We know skincare can be baffling. From understanding the difference between UVA and UVB rays to knowing your AHAs from your BHAs, it’s a lot to take in. Thankfully, it’s not imperative to know every single scientific detail about the entire contents of your face serum’s ingredients list.

But when it comes to choosing products that work for your skin type, or knowing how to apply them to get the best results, that’s when a little knowhow can come in very handy indeed. And we're here to make caring for your skin simple and effective.

Read on for the answers to five of your most common skincare questions…

1. Right Or Wrong Technique?

Patting your skincare over your face and neck is the best way to go. Rubbing, especially around the delicate eye area, is too forceful and can cause unnecessary pulling, dragging and friction on the skin.

Need To Know: Aggressive, repeated rubbing can cause an inflammatory response deeper within the skin’s surface, aggravating conditions like rosacea and acne, and accelerating the formation of fine lines and wrinkles.

FACT: Patting is believed to increase the effectiveness of a product by encouraging ingredients to be absorbed quicker and deeper.

Top Tip: Use the pads of your fingers for applying thinner, more viscous products like Imperial Eye Gel or Pre-Eminent Beauty Serum. Press the palms of your hands against your skin for products like Imperial Moisturiser and Organic Age-Defying Facial Oil.

Note: The only product "patting" doesn’t really apply to is Crystal Cleanser, which should be massaged all over using light pressure to give your skin an effective clean and increase circulation and lymphatic drainage.

2. What's The Correct Order To Apply?

Up there as one of the most Googled skincare questions! It’s also one we get asked regularly, so layering your products correctly is obviously something that is a tad baffling. Good news is the answer is really quite simple...

1. Remove your make-up with our Natural Make-Up Remover.

2. Cleanse and tone to prep your skin and remove built-up nasties (exfoliate before toner if you choose).

3. Apply your Imperial Eye Gel.

4. Follow up with Pre-Eminent Beauty Serum.

5. Next comes your moisturiser.

6. Finish off with Organic Age-Defying Facial Oil before your SPF.

Golden Rule: After cleansing and toning, the rest of your regime should be applied in order of thinnest to thickest, with the most dense being last. If you don’t stick to this your weightier products will stop the lighter ones from penetrating your skin and doing their job effectively.

3. How To Choose The Right Products For Me?

The key to understanding what your skin needs and what to avoid. To do this, you need to know your skin type – normal, dry, combination or oily. [Don't know your skin type? Head here for our handy step-by-step guide].

Normal skin? Lucky you! Freely focus on the skin concerns you want to address but don't go OTT. Oily skin? You’ll want to go steer clear of pore-clogging rich occlusives but don't fear a facial oil - they can help balance your oil production! Dry skin? Deeply moisturising, restoring and hydrating ingredients should be your friends for life. Butters, oils, aloe vera...

Rule of Thumb: Whatever your skin type, gentle products which contain fewer ingredients and no irritants like sulphates, parabens and synthetic fragrances are always the best options. This is where we make things super easy because the HIGHBORN range is exactly this!

4. Is Retinol Ok For Sensitive Skin?

Yes, but you must use a little common sense. Retinol is a potent, active ingredient that promotes collagen synthesis and cellular turnover. It’s seen as the gold-standard in anti-ageing ingredients and can even help treat acne breakouts. But getting it wrong can cause redness, dry skin and irritation. 

The best way to avoid this is to take it slow and steady, for all skin types...

1. Choose a product like Pre-Eminent Beauty Serum which contains a gentler retinol derivative like retinyl palmitate.

2. Patch test it on a discreet area of your skin first and leave it for 48 hours to check for any reaction.

3. Good to go? Apply it a couple of times a week to begin with, building to daily use as your skin acclimates.

TAKE NOTE: The best time to pamper your feet is at night. This will stop you from sliding around in your shoes after moisturising the soles of your feet.

5. Best Way To Get Rid Of Dark Circles?

Dark circles occur when tiny blood vessels expand and become more visible underneath the thin, delicate skin around your eyes. Aside from the obvious, sleep and protecting your delicate eye area, here are two speedy fixes to follow:

1. Good quality eye gel, like Imperial Eye Gel, to hydrate, plump and firm up your eye area. Even better when cooled in the fridge to restrict those expanded capillaries.

2. Pop a couple of cold compresses like cucumber slices or used tea bags over your eyes then lie back and relax for 10 minutes to further constrict the blood vessels and make them much less visible.

Did You Know? Your propensity to get dark circles (or not) is largely down to genetics. However, age-related collagen loss, sun damage, lack of sleep, smoking, stress, dehydration and irritation will make dark circles way more prominent.