How Long Should Your Skincare Regime Be?
A basic, three-step routine will certainly stand your skin in good stead. But many of you want so much more from your skincare. So, what’s the sweet spot for the number of products you really need in your regime? Well, that all depends on your needs, concerns and the time you’re willing to spend on your skin…
It may surprise you to hear that the perfect skincare regime does not exist. There, we’ve said it. Yes, there are certain fundamental musts if you want to maintain clean, healthy skin, but as you delve deeper into the wonderful world of serums, essences, treatments and facial oils there’s simply no fail-safe, one-routine-suits-all.
You see, everyone’s skin is different, so our best advice when it comes to scoring the best routine is to first understand your skin type. Knowing whether your skin is oily, dry, normal or combination is vital for helping you to focus your regime and choose the right products. Then you can start thinking about your concerns and the current condition of your skin.
Are you worried about lines around your eyes? Then you need to add an eye treatment into the mix. Or perhaps you’ve noticed an all-over lack of lustre, in which case some regular exfoliation could be in order. All this will help tailor your regime to make it easier to achieve the beautiful skin you deserve.
Of course, time is another factor. So, whether you have just two minutes or a solid quarter of an hour to spend on your skin, here are three regimes to fit into your lifestyle. Because skincare should always be a pleasure, never a chore.
1. The Back-To-Basics Regime
Time Needed: Just 2-3 minutes, twice daily
Products Needed: Crystal Cleanser, Imperial Moisturiser, Night Elixir (recommended), an SPF (always)
To successfully maintain healthy skin, the absolute minimum requirements are cleanser, moisturiser and sun protection.
Gentle but effective cleansing is essential to ensure you don’t clog up your pores with oil, make-up, pollutants and bacteria, so cleanse your face morning and night with Crystal Cleanser.
This can be done and dusted in a matter of seconds, but for a more thorough cleanse, and to help improve circulation, spend a minute to really work it into your skin using the pads of your fingers to massage all over in circular motions. Honestly, just a minute is all it takes to get your blood moving and your skin glowing.
After cleansing, try a final rinse with cool water for an extra wake-up call (maybe don’t try this before bed!), then apply moisturiser straight away while your skin is still damp. This helps lock in water to reduce dehydration and keep your skin’s barrier strong and supple.
If you’re looking for a moisturiser that’ll work morning and night, Imperial Moisturiser will do the job nicely, but to really up your anti-ageing game and help repair and regenerate your skin as you sleep, we recommend replacing it with Night Elixir before bed.
To finish, broad-spectrum sun protection is an absolute must. The sun is the number one cause of external skin ageing, so like cleanser and moisturiser, this one’s non-negotiable. Switch out heavy, gloopy sunscreens that feel terrible on your skin for lightweight moisturisers or mineral foundation.
Better still, try Organic Tinted Moisturiser with SPF 25 which is ideal for evening out your skin tone and giving you lightweight, wearable protection. You can get yourself on the waitlist for the next batch of our Organic Tinted Moisturiser with SPF 25 here.
2. The Savvy, Skin-Conscious Regime
Time Needed: A perfectly do-able 5 minutes, twice daily
Products Needed: Crystal Cleanser, Natural Luminosity Scrub, Diamond Toner, Imperial Eye Gel, Imperial Moisturiser, Night Elixir (recommended), an SPF (always)
To get more from your skincare like anti-ageing benefits for your eyes or smoother, more radiant skin, you’re going to need more than the bare minimum. You’ll also need to set aside a couple of extra minutes in the morning and evening to care for your skin. But what’s a couple of minutes between friends?
As well as an effective cleanser, your skin will love some regular exfoliation with Natural Luminosity Scrub. Exfoliation removes dead cells from the skin’s surface to reduce build-up and promote new cells to generate more efficiently. Your skin naturally sheds dead skin cells every day, but ageing and environmental damage slows this down causing sluggish skin, dryness, dark spots and congestion.
By removing dead skin cells and helping your skin turn over better, you give it a much better chance of avoiding the signs of premature ageing. Try cleansing each morning and exfoliating in the evening to thoroughly rid your skin of any debris that’s built up throughout the day.
Next, tone your skin with a few spritzes of Diamond Toner to up your hydration and prepare your skin for moisturiser. Toners often get a bad press for stripping your skin of essential oils and moisture, but as long as you avoid skin-drying ingredients like alcohol, they can actually be very beneficial for your skin. We truly believe in our uplifting, soothing toner for all skin types.
Before finishing with moisturiser and sun protection, add an eye treatment into the mix. As we’re sure you know, the skin around your eyes is thin and extremely fragile so, while applying moisturiser to the eye area works fine for some people, Imperial Eye Gel is a much better option.
Imperial Eye Gel contains lots of goodies like green tea, aloe vera, vitamin E and marine collagen which work together to reduce dark circles and puffiness. A great addition for anyone concerned about ageing around the eyes (and who isn’t?!).
3. The Pro Age-Defying Regime
Time Needed: 10-15 minutes, twice daily
Products Needed: Crystal Cleanser, Natural Luminosity Scrub, Diamond Toner, Imperial Eye Gel, Pre-Eminent Beauty Serum, Imperial Moisturiser, Night Elixir (recommended), Organic Age-Defying Facial Oil, an SPF (always). For best value, consider the Seven Phase Ultimate Collection where you’ll get all these, plus a boost for your lips too, and add on Organic Age-Defying Facial Oil
If you take fighting the signs of skin ageing more seriously you’ll be needing all of the above, plus two targeted treatments specifically to treat, nourish and protect your skin.
Your first addition is a serum, which you should apply after toning and before moisturising. Serums are gel- or liquid-based formulations that have a smaller molecular structure than moisturisers. This means they’re able to deliver potent active ingredients like antioxidants and fruit acids deep into your skin for visible, skin-changing benefits.
Pre-Eminent Beauty Serum is packed with hyaluronic acid, seaweed collagen and vitamins C and E which help firm, plump and smooth your skin to reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and enlarged pores. For the best results, apply just a small amount – roughly the size of a pea – evenly over your face and neck without too much rubbing or massaging. Then you can carry on with that all-important moisturiser.
As your skin ages, it produces fewer oils and its barrier function weakens which allows moisture to escape more easily. Furthermore, hormonal fluctuations such as a drop in oestrogen slows down your skin’s natural moisturising factor, affecting your skin’s overall suppleness and elasticity. All this means your skin might need more than one moisturiser.
Say hello to Organic Age-Defying Facial Oil. Ideal as an extra boost to your moisturising regime (or you can use it alone), this elegant facial oil is literally brimming with nutrient-rich botanical oils like safflower, pomegranate, rosehip and avocado seed oils.
It’s perfect for fighting free radicals, targeting fine lines, reducing dark spots and giving your skin a super-powered boost of radiance. Just remember, if you’re applying this as part of your morning routine, you must always finish with a broad-spectrum sunscreen like Organic Tinted Moisturiser with SPF 25.
So, you see, whether you have no time at all or all the time in the world, gorgeous skin is always within reach!