In the course of writing this blog, I’ve come to realize that people often struggle not only with which products to use, but also how – with the general logic and order of putting stuff on one’s face. Apologies if this sounds patronising, but as I myself am always very interested in what people actually use every day, I’m going to share my skincare routines with you.

I’m starting with the evening, because everything begins with proper cleansing, and will do another post on morning skincare and a third one on extras. The seven steps below are something I do more-or-less every evening. I am constantly rotating products, but I’ve picked the ones that have seen most use in recent months:

1. First cleanse. Most of the time, I start with a balm cleanser, as it’s lovely to use and effective at removing even heavy make-up. Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm is a staple: I have a slight preference for the Eve Lom cleanser, but it’s much more expensive and not really superior in performance. Plus, Emma Hardie has no mineral oil. I massage a generous amount of cleanser into my face and remove with water and flannel.

2. Second cleanse. Tata Harper Refreshing Cleanser has been my preferred second cleanse lately. I use it to make sure every last trace of make-up and SPF is gone, it leaves the skin lovely and soft (sometimes I don’t even use a flannel, just water, because I love the texture the cleanser leaves behind). If I want something extra nourishing, I use my Lumi cleansing milk that I have talked about before. For other cleansers I like, see here.

3. Toner. I use a gentle exfoliating (acid) toner like Pixi Glow Tonic every day. I realize that this might be a step too many for most people, but it doesn’t take long and helps to keep my skin clear and bright. When I use my tonic regularly, I almost don’t need serious exfoliators, because there is no gunk build-up. A couple of times a week, I use Liquid Gold, but more on that in the future.

4. Eye cream. I tend to use eye cream relatively early in the process, to make sure it will not be blocked by other products and can in fact penetrate the skin. Well, to a certain extent at least. I am very taken with this Hylamide SubQ Eyes – affordable and effective, I have been constantly choosing it over some much more expensive creams.

5. Special treatment. I struggle with dark spots, both because of sun damage and because I’m stupid and cannot leave my face alone and this results in scars. I have used Verso Dark Spot Fix for a couple of months now and it’s the best I’ve tried. Unfortunately, it’s also the most expensive one I’ve tried. There are a few words on the brand here.

6. Serum. The advice I’ve found very useful is to choose your moisturizer based on your skin type (oily, combination, dry), but the serum based on your main concern(s). I generally go for a brightening one in the evening, but as I’m out of Good Genes at the moment, I’ve been using Verso Super Facial Serum. This is an anti-ageing retinol product: I’m not worried about wrinkles, it does a good job with making skin clearer, brighter and plumper.

7. Oil/nightcream. As the serums I use are pretty serious, I tend to put something soothing on top. So instead of a night cream, I often opt for an oil: Madara Radiant Energy oil is my current favourite, but I also love Sarah Chapman’s Overnight Facial. The latter is more of a treatment, but it has an oily texture and it somehow seems very restorative.

My routine is inspired by Caroline Hirons, but I usually don’t bother with the hydrating spray (the Clinique one is pictured anyway), unless I’m feeling extremely dehydrated or the acid toner has irritated my skin. If you absolutely don’t feel like doing the 7-step thing every evening, my “Necessary 3” would be cleanser, serum and moisturizer that would double as an eye cream.

Personally, I’m OK with spending 15 minutes with my face every evening: I use this time to watch beauty vlogs and I call it research.