As Valentine’s Day approaches it is time to give some love to your skin. In this week’s blog our beauty expert will share tips to help you create some beautiful pampering routines that will leave your skin glowing and feeling cared for as well as carving out some much-needed self-care time.

When you have so much going on in your life and time is at a premium, it might seem like a waste of time to spend it on skincare routines, in fact the average person spends less than twenty minutes on their skin each day.

Spending a bit of quality time with your skin can reap some great benefits for you though like glowing skin, relaxation, and self-care – the perfect gift to yourself this Valentine’s Day.

It can be hard to make time for yourself in the morning when you are rushing to get ready for work or college, but it is a lovely way to start your day! Not only does it set you up for the day ahead it also can give your skin a beautiful glow that gives you confidence to face those zoom calls or even going back into the office.

Start your morning routine with an oil or balm cleanser – I find that you get a great opportunity to connect with your skin when you massage the oil or balm in. Take a few deep breaths as you gently massage your face. Leave the cleanser on for a moment as you brush your teeth to get a mask like effect.

We love the Nunaia Superfood Cleansing Balm for its wonderful essential fatty acids and antioxidants. Often these oil and balm cleansers are made with lovely light plant oils, and some will penetrate a little into the top layer of your skin and help soften and protect it. Use a lukewarm cloth to rinse the cleanser off – always avoid very hot water as it really dries your skin.

Next is your hydration step, spritz yourself with a hydrating facial mist or even some rose water for a gorgeous sensory experience. We love Venn Synbiotic Defence Mist which is loaded with prebiotics and probiotics. The next step in this quick morning routine is your serum or treatment step.

Use this opportunity for a quick facial massage by applying the serum with your fingers but then using a gua sha stone or jade roller to massage in the serum. We love Aurelia’s Revitalise and Glow serum for toning, protecting, and bringing that much needed glow.

A Vitamin C serum would also fit in wonderfully here brightening tired or dull skin. Follow this with your moisturiser and pat the product gently into your skin.

Choose a moisturiser that suits your skin type ; oily skin,  dry skin, or mature skin etc. Patting is a great technique you can use to really help with absorbance. Place a small amount of product on the palm of one of your hands and rub your hands together gently to evenly distribute the product.

Then gently press your hands against your face. Place both hands vertically on either side of your nose and then horizontally over the forehead and the chin to spread the product.

Then begin to pat the product in with quick repetitive gentle taps until the product has absorbed in. Finally pat in your eye cream or gel gently using your ring finger.

Then complete your skincare routine by applying your SPF product.

When you have more time to really indulge in some lengthy skincare routines in the evening try a triple cleanse. A triple cleanse can really help clean out those pores, remove blackheads and give your skin that fresh facial feel and is worth doing every few months especially if you wear a lot of makeup or SPF products during the day.

Start with a clay mask to draw out any impurities from the skin and remove dead skin cells. Leave the clay mask on for 10 or 15 minutes while you relax. Then use an AHA or BHA based cleanser to gently exfoliate and get a deep cleansing of the pores.

Finally finish up with massaging an oil-based cleanser in to fully remove all impurities. Remove gently with lukewarm water and a facecloth. Remember again to avoid very hot water on your face especially if you have sensitive skin.

After this deep cleanse your skin is perfectly primed for some hydration. Use a hyaluronic acid-based serum or spritz here to boost hydration. We love Esse Hyaluronic Acid serum. Then lock in that lovely hydration with a rich night cream, balm or facial oil.

This is not a routine you would do on the regular, this is recommended to do a few times a year, but it will give your skin the most wonderful glow.

Another technique you can use for pampering is the 7-skin method. Basically, you apply 7 layers of a hydrating toner and pat each layer into the skin gently. It may seem like a lengthy step to take but when done, well it can give you beautifully hydrated plump and dewy skin.

To start the technique, cleanse your skin as normal and apply a hydrating toner type product. It must not be alcohol based or contain active ingredients like AHAs or BHAs. We recommend Aurelia Brightening Botanical Facial Mist or a hyaluronic acid-based mist.

Apply the first layer and pat gently into the skin until absorbed. Repeat this step seven times!

We know it sounds like a lot but if you have the time for some self-care skincare give it a try and see how it can really improve your skin texture.

Don’t forget your lips with Valentine’s Day just around the corner! The soft skin on our lips is the thinnest on our body and can really suffer at this time of year by being chapped and dry.

It is very easy to create your own lip scrub to remove dry and dead skin and stimulate blood flow to the lips. You will also find that lipstick will stay on much better when your lips are gently exfoliated and kept moisturised.

Recipe

1 tablespoon coconut oil

2 tsp sugar – the finer grain the better

1tsp honey/maple syrup for the vegans

Method

Mix it all together. Apply a small amount to your finger, and gently rub into your lips. Continue rubbing gently for 1 minute, then rinse with warm water. Apply a good quality lip balm or lip mask afterwards.

We hope you enjoyed our tips on how to make your skin your Valentine this year. At Skin Trust Club we understand that everyone’s skin is unique and we believe to truly pamper your skin, the first step is to understand what it needs. Our skin microbiome test reveals your skin microbiome profile and skin health with an at-home skin swab. Using these results we recommend a personalised routine using microbiome friendly products from our trusted partners.

We are currently offering a free trial, which includes a free at-home skin microbiome test, that is analysed at our lab, a skin report and personalised product & routine recommendation plus access to our skin health tracking app. Join us here: https://www.skintrustclub.com/skin-microbiome-kit-offer/