Cleanse, tone, moisturise

Skincare Regime
Skill level: Easy
Cast time: 10-15 minutes
Duration: 12 hours
+4 to Clean
+3 to Blemish Prevention
+2 to Smooth Skin

I've recently realised that a lot of women out there don't follow a basic skincare routine. Admittedly, I used to be included in that broad judgement, but no more!

So first of all, what's the point behind a skincare regime?

Well, for starters, it gets all the gunk off your face, whether it's makeup, sweat or icing sugar from that doughnut you ate for breakfast (I'm not judging - we've all been there). It also gets rid of excess sebum, the natural oils produced on your skin. It's the same stuff that makes your hair greasy if you haven't washed it in a few days, but all over your body and - ew - your face.

You might be asking why you can't just wash it all off with soap like you can on the rest of your body. Touch the skin on your arm. Now touch the skin on your face. Softer, isn't it? Smoother, right? That's because the skin on your face is different to the skin everywhere else on your body, therefore you need to treat it differently to maintain it.

And how do you do that? It depends on your skin type, but the full range of options include: exfoliating, cleansing, applying a mask, toning, treating, applying moisturisers, serums, pore perfectors, primers and eye creams.

So let's start with the basics. Cleanse, tone and moisturise. You want to be doing this morning and night, to wash away the night's sleep-sweat and to scrub off the day's grime.

Cleansing involves using a (wait for it) cleanser of some kind. You don't want to be using soap or harsh detergents on your face, or you'll end up with a face so tight you'll feel like you've just had plastic surgery. If you've got very oily or acne-prone skin, you'll want something stronger with anti-bacterial properties in a foaming or gel cleanser. If you've got combination skin (partly oily, partly dry), you still want a foaming or gel cleanser, but try something a little gentler with sebum-balancing ingredients. A lot of brands use starch or other absorbent powders to mop up excess oil without drying your skin out. If you have dry or dehydrated skin, opt for a cream cleanser or an ultra-gentle foaming wash.

To get the most out of your cleanser, massage it in using circular motions, preferably using some sort of lightly exfoliating pad or brush. Not only will you use less of your cleanser (freeing your money up to pay for your new Rift subscription!) but you will also get a more effective clean and buff off some dead skin cells while you're at it. Rinse off with warm - but definitely NOT hot - water and you're done. I wish this went without saying, but please, be careful around your eyes. Try not to get your cleanser in them, and rinse them out immediately if you do.

Next step, toner. It's a good idea to match your toner to your cleanser. If the store you're buying it from is any good, the appropriate toner will be sitting on the shelf right next to the cleanser. To use toner, dribble a few drops onto a cotton pad. Wipe all over your face. Done. Why should you even bother? Because a toner removes the last traces of your cleanser (returning your skin to its natural, slightly-acidic state) and also gets rid of any last bits of grime or makeup you might have missed with your cleanser. Think of it as the rinse cycle in your washing.

What's that? But you just rinsed your face with water? Well guess what - the main types of things you're trying to get off your face are oils. Oil and water don't mix, so fat lot of good rinsing with water will do you. Trust me, use the toner. Unlike water, it will actually work.

Finally, moisturising! You've just stripped all the good oils out of your skin with the gunk and grime, so before your skin starts to freak out and over-produce some more (causing blemishes, AKA pimples), you'll need to replace it with some other good oils. If you've got oily skin, you want something light and water-based. If you've got combination or dehydrated skin (tight and dry-feeling, but with frequent pimply outbreaks) you want something water-based but slightly richer. If you've got dry skin, go for an oil-based moisturiser, but make sure it's a light oil that will sink into your skin, not just sit on the top creating a barrier. If you're looking at natural oils, babassu oil is lovely!

Now you've got the basics, you need to get into the habit of doing them before you go to bed, then again when you wake up. Pretty soon, you'll have glowing, blemish-free skin and no one will ever suspect that you spend most of your days indoors in front of a computer!

Next post, we'll go into the benefits of exfoliating and using serums.