My top 5 skincare tips I swear by

Do you like clichés ?  I guess not. Whenever I hear one I think in my head “ Not again!! I know this already.” So I was surprised when I first thought of penning down my skincare tips the first line I thought of writing was ‘ Beauty comes from within’. And when I thought about it more its actually true. Our skin is a reflection of what is happening inside our bodies.

Don’t worry. My skincare tips are not going to be eating right and exercising. We all know that works! We can’t deny ourselves from all the yummy food around us, cheese burst pizza from dominos , chicken tandoori from anywhere , or chocolate chip muffin from Cookie Man. Which by the way is the best muffin ever!! Have you tried it yet? Its really really good. Try the normal ( not the double) chocolate chip cookie. Trust me you will be hooked.

And gyms are too boring to go to. So since eating right and exercising daily is out of the window, the following are the tips I swear by.

1- Staying hydrated

Yes I know all of us know that drinking water is good for our skin. But somehow during those crazy work days we forget to make trips to the water cooler and end up going for coffee breaks instead. This is what I do to ensure at least 3 litres of water intake each day.

Every morning right after getting up I fill three 1 litre bottles with water. I drink half a litre immediately.And another half a litre after having bath and getting ready.

If I am at home I drink from the second bottle through out the day.

I consume half a liter of water around dinner time and another half a litre before sleeping.

If it’s a work day then I keep one liter bottle at my desk and make sure I drink it up before leaving for the day.

 Filling up 3 bottles everyday helps me keep a track of how much water I am drinking. Staying hydrated is the cheapest and the most effective skincare tip. My face looks more alive and less dull the more hydrated I am .

2- Cleansing

Even the most effective moisturizer won’t work if the skin is not clean. Though I have quite an oily skin I believe cleansing gently is the key. I wash my face no more than twice a day. In the morning I use Lush Aqua Marina cleanser as I just need to take the oil off my face. In the evening I use a cream based cleanser to remove my makeup and then wash my face with a cleanser that will foam. ( I use Forrest Essential Rose face wash/ Lakme Strawberry facewash or Body Shop Vit C face cleanser).

My mantra – Effective but gentle cleansing.

3- Exfoliation

Exfoliation is key to any good skincare regime. This takes off the dead cells and lets the moisturizers and serum seep into the skin. I will probably do a full post on exfoliation as I have a lot to say on this topic. Again gentle exfoliation is the key word. I love using Body Shop Vitamin C Microrefiner cream weekly. I also use yogurt and oatmeal mask which is really effective at taking dead skins off.

 My mantra- Gentle Exfoliation one or maximum twice a week.

4- Moisturizing

This is I feel is the most important step in any skincare regime. The most important thing about moisturizing according to me is to moisturize when my skin is slightly damp. So right after a shower I hop n skip from the bathroom to put on my cream as soon as possible. My favorite picks for oily/combination skin-Fab India Vitamin E cream, Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel, Clinique Moisture Surge. At night I sometimes like to use something heavier. I love Cetaphil lotion Or the Iraya Honey & liquorice face milk.

     5-Sun protection

 With the sun shining bright and hot almost year round Indian girls need to take extra care in protecting their skin. My skin is sun sensitive and I can’t use most of the sunscreens without breaking into a rash. At present I am loving La Rochay Posay Anthelios Extreme Fluid SPF 50 and the Fab india  Vitamin E sunscreen SPF 30. I feel it is very important to choose the sunscreen according to the right skin type. And it does take a lot of trial and error to find the perfect one.

I  am not saying I have perfect skin . I have periods of really nice glowing skin. But right now its breaking out pretty badly. I am going through a kind of stressful time. Hope it tides over soon!!

These are just my five simple tips that work for me most of the times. Hope this was helpful. What are your top skincare tips? I would love to know !


Disclaimer: All images have been taken from Google images. I don't claim ownership to any of the photos. If you are the owner of the image and want me to take it down , shoot me an email and i will take it down immediately.