Hello everyone, my name is Jemima and welcome to today’s skincare video. This is part three of ‘Skincare & Me’, a series of videos where I will be going into more dept about my skincare journey and the behind the scenes of creating my skincare videos. Today I want to share how I use skincare products and create routines. 

In part one I discussed my thought process when it comes to shopping for skincare, and the things I looked at were Price, My Skincare Concerns, Key Ingredients in the product and Brand Reliability. And so this is a continuation showing you how I test, use and monitor the skincare products that have arrived. 

First, I want to talk about how I actually use products, what order and how often.

I say in all my videos that:

A basic skin care routine can transform your skin, it is cleansing, moisturising and sunscreen; when you follow these 3 steps and use good products you have a great foundation. Then everything else you add such as toner, essence, serum and mask work better.

I keep my skincare routine very minimal in terms of outline. My morning routine is cleanser, toner, moisturiser and sunscreen. My night is double cleanse, toner and moisturiser. I can add an essence, serum, mask, or BHA in-between whenever I feel my skin needs it. But I can get by for a few days keeping it simple. 

So I always start with a cleaner, in the morning just one water based and at night a double cleanse beginning with an oil. And I do this everyday. I personally wash my face twice a day with a cleanser. Some people do not like to do as it can be too stripping for their skin. When and how often you wash your face with a cleanser is about preference, but I would recommend at least once a day. 

At night I leave my double cleanse on for a few minutes like a mask, when I do other things before I get into the shower. I don’t know if this has a drastic effect on my skin, but I do like knowing that I’ve given certain cleansers more time to get their nutrients. For example my vitamin c oil cleanser is the only time I get to topically apply vitamin c, so I want as much of the benefits and I feel quickly washing it off after 60 seconds is too rushed. So I leave it on with the other cleanser for 3 minutes. Once the cleanser is washed off I like to dry my face with a face towel, I might leave it slightly damp; but I find if it is super damp I don’t like the way my products feel when I apply them.

After that I use a toner, I use a toner twice a day. Initially toners where about bringing the pH of your skin to a good level because of harsh soaps; however now they do that but also have other benefits. A toner to me is a product that creates a healthy environment and helps to maximise the rest of your skin care. 

I also use a moisturiser twice a day, sometimes I get specific ones that say for night and I have some I know worker better for day time because they are lighter. Moisturisers can be too thick and heavy for some peoples skin types, so essences or serums might be better to help seal in hydration if those feel better.

And in the morning the last step is always sunscreen, even in the winter when it’s tempting to skip it because you don’t see much sun anymore. The question that everyone always wants to know is how much sunscreen should you use. I do not have the answer. I use enough to cover my face; sometimes more or less depending on the condition of my skin and the type of sunscreen it is. There are some sunscreens that are more thick and some that doesn’t absorb well. I work around these trying to find a balance as I don’t like feeling like there is a lot of product on my face, because it can start to great greasy.

I think having a skincare routine is really important. Skincare can be a great way to self-care, taking the time relax and appreciate your skin. But really it doesn’t even have to be a long process, as simple skin maintenance is the key to seeing progress. 5 minutes is all you really need. For those who aren’t completely convinced by skincare I think watching this video might show you that it does make a different to the health of your skin.

The ladies at Beauty Within actually did a “NO SKINCARE CHALLENGE: 1 week”. It was absolutely scary but equally entertaining to watch. 

Hey friends, I am going to pause here as the full video is super long over 25 minutes. In this video I talked about my basic skin care routine outline; how many steps and when I use products. In the next video I will discuss my experience with testing new products and how I know when something works for my skin. I will also share how I create routines and my top 4 skincare products of 2021.

If you haven’t already check out my other Skincare & Me videos. I have a lot planned for this series, there are many different topics to discuss. Also click the Skincare Playlist to find Skincare Routine videos to watch. If you have any questions or any suggestions of topics you would like to see in the future leave a comment. Thank you so much for watching this video. If you enjoyed this video remember to like, comment, subscribe and ring the notification bell so you know when I post. Byeeeee