The Skin Nerd: Your morning skincare routine on staycation

There’s no need to pack your entire skincare wardrobe – here are the few essentials you will need
The Skin Nerd: Your morning skincare routine on staycation

A cleanser, hydrating and antioxidant-rich serum and a broad-spectrum SPF – all the products you need in your morning routine when you’re on staycation.

Are you heading on staycation? Aside from packing enough pairs of socks and comfortable walking shoes, it’s important that you bring the right
skincare. When I head on staycation, I strip my skincare routine right back to basics. If it’s not essential for the health of my skin, it’s not making the cut — you’ve got to be brutal when it’s space in your suitcase at stake.

Some skincare products are non-negotiable, others not so much. For example, I wouldn’t say that your mud masks, exfoliating tonics, and high-tech gadgets are necessary when you’re on a short break. They’re skincare “add-ons” that you can indulge in once you’re back in the comfort of your home.

Cleanse

Your morning skincare routine should focus on replenishing and protecting your skin. Naturally, an everyday cleanser is the cornerstone to your AM routine. It’s important to cleanse in the morning, and not just “splash and dash”, because our skin switches into regeneration mode when we sleep to repair daily damage and rejuvenate the skin. 

That means cell renewal rates and skin sloughing speeds up in a bid to remove the “old” skin cells. A cleanser should lift away the dead skin cells and sebum that’s