The first thing not to do if you’re looking for great skin in January is to start a radical new skincare routine. Don’t buy into the new year, new you – you must try all these products – message. Be realistic and come at it from a self-care perspective which will allow you to not just create a great skincare routine but also stick to it and visibly see the benefits.
The main concerns my clients in their forties and fifties face are lines. Lines come from dehydration so it’s vital to make sure both you and your skin stay hydrated. Using professional products like Medik8 or Elizabeth Arden Pro. Anything on the high street doesn’t contain the high levels of hydration boosting properties needed for great skin so it’s vital to work with a great salon to find out which products will work for your skin, how to use and apply them and what to pair them with then continue this at home.
The next thing I tell my clients is to keep things simple and take the stress out of skincare. Take things back to basics by using a good cleanser like Vitage oil-free foaming cleanser. Then use a two in one cream which has a serum within the moisturiser. It’s so important that your skin feels clean and can breathe.
After you’ve moisturised, use a brush-on SPF from Vitage or Medik8 as a shield to protect your skin but also as a great primer. It won’t clog up your skin like a makeup primer can, it will instead protect it and act as a barrier against pollution, moisture loss and environmental damage.
The other thing about an SPF is that it holds in the products you’ve applied to your face. Heat, free radicles and pollution will all try to break down the natural collagen in your skin and zap moisture. But, applying a salon quality professional SPF once you’ve cleansed and moisturised your skin will lock in that goodness and leave it to look after your skin acting as a barrier against the outside elements.
It’s important not to focus on trends. Don’t use products that you feel you have to because they were a Christmas gift or they’ve been in your cupboard for ages and need using up. Stick to what you know works for your skin and invest in those products. Give the gifts you know won’t look after your skin as presents to others throughout the year, give them to charity or your local women’s refuge. Never use products just because you feel you should only use the ones you know will help make your skin healthy.
If you feel your skin needs a boost, exfoliate once a week. Elizabeth Arden Pro invigorating scrub is a great polish. Also look into a sleep-in face mask which will help the ingredients get deep down into your skin while it rests meaning you’ll wake up with beautiful, hydrated skin. Just use a smaller amount and use it as a cream rather than as a covering mask.
If you’re worried about your eyes. Invest in an eye cream or eye serum. The eye area is like a piece of silk, so you only ever work around the eye bone. Don’t ever put the cream onto the delicate area up to the lash line. By focussing on the area around the eye socket the skin will naturally take what it needs and will plump up and nourish the whole area.
About the author
Jennie Lawson is a skincare specialist and the founder of Mimosa Beauty further advice can be found on her site Mimosa Beauty.
Last modified: June 10, 2021
