As a teenager, my beauty routine used to follow the three P’s “pretty obvious”, “pink” and “plastered on with a trowel”.
Does anyone remember the 2true range by Superdrug that was £2 per item? Guess what, the foundation wasn’t great. Surprisingly. If you can picture what I can only describe as poorly applied grouting for the face! Also, blue mascara paired with pink eyeshadow… WHY! But I was young and everybody goes through that phase right.
Well yes, I thought so. But please then explain why all three of my teenage sisters have better eyebrows than I could dream of and why is it that I still cannot rock an even winged liner? These days kids are coming out of the womb with a YouTube channel and a contour sharp enough to cut through all your hopes and dreams. Not bitter. Just, unfair.
My first introduction to serum
Having an FML moment and feeling frustrated with the makeup I’d hastily applied that morning, I popped into Chanel for a refresh. There’s something about those plush chairs and being surrounded by that gorgeous black and white packaging and those pretty little ribbons. Anyway, it was in that very Chanel chair in Stratford that I was first told that, with my skin, I should probably be using serum under my moisturiser, before I apply my foundation. LOL, what moisturiser? Does primer count?
Hmm. I kind of nodded and pointed towards the highlighter whilst checking out the creamy foundation which had just been applied liberally to my face. Being a cynical Cindy I presumed I was just being sold to, for an extra bit of commission – not on my watch George!
Time to take care of my skin
But after spending 5 months basking my face in the sunshine and approaching my 28th birthday (how did that happen) I figured that I absolutely must start taking better care of my skin.
So I bit the bullet and branched into serum, what harm could it do hey? Falling asleep in my makeup and remedying with face wipes and a quick slap of any old moisturiser wasn’t going to cut it any longer. Unfortunately. Especially with combination skin like mine that kicks up a fuss if the weather is hot, cold, mild or pretty much any of the above. So getting to the point slowly but surely, here are the serums I’m currently using for both day and night for those of you that are interested;
Day: CosmeticDerm serum 30ml – £7
This is a newbie I found in Tesco of all places but a snip at £7 smells lovely and is light enough to wear under a light moisturiser. It’s not too thick so doesn’t feel too heavy for the day but gives a much-needed moisture boost to my skin in the morning, absorbs quickly and acts as a good light base for my foundation. To be totally honest, the entire reason that I bought this serum was that they stock it in Tesco actually – I was in desperate need of a new serum – my food shopping was scheduled to arrive in a few short hours & everybody knows that if you add beauty products to your weekly shop that they don’t count! Praise that clever little nugget that first thought of adding a beauty/skincare range to Tesco.
Night: Estee Lauder Night Repair 50ml – £72
Or as I like to all it, face gloss for the fabulous. A safe coating from facial nightmares and a barrier against dry skin and breakouts. I don’t think you need little old me to tell you how great this serum is, it smells fabulous and you just feel like a better person for applying it. (Too far? No, but SRSLY).
I was recently sent some serum that I thought was great but with a price tag of £125, ain’t nobody got time for that. Sorry. It does irk me slightly though that brands can charge so much and people will just pay it without question (I love you EL if you’re listening) but £72 for a 50ml bottle?! That’s a fortnightly food shop for two. A steak a side and a glass of red at Goodmans. Half of a pair of trainers. 10 bottles of Prosecco. 1 festival ticket. A haircut. You get the gist. But you can’t put a price on skincare though right? My face will be thanking me when I’m 52 and look 22. That’s as long as I can educate my fiancé on what an expensive mistake it is to use serum as a general body moisturiser. Sigh!!
