Skin Type for Beauty Beginners

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Hi guys,

I was talking to my youngest sister about her skincare routine and she said it was pretty much non-existent. She said she didn’t know where to begin with it and money was an obvious issue as she is a student. She said she used face wipes to wipe her face in the morning and hardly ever removed her makeup at night. GASP! I was honestly struggling when she said this. She has watched me for years keep up my skincare routine and has forever been eyeing up my beauty products in the bathroom so I was shocked that she hadn’t tried them and found out what worked for her.

I gave her the L’Oréal Micellar Water (£4.99) I had as I had two of them and I love it for removing the bulk of my makeup before double cleansing. This will help to remove her makeup rather than using face wipes as I hate them! I mean they are ok to remove makeup but so many people think that once they have used a couple of wipes that the makeup has been removed but it hasn’t. You need to go in and clean your face with a cleanser to get rid of the daily grime and all of your makeup from that day. She has dry/sensitive skin like my mum so I gave her a Simple Moisturiser to help with her skin. I have told her to buy a nice serum and good cleanser to really help with her skin but I am under no illusions that she will use them every day but as long as she has them, I will have peace of mind.

After that rant, I decided to do a post about skin types. I am still shocked that people don’t know what their skin type is but if you are young and starting out then I do understand. Think of this post as an introduction to skincare and to help you identify what skin type you may be so I hope you enjoy. This isn’t just for skincare product, there is foundations to think about too as they are now catering for every skin type and will advise you on the packaging or on the website so this post should help you identify what type you are and then you can go from there. Obviously, you can have multiple skin types too, I have combination skin which is predominately oily skin but I do suffer from dry patches every now and then and I also have sensitive skin so I stay clear of butter based products where I can.

There are all different skin types such as: 

Oily Skin

This skin type has large pores and shiny skin, especially around the tzone areas. This will be on your forehead, chin and nose areas. The skin tends to be thicker with irregular textures and colouring. You will be prone to blackheads and spots.

Normal and Combination

Normal skin is what it says on the tine really. You will have medium sized pores. Your skin will look clear, have even colour, feel soft to the touch and won’t be tight or greasy. You also won’t suffer from many breakouts or blackheads. I would be surprised if you had normal skin as I am yet to come across someone who does. If you do, well done, seriously. Just look after it properly. Combination is similar to Normal but you may have an oily tzone and may be prone to breakouts. Your cheeks may be a little dry when it comes to the colder months too.

Dry Skin

Normally has fine pores, and red patches on the skin. You may have a tight sensation on your skin and suffer from flakes or roughness. You will probably have some sort of wrinkles and your skin will feel slightly irritated after washing, especially if it’s a product that is stripping your skin rather than infusing your skin with the moisture that it craves.

Sensitive Skin

You may have a rash or your skin may feel itchy. You may breakout quite badly. I stay away from butter based products but you could be allergic to something so I would recommend getting an allergy test carried out as this may help you identify what is causing you problems.

Mature or Aging Skin

Self-explanatory really. May have wrinkle and capillaries. If you are an older lady and don’t have these things, please tell me your secret! Your skin will feel slacker on your cheeks and jawline. May have rough texture on thin skin areas.

That’s all the skin types. Obviously you can have dehydrated skin too but this is different to dry skin and needs much more attention. I carried out a test a few years ago to find out what skin type I was and found myself to have oily to combination skin as I had an oily t-zone, I was prone to break outs but I suffered from dry cheeks. To carry out the test I removed my make up by double cleansing my face, patting it dry and leaving it for a few hours with no products on it, I then took a piece of tissue and placed over my face and took off after a few minutes. Mines is pretty easy to detect but if you have any concerns I would ask your GP to refer you to a dermatologist as they are highly trained and can help you.

• Oily skin: the tissue will stick to sebum, pick up oily spots and become translucent.
• Normal/combination skin: it will stick only to your T-zone.
• Dry/very dry skin: the paper won't stick to any area of your face as there's little sebum.

Once you have identified your skin type you want to buy a cleanser, toner and moisturiser for that skin type and use twice a day. Make sure you buy a foundation for your skin type too as I said above, this will help you have a flawless finish and should keep your makeup on for longer.

I wash my face once in the morning and then once at night (I double cleanse if I have makeup on) I normally use a cleansing balm on my face such as Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm £36 which melts every inch of make-up off of my face and then an exfoliating face wash such as the Garnier Pure Active Intensive Charcoal Scrub £4.99 (currently £3.33 in Boots) as I find these work best for me.

When you`re young you don’t really need to buy eye creams, serums or overnight treatments but as you get older you will want to incorporate these into your skincare routine to give your skin a boost. I didn’t start using eye creams until last year but I would say start using them in your early 20s so they will make a difference to your eyes as you get older. I also added in overnight treatments to help with any pigmentation and to give my skin some TLC while I slept. I have always used a serum as this just gives your skin that extra blanket of goodness. Serums can be overwhelming though and it really is trial and error. It took me ages to find some decent ones and I’m guessing it will be the same for you. Remember don’t be scared to ask sales staff for help, this is their job and they will be able to point you in the right direction.

I hope you have found this helpful. If you would like a post on my best buys for these types of skin then please let me know in the comments below.

Have you checked out my latest post featuring A Treat For Dry Skin?

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