5 Things You’re Probably Doing Wrong With Your Skincare Routine

Learn about five skincare sins you’re probably committing and why you need to stop!

Using makeup wipes – We all know how easy it is to turn to makeup wipes to remove the face after a long day, but if you mentioned it to a skincare fanatic their jaw would drop. Wipes are a big no-no in the beauty world. They only remove dirt from the surface of your skin and can cause clogged pores as a result. Swap to micellar water or a cleansing balm to remove your makeup instead – your skin will thank you for it.

Abusing the delicate skin around the eye – The skin around your eye is the thinnest skin on your face, yet still, we rub and pull at this area all the time. Scrubbing off eye makeup, pulling the skin to put in contact lenses or apply eyeliner,? it all damages the collagen and elasticity fibers in the skin. Worst of all, it causes wrinkles and lines… So give your eyes some TLC – avoid the tugging and use your ring finger to gently pat eye cream/concealer on.

Washcloth madness – Using a clean washcloth to gently remove makeup, cleansers and residue from the day is perfect. Frantically scrubbing at high speed to remove every skin cell on your face is not. Rubbing your skin too aggressively creates wear and tear on the elasticity of your skin and stimulates melanin and sebum production. This means wrinkles, acne and pigmentation.? Be kind to your skin, switch to baby washcloths with softer fibers and gently wash your face from now on.

Morning rinse – By now everyone is aware (hopefully) that you need to wash your face before you go to sleep to clean your skin of the day’s residue. Unfortunately, washing your face when you wake up seems to slip people’s minds. While you sleep, your skin repairs itself and secretes sebum. If you don’t wash your face in the morning you’ll be layering makeup over this sebum as well as any nighttime products you applied. Nothing will absorb and your pores will clog leading to blemishes, oiliness and general ickiness… just wash your face in the morning.

Cleanse up, makeup down – When applying skin lotions and potions, massage it into the skin in an upward, circular motion. This allows the active ingredients to penetrate the surface of the skin easily and remove trapped nasties. The opposite applies to your makeup ritual. Apply makeup in a downward motion so that it sits on top of your skin and doesn’t lodge in your skin. So channel your inner Karate Kid with some wax on, wax off motions…

Main image via?Jason Lloyd-Evans