My Skincare Routine (At 44)
I am 44 and this is my current skincare routine. It’s a relatively unfussy one but it’s highly effective and if you’re after a good, simple routine to follow that’s well-informed and non faddy then this could be a nice place to start. My general aim is to keep my skin balanced, strong and happy and to maintain a degree of, er youthful freshness.
(My secret, unspoken aim is to age like Benjamin Button - ie backwards - but as I can’t be arsed with tweakments or injectables, drastic peels requiring a week in bandages, fillers that will make my lips look rubbery, we shall just have to see how it all goes. This low-key, non-invasive approach to skincare feels decidedly archaic these days but for now, at least, I’m at peace with it. I’ll probably give in and have a full face lift in ten years time. Hohoho.)
I have been writing about skincare since 2010 and have seen just about every trend and gimmick come and go: I think it speaks volumes that my routine has barely changed for the past five or so years. You can, if you have a few hours to spare, sift back through my skincare routine videos on Youtube - you’ll see that the products change (ingredients improve, new and amazing formulations come to market) but that the basic steps don’t. Not really.
I wouldn’t say that this routine is the “absolute bare minimum” (for me, that would be simply cleansing with a proper cleanser and then using a sunscreen) but it’s definitely pretty pared-back compared to many of the complex rituals I see online.
Bit of context: I have fairly balanced skin, erring on the dry side, but I don’t have adult acne or rosacea or very sensitive skin or any significant issue or concern. If you do have any significant issues or concerns then obviously my routine might need a bit of a tweaking to suit.
[Ad-info: this post does not contain any sponsored or paid-for content. Some brands are long-term partners but this post is not part of any contracted work. Links are affiliate links and some products are press samples sent with no obligation to post.]
The Routine
Here’s what my skincare routine really boils down to. In the morning it’s all about protecting my skin and in the evening, repairing and renewing it.
Morning:
Routine: Cleanse - Antioxidant - Sunscreen
You’ll see that I’ve slipped my little face tanner into this line-up - I talk about that later! Products shown are: The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser, online here; Skin Rocks The Antioxidant, here; Vita Liberata Face Tan, here, and Haruharu Wonder SPF50 which is online here.
Evening:
Routine: Cleanse - Retinoid
Products shown: Farmacy Green Clean Cleansing Balm, here; Renew + Me Personalised Serum-In-Cream, here.
or
Cleanse - Peptides - Hydrate
Products shown: cleansing balm as before, No7 Future Renew Night Serum here, Aveeno Oat Rich Balm, here.
When you break the routine down like this, to its simplest form, it’s actually very easy to a) stick to and b) find the right products that slot into place. Which means that you can disregard the thousands of other types of products that you really don’t need. Let’s go through the steps and talk about why I do them.
Cleanse
AM Routine: Cleanse - Antioxidant - Sunscreen
If I don’t do a proper cleanse (and I think the most thorough is with a cleansing balm, cream or oil, that is properly robust enough to break down everything from eye makeup to SPF) then I really do feel as though I am fighting a losing battle and that anything else I plonk on top of my skin isn’t quite going to do its job properly.
Balms are my preferred format and I massage them in for a minute, even over the eyes, before using a warm washcloth (flannel) to remove. Until recently I only ever did this in the evening and then wiped my face with a bit of micellar water in the morning but I am really trying to adopt a proper morning cleanse too. I reckon I have a 50% hit rate with it at the moment!
If you’ve never cleansed with a balm and a flannel before then try it and just see how thorough it is, with no stinging, no stripping the skin of oils and no leaving it horrible and tight. If you’re new to it then try the ELF cleansing balm - maximum effects with minimal investment - it’s top notch. £11 at Boots here.
Other cleansing balms I use a lot: Skin Rocks, here; Beauty Pie Plantastic, online here; Emma Hardie Moringa, here.
Antioxidant
AM Routine: Cleanse - Antioxidant - Sunscreen
Antioxidant serum or Vitamin C serums are my chosen serums of choice for the morning routine. Not only do they give excellent glow, they can marginally help with dark spots (or help to prevent them from worsening, depending on the product/formula) and they help to protect the skin from damage caused by things like pollution and UV rays.
Do you have to use a serum? Any serum?
Nope. You could just apply your moisturising SPF and away you go. Same as in the evening. Wash off the SPF and go to bed with a nice comfy night cream on. But if you want to amp things up a bit and make very small additions to a routine that don’t have to cost a fortune and take seconds to apply: antioxidant/vitamin c serums would be right up there at the top of my list.
Serums I use a lot: Skin Rocks The Antioxidant, here; Cerave Vitamin C, here; Medik8 Tetra C, here; Ole Henriksen Banana Bright, here.
Sunscreen
AM Routine: Cleanse - Antioxidant - Sunscreen
The sunscreen is the key step here, my friends! After fifteen years of going to seminars and events where some of the biggest dermatologists and skin cancer experts and surgeons and doctors in the world have been speaking, there is one thing that is clear to me: wear sunscreen for safety, but also wear it because it really will have a profound long-term effect on the quality of your skin.
