The Best Skincare Routine for Morning and Night

Life can take its toll on your skin and leave your face looking tired, puffy, and lacking in lustre and glow. Skincare can be a minefield - there is just so much information out there. From perfecting your skincare routine, to taking the best supplements and ensuring your diet is complexion-friendly, it can be difficult to know where to start.

It is important to have two skincare routines, especially for dry and sensitive skin: a morning skincare routine and an evening skincare routine. It is equally important to make sure you’re getting the correct skincare vitamins and nutrients to promote healthier, more radiant skin.

Allow us to walk you through the ultimate am and pm skincare routine for dry skin, and to introduce you to the skincare supplements you should be taking if you want to achieve healthy, beautiful skin.

Step 1: Double cleanse

Start the day with an oil-based cleanser to lift away any dirt or product that’s accumulated on your skin overnight. Rub in circular motions to boost your circulation and wake your skin up. Follow this with a water-based cleanser to deep-clean the pores and calm any redness. Carrying out both of these steps will ensure you have a clean and clear canvas as the basis for the rest of your routine. When you rinse your face, use warm water; never excessively hot water and never excessively cold water. Hot water opens the pores and can lead to excess sebum production. Conversely, if water is too cold it can lead to dehydration and dry, cracked skin.

Step 2: Tone

Toning is the key to hydrating your skin and balancing its PH. A good toner will be gentle on the skin and not result in any tingling or tightness in the skin (if you experience either of these things, stop using the product and shift to a new brand). Rosewater-based toners tend to be gentle and work well for most skin types. Dab toner onto your skin with your fingers for best results.

Step 3: Apply a serum

You can select a serum based on any concerns you currently have when it comes to your skin. If you live in a city and are looking for protection against pollution you’ll want to hit up a Vitamin C serum, if it’s hydration you’re after then try a serum containing hyaluronic acid. CBD-based serums are great for calming redness and irritation if these are issues for you. Serums protect against long-term skin damage so this step is non-negotiable.

Step 4: Moisturise

“Your skin looks too hydrated!” said nobody ever. Moisturiser should be applied every day without fail if you want to keep your skin feeling elastic and looking plump and radiant. This is a particularly important step to keep signs of ageing at bay (you could even use an anti-ageing specific moisturiser if this is a concern for you). Make-up also sits much more comfortably and lasts a lot longer when applied on top of moisturiser.

Step 5: SPF, SPF, SPF

This is probably the most important step in this list. UV protection is not just for the beach. You need to be wearing SPF (ideally factor 50) no matter what you’re doing. Repeated exposure to UV rays - even in the winter months or through cloud cover - will lead to premature ageing and cell degeneration. Sun damage thins the skin, decreases its elasticity and increases the appearance of pores.

Step 1: Remove your make-up

Nobody, I repeat nobody, should be going to bed with their make-up still on. Ever. If you allow the make-up to sit and soak into your skin your pores will become blocked, your skin will become oily and you’ll develop blackheads.

Start by removing eye make-up with a product designed specifically for this area of your face - the skin around your eyes is ten times thinner than the skin elsewhere on your face so it cannot take the same intensity of product. Then double cleanse as you did in the morning: oil-based first, followed by water-based.

Step 2: Tone

Toning is as important in the evening as it is in the morning. Toning not only balances and hydrates, it also travels a lot deeper into the skin than cleanser, penetrating the epidermis in order to clean beneath the skin and deep into the pores.

Step 3: Apply serum

Apply serum to replace the nutrients that have been depleted during the day. Again, this step is sacrosanct but completely customisable. Select a serum that supports your skin’s unique needs.

Step 4: Apply an overnight oil

You wouldn’t think it but applying a sebum-controlling oil actually combats oiliness. Oils are a little heavy for the day and can make your skin a little shiny-looking, but at night time they should be applied to combat the sebum that leads to clogged pores and blackheads. You only need a couple of drops (a little goes a long way) and should massage into your skin with your fingers. Massage in an upward motion away from your neck to keep the skin looking younger for longer.

Step 5: Layer up with night cream

Effectively a moisturiser but generally thicker and more luxurious, night cream is your secret weapon against dehydration while you sleep. Think of night cream as sealing in the products that have come before it. Night creams are specifically formulated to sink deep into the skin and get to work hard on protecting and regenerating your cells. Using a night cream will support your skin, keeping it healthy and minimising visible signs of ageing.

It is important to be regular with your skincare; the more frequently you follow the steps outlined above, the better the appearance of your skin, and the more youthful, radiant and glowing you will look. Ideally, in addition to working on your skin from the outside-in, you should also be taking skin-enhancing supplements and improving your complexion from the inside-out.

LYMA’s formula contains three ingredients specifically formulated to combat tired, dull skin, improve your appearance and boost your confidence. If you want to improve the tone, texture and quality of your skin look no further than LYMA’s patented formula.

Cynatine® HNS is the world’s first solubilised, active keratin and is paving the way for nutricosmetics. These keratin peptides are highly bioavailable, stable and clinically proven to fight the effects of inflammation and oxidative stress which take their toll on the way skin looks and feels. In a controlled study of 100 people aged 41 to 70 who took Cynatine® HNS for 90 days, 80% reported that the texture and tone of their skin had significantly improved, and that it was more radiant.

LYMA’s formula also contains the world’s first technology-enhanced natural carotenoid, Lycored Lycopene™. Regular supplementation with Lycored Lycopene™ has been shown to reduce visible signs of ageing , boost collagen levels and increase the elasticity of skin, and to enhance your skin’s natural luminosity. Lycored Lycopene™ has also been shown to be powerful in protecting against the damaging effects of UV rays and in preventing and diminishing breakouts and blemishes. Supplementing with Lycored Lycopene™ at a daily dose of 30mg as formulated in LYMA has been shown to reduce excess sebum production, balance the skin’s microbiome and stabilize its PH levels. It has also been associated with a reduction in the size and appearance of pores.

Many of the issues commonly facing us when it comes to skin - breakouts, uneven pigmentation , premature ageing and dehydration - can be attributed in part to high levels of inflammation and oxidative stress in the body. HydroCurc® is a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. Supplementing with this highly bioavailable form of curcumin (the active compound found in turmeric) has been shown to revive and renew the appearance of dull, tired skin, brighten complexion and return your skin to a state of balance and harmony. HydroCurc® is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to fighting the free radicals that give rise to cell degeneration and are a causal factor in the development of fine lines and wrinkles. Read: supplementing with HydroCurc® can give you back the glow that was your birthright.

For best results, combine supplementing with LYMA with upping your skincare routine game, morning and evening. You should also try to clean up your diet and pile as many anti-inflammatory and free-radical fighting foods as you can onto your plate at every meal. We want to empower you to take control of your wellbeing. If you want to start looking more radiant, feeling more confident and living a more full life then try LYMA.