The Skin Nerd: Coming clean- celebrities don’t always know best

The rich and famous have the money to buy whatever skincare they’d like to, and so, many of them opt for prestige, results-driven brands like Dr Barbara Sturm, Augustinus Bader and iS Clinical.

But there are outliers, celebrities who shed the benefits of their wealth and decide to use the beauty products of the people. When I read about a celebrity using something I’d find in my local Tesco, I do get the thrill that we all do: “Ooh, you’re a bit more like me than I thought”.

Have you ever read an article about a certain star’s skincare routine and wondered if they’re using what’s best for their skin? It’s entirely possible that they’re not. In this week’s column, we’re talking about the controversial skincare choices that some celebrities have publicly spoken about.

It never fails to amaze me just how many celebrities use facial wipes. Kim Kardashian and Ariana Grande have both admitted to using Neutrogena makeup removal wipes (€6.29), with Ariana actually also using Burts Bees Cleansing Towelettes (€7.95) too.

Even Victoria Beckham uses wipes, swearing by Bioderma Sensibio H20 Micelle Solution Wipes (€7.99) - out of the options above, if there was a gun to my head, I will admit I would choose the Bioderma wipes.

Wipes don’t remove makeup properly, tend to dehydrate the skin and can contribute to accelerated ageing over time if they are heavy in shelf life extending, quick drying ingredients such as denatured alcohol (alcohol denat or SD alcohol).

Not all wipes are born equal, but you are still always better off doing a proper pre-cleanse with, for example, the Cleanse Off Mitt (€5.95, selected pharmacies and salons nationwide) or a dedicated pre-cleanser like the Dermalogica Precleanse Balm (€49.50, selected salons nationwide) and then following it with a traditional cleanser.

I would like to think that nobody uses a scrub as their mode of exfoliation. There are few excuses not to, with gentle chemical exfoliators for all skin concerns, skin types and budgets readily available. Of course, as you are aware, we are not yet in skincare utopia, and time and time again, I read about VIPs using scrubs.

Gigi Hadid, supermodel and general beaut, says that she uses the classic St Ives Apricot Scrub (€5.99) daily, a scrub so problematic for your skin that it has a class action lawsuit against it, claiming that it leaves the skin inflamed and open to irritation due to the ground walnut shells creating microtears on the skin’s surface.

The best acid exfoliator for you depends on your particular concerns, but the IMAGE Iluma Intense Brightening Powder (€41.00, theskinnerd.com and selected salons nationwide) suits most skins due to how gentle it is. The pumpkin enzyme in the formulation works to gently gobble off dead skin cells like Pac Man without causing your skin any hassle.

And what is coming next is not for the weak-stomached, so flip to the next page now if you’re queasy. Vanessa Williams, actress and the first African-American Miss America, confessed to having used her “morning urine” as a treatment for acne when she was younger.

I hope nobody needs to hear this but applying your own urine to your face at best will have no negative effects, except for perhaps having friends walk out of your life. Get yourself some salicylic acid instead.

The Nerdie Pick: Pestle & Mortar Recover Eye Cream

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I am an eye-cream sceptic. This is another of my exceptions due to the fact that my mother loves it and swears she sees a difference when she’s not using it.

With antioxidant coffee-seed extract and beta-carotene, it helps to protect your delicate eye area from environmental damage, while the palmitoyl tripeptide-5 prompts your skin to make more collagen.

Pestle Mortar Recover Eye Cream

(€38.00, available from theskinnerd.com, pharmacies and department stores nationwide)