It has taken me almost the entire fifteen years to actually believe them and start wearing sunscreen on a daily basis (even when it’s not “boiling hot or I’m on the beach all day” which was my previous criteria for wearing SPF) but now I just think this: it is a relatively quick and easy thing to apply and it will stop you from looking like a FIVE HUNDRED YEAR OLD SEA CAPTAIN.
I have some sunscreens that I now really enjoy using - I’ve listed them below. They really feel like no big deal to apply. The Cabana Clear I have to use over a separate moisturiser as it’s so lightweight and doesn’t give me enough hydration alone but the others are an all-in-one. I slap them on straight over my serum.
I haven’t included moisturiser in my morning routine because more often than not my sunscreens are moisturising ones (for eg the Dermalogica Biolumin one which is pricey AF but an absolute delight) but if you want to have that extra step, or need the extra hydration, just slot that right in before your separate SPF.
The main thing is to use enough of whatever product it is that has the sunscreen in it - 1/4 of a teaspoon of product for the face. It’s worth actually measuring this out, one morning, so that you can get a good idea of what that quantity looks like.
Sunscreens I love: Naked Sundays Cabana Clear, here; HaruHaru SPF50 here; Dermalogica Biolumin online here; Hello Sunday Illuminating Primer is here.
Retinoids
PM Routine: Cleanse - Retinoids
We’re into the evening routine now. See how quick and easy this all is? There’s no delving into a special fridge to retrieve frozen massage sticks, there’s no multi-step essence and masking ritual (I do use face masks if it’s a “special bath night” but I don’t think they’re key to this routine) and you don’t have to spritz anything from a bottle if you don’t want to, which I definitely don’t because I am averse to the feeling of it.
So. Evening. I’m not going to recap on cleansing, I do the same thing at night as I do (50% of the time) in the morning. A nice, thorough cleanse. But retinoids? Boy, now we’re getting feisty! Often referred to as the “gold standard” ingredient because they tackle just about everything from fine lines to loss of elasticity, dark spots to acne, retinoids are my non-negotiable nighttime step.
Here’s the thing though: you have to get the right one. Some of them out there just aren’t potent enough, or are potent enough but make your entire face fall off in a stress-shower of flaky skin and irritation. I am a seasoned, hardcore retinoid user (I often use tretinoin, which is prescription only) but some formulas still make me react badly.
My most used is the Renew + Me Serum-in-Cream, which is a bespoke high-powered retinoid cream that is made exactly to suit my individual needs. I subscribe to Renew + Me as a customer and I think that the service is brilliant. In a way, it’s a terrible thing for me, business-wise, as I should be trying a hundred new launches but there I am, always using my same prescription product! But on the other hand, the fact that I do keep on subscribing and using this should say something to you… You can try them out for £4.99 (instead of £24.99) if you use this link - it’s not an affiliate link, I just emailed them to ask them if they’d do a discount! You can also use the code RUTHGLOW.
If you’re looking into products that are readily available and you’ve never used a retinoid before then start with a low strength (I love Medik8 Crystal Retinal, which comes in varying potencies) and use once every three or four nights, increasing to every other night if your skin feels good and backing off if it doesn’t. I still only use a retinoid every other night, even after many years - I like to have a night off in between to pack the hydration back in, because retinoids can have quite a drying effect and, above all, I just really enjoy complicating things for myself. Why have one very simple routine when you can have alternating nights?
Here are some of the retinoids I use a lot and love: Beauty Pie Super Retinol, here (cutting edge science at direct-from-lab prices, I LOVE Beauty Pie skincare); Medik8 Crystal Retinal, here; RoC Retinol cream, here; Renew + Me Serum in Cream, here.
Peptides
PM Routine: Cleanse - Peptides - Hydrate
OK, peptide serums are relatively new to me. I reckon I’ve only been using peptides consistently in my routine for about the past six months. But…so far so excellent! On the face of it looks as though they do the same sort of thing as a retinoid, helping with fine lines and wrinkles and elasticity, but they are not the same thing at all. I am too hot to think of a good analogy, but if retinoids are the race cars, loudly zooming around the track, then peptides are the safety vehicles. They’re still going around the track (getting results) but they’re helping to keep things steady (strengthen skin barrier) and prevent further damage.
That might be my worst analogy yet.
Anyway, there’s space for both retinoids and peptides in my routine, which is good, because they are different, as we’ve just established.
Here are the peptides I’ve been using and rate: No7 Future Renew, from Boots here and Medik8 Advanced Peptide here.
Hydrate
PM Routine: Cleanse - Peptides - Hydrate
Oh this one is easy - I’m just talking about moisturiser! Finally a step we can all relate to! I have a whole arsenal of heavy-duty moisturisers that I use on my “peptides” night to seal in the moisture and leave me with plumptious, glowy skin in the morning.
This step is pretty self-explanatory and so I’ll just give you a list of some of my current favourites. I think I need a whole other post with examples of routines and products - would that be helpful? I’ve tried to keep this post very non-specific when it comes to products, rather naming categories and ingredients, but perhaps examples would be good. Let me know.
