This is the follow-up to my morning skincare routine that I posted a few weeks ago. Since then, the world has become even more unhinged than previously – a considerable feat – making me reconsider all the ways I spend my money. You will see a number of US brands here (The Ordinary, Glossier, Tatcha, Victoria Beckham, etc), but I think my policy going forward will be to try to avoid them if possible. I will not be a fundamentalist about it and I may still want to support some smaller, independent US brands. The rest of the context is covered in the first post, so let’s get to the evening steps.

First cleanse. Now, there has been some backlash against double cleansing in recent years and to a certain extent, I agree with the arguments. I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary to have two cleanses, if you are patient enough to be very thorough with one. Also, if two different cleansers are not in your budget, please don’t feel pressured into buying two. And if your skin is very sensitive, I would probably also stick with one tried-and-tested cleanser to reduce the risk of irritation. But I do not buy the position that two cleanses are somehow so much more damaging for the skin barrier than one that we all need to stop doing it. Of course, you do you, but I find double cleansing more effective and enjoyable – I just don’t like moving all the dirt around on my face for a whole minute (as some dermatologists recommend you do with a single cleanse).

Anyway, I digress. For the first cleanse, I use either a balm, an oil or a hybrid. For balms*, I’ve been loving Elemis lately and I adore the Tatcha Indigo balm; Sali Hughes’ Butterclean balm for Revolution is wonderful and excellent value for money. I also have a very soft spot for Glow Recipe Papaya Cleansing Balm, as it smells like the best fruity bubble gum. When it comes to oils, I am using Victoria Beckham’s at the moment and Tata Harper and Tatcha are old favourites. But honestly, any Korean or Japanese oil cleanser will do. In Europe, Caudalie does a really, really nice one. And finally, my favourite first cleanse category is a balm-oil hybrid, such as Jordan Samuel’s The After Show Cleanser, Sarah Chapman Skinesis, REN Jelly Oil Cleanser and Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel. You can probably tell by now that cleansing is my favourite step…

Second cleanse. The overall idea of double cleansing is to first remove makeup, SPF and grime first and then cleanse the skin. This often goes hand-in-hand with using first an oil-based cleanser and then a water-based one. This is generally what I do, using Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser, The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser or Sali Hughes Clean Sheet. When I feel I need something extra, I may use a cleanser with some added acids or clay – Tata Harper’s Purifying Cleanser, Sunday Riley’s Ceramic Slip or Victoria Beckham’s lactic acid gel cleanser. I generally do not like cleansing milks or creams – not enough for the first step, too much for the second. But I almost always have Biologique Recherche’s Lait VIP O2 cleansing milk on hand, as I feel it’s almost like a quick skin treatment. When I travel and only want to take one cleanser with me, it is usually The Ordinary, as it really is excellent, comes in a travel-friendly size (I have a larger one for at-home use) and doesn’t break the bank.

Toner/essence. As my serum at night is usually a retinoid product, I generally avoid acids before bed, with the occasional exception of Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant (mostly when I have forgotten it in the morning or I am breaking out). What I need from this step is hydration and moisture, so I usually go for the richer milky toners and essences in my arsenal, Dr Ceuracle’s Vegan Kombucha Tea Essence being a big favourite. Recently, I have been using La Mer’s Genaissance Lotion, which is outrageously expensive. I only bought it because it was heavily discounted on Net-a-Porter and I was curious. After an unpromising start, I have actually grown to really like it – it is a two-phase formula and rather rich, while still being a liquid. It includes three ferments and my skin really seems to like fermented ingredients. The ferments also make it smell a bit funky, which I don’t mind, but may put some other people off. Anyway, the somewhat surprising outcome is that I have mostly been using this product at my essence-step in recent weeks and it’s a bit of a relief that you don’t need much (the bottle is 150ml, so not too bad).

Serum/treatment. This is the most important and curiously also the most straightforward step of my evening routine. I have been using some form of retinoid for years now and it seems to be working. I have been reluctant to step up to prescription strength stuff, as I do not feel like going through the period where my skin would be sensitive and uncomfortable. But I can and do use some of the strongest retinoids you can get without a prescription. My go-to and main recommendation is this category is Medik8: I use their Crystal Retinal 10 or R-Retinoate Intense, when I’m feeling flush. The Crystal Retinal line is excellent and considering the quality, good value for money (although not cheap); you can choose from 1, 3, 6, 10, 20 and 24. The latter two are very potent and although I can use them, I prefer Retinoate intense, which is – according to the brand – even more powerful, but better balanced, stacked with great ingredients and less irritating. And therefore also much more expensive. Another retinoid product that I really like and am, in fact, currently using, is Murad’s Retinal ReSculpt Overnight Treatment.

Night cream/mask. With the Murad treatment I could get away without using a night cream, but I prefer to use one anyway, to reduce the risk of dryness and irritation. I have loved Tatcha Indigo Balm as the final step of my skincare routine, as I adore the texture and it really is soothing. When I want something lighter, Sisley Black Rose Skin Infusion cream is lovely (or the mask from the same line, if I want more). On the more affordable end, I really like Beauty of Joseon Dynasty cream and pretty much all Laneige sleeping masks – I use the pink bouncy one at the moment. I use creams and masks interchangeably and often you are actually better off getting a mask by an expensive brand, as they tend to be priced lower than creams.

Eye cream. I admit that I haven’t been using one in the evenings lately, simply because I haven’t felt the need. But I am not an eye cream hater (as already explained in the previous post) and I have several favourites. Medik8 R-Retinoate Intense Day & Night Eye Serum is probably the best I have ever used, but I also enjoy Sunday Riley Autocorrect, Zelens Triple Action Eye Cream and all the Drunk Elephant ones for something gentler.

Lip mask. It seems perhaps a bit strange to include this step, but I have been using a lip sleeping mask every night for years now. It was Laneige’s original lip mask in Berry that singlehandedly made me do it and while I have strayed from it now and again, Laneige is still by far my favourite brand for this category. I am currently using their Bouncy & Firm Lip Treatment, but I think I will return to the original mask once this is empty (but they all last for ages!). There are better products out there for treating very dry and cracked lips, but for prevention, masks are excellent. Since I have been using them regularly, I have not had any real problems on that front.

So, this is it. I may do one additional (shorter!) post on the extra products that I don’t use every day. I apologise for not including the links for the products, but it takes an insane amount of time and even getting the names – broadly – right is a challenge. So in the interest of getting the posts up, but this one and the morning routine are not clickable.

*Please note that although there’s a Dior balm on the photo, it is there only because it is the most photogenic skincare product that I own. Even for me, spending over 100 euros on a cleanser, verges on self-sabotage; this purchase was purely a case of retail therapy following Trump’s ‘meeting’ with Zelenskyy. But if you are curious, it is very nice, especially the texture that is gel-like but rich at the same time. It has a very floral smell, however, so I would not recommend it to anyone who is sensitive or just dislikes that kind of perfume in skincare.