If you feel like you are missing something in your routine, need some inspo or if you are nosy like me and like to know what products people use, watch my video! 

I am Lily and this is my step by step night time skincare routine. I usually stick to these products and have done so for quite a while now.

Disclaimer! This works for me but may not work for you, as all our skins have different needs and triggers. 

All the products are quite cheap and have a good reputation but don’t take my word for it! Take our expert’s word for it.  

I showed Stephen Lewellis, a dermatologist from New York my skincare routine to analyse my products for you- well and for me I guess!

Garnier Micellar Cleasing Water

Starting off with my makeup remover, I use the Garnier micellar cleansing water. It tends to cost between three and seven pounds depending on the size.

Here is what our expert had to say: 

I love Micellar Water as a makeup remover.  It’s really low in terms of irritation. It’s a really gentle way of removing makeup and one that not everyone knows about.  A definite thumbs up from me.  I don’t think it necessarily has to be of any specific brands.

It’s so much better than makeup removing wipes for instance. They are  always one of the things that if someone’s having any type of skin rash on their face, I say to get rid of.  They are probably doing more harm than good and I will often suggest micellar water as an alternative to that. When people come to me with acne or dermatitis, instead of insisting they don’t wear makeup, I recommend they use Micellar water as a gentle cleanser to remove it.

CeraVe Hydrating Foaming Oil Cleanser

For my cleanser, I use an oil based one. I developed dryer skin in recent years, something I hadn’t experienced before and It works well for me. It costs around seven to seventeen (the seventeen pound one is huge!) pounds depending on size. 

Dr Lewellis said: 

This one from CeraVe cleanser  says it is for normal to very dry skin, also suitable for baby and attopic prone skin. If  you have particularly oily skin for instance you probably won’t want to use something like that.  However, if you don’t then this is a good option. CeraVe also makes a non- oil based cleanser for acne prone patients who are more likely to have oily skin. I actually love CeraVe  as a brand. I think this is a fine product, assuming normal to very dry skin.

More on cleansers… Are there any ingredients we should be avoiding in our cleansers?

Fragrances in general are a good thing to take away. At least temporarily if you are actively trying to cure a skin condition. If you have dermatitis or eczema I do also recommend avoiding ingredients like SLS ‘ sodium lauryl sulfate’ which although normally safe, can cause irritation. 

Also soap is an interesting one. If you use a sensitive skin bar soap you should be fine as it is gentle. But overall it’s best not to be lathering up head to toe everyday in soap, as you end up washing away all your skin’s natural oils.

Simple 10% Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) Booster serum 

I have experimented with loads of serums before, especially when I was desperate to get rid of my acne. I have heard quite good things about niacinamide before and wanted to try it and Simple tends to be quite affordable so I tried it out. I love it! It costs around 6 pounds.

Dr Lewellis tends to recommend Niacinamide: 

I often use the word brightening when talking about niacinamide. It’s  a good ingredient to just overall help the energy and  metabolism in our skin cells if we’re putting it on topically to help brighten up the skin.

It can also protect our cells against damage from ultraviolet light. Not a substitute for things like sunscreen but a nice way to boost our resilience to the sun and the aging of the skin due to sun.I’m a fan.  However, I’ve had rosacea patients who said their skin did not like niacinamide.  So I keep that in mind. Everybody’s different. There are always exceptions to the rule. but in general I think niacinamide is a nice product and that’s why you’re going to see it in a lot of different over the counter products.

The Ordinary Natural Moisturising factors +HA 

This is a new edition to my skincare routine- I used to use a Simple moisturiser but this one feels so lovely on your skin and I had always heard good things about The Ordinary products. It costs between six to twelve pounds.

Our dermatologist believes: 

I do like The Ordinary as a brand. I think they make some good stuff. And the HA is hyaluronic acid. That is a molecule that holds on to a lot of water. So it tends to be very moisturizing. So for very dry skin, having an HA in either your cleanser or your moisturizer, usually a moisturizer, is very efficient. Natural moisturizing factor, NMF,  actually refers to something that’s natural in our skin and that is a component that helps keep our skin not dry. People who have dry eczema prone skin is usually due to a lack of natural moisturizing factor.

And finally! Would you say that most people could use this skincare routine? 

Dr Lewellis says: “I would say for most people this would do them good as opposed to harm. And you’re right. Minus the cleanser choice, which should be based on someone’s skin type.

It doesn’t have hundreds of products in it which is nice because you’re not overwhelming your skin. You’re also not spending an arm and a leg. There’s few enough products to do it consistently and I think it would in the majority of people be helpful especially given that your moisturizer is very fragrance-free.