Your Bare Minimum Morning & Evening Skincare Routine
- Emmaline Tsui
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
It's the week of Christmas, it's chaotic, busy and tiring. Yes your skincare is always still important, but if you look at your multi-step routine and think 'not today my friend' then this is a quick and easy routine for you. It will keep your skin still looking fresh without you feeling like you're doing a lot.
This is the bare minimum I want you to do in the morning and evening. It is realistic, it will still keep your barrier intact and it still gives you results. Yes I would love you to do more, but in the words of my mother "sometimes Emmaline, needs must"
YOUR BARE MINIMUM MORNING ROUTINE
Think of your morning routine as preparation. You are getting your skin clean, hydrated and protected so it can cope with the day without it being neglected.
Step 1: Cleanse properly
You have two options here...
If you are normal to combination, or you like that “clean but not tight” feeling, use something like Nimue Cleansing Gel or the Revision Papaya Enzyme Cleanser.
If your skin is a bit drier or more sensitive, you could get away with just using some of my Rosewater on a cotton pad first thing in the morning before your skincare.
Step 2: Hydrate and support the barrier
Even on the most basic routine, I like at least one hydrating layer, one cream and of course SPF.
Press five drops of the Forlle’d Refining Lotion onto the skin
Follow with your face cream...
If you have normal to combination skin then you could use something lighter such as the Forlle'd Reliance Gel or Basing Emulsion (or your usual face cream that we have decided suits your skin best)
For dry or sensitive skins, you could opt for the Nimue Daily Calm & Restore (a new best seller in the clinic), SkinBetter Science's Trio Luxe or the Forlle'd Nourishing Cream.
Step 3: SPF every day
Then follow with your SPF. I always love the Nimue Sun-C SPF 40 for all skin types, but you could even use the tinted one or the Revision Intellishade SPF 45 as a tint, spf and anti-ageing face cream all in one.
That is it. No need to pile five serums on top of each other if you haven't got the time.
If you want a true bare minimum routine that still counts as skincare, SPF is non negotiable. Without it, you are fighting a losing battle with pigmentation, redness and collagen breakdown.
In that case, you could cleanse and then apple your SPF but this is the bare bare minimum and I wouldn't advise doing this for more than a few days ideally.
Make sure you apply a proper amount, take it to your neck, then go and get on with your day.
YOUR BARE MINIMUM EVENING ROUTINE
Evening is where most people fall down, because by the time you get to bed you are tired and cannot be bothered. This is also the routine that makes the biggest difference long term, so please try not to skip it.
If you remember nothing else, remember this...
Please cleanse your face at night.
Step 1: Remove the day
I will always prefer a balm in the evening, because it breaks down SPF, pollution and makeup without stripping the skin. You could then follow with your water based cleanser such as the Nimue Cleansing Gel or Revision Papaya Enzyme Cleanser.
If one cleanse is all you've got in you, then choose your favourite.
DO NOT USE A FACE WIPE!
Step 2: One simple treatment
Overnight is when our skin repairs and we get the most benefit out of our products. If you only have time for one product, then choose wisely what your main concern is and treat that.
If you feel like you barrier is impaired - maybe your skin is red, irritated, sensitive etc then choose the Nimue Pre & Post Serum
If your skin is looking dull, maybe you have fine lines and wrinkles and want more of a 'glow' in the morning, choose either your SkinBetter Science AlphaRet Overnight Cream/Clearing Serum or the Nimue Retinal Power+ Serum.
If your skin is looking dry and dehydrated then opt for more of a moisturising cream such as Calecim Multi Action Cream.
Alternatively, if your main concern is something more like acne or pigmentation, apply the correct product that we have chosen for you.
Step 3: Moisturise and be done
If you have the inclination to apply a moisturiser over the top of your serum then that would be amazing. Think your Nimue Daily Calm & Restore, Forlle'd Basing Emulsion or Nimue Night for example. If not though, you could get away with just your active serum for a few days if need be.
WHAT ABOUT EXFOLIATION?
The quickest and easiest would be to use a peel pad once a week, in the evening, after cleansing.
Simply cleanse as normal and then use either the SkinBetter Science AlphaRet Peel Pad or the Nimue Active Resurfacing Wipe over your face and neck area (avoiding the eyes and lips).
Follow with your face creams
This keeps the surface smooth and bright without attacking your barrier with grains or harsh scrubs, and it makes everything else you use work better.
If life is very busy and you cannot think about anything other than cleanse, cream, bed, you can come back to this later. The true bare minimum is still acceptable.
WHEN YOU FEEL OVERWHELMED AND DON'T KNOW WHAT TO USE
The biggest problem I see is not laziness, it is confusion. Most of my clients own far too many products, feel guilty for not using them, then end up doing almost nothing because decision fatigue takes over.
If that is you, you do not need another random serum from a stranger on the internet (who realistically knows very little about skincare!). You need a clear, tailored plan that is simple to follow and doesn't make you questions everything.
That is where my free Skin Check In comes in.
You fill in the form on my site, tell me what your skin is doing, what you already own and how much effort you are realistically willing to put in. I will email you a personalised routine with your wants, needs and desires when it comes to skin that fit your life. No video call and no pressure to buy an entire shelf worth of products.
So, in the morning...Cleanse, hydrate, protect.
In the evening... Cleanse again, moisturise, sleep.
If you can give your skin that at the bare minimum, you are already doing more than you think. Then when you want to build in extras, we can just simply add a serum/mask/cream in here and there and it's not so complicated.
Thank you so much for reading,
Emmaline
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