

The New Year is all about making changes in your life, and what better way to start than with your skincare routine. Here are a few easy updates for even better-looking skin in 2025.
Cleaning your skin is the starting point of any great skin. If you leave the daily grime and makeup on your face, then nothing you do to it afterwards will make a difference. First, pick the right cleanser for your skin type. Here’s the cleansing rule book to help you buy the right one.
For oily or acne prone skin
Look for a cleanser with blemish-busting salicylic acid to help unclog pores and keep oil at bay. Washes and gels are great for this skin type as this gives a deeper cleanse without drying the skin out.
For dry skin
Creams and milks offer a more soothing cleanse as they contain more moisturising ingredients to hydrate the skin while you cleanse.
For normal skin
Almost any cleanser will do the trick on normal skin types. Just choose a formula that you feel most comfortable with and one that leaves your skin clean rather than tight.
For ageing/sensitive skins
Cleansing balms and oils are often a gentle, nourishing blend of herbs, plant and essential oils, so they gently melt what’s on the skins surface and transform to a light milk when you add water. This is a gentler way to clean sensitive and older skin types.
Once you’ve found the right formula
Warm your cleanser between your palms. Work it onto your skin for about 15 seconds, adding water if necessary and work around your whole face in small circles. Next, splash your face with warm water to rinse it off, or use a soft face cloth to gently wipe off excess cleanser. Don’t cleanse more than twice a day as it can lead to dryness and irritation.
These are a halfway house between a traditional cleanser and toner. Originating from France they are considered a simple, effective method of removing makeup and dirt in a gentle way without the need to wash it off. These are more makeup removers than a proper cleanse but can be helpful for eczema and super-sensitive skins that need a gentle cleanse.
Don’t forget the water treatment
Otherwise known as a toner back in the day, these waters, essences, and tonics will clarify the skin after cleansing and get rid of the last residue of cleanser. Not sure what to go for? Continue to treat your skin concern. If it’s open pores and blemishes you want to fix, waters containing salicylic or glycolic acid or any that have ‘clarifying’ on the bottle are great for mopping up excess oil and purifying the skin. Dry skins will suit anything containing aloe vera, rose and chamomile whereas tonics containing vitamin C or if they say ‘radiance’ are good for pigmentation and general skin brightness. Retinol is the power ingredient to look for when it comes to ageing skins. Simply spritz, splash, or wipe over your face with a cotton pad before you apply your serum, allowing it to soak into the skin for at least five minutes.
Maximise your mask time
The skin boosting benefits of masking are incredible and very noticeable, it’s just knowing how to use them correctly in the first place to unlock their power. With so many to choose from it can tricky. For a start its which one to go for. As a guide, sheet masks are great for their short-term effects and are best used in the morning ideally chilled from the fridge as the cold will tighten pores and depuff the skin. Other masks like clay, peels and anti-ageing creams are most effective when used in the evening, pre-bedtime so their beneficial ingredients can lay on the skin undisturbed while you sleep. And you’ve probably heard of the whole multi-masking thing by now, well its still a thing. Basically, that means you use different masks over your face at the same time depending on your skin concerns. Clay masks are great on the nose, forehead, and chin to shrink pores and soak up excess oil, whereas creamy hydrating masks sit well on cheeks as they tend to be drier.
Used in traditional Chinese medicine, gua sha involves scraping a flat, rounded tool, usually made of jade over the skin. Translated, ‘gua’ means press or stroke, and ‘sha’ refers to a rash or redness. While traditional Chinese therapists work hard on the skin which leaves it red, you don’t need to. Simply hold the tool flat to the skin, under the eyes or over any redness, then use the curved side and work over the skin taking short strokes in one direction. Stoke down the neck to drain, working it in small horizontal strokes over the brow bone and between the brows to lift tension. For best benefits you should do it every day as it relaxes muscles, gets the energy and blood moving and shifts any puffiness plus it boosts circulation which takes away toxins bringing oxygen and nutrients to the skin. This all leads to instantly more supple, glowing, and healthy-looking skin. What’s not to love?
SHOP NOWIncorporate these into your skincare routine and you will notice a difference to your skin. Not only will it appear brighter, but fine lines will soften, and overall skin texture will be soft and smooth. Just avoid using both as that can be too much for most skin types. Aim to use a peel for a few nights a week for three weeks, then switch to retinol.
SHOP NOWA cream, a moisturiser should be the final step in your skincare routine after serums as they seal them in and are best way to nourish and hydrate the skin, which even oily complexions need. It’s all about choosing the right one for your skin type to get the best results. Dry skins will suit richer, thicker creams, while oiler types should go for gel textures as they are lighter and won’t clog pores.
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