20 Skincare Tips For The Perfect Routine

20 Skincare Tips For The Perfect Routine

We are setting the record straight on the best skincare tips so that you can put your best skin forward and determine the best products and regimens for your skin. So, from building your skincare routine successfully, or aiming for specific skin goals, our skincare tips have you covered.  

Some of the most Googled questions regarding skincare are the fundamentals: ‘What are the basics of skincare for me?’ ‘How do I choose a skincare routine?’ ‘At what age should I start a skin routine?’ So, if you are reading this, perhaps the best time is now.  

However, that doesn’t mean that you need a crazy number of expensive products or time-consuming steps. First, make friends with your skin and get to know it better, find what your skin needs, and help it blossom. And most importantly, follow the 20 skincare tips we are about to share.

The main goals of caring for your skin

Talking about our goals for skincare, let’s not be perfectionists. The new trend on natural make-up sometimes gives us unrealistic expectations for the skin. Do not deceive yourself with the retouched photos, filters or videos with professionally placed light. 

Natural skin can have texture, pores, wrinkles, blemishes or pigmentation, and still be beautiful. Though, of course, the proper skincare routine does have the power to enhance. 

We highlighted the four most significant groups of skincare goals that you may want to achieve, so that it might be easier for you to define yours.

Oily or combination skin with an oily T-zone, and acne, skin inflammations, blackheads is an any-age skin concern. If you are concerned about these you probably want to minimise large, open pores and sebum secretion, so look for skin-clearing but natural ingredients to not strip the epidermis. But also, you must not forget about skin moisturising and protection. 

You can have dry skin at any age. So, if it’s showing up as noticeable dehydration, irritation and wrinkles, it’s not being moisturised and nourished well. As time passes, skin gets drier, so goals for ageing skin are very similar to those for dry skin — good hydration, gentle treatments, and protection.

These skin conditions mean you own thin or sensitive skin, prone to allergies. These conditions can often make the complexion of your skin look uneven.

Damaged skin needs to be treated carefully and sometimes demands professional care. The best plan will be to consult with a dermatologist to choose a special routine for your skin conditions. Products with acids usually help to return smooth skin texture and complexion.

When it comes to caring for the skin, this is an overview of what a decent regimen involves. So, what are the basic four steps of skincare? 

If you use make-up, then first apply a make-up remover, then wash your face with a foam or gel.

Toner or lotion helps to balance pH after cleansing. Also, it helps to remove any remaining make-up.

This step can include a serum and your daily moisturising and nourishing cream.

Always use an SPF during daylight hours. If there is one in your moisturiser, great, but we recommend investing in a specific SPF cream and layer a dessert spoon amount all over the face (including eyelids and lips), neck, chest, ears and back of hands. As a general rule, aim for at least SPF30 for winter and in summer a SPF50. 

If you buy all the skincare products declared as “must-haves” by influencers, that can probably turn your beauty routine into an expensive obsession. Instead, a wiser approach is to set up your own skincare goals.

● Face cleansers can be used just to wash away pollution or remove make-up. For make-up removal you will need cleansing oil or micellar cleansers, for regular washing you can take a foam or gel.

● Eye care is a set of products for cleansing, moisturising, and lifting eye contour. If you have sensitive and delicate skin around your eyes, pay attention to this zone and don’t apply too much pressure.

● Toners help normal pH balance, get a smooth complexion, and tighten pores. 

● Serums are the most highly-concentrated products that can give your skin a boost of energy, provide radiance, lift and tighten. Think of them as your ‘doing step’. 

● Moisturising is essential in skincare; even oily skin will benefit. 

● You can’t underestimate lip and neck care, as these are specific zones that need to be well moisturised and protected.

● Masks and exfoliators are not something you must use every day. But regular additional care will help you to achieve skincare goals very fast.

● UV protectors are must-have products to keep your skin healthy and youthful-looking over the years.

When building a routine, you should base it on your current skin type and conditions. 

If you want to start with something easy, we recommend a simple four-step base skincare routine.

1. Cleanse your face with SLS-free gentle foaming cleansers with Alpine herbs. Its creamy texture helps your skin to stay moisturised after washing.

If you need to remove make-up, apply Total Cleansing Oil before, and it will dissolve even waterproof heavy make-up.

2. Apply an alcohol-free Soothing Toning Lotion with camomile extract to naturally rebalance the skin flora.

3. Moisturise your skin with Hydra-Essentiel [HA²] Silky Cream for all skin types. Its hydrating formula enriched with hyaluronic acid provides a luminous complexion and a smooth skin texture.

4. In the morning, apply a UV PLUS [5P] Anti-Pollution Rose multi-protection fluid with SPF 50. It provides additional moisture and protection to your skin.

Professional skincare is an option you can use for problematic or ageing skin. Otherwise, these are not necessary treatments, and they can’t replace your home everyday skincare. But it’s an excellent opportunity to take professional advice and discover new effective methods.

Deep cleansing doesn’t need to be done regularly, unless you have an oily problematic skin. If your sebum secretion is very strong, a professional manual or ultrasonic cleansing can help to purify pores and control acne. 

20 Skincare Tips

What are the basics of skincare? These 20 simple skincare top tips serve as a checklist that can help you achieve glowing and youthful looking skin. 

This is the first golden rule of skincare. Do not sleep with make-up products remaining on your face, and your skin will say, “Thank you!”

Sometimes dermatologists recommend skipping cleansing your face in the morning if you have sensitive skin. Instead, a simple swipe of a gentle toner might suffice. But make sure to cleanse at least once a day, even if you don’t use make-up — to take away the pollution, sebum, and dead skin particles. 

Too hot water can destroy a skin barrier and provide dehydration. So, do not apply hot water every day, even on oily skin. Washing your face with cold water can be an option, but not for sensitive, thin or rosacea skin. 

You must pay attention to the pH balance, especially if you feel itching or irritation. If so, try to use a gentle cleanser. Sometimes it just depends on water quality, then a toner or a lotion will help normalise the skin condition after washing.

Exfoliation is not something you should do every day. But good exfoliation is an advantage for any skin type and makes your following products work harder. For young, oily types and thicker skin you can use granular scrubs such as Fresh Scrub; for ageing skin it is better to choose acid peels, we recommend Beauty Flash Peel. On dry and sensitive skin you can use oily scrubs such as Comfort Scrub.

There is no full skincare routine without moisturising. Do not miss this step, even on oily skin. If it stays dehydrated, it can cause even more sebum secretion.

Sometimes you cannot easily define if a product is moisturising or nourishing. Modern formulas usually have both. But if you need a boost, use facemasks, serums and patches in addition to your daily routine.

Your skin is something you get for the rest of your life, so treat it carefully. Please do not harshly rub it or stretch it while washing, applying cream or make-up. This will help to prevent any irritation or lines from forming.  

Lip skin needs specific and tender care. Use a lip balm every day and use the following three steps for more intensive care — lip scrub, moisturising cream and protective balm.

If you have fine lines along the lip contour, there are ways to treat them. Use our Extra-Firming Lip and Contour Balm.

The skin is different near the eyes — it is delicate, prone to allergies and irritation, puffiness, wrinkles and dark circles. That’s why you need a special eye cream that is more hydrating and gentler than a regular face cream.

The rule of thumb is: cleansing > exfoliating > toner or lotion > serum > masks > moisturising cream > oil > SPF. Overall, it’s better to apply liquid and light formulas before thick, rich and oily products.

Take personal skincare advice. Head to a Clarins store or book your free 20 minutes online consultation with our Clarins Online Personal Shopper for bespoke regimen advice.

… and soon you’ll find out which products and ingredients work on your skin best. If your skin is sensitive and prone to allergies, try a new product on a small area and wait for a few hours to see how your skin reacts. 

Make-up is not the enemy; our make-up is skincare powered and is more caring and can help you reach your skin goals. Also, make-up can build a physical barrier between your skin and outdoor pollution or bad weather conditions.

Ensure all your skincare and make up tools are clean. Just wipe off the dust on your bathroom shelves, throw away all make-up after expiration date, change towels and a pillowcase regularly.

Sufficient rest and a stressless life are your skin’s best friends so keep calm and take a beauty nap when you can.

Why not learn a few simple techniques of face massage? This will help to tighten your skin and provide a fresh skin tone. At home you can use a serum or face oil and sculpting skin rollers. Just not rub or stretch your skin too much and follow the ascending lines. 

No matter how good and expensive your skincare is, it won’t work fully if you only use it from time to time. And conversely, a small routine that you stick to every day will make sense.

Be sure you eat enough vegetables and proteins, vitamins and minerals so your skin will produce enough collagen. 

We know it’s standard advice for every situation, but this is real. Your skin will look better when hydrated from the inside. Aim for 2 litres per day, including still water, herbal teas and vegetable juices. 

Sun protection is one of the significant pro-agers. Always use it even on dull days to have protection from both UVA and UVB lights.

When should you start a skincare routine? Well, it’s never too early or too late. For young skin, of course, you don’t need heavy treatments. But good cleansing, moisturising and SPF protection will work to keep your skin clean, and prevent fast ageing in the future.

If you start thinking of your skin routine in your 30’s, 40’s or 50’s, that’s ok, too. It’s never too late to build an appropriate skincare ritual.

This is an opportunity to detox and take a break for skin, especially if you’re seeing aggravated and reactive after-effects of using inappropriate products. This method helps restore the natural skin barrier. 

The method is based on a less is more principal. Or if you’ve overdone it — then invest in a calming product to use for 2-4 weeks to get skin back into balance. For example, try Calm-Essentiel Soothing Emulsion with natural ingredients to moisturise and protect your skin, avoid discomfort and intensely hydrate. Choose Calm-Essentiel Restoring Treatment Oil for weakened and sensitive skin. It helps with soothing, nourishing and protecting your skin.

There you have it — the golden rules of a bespoke skincare regime. With these skincare tips you should be well on your way to developing the best skincare routine for your skin.