The Perfect Evening Skincare Routine

If you really want to protect and love the skin you’re in, it’s important to establish a really good nighttime skincare routine. The correct evening skincare routine is paramount to your skin’s overnight rejuvenation and the key to reducing wrinkles and fine lines, a brighter complexion and younger-looking skin. 

It’s impossible to achieve youthful skin later in life, but by putting a good routine in place now, you will help preserve your skin’s youthful glow for years to come. So, what are the essential steps to your ideal nighttime skincare routine and how does it differ from what you do in the daytime? Read on for our five essential steps to perfect evening skincare and achieve the best from your skin.

What should my nighttime skincare routine be?

At Beauty Base, we understand that everyone’s skin is different, but we believe that these five steps will give you an evening skincare routine that is easily adapted, whatever your skin type. 

1. Cleanse your skin

Even if you can’t see it, a day wearing makeup, braving the elements and being subject to pollution can make your skin full of dirt and grime. Cleansing is one of the most important steps in your nighttime skincare routine, preventing blocked pores and skin blemishes. Keep your skin clear by thinking of your evening cleanse as a great way to de-stress and wash away the day! Start your routine with a gentle cleanse using make-up remover and micellar water, or if you prefer, an oil-based cleanser is a great all-in-one product. If you have lots of free time, follow up with a cream cleanser for a perfect double-cleanse. 

Choose CeraVe’s hydrating and foaming cleansers with options to suit most skin types. Once you’ve fully cleansed your skin, dab it with a cotton pad or clean face cloth to check that everything has been removed, as this will help your skin to fully absorb the products that you apply later.

2. Toner

Often the skincare product that splits opinion, a toner is actually a great facial tonic that further cleans and primes, helping your skin to absorb essential ingredients. It can also help to calibrate the skin and balance its pH and moisture levels, which is particularly effective if you suffer from oily skin. If possible, apply your toner with your fingers rather than with a cotton pad and press it gently into your face to prevent excess pulling. We love this Bye Bye Blemish Toner, perfect for all skin types.

3. Eye Cream

A rule of thumb with evening skincare is to always apply the lightest of your creams and moisturisers first for better absorption. Eye cream is super lightweight, so this is the perfect time to apply it, before you go in with your heavier products. 

The skin around your eyes is delicate and thin, which is why it’s one of the first places that shows signs of ageing. A good, hydrating eye cream helps to repair and rejuvenate this area overnight for plumper, wrinkle-free skin. Choose an eye cream that contains retinol such as L’oreal Revitalift anti-wrinkle and firming eye cream for best results. Retinol is a vitamin A and is part of the retinoid group known for reducing wrinkles and boosting collagen production, making it the perfect ingredient for your skin’s nighttime repair regime.

4. Serum 

Serum is the most customisable step of your evening skincare routine. It’s here where you’ll be able to choose a product tailored to your skin conditions by choosing concentrated amounts of certain treatments. Choose a serum that contains hyaluronic acid like L’ Oreal Revitalift Serum if you want to hydrate your skin, one with retinol for skin repair and overnight rejuvenation, or a serum packed with antioxidants to help boost your skin’s health. When using any product with retinol, less is more.  Swap the retinol out of your night cream if using it in your serum and vice-versa, for best results.

5. Moisturise

Because there aren’t any environmental stresses on our skin at night, it is much better at absorbing moisture from our skincare products than it is during the day. Always consider this when choosing a moisturiser or night cream for your nighttime skincare routine. Your skin also repairs while you sleep, and a good night cream should boost this recovery whilst counterbalancing any excess moisture. 

The best moisturiser or cream to choose is a skin-barrier repairing one that hydrates without clogging the pores. If you’re saving your retinol for your night cream, we recommend Frezyderm’s Night Force Anti-aging night cream. Hydrating and full of vitamin E, it protects against free radicals whilst the retinol regulates skin cell renewal. L’ Oreal’s Age Perfect Night Cream for more mature skin uses neo-calcium to help repair the skin’s barrier function. We also love Himalaya’s Youth Eternity Night Cream, which evens skin tone, reduces the first signs of ageing and helps to improve your skin’s elasticity.

6. Bonus step: products to use less often

I know we said five steps, but these are the products that you don’t need to use every day, yet they’ll give your skin that extra boost if you use them once or twice a week. 

• Face masks: Twice a week, pamper yourself with a face mask. They’re a great way to give your skin an extra hydrating boost or a much deeper cleanse. We recommend a hydrating mask for dry skin and a clay mask for skin that’s on the oilier side.

• Exfoliate: Adding an exfoliator to your evening skincare routine once a week will help to remove any dead skin cells and will leave your skin feeling refreshed. Ayumi’s Turmeric and Bergamot face scrub is one of our favourites.

What should I use on my skin at night?

We’ve covered the main points to help you to curate the perfect evening skincare routine, but the main thing to remember is that at night your skin needs to hydrate and repair, so all of your products should concentrate on that. During the daytime, focus on protecting your newly formed skin cells using SPF, whereas, at night, retinol (in small amounts) is your very best friend. 

If you don’t have time for a full evening skincare routine, focus on keeping your skin clean and hydrated by cleansing and moisturising and in the winter, make moisturising your number one priority. Use these tips to balance your daytime and evening skincare routines for the healthy-looking, youthful skin you’ve always wanted. For the products best suited to your skin type, visit our skincare hub and build your perfect evening skincare routine.