sleep. So in the evening I have been reaching for the Aesop Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Eye Serum. I only need a drop quickly patted into the under eye area and within moments it has already been absorbed into the delicate under eye area – no oily residue, love !!
I follow with my go-to moisturiser – the Ultraceuticals Hydrating Lotion (in the am routine) mixed with a couple of drops of Skinceuticals Re-Texturising Activator, all over my face and neck. The Skinceuticals is a chemical exfoliant serum and I’ve definitely noticed smoother and brighter skin since I’ve added this into the PM routine.
Step 4: Lips – I always finish off with a swipe of my fave lip balm – the Nuxe Reve de Miel, which works wonders over the (8) 6 hours of beauty sleep. I wake up in the morning with soft and hydrated lips.
J //
I’m not a morning person in the slightest, so in the AM it’s all about a quick face wash and minimal skincare. In the evenings, it’s a different story and I take the time to properly cleanse, scrub and hydrate.
Remove: A quick swipe of Bioderma (So Frenchy, So Chic!) on a cotton pad just before I hop in the shower removes makeup to pave the way for a good cleanse.
Cleanse: A good cleanser is everything and Skinceuticals’ Gentle Cleanser is my HG. I tried countless skincare throughout my teens to treat a very zit littered t-zone and this was the first product I saw real results from – at the age of 21. Recommended by a Neoskin consultant, the cleanser completely cleared my skin in just a few days and keeps it as good as can be with my chocolate prone diet. I only wish I’d discovered it a few years earlier!
Exfoliate: As much as I love an intense St. Ives Apricot Scrub every few weeks, the Skinceuticals Micro-Exfoliating Scrub is mild enough for everyday use. It leaves skin smooth and squeaky clean – a must for my combination skin that is crying out for exfoliation by close of play.
Masque: Once a fortnight (…I’m lazy!), I’ll apply Aesop’s Parsley Seed Cleansing Masque to extract impurities clogging pores. I don’t find it to be overly effective but people rave about it so I’ll continue to use the tube. It certainly doesn’t do any harm, that’s for sure.
Refresh: After a shower, I pat on a few drops of SK-II’s Facial Treatment Essence that lives up to its nickname as ‘magic water’. It just makes skin look healthy. I try to use it both morning and night.
Brighten: All of the above is done at least an hour before bed. Once I’m under the covers, I pull out my Origins Brighter By Nature Brightening Peels (note: they’ve recently been re-packaged as ‘Modern Friction’ Brightening Pads) and apply one to the face for noticeably brighter skin in the morning. When used daily, Origins say the natural fruit acid peels work to have the same effect as a professional 30% glycolic peel.
Moisturise: Last but not least, I apply Skinceuticals’ Renew Overnight Dry for overnight hydration. This moisturiser contains a 10% hydroxy acid blend that gently exfoliates dead skin cells while you sleep. It’s thicker and richer than my previous moisturiser (Pevonia’s Balancing Skin Cream – also lovely) and leaves skin plump. The AHA’s don’t react well to sunlight, so this is for strictly PM-use only. Then, it’s time to hit the hay for some zzz’s!