I don’t know about you, but over the last few years with existential pandemic and climate change stress, working from home and an ADHD diagnosis, my daily life routine has kind of gone out the window. I keep losing track of when I last changed my sheets, when lunchtime is, when I should go to sleep and whether I’ve taken a shower. So a lot of the time, I just haven’t really had the energy to do a proper skincare routine.
Luckily, I’ve worked out some really great products for when I’m too tired to think, or when I need to play catch-up with my skincare.
The video is here, keep scrolling for the text version (the video was originally in part sponsored by Bioderma – I’ve been using their micellar water for a long time, and these are my honest opinions).
Bioderma Micellar Water
I’ve talked about Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micellar Water a lot – it’s one of my favourite products, and it’s become a staple in my skincare routine over the last few years.
This was the world’s first micellar water, and started the whole micellar water trend. It’s a really gentle no-rinse cleanser that’s effective at removing dirt and oil, makeup, and pollution without disrupting skin’s barrier, making it great for sensitive skin. It’s a favourite with many dermatologists, aestheticians and makeup artists, as well as skincare enthusiasts.
Related Post: What is micellar water and how does it work?
The testing that went into developing this product is really impressive. Analysing ingredient lists is useful to an extent, but product formulas are complex, so you can’t work out everything about a product just from the ingredient list. That’s why testing products on actual people and getting clinical evidence is so valuable for science-based skincare.
Bioderma are very thorough with their clinical testing, and collaborate with research institutes and dermatologists to create their products. So it’s no surprise that this micellar water works well for a lot of people! In clinical testing, 97% of people with fragile or sensitive skin reported that this had a soothing effect.
It’s worth noting that not all micellar waters are formulated for sensitive skin, and many people report irritation if they don’t rinse them off – and even sometimes when they do! Some of the gentle formulation features of this product:
- Skin-friendly pH of 5.5
- Fragrance-free
- Uses highly purified injection quality water (some water contains endotoxins, which can be irritating for extremely sensitive skin)
This micellar water also contains one gentle non-ionic surfactant ingredient, PEG-6 caprylic/capric glycerides. We tend to think of surfactants as harsh and irritating ingredients, which is why so many people say you have to rinse your skin after using a micellar water, but surfactants are a very broad category. Unlike the surfactants in most rinse-off cleansers (and some micellar waters), this ingredient acts as a skin-softening emollient moisturiser that can actually counteract irritation.
Usage
Dispense this onto a cotton pad, then wipe it over your face until it wipes clean. I use reusable cotton pads which I’ve found softer and gentler than disposable ones. If you find micellar water too harsh for your skin, this might be worth a try – I used to think micellar waters were harsh, but it turned out that the cheap cotton pads I was using were overexfoliating my skin!
This can be the first step of a double cleanse, but I tend to use this as the sole cleanser. I also use it when travelling (it’s great on planes), and in the morning when I have perioral dermatitis from wearing masks.
Related Post: Bioderma Sebium for Oily and Acne-Prone Skin: Science and Review
Kate Somerville ExfoliKate
Kate Somerville ExfoliKate is a rinse-off exfoliating mask that works in two minutes. It’s my catch-up product for when I’ve forgotten to exfoliate for a while.
This is a chemical, physical and enzyme combination exfoliant:
- Chemical exfoliants: lactic acid (an alpha hydroxy acid), salicylic acid (beta hydroxy acid)
- Physical exfoliants: tiny silica scrubbing granules
- Enzyme exfoliants: papaya, pumpkin and pineapple enzymes
It basically ticks off almost every exfoliation category I regularly use, barring peeling gels and PHAs, in a single product!
Related Post: How to Exfoliate 1: All About Physical Exfoliants
It’s a thick green paste that smells herbal and slightly sour. I massage it on for about 30 seconds at the start for physical exfoliation, then leave it to work for an extra 90 seconds before rinsing.
The rinse-off aspect is incredibly handy. I don’t have to worry about whether it’ll interact with something else or pill up, so it fits easily into any routine (irritation aside).
I’ve tried a few other peel products, but I always end up going back to Exfolikate. Apart from having All The Exfoliants, the biggest upside for me is the texture – it’s thick enough to stay on my face without dripping into my eyes with steam from the shower.
Related Post: The Essential Guide to Exfoliation
Exfolikate is a bit on the expensive side, but it lasts for ages – I only use about a pencil eraser’s worth each time. They also launched a more affordable, trial-friendly 15 mL version.
Paula’s Choice Bakuchiol + Retinol
Paula’s Choice Bakuchiol + Retinol is one of my favourite all-in-one products. I use it a lot when I’m too tired to use multiple products with actives, or think about which ones to combine and how to layer them.
It has a combination of ingredients that ticks off a lot of boxes.
Bakuchiol is a plant extract that helps with wrinkles and hyperpigmentation. It’s been marketed as an alternative to retinol, but it really isn’t (it’s not a retinoid, and works in a different way). However, it’s still a pretty promising ingredient, and it’s thought to help retinol work more effectively. I like that Paula’s Choice use it in addition to retinol, and not as an alternative – it’s a much more honest way of marketing it.
Related post: Bakuchiol: Better Than Retinol?
It also contains 0.3% retinol, peptides, and skin soothing ingredients in a slightly sticky lotion base. It doubles up as a moisturiser for my skin (on the oily side). If your skin is drier, you might need an extra moisturiser as well.
Most importantly for me, it’s gentle and non-irritating enough that I don’t need to be super careful with application method and amount. Some nights I’m just too tired to trust myself with measuring out a tiny bit of tretinoin.
Related Post: 7 Common Retinoid Skincare Myths, Busted
While a product with a smorgasbord of ingredients probably won’t work as well as a product that focuses on delivering one or two very well, this does allow me to cover more bases – and the lack of mental load means I use something on my face, instead of giving up and going to sleep bare-faced.
Kate Ryan Skincare Total Nutrition Night Repair Complex
I’ve raved about Kate Ryan Skincare Total Nutrition Night Repair Complex quite a few times before. It’s another all-in-one product that makes my skin look really nice the next day. It has a bit of everything – the key ingredients are niacinamide, retinyl acetate, centella extract, and antioxidants.
This is great for when I want my skin to look a bit nicer, but I don’t want to risk any sort of irritation the night before filming a video.
Related Post: Skincare Routine Update 2022
Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream
On nights when I feel more capable of using tretinoin, I mix it with Klair’s Midnight Blue Calming Cream. If I dispense too much tretinoin, this helps counteract it along with helping the tretinoin spread over skin more easily.
Lip balms
I was using Glow Recipe’s Lip Pop when I first posted the video, but unfortunately it’s now discontinued. This was a really rich moisturising lip balm that also exfoliated, with little sugar granules for physical exfoliation along with alpha hydroxy acids. It also had staining ingredients which added a bit of colour to stop me from looking dead, which was very handy for early morning video meetings!
These days I’ve been using Dermal Therapy’s Manula Honey lip balm and Glossier Balm Dotcom at night, though I’m still hoping Glow Recipe bring back Lip Pop.
Related Post: The Lab Muffin Guide to Basic Skincare
Products mentiomed were provided for editorial consideration, which did not affect my opinion. This post also contains affiliate links – if you decide to click through and support Lab Muffin financially (at no extra cost to you), thank you! For more information, see Disclosure Policy.
