Face to Face: A Recipe for Clearer Skin
Collage by Aylea Skye/ Original Images by Aylea Skye
First Things First
Having clear skin is a privilege that feels as entitled as milk not curdling in your tea, that is however until it’s not so clear and like curdled milk, there’s little more frustrating the battling blemish prone skin. Any breakout-prone individual understands the anguish of buying and trying products with the hope and promise that you will for once be rid of all of your skin woes, only to end up with irritated or unaltered complexion. There’s something about skincare for acne-prone skin that’s often off the mark; harsh exfoliates, drying creams and lotions, stringent mask will only worsen skin and impair healing. Cult skincare brand, Sunday Riley has been popping up on Instagram in enviable ‘top shelfies’ for a considerable amount of time now and with good reason. They're “powered by science, balanced by botanicals”, meaning that none of their products will adhere to the above, in fact, Sunday Riley’s acne-battling products prevent and decrease breakouts whilst soothing, nourishing and balancing the skin with the use of natural ingredients and no animal testing.
Read The Situation
Acne-prone skin comes in many dispositions; oily, sensitive, dry, dehydrated and combination, and the key to battling it is understanding what you’re dealing with. The routine below is perfect for combination (dry and oily) skin, that’s scar-prone and occasionally dehydrated, however Sunday Riley’s range have products that will work for any skin type.
Day:
Cleanse:
Every routine should start with cleanser and the Ceramic Slip Cleanser will lather into a soft foam while French clay draws out impurities and vitamin C helps fade hyperpigmentation and frankincense helps to renew a fresh, smooth complexion. For a deeper cleanse use a hot cloth or a cleansing device like this one by Foreo.
Tone:
Toning is a step that honestly isn’t significant when every aspect of your skincare regime contains active ingredients. However, the Martian Mattifying Melting Water-Gel Toner will reduce excess shine that can build up throughout the day for oily-skin types whilst soothing redness, calming breakouts and clarifying.
Moisturise:
Moisturing is an essential step in every skincare regime and is too often neglected by those with acne and/or oily skin for fear of a grease-pan-like shine, however using harsh cleaners and products with active ingredients and not moisturising will cause more damage than good, as the skin will become dehydrated and overcompensate, making more sebum and post-inflammation hyper-pigmentation arduous to budge. The Tidal Brightening Enzyme Water Cream is a light and deeply hydrating hyaluronic acid-based moisturiser that’s infused with papaya enzymes that gently breakdown dead skin cells to reveal brighter, clearer skin.
Treat:
There are two ways to up the ante of your skincare; one is with a serum, two is with an oil. In this routine, both are used (not religiously but when needed). First is the acclaimed Good Genes Serum, that’s reached cult status in recent years. It’s a lactic acid treatment that literally works within minutes of application to bestow brighter, smoother, wholly better skin. It will fade hyperpigmentation and scars, and even minimise those irate breakouts. The second treatment is the UFO Ultra-Clarifying Face Oil, which is as ideal for acne-prone skin as it is green (and that stuff is GREEN). A combination of gently exfoliating salicylic acid, antibacterial tea tree and black cumin seed oil, and calming chamomile and neroli give it an all-in-one quality. As it’s lightweight it can be used day and night.
Night:
Cleanse:
At night the makeup, pollution, oil and debris that has built up on the skin throughout the day is important to clean off completely, and the Blue Moon Tranquility Cleansing Balm does just that whilst conditioning the skin and healing any stress that it may have faced throughout the day.
Treat:
Now it’s time to use another product that put the brand on the radar, the Luna Sleeping Night Oil. The deep blue hue is caused by blue tansy; an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, that’s combined with a blend of oils like plumping avocado and renewing chia seed for a product that makes you wake up looking refreshed and renewed.
Treat:
Once again the Good Genes Serum comes out to play, but layered on top is the Juno Hydroactive Cellular Face Oil. The rejuvenating oil is not an essential step but nourishes and illuminates the complexion with a blend of vitamin C, omega-3, 6 and 6, and essential amino acids.