How to build a skincare routine

Even if you’ve properly cleansed your skin before hitting the hay the night before, cleansing again when you wake up is truly a must. Sweat and oil production doesn’t stop when your head’s on the pillow, so doing a repeat helps you start your day nice and refreshed. The world of cleansers is vast. There’s a cleanser tailored exactly to your skin type. For those with dry, sensitive skin opt for the Galantée Confort, a calming cleansing milk that soothes dry skin and doesn’t strip natural oils. Combination skin? Try the Gel Eclat Clarifying Cleanser Pearly Foam. For all skin types, reach for an all-rounder like the Clarifique Cleansing Foam which will refine pores and give your skin a deep clean.

After you’ve cleansed it’s time to tone. Toners come in all shapes and sizes but one thing remains true between them all, they’re crucial to keeping your skin the best it can be. Toners don’t have to be drying either, the best toners retain skin’s natural moisture. For a nourishing toner opt for our best-selling Tonique Confort to soothe and protect skin. Want something to protect against signs of ageing? The Absolue Precious Cells Intense Revitalizing Emulsion is for you. 

Now that you’ve cleansed your complexion and your skin is prepped for the rest of your skincare routine it’s time to get to business. Targeting specific skin concerns is best done with products like serums. There are serums for every skin concern you could imagine, from dark spots to wrinkles and even redness and dryness, there’s a serum for everyone. Our best-selling Génifique Ultimate is an anti-ageing face serum that’s packed with pre and probiotic fractions that help your skin retain its youthful look. For a brightening serum that also plumps your complexion, reach for the Clarifique Dual Essence. Use with consistency and you’ll see why serums are so important to your skincare routine. 

The skin around the eyes is notoriously thin and delicate, which is why it’s one of the first areas to show signs of aging such as wrinkles. Therefore, you need to take extra care of your eyes by using a dedicated eye cream. Giving them some TLC may also help unwelcome puffiness and dark circles as well. As the skin is so delicate, it’s important to gently dab the eye cream around the contours. One of our favourites is the Absolue Eye Cream which will help signs of fatigue, wrinkles and dullness. 

It’s time for one of the key steps in your routine, since hydration is important to achieve healthy looking skin. Once you’ve layered your toner, serum and eye cream nourish the rest of your complexion with a hydrating day cream. Reach for the Absolue Soft Cream for a decadent day cream that’ll leave your skin nourished and soft for the day ahead.

Rain? Shine? Doesn’t matter — sunscreen still needs to be a part of a good skincare routine, as research shows that sun exposure is responsible for 80% of signs of aging, including wrinkles, sagging, and dark spots. The same goes if you’re indoors, since windows typically don’t offer sufficient protection against the sun’s harmful UV rays. Always follow your day cream with a SPF rich sunscreen. It’s one of the best things you can do for your complexion.

A good night-time skincare routine is beneficial for maintaining healthy looking skin — for a few reasons. First, night-time is when skin’s moisture barrier is more permeable, meaning that formulas can get to work on the skin’s surface! 

• Step 1: Use a makeup remover
• Step 2: Cleanse skin
• Step 3: Apply a mask or exfoliate
• Step 4: Tone skin
• Step 5: Apply serum
• Step 6: Dab on eye cream
• Step 6: Slather on a night cream

Unless you want to wake up with raccoon eyes, first remove any stubborn eye makeup with Bi-Facil Eye Makeup Remover. Not only do makeup removers like this effectively remove even waterproof formulas, but they also do so gently enough that they’re safe for those who have sensitive eyes or wear contact lenses. And that’s important, as continued tugging and rubbing the eye area to cleanse it can result in damage to the delicate skin there over time. For the rest of your makeup there’s the Eau Micellaire Confort.

As your mum may have told you time and time again, it’s of utmost importance to cleanse your skin before bed. Otherwise, the combination of makeup, oil, and grime that’s collected throughout the day could potentially clog pores, which may lead to nasty breakouts. Use a gentle cleanser like Galatéis Douceur that leaves skin soft and soothed as it cleanses.

After cleansing, exfoliate your skin. Exfoliation is the process of removing dead skin cells from the surface of skin to reveal new, healthy skin. One common method is with a scrub, which uses mechanical exfoliation. Our Rose Sugar Scrub gently lifts away dead skin cells and impurities with real sugar grains. The best frequency depends on your skin type — dry or sensitive skin types should exfoliate once or twice a week, while those with oily skin may want to exfoliate every night. Start off slow and see what works for you. 

Two or three times a week, target your skincare concerns with a face mask. If it’s one you leave on for a few minutes then remove, such as Advanced Génifique Hydrogel Melting Mask, follow it with the rest of your night-time skincare routine, including toner. Not one for a sheet mask? Opt for an option in a classic jar such as the Rose Sorbet Cyro-Mask. Again, frequency of using a face mask depends on your skin type but start with once or twice a week and see how your skin responds.

Just as you do in the morning, apply a toner like Tonique Confort again after cleansing to rehydrate dry and uncomfortable skin — round two. The skincare routine order still matters, even in the PM.

Serum gets the spotlight again, since serums are designed to deliver efficacious formulas to the skin’s surface. For that reason, it should be a mainstay in your night-time skincare routine. Apply Génifique Ultimate to your skin and neck to reap its anti-aging benefits and bring meaning to the phrase ‘beauty sleep’.

Treat your eyes while you snooze, too; again, it’s part of an excellent skincare routine. Gently dabbing on an eye cream helps refresh and brighten the look of the eye area come morning. Treat yourself to the Absolue L’Extrait Eye Contour with a caring massaging applicator that helps the cream penetrate into the delicate skin.

A night cream is your final night-time skincare step. These tend to be even richer than your day cream which helps to truly nourish your skin as you sleep. Wake feeling refreshed and hydrated with a rich night cream such as our favourite Rénergie Multi-Lift Night Cream. Enriched with caring ingredients that not only hydrates but also reduces the appearance of wrinkles and tightens skin as you get some shut eye.

Looking for something extra soothing? The Hydra Zen Nuit NeuroCalm Night Cream is the one for you.