We have all heard of bad hair days, but how many of us pay attention to our bad skin days? For some of us, it is just another day so we do nothing about it, and for others it is time to pull out the big guns and get to work on different creams and lotions in a desperate bid to clear things up.
I am somewhere in the middle of the mix. I like to make sure my face is moisturised, but I have very combination skin so too much of a good thing can just make my skin worse overnight. I have seen many influencers and celebrity advice videos on Instagram showing us how to use the right creams at the right times and, of course, they always look flawless! But at this point I have to start questioning whether it is just a mix of good lighting, filters and a pre-applied skincare routine that we did not see off camera — just to make sure they look even more gorgeous.
So, do we really need all of those face creams that promise to do wondrous things and make our skin look just as beautiful as the celebrities and influencers of Instagram? Or is most of it just a big marketing myth? Let us delve into the world of face creams and see what each one does and whether it could work for you.
Cleansing Habits
Let us start by looking at our typical cleansing habits — good and bad — and see if we are starting off on the right foot to begin with. Like cleansing, there is absolutely no point in parting with well-earned cash to buy extra-smoothing, anti-ageing, skin-boosting creams if you are not going to follow a proper cleansing routine in the first place.
Our skin relies on its own biology to stay healthy and everything is about balance. Tip the scales and we start to see things like breakouts, excess dryness, oiliness and all of that. When this happens, it becomes harder to level everything out again, so we do what we can to hide it with makeup and face creams — and probably in the end just make things worse.
The key to good skin is keeping it clean and recognising your own skin type so you can control any breakouts before they even happen. Washing your face every day is so important when you think about it. Faces are the one part of the body that can be mostly or partly exposed every day, whether indoors or out in the great wide world. Even for those whose faces remain covered, there will still be a collection of dirt and debris, pollution and vapour sitting on the surface. On top of all this, makeup, oil, sweat and dead skin cells just love to coat your skin and create a surface that makes it harder to work with for the next round of makeup.
By washing this away each day it helps the skin to retain its fresh look and feel, and prevents unwanted and unnecessary problems in the long run. A hydrating cleanser should be used twice a day alongside a makeup remover. Stick to a solid makeup removal process — as it says on the tin, a makeup remover takes away all makeup residue while a cleanser removes all the dirt from deep down.
When it comes to cleansing, yes, you really need to invest in both — especially if you are a big makeup fan. A cleanser alone is not enough, and a standard soap can cause dryness. Look after your skin when it comes to cleansing and you might not need to go as hard on spending when it comes to moisturisers.
Sunscreen vs SPF Moisturiser
How many of you can honestly say you wear sunscreen as much as you should? With all the warnings out there, not many of us are committing to a proper skin protection routine. The reason? Well, it is all a little complicated, and knowing what you should buy and how and when to apply it is not really spelled out in clear instruction.
Think about it — the point of a moisturiser is that it sinks deep into the skin on your face to hydrate the outer layers and provide moisture all day long. The purpose of sun cream is to sit on your face like a protective barrier that stops the sun in its tracks before it can even think about burning you. So how can an SPF moisturiser do both jobs properly?
The experts agree that you should use two separate products in the interests of sun safety. It might mean changing up your makeup routine entirely to make way for a thicker layer of sun cream, but that is a small price to pay for undamaged skin.
On the other hand, if you choose an SPF moisturiser, you are at least doing something right — even if it only gives you partial coverage, it is better than none at all. The general consensus is to buy two separate creams, but one will do as long as you incorporate it into a proper moisturising routine and wear it every day.
BB Creams, CC Creams and Tinted Moisturisers
Most people swear by one product they cannot live without; for others, there are never enough face creams. But unless you know what all these products do — and that would be an expensive way to find out — you have to rely on others trying and testing things to know what will work best for you.
Take BB cream for example. It exploded onto the beauty scene a few years back and everyone was rushing to buy their preferred brand, but not many people knew what it was for or why it was so good. Then CC cream entered the scene and instead of giving people options, it started to become a little confusing. Tinted moisturiser had always been reliable, had it not? Should we be wearing one, or both, or all three?
BB Cream — or Beauty Balm/Blemish Balm — is a great multitasking product that is more lightweight than a normal foundation, has moisturising properties and does a great job at evening out skin tone and hiding blemishes. It can be used on its own or with a concealer and foundation, and it contains SPF. Not enough to do the whole job, but enough to offer a small amount of sun protection. BB Creams took the world by storm and it is easy to see why.
CC Cream — or Colour Correcting Cream — has a similar function to BB but is designed to correct colour blemishes and uneven skin tones. Some people are prone to redness in certain areas, or dark patches, and CC cream helps to balance things out while feeling light on the skin. The coverage is not going to mimic the results of foundation, so combining BB Cream and CC Cream can be a winning formula.
Tinted moisturiser has been around for years and is suddenly growing in popularity again. Lighter than foundation but thick enough to give you some good coverage, tinted moisturiser helps your skin glow without the heaviness of other creams and foundations. It is not always great at hiding blemishes, so it can work best when combined with a concealer or BB/CC cream to get the best of all worlds.
Three outstanding products, three quite different results. When it comes to whether you need all of those face creams, on this one the answer is — it is worth trying all three, because foundation is not the be-all and end-all of face coverage.
Anti-Ageing Cream vs Wrinkle-Smoothing Cream
For many of us, the thought of ageing skin is enough to send us into a mild panic. We have all been searching through the beauty world to find creams that help prevent it from happening. And when that does not work, well — there is always Botox!
But let us be honest: do many of us believe that anti-ageing creams truly work? Surely if they did, there would be a whole lot more youthful-looking 80-year-olds wandering about. Fine, the best-formulated creams have not been around that long, so the results still remain to be seen — but if turning back the clock on ageing skin were as simple as buying a little pot of moisturiser, would we not all be doing it?
The thing with anti-ageing cream is that it is supposed to prevent ageing, not reverse it. Skin that already has a few wrinkles may not see the benefit. Anti-wrinkle cream, on the other hand, does something quite different. Usually a moisturiser with the added benefit of being able to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, it typically contains hydroxy acids, peptides, and Vitamin C among other ingredients. Its purpose is to plump up the skin, which gives it a smoother appearance and reduces the severity of wrinkles.
It is no permanent miracle cure that allows us to relive our youthful days of smooth, elastic skin — but it can help. When it comes to anti-ageing and anti-wrinkle creams, the best approach is to look after your skin as you age. Avoid smoking and sugary food and drinks, keep up with a good cleansing routine, and do not forget sunscreen every day.
Face Serum vs Moisturiser
For many people, using just one of these products is enough — but could you really feel the benefit if you combined both? Let us look at what each one does.
A face serum tends to be more lightweight than a moisturiser and has smaller molecules, so it can penetrate the skin more deeply. This makes it excellent for skin concerns that are deep-rooted and harder to reach. Serums are great for targeting things like dry skin or dark patches while creating a more even skin tone. They absorb into the skin fairly quickly, leaving your complexion clear and fresh and ready for the next step in your beauty routine.
Some people stop there, but it can be worth adding a moisturiser to the mix to ensure full coverage and hydration. A serum is not designed to provide long-lasting hydration throughout the day — whereas a moisturiser is. If you want to go about your day knowing your skin will feel great, there is no reason both of these products cannot serve you well.
To Summarise
There are of course many different views on face creams, even straight from dermatologists themselves, and there are endless choices and new trends all the time. When it comes to whether you need all of those different creams, you have to consider what is right for your skin type, how much time you have to spend on a new routine and whether the costs are worth it for you.
For some, it is a small price to pay for skin they feel good in. For others, it is a cost they could do without. There are also people who have never really worn moisturisers or BB creams — but they tend to not wear much makeup either, so they are doing less daily damage and do not need to worry about as many products to fix things. Lucky them!
At the end of the day, the best thing you can do is get the right information about the product you want, make sure it does not have any irritants that will react badly to your skin, and if you are curious about it — give it a try. The worst that can happen is that you do not like it.
I like keeping a small selection — eye cream, face serum and a BB cream — to make my makeup routine practically non-existent. But the main thing is doing what is best for your skin. Do not follow the trends blindly; just do what is right for yours.
