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Community Wisdom: Valentine’s Day Beauty and Skincare

The traditional romantic take on Valentine’s Day can throw up mixed emotions. Skin + Me uses it as a prompt to celebrate self-love – and swift a bathroom shelf assessment while we’re at it.

That’s why on our community chat, The Collective, we compared skincare and dating. Good skincare is like a good relationship – you have to commit. 

Reassuringly, your Daily Doser is personalised to your needs rather than you having to search every beauty counter and skincare aisle for something that you can ‘go steady’ with – if only everything was so simple.

From the beauty and skincare products you flirt with (shimmer, sheet masks, trends that go out with a bang) to the ones that go the distance and the ones who got away (left at the airport, discontinued, or changed formula, sob!) – Everyone’s skincare relationship history is different.

Finding ‘the one’ can be more fun if you’ve tested the field but perhaps you’re looking for your skincare soul mate and don’t want to waste any more time. 

Start with the basics before you decide whether a product’s worth the hype. That means checking it’s sustainable, vegan, cruelty-free, and scientifically-proven before you swipe right.

The rest, well that’s up to you. This Valentine’s Day shout out to the products you’ve flirted with and the ones you’re (super) serious about? Nothing is off the shelf! Oh and don’t forget to treat yourself whatever your Valentine’s plans. You deserve it.

Valentine’s Day skincare: What products do you flirt with and what do you commit to?

Tamsyn: CeraVe Moisturising Cream is my forever at night time. I’ve flirted with others but none cushion my skin the same. 

Alisha: I flirted with the Superdrug Naturally Radiant Glycolic Acid and the Vitamin C Serum as a reaction to trends. I’ve broken up with Johnson & Johnson Clean & Clear Moisturiser and swapped this step in my routine for my Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost Moisturiser. I absolutely love this alongside my Daily Doser. Keeping my routine simple has felt great.

Debbie: May Lindstrom Blue Cocoon Beauty Balm is my love affair! Unfortunately, it’ll be a very brief love affair due to the cost! Sometimes expensive isn’t always the best though, The Inkey List’s Glycolic Toner is great.

Nikola: I’ve totally broken up with physical exfoliate face scrubs! Even acids I have drastically cut down on as I didn’t need them as much with my Daily Doser. I flirt with sheet masks for a bit of pampering and eye creams. I’m totally committed to hyaluronic acid toners and SPF daily!

“I’ve totally broken up with physical exfoliate face scrubs! Even acids I have drastically cut down on as I didn’t need them as much with my Daily Doser.”

Kirsty: I’ve broken up with hyaluronic acid, it doesn’t agree with me! I keep going back to Clinique’s Moisture Surge and I love everything from the La Roche-Posay Toleriane range, it really compliments my Daily Doser.

Lauren: I love the Kate Somerville Goat Milk Cleanser. My skin just seems to love it best even when it’s feeling sensitive, though I try to savour it as it’s on the expensive side. I always go back to the La Roche-Posay Effaclar H Cream Cleanser and their Toleriane Fluid or Cream Moisturiser as they just work for me. I usually have some Clinique products on the go as the brand was my first love. I’ve recently started using The Body Shop’s Camomile Gentle Eye Makeup Remover and love it. I use it all over my face to remove makeup and it doesn’t irritate me.

Lydia: I’m not much of a skincare flirt – I’m an advocate for sticking to what you know works. I’m massively committed to my Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm, my Daily Doser, and First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream.  The one that got away? Glossier’s Bubblewrap eye cream – RIP.

Nadine: I’m super serious about my Dr Jart Moisturising Treatment. The way it plumps my skin and keeps me looking radiant is second to none!

Meg: I’m committed to La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume and Vaseline. All day, every day.

“I’m not much of a skincare flirt – I’m an advocate for sticking to what you know works.”

Ellie: Kate Somerville ExfoliKate is my ride or die for a glow, and the Beauty Pie Ceramide and Vitamin C Capsules are life.

Laura: I’ve ditched all exfoliates and acids. I’m committed to La Roche-Posay Cicaplast and Heliocare SPF. 

Linda: I used to love CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser but changed to The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser and have totally fallen for it. Since my Daily Doser’s tretinoin strength has risen,  I’ve found the very best products for preventing dryness are Vanicream and La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Soothing Repair Balm. Brilliant!

Alice: And I can’t live without La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baum, their lip balm and their Toleriane Cleanser.

Danielle: Boots Botanics All Bright Cleanser is my morning commitment. I’ve been through at least ten bottles! Superdrug’s Simply Pure Hydration Serum is another go-to.

Neena: I adore the Aldi range Cleansing Balm but it’s impossible to find! 

Daniel: I’m in love with my Australian Gold Tinted SPF 50. I use SPF everyday all-year-round. It’s really important to protect my skin.

Christine: I don’t flirt with glycolic acid. My skin just doesn’t like it. I wouldn’t be without the Bioderma Sebium Hydra Moisturiser. It’s amazing! I also wouldn’t be without hyaluronic acid twice a day. Vitamin C I can take or leave. It breaks me out.

Nire: I’m in love with Youth To The People Green Tea and Spinach Cleanser! 

Rozi: La Roche-Posay Toleriane Cleanser and The Body Shop Chamomile Cleanser for a first cleanse are two of my faves. I’ve broken up with Pixi Clarity Cleanser and swipe right on The Ordinary Natural Moisturising + HA cream.

Lauren: I’ve broken up with every other skincare product I’d ever tried as I never knew what to get for my skin, and couldn’t commit long past the initial breakouts. I swipe right CeraVe Cleanser and Moisturiser. I find them so gentle.

I’m super serious about my Daily Doser. I’d never had a skincare routine besides washing in the shower and the ease of the Doser made me start a proper routine. Now I’ve slowly added other things to support the Doser. It’s completely changed routine for well over a year now!

“I’m super serious about my Daily Doser.”

Willow: I used to be completely faithful to Elemis but now we just have a more casual relationship with their Cleansing Balm and a few key products used daily. I do love my NuFACE Trinity tool and attachments which I use in conjunction with the tretinoin in my Doser.

Claire: I love Jordan Samuel products, especially the performance eye gel. My skin seems to hate vitamin C though. Breaking up with that, I now have a stripped back routine with my Daily Doser.

Michelle: Every time I think I’ll treat myself to some peptides, my face hates it. My skin loves The Ordinary Moisturiser, Neutrogena Water Boost Cleanser, and CeraVe Eye Cream.

Katie: I keep things pretty simple with my skincare but have recently fallen in love with Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Oil and Day Cream. They feel so luxurious and hydrating but so expensive so I don’t think the love affair will last long!

Vicky: I flirt with those under-eye slugs occasionally. I quite like them! I’ve broken up with Vitamin C though, it’s stingy stuff! It’s a perfume I’m devastated about being discontinued – if anyone has a Dahlia Noir knocking about unloved, let me know!

Thanks for all of your contributions. The selection above has been edited for clarity and brevity. Head over to The Collective for more.

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