Here’s the skincare routine I’ve been following for most of the season and I have to say that it has kept my face looking quite spectacularly fresh and bouncy, considering the stress levels and overarching sense of  fatigue that has dominated the past few months. (And the fact that I’ve been gorging on Mint Magnums with ever-increasing frequency.)

So the tweaks I’ve made seem to have seen me through spring without any significant dramas – though I think it’s also pertinent to note that I’ve been taking my Vitamin D every day, which always makes a huge difference to my skin, hair and nails. (To be more accurate, I took Vitamin D tablets for the first few weeks of lockdown, but when the weather turned glorious and stayed that way, I ended up spending most of my time outdoors and so I haven’t been quite so diligent at taking the supplement. Regardless, I always find the difference remarkable. My default state, in terms of vitamin D levels, seems to be “chronically deficient”.)

Anyway, no more blathering on: here’s my current routine. There’s a product list as long as my arm for this particular update (below the video pane), but not because it’s complex; I just wanted to give a few options for each step – something spendy, something sensible. Favourites old and favourites new.

My Current Skincare Routine: Spring 2020

In a nutshell:

Morning: Cleanse + Antioxidant + Moisturiser/SPF

Evening Night 1: Cleanse + Retinol

Evening Night 2: Cleanse + Hydrating Serum + Rich Moisturiser

My morning routine remains relatively unchanged. In fact I never really do anything funky or different in the morning, mainly because I don’t have the time to spare. Or even the time to think things through properly. As such, it’s usually a cleanser-serum-moisturise situation, although I’ve been outdoors a lot and so you can tag “sunscreen” onto the end of that list.

The cleanser tends to be light and splash-off and I love the Curel Foaming Wash* at the moment. The antioxidant du jour is Paula’s Choice Triple Algae Pollution Shield* and you can find out about my current most-used sunscreens here.

My evening routine alternates between two versions, neither of them very difficult or lengthy. After a thorough cleanse with a balm, usually twice, I’ll either apply my retinol product (see list beneath the video pane) or I’ll go in for the hydration marathon. Well, not really a marathon – just two steps. More of a hydration sprint. In the Dads’ race at school sports day.

The sprint consists of a hydrating serum and then a rich moisturiser, just to get things juicy and plumptious.

That’s it. The odd glycolic peel pad, but not so much at the moment because I’m outside for most of the day, and now and then a face mask, mainly because I’ve started drinking a herbal sleepy tea in the bath before bed and a face mask just feels right.

There’s a lot more in the way of explanation for everything in the video, so you should absolutely watch that. I don’t even waffle, which is nothing short of a miracle, especially as being locked in with two small children has completely melted my mind. Locked in? Locked down!

You can find all my cleanser reviews here

Sunscreen reviews are here

Curel Foaming Facial Wash*

Paulas Choice Triple Algae Pollution Shield* 

La Roche Posay Pure Vitamin C10 Serum* 

The Inkey List Vitamin C Serum*

Link to Vitamin C Products featured here

Lumene Arctic Hydra Care Moisture & Relief Rich Day Cream*

Lumene Arctic Hydra Care Moisture & Relief Rich Oleo Serum* 

La Roche-Posay Anthelios- Shaka Fluid sunscreen*

The Body Shop Skin Defence Multi Protection Lotion* 

Elizabeth Arden 8 hour Great 8 Daily Defence Moisturiser* 

Coola Classic Face cucumber mineral sunscreen*

Beautypie Plantastic Apricot Butter Cleansing Balm*:

Kate Somerville Goat Milk Cleanser*

Curel Cleansing balm* 

Superfacialist Rose Hydrate Calming Creamy Cleanser* 

Medik8 R-Retinoate Intense 

Kate Somerville Dermalquench Liquid Lift Retinol Serum* 

Murad Ready.Radiant.Retinol* 

The Inkey List caffeine eye cream*

Lumene Arctic Hydra Care Moisture & Relief Rich Day Cream*:   

Lumene Arctic Hydra Care Moisture & Relief Rich Oleo Serum* 

Beautypie Japanfusion Supreme Cream* 

Alpha-H hyaluronic 8 Serum* 

La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Hyaluronic Acid Serum* 

The Inkey List Collagen Booster Firming Peptide Serum*

Beautypie JapanFusion Bio-Ceramide Moisture Mask* 

Drunk Elephant F balm Electrolyte Waterfacial*

Dermalogica Multivitamin power recovery mask* 

Indeed Labs No Acid Pads*