Some night moisturisers I love: Beauty Pie Caviar Mask, here; Curel Night Cream, here; Tatcha Dewy Skin, online here and Beauty Pie Youthbomb, here.
LED Masks
It would be remiss of me not to mention the Current Body LED Masks that I use nightly, almost without fail. I am a long-term partner but none of these mentions in editorial posts are paid for - they don’t even know I’m posting about them - I’ve just seen really good results with my masks (I am using the face one and now the “neck and dec”!) and I can’t say that my evenness of skintone and my smoothness is entirely down to skincare. Because I think the masks have a definite part to play in it all.
PM Routine:
Cleanse - LED Mask - Retinoids or
Cleanse - LED Mask - Peptides - Hydrate
I use my masks after my evening cleanse, before any other step. It took a few months of very consistent use to see results, but when they came they were very noticeable. Just a very clear difference to the evenness of tone and the smoothness of the skin, less fine lines.
I think as part of this pretty simple - but powerful - skincare routine they work marvellously well. They’re a big investment, but if you’re the sort of person who will commit to using something daily, long-term, then absolutely worth it.
(My codes RUTHCB or RUTH10 are usually working for 10% off here - let me know if they don’t apply to the order and I’ll get it sorted!)
Extra Twists
I’m going to add a few twists into the basic skincare routine equation, because that was all far too straightforward and also I’ve missed some important bits out. I love a bit of an exfoliant (though nowhere near as much as I used to) and I also am one of those people who thinks an eye cream is a good shout, for reasons we’ll delve into in a second and I also like to apply a bit of fake tan to my face in the morning. Where do all of these things fit in? Let’s revisit the steps!
Exfoliant
I might do this in the morning, after cleansing, but mostly now it’ll be in the evening after using my LED mask and before peptides and moisturiser. So:
Cleanse - LED - Exfoliant - Peptides - Moisturiser
Feels a lot more long-winded than the previous set of steps, but it takes ten seconds to swipe over a liquid exfoliant so don’t be put off. Acid exfoliants are a brilliant way of getting an almost immediate glow, sloughing off dead skin cells and cattle-prodding the skin into action. Some of them (PHAs, Glycolics) are dead set on brightening and smoothing and others (BHAs) are great if your skin is congested, pre-menstrual or has those horrible hard bumps beneath the surface, waiting to emerge.
Here are some brilliant exfoliants: Sali Hughes Placid, here; Gentle Acid Skin Rocks, here; Alpha-H Liquid Gold +C, here; Paula’s Choice BHA Liquid, here.
Eye Cream
I went off eye cream for a while, turned into a massive cynic and silently ranted about all the brands trying to make money off us for repackaged face cream in teeny pots that costs four times as much.
But bear with me.
There are some amazing eye creams out there and they have - genuinely - been formulated for the skin around the eye area, which is thinner and more delicate and turns into crepe paper approximately eighty times* more quickly than normal skin. *guesstimate
The reason I’m back with it, though, is this: I’m sure that taking retinoids close to the eye area was giving me unbearably dry and itchy eyes. I don’t want anyone to sue me and I also don’t wish to scaremonger but I have tested my theory a number of times now and I’m certain that retinoids are the culprit.
To try and counteract the effects, I stopped taking retinoids right up to the eye area and used dedicated eye creams in the eye area instead. Bingo. No dry eyes. No weird sticky floaty things on the surface of my eyeball. No itchiness.
I now use an eye cream nightly. Order?
Cleanse - LED - Eye Cream - Whatever Else.
The eye creams I love: if I need ultra-rich then Shiseido Benefiance is the heaviest I’ve ever found, it’s here online. Skin Rocks Eye Cream is hugely rich and comforting but doesn’t have any greasy residue - here. I also use a lot of Ipsum’s Eye Oil Balm, which almost acts as an eye mask, glossing over the undereye in a kind of laminated film. And Beauty Pie’s Hyaluronic one, online here.
Face Tan
We went into this the other day - I wrote a whole post about my miraculous face tan discovery and you can read about it here. Where does my face tan fit into the routine? In the morning:
Cleanse - Antioxidant - Face Tan - Sunscreen
There’s something about maintaining a soft, bronzed glow that makes everything just a bit easier in the makeup department. I find that I need less foundation, that I feel more confident with a totally bare face and that generally I’m just more optimistic about life when I look in the mirror.
Here’s my facial tanner of choice, it works really well for me boshed in with a big makeup brush. Read the post for more info.
There’s now a whole video for you to sit and watch, where I think I say almost everything that’s in this post. But probably a lot more, too, because it’s easier to ramble away on camera than it is to type coherent sentences, so pop it on in the background and let my dulcet tones soothe you through your day. There’s also an audiobook version of this post, you can get it by clicking the headphones symbol at the top of the post if you’re in the Substack app.
I think that covers all bases. My work here is done. Hit me up with any questions in the comments box!
Thank you Ruth - that was really helpful.