Skincare in your mid 20s

Hey Everyone,

I turn 25 this summer and I won’t lie, that fact is really horrifying me! I feel like I should have my life together and that I should have plans and be where I want to be in life but the truth is I’m the farthest thing from it! Oh, and to make matters worse in your mid-20s your skin starts to betray you and you begin to see the first signs of ageing… let’s hold a minutes silence and say goodbye to youthful skin.

With this in mind I’ve really stepped up my skincare game, realistically skincare is the most important tool you have against early signs of ageing! If you follow me on Instagram you’ll have seen my stories all about my favourite skincare – if you don’t follow me you can find me here.

So here are my tips for better-looking skin, these are suitable for all age ranges but especially those in their mid-20s.

1. Cleansing

At the minute I’m loving cleansers, I literally cannot stop buying them! I’m trying to get into the habit of double cleansing, this is when you first go in with an oil cleanser, something like the Bare Minerals Oil Obsessed to remove dirt and makeup which builds up on the skin throughout the day and then you go in with a deeper cleanser, something like the Bare Minerals Clay Chameleon to really deep clean the skin! Cleansing balms also work really well for the first step too!

As my skin is more on the sensitive side I’ve built my way up to double cleansing, I started just cleansing once a day (at night) and using micellar water to clean my face in the morning (not the best but it worked for me) then I ditched the micellar water and cleansed once in the morning and once at night! And now I’m working on the double cleanse, which I do in the evenings and I still just cleanse once in the morning. If you are more sensitive it’s important to look for good cleansers that have good ingredients and are designed to be gentle on the skin. Bare Minerals or Liz Earle are great places to start!

Other cleansers I love right now include,

Tarte Deep Dive Cleansing Gel

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

Cetraban Cleansing Lotion

No7 Cleansing Balm

Bare Minerals Oil Obsessed

Bare Minerals Clay Chameleon

 

2. Toners

This goes hand and hand with cleansers and is honestly a step I forget about quite often! It’s not hard but I’m just forgetful! I alternate between a few toners but ultimately PIXI Glow Tonic is my favourite – here is my review! Toning is important as it helps to reduce the appearance of pores, restore the skins pH balance and help to refresh and revitalise the skin.

Toners I love using include,

Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic

PIXI Glow Tonic

The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution

Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Cucumber and Green Tea

 

3. Serums

I really love how transformative a good serum can be, and I really do recommend them no matter what your skin type! I am more on the dry/combo side but I love my skin feeling super hydrated. My favourite serum is the SkinLongevity Serum from Bare Minerals I am totally obsessed and I feel like it is one of the reasons my skin is no longer reacting to everything I put on it! (I still get flashbacks to the Body Shop Toner incident) this serum is designed to work with your skin and help to bring it back to normal – so if you’re dry it helps rehydrate the skin and if you’re oily it helps to balance your skins oil levels! I also love using a Hyaluronic Acid as it gives me a burst of moisture and is also anti-ageing!

Serums I love include;

Bare Minerals Skin Longevity Vital Power Serum

Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5

 

4. Moisturiser

This is such a vital step EVERYONE needs moisturiser no matter what your skin type, no matter if you’re oily or dry you need a moisturiser! If you are dry look for a rich hydrating moisturiser and if you’re oily look for oil free! In your mid 20s your skin starts to show how you’ve mistreated it in your early 20s and teens so all the times you’ve eaten takeout every night for a week or done a cheeky sunbed or even just went out without SPF your skin will tell everyone this so it is vital to get a decent moisturiser to mask these sins – and one with SPF will never be a bad thing!

Personally, I really like to use different moisturisers for day and night as your skin needs different things! At night your skin works so hard to replenish and recover from everything it went through that day so I like an extra hydrating moisturiser for evening the Bare Minerals SkinLongevity Vital Power Sleeping Gel Cream is perfect for this and it’s oil-free so a real treat for all skin types!

My favourite moisturisers are;

Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue Defense SPF30

Bare Minerals SkinLongevity Vital Power Moisturiser SPF30

Bare Minerals SkinLongevity Vital Powder Sleeping Gel Cream

Cetraben Cream

 

5. Exfoliating

This is a step I have been guilty of skipping in the past but my skin really looks much better afterwards! This is an especially important step as we get older as exfoliating helps promote cell renewal! I like the use the Body Shop Vitamin C Glow Revealing Liquid Peel once a week and then go in with the Bare Minerals Mix Exfoliate Smooth as and when I need too! This is super handy if are more sensitive as you can just mix them into your regular moisturiser!

The exfoliators I like to use are:

Bodyshop Vitamin C Glow Revealing Liquid Peel

Bare Minerals Mix Exfoliate Smooth

 

6. SPF

You need it. End of.

SPF protects the skin from harmful rays that trigger early signs of ageing, it also helps to protect the skin from Skin Cancer which is always beneficial! Just make sure it’s at least SPF 15 but for me, 30 is best!

On a side note don’t forget about the harm blue light has on the skin as well, you can read about it in my Complexion Rescue Defense post.

My favourite SPF products are;

Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue Defense SPF30

Bare Minerals SkinLongevity Vital Power Moisturiser SPF30

PIXI Sun Mist SPF30

 

7. Face Masks/Facials

I love face masks as a little treat, they really help to boost your skin! I love sheet masks as they revitalise the skin and give it a boost of moisture but without the hassle of cleaning the mask off! Facials are also amazing at boosting your skin but (if like me) you can’t afford them as often as you like I’d recommend learning how to give your own skin a nice massage which is perfect for when you’re applying your own serums and moisturisers!

 

8. Anti-Ageing

It’s suggested that we start using anti ageing products at 25-30 but everyone’s skin is different, I like to look for anything that has Hyaluronic Acid as not only is it moisturising it is also anti ageing so a double whammy! For me, I like to look for certain ingredients instead of just a wonder product!

The ingredients I look for are:

Retinol (0.5% is what I look for)

Vitamin C (also good for protecting against sun damage)

Niacinamide

Biotin

Glycolic Acid

Hyaluronic Acid

 

9. Diet

It’s been said before and I’ll say it again, diet matters! I know I have the worst diet in the world I hardly ever eat fresh veggies and my skin suffers for it. However, I’m pretty good at getting the water in! I drink over 2 liters a day so I’m thankful that my skin behaves so well! I found the easiest way to control my water intake is by using a cute 1L bottle, I like sugar free dilute as I hate the taste of tap water. Tea, coffee, and juice all contribute to your water intake so no excuse not to be getting in at least 2 liters (remember if you’re exercising you need more too)!

 

10. Happiness

Remember it takes more facial muscles to frown than to smile so remember to be happy because you look beautiful no matter how “aged” your skin is!

 

What are your top tips to look after your skin as you get older?

 

Love,

Charlotte xx

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