The science and recent evolution of skincare are fascinating if you happen to be interested in them but positively intimidating to everyone else. No longer does skincare involve a cold cream and a moisturiser, walloped on to a face with the whack and drag of a Victorian woman plucking a chicken.
There are acid toners, essences, cleansing oils, balms, creams, foams. There are serums, oils and mists. Beauty writers stay busy trying to keep up with the next iteration of skincare (knee mousse, anyone?), but people like me would do well to remember that most of us, most of the time, will cleanse and moisturise and not much more unless our skin is giving us lip.
I have to wag my finger if SPF isn’t making an appearance, but for basic skin comfort and health, cleansing, moisturising and SPF are enough, along with a decent diet.
Beauty Pie offers some delectable skincare – the online outlet's membership scheme offers high quality beauty products at serious discounts to members. Japanfusion Supreme Cream (£9.74 to members at beautypie.com) is rich, gelatinous and comforting. Skin adores it and makeup applies dreamily on top, though it is best avoided if you have oily skin.
For something a little lighter, Chanel Hydra Beauty Camellia Water Cream (€54 at Brown Thomas) is the latest addition to my favourite skincare range from the brand. Hydra beauty is a range of skincare that instantly plumps and hydrates – you can feel the skin drink it in like a glass of water. Camellia Water Cream has almost a cream to serum texture, with just enough slip to act as a softening base for foundation, and can be used day or night.
I think of Alpha-H Essential Skin Perfecting Moisturiser (€42 at cultbeauty.co.uk) as priming, premake-up skincare. Alpha-H has serious chops as a skincare brand – it doesn't make duds – but this moisturiser really makes skin sing and gives makeup something to grip. It is small enough to be thoroughly travel friendly, too, making it an instant hit.
Although a serum should be the most expensive product in your skincare regime, if you can afford peptide-rich, barrier-restoring moisturiser at this price, you will certainly do no better than Kate Somerville Peptide K8 Power Cream (€150 at Space NK). This is by far the priciest moisturiser I have tried in a while, but the LA facialist's skincare range, new to Ireland, is spectacular.
Men's skin is different from women's: it is thicker, contains more collagen (life is unfair) and has more active sebaceous glands. Rituals offers underrated skincare, and all of the products in its Ritual of Samurai range for men are beautiful to look at as well as effective. I passed the products to a usually ambivalent male tester who sang their praises to an extent that shocked me. The Energy & Anti-Age Face Cream (€34.90 at Rituals stores nationwide) was his standout choice. Soothing, nonoily, fragrant and unapologetically masculine, it is, apparently, a pleasure to use.
