My 2014 Skincare Resolutions

Since turning the big 3-0 last year, anti-ageing has become far more of a focus in my skincare regime and products with restorative properties are increasingly being added to my daily routine.

With January being the time for resolutions and change, I decided to make 2014 the year that I optimised my daily rituals and invested in better products to slow down the signs of aging.

Luckily I have been blessed with quite oily skin, which during my teenage years felt more like a curse, with its endless breakouts and daily shine, however these days I can happily celebrate its annoyingly lubricious tendencies which make it much slower to age.

I think I have mentioned in another post that in my late teens, I developed acne and my skin became impossible to manage. Having tried endless creams, lotions and treatments, the only thing that made a difference, and subsequently controlled my skin was Elemis, and I have been an advocate of the largely natural line ever since. Despite testing and trialling numerous other products; even those with similar ingredients and properties, nothing quite compares, and Elemis is still the line which makes my skin happy!

There is no point in changing what works for me already, however my resolution is to become more regimented in approach and to stick to a more comprehensive routine each day. I tend to be a bit lazy and often will only moisturise in the morning or only cleanse at the end of the day, and eye products or exfoliation; well, generally only on the rare occasion that I remember!

Pro Collagen Marine Cream has been my moisturiser of choice for years, and its intense rehydrating powers and lightness which allows instant make up application, keep it as one of my all-time beauty saviours.

High on my wish list for some time has been an electric cleansing brush. One of my major skin complaints is the little bumps that sit under the surface, of which exfoliating and deep cleansing is the best way to combat this. I had been planning to invest in a Clarisonic for a while, however after doing some online research I came across the Philips Visa Pure, which according to reviews, is the sleeker, slightly more advanced version of this much loved beauty tool.

I have been using the brush for a few weeks and already I have noticed a marked improvement in my skin. Yes, it did cause breakouts for the first couple of days; however this is completely normal and is a sign of its deep cleaning powers.

There are a couple of things I particularly love about this tool, the first being the timer which pauses the brush rotation briefly after 20 seconds, indicating it time to move on to another part of your face. This is a helpful feature as it means you don’t overdo the brush on one section of your face and it keeps you using it for the optimal one minute only.

The other thing I think is great is the selection of brushes to allow you to tailor the tool to your needs. Supplied with a normal brush and a slightly softer sensitive version, the VisaPure gives me the option to swap heads depending on how my skin feels or what it needs. You can also purchase an exfoliation brush for a more abrasive application if you wish.

Since starting to trial the cleansing brush, my skin is visibly smoother and brighter and the ritual of using it each night before I go to bed is something that is helping me stay on track with my more comprehensive routine.

To kick start the new year and to optimise the effects of my VisaPure, I have introduced a treatment to detox the skin and get rid of the annoying under skin pimples. Elemis Cellular Recovery Capsules are tiny pods filled with Moringa oil which help to draw impurities out of the skin, as well as rejuvenating and hydrating it. At the end of each 30 day course I can always see a visible difference in the clarity of my skin as well as its luminosity and tone and am determined to incorporate these skincare gems into my routine several times this year.

Eye products are the area where I am probably the slackest. Despite the best intentions each week, it is the one thing I always leave out when I am in a rush, which tends to be every morning and every bed time!  The eyes are one of the first places to show signs of ageing, so addressing this is now high up on my priority list.

Having trialled several products over the past year, the one eye cream that most impressed me was the Crème de la Mer Eye Balm Intense which I wrote about here. I love the soothing sensation on application, which is great for my sensitive eyes, and the firming effect is almost instant.

Despite being facially skincare conscious, one thing that always gets neglected is my body; I sporadically exfoliate and cannot remember the last time I moisturised my limbs. On a recent trip to Jo Malone I was lured in by the smell of the Vitamin E body scrub and it was this that inspired my 2014 skincare resolutions.

Three weeks in and I am loving my habitual Sunday night pampering, where I slough away the week with the  luxuriously rich sugar scrub, which leaves my skin fresh and flake free. I absolutely adore the scent and texture, which has just the right level of abrasiveness.

Following my exfoliating shower I am now treating my skin to a slick of Caudalie Divine Oil. Intensely moisturising without being greasy, I love the satin finish that this leaves, particularly on my legs. Packed full of Omega 6 and Vitamin E, my skin is noticeably softer and feels more firm since beginning this new routine.

The great results I have generated in the first three week of my 2014 skincare resolutions are certainly motivating me into continuing with my optimised routines. It really is only an extra 5 or 10 minutes a day, but as the key to anti-ageing is prevention as opposed to cure, I feel a minimal time commitment is investing in my face of the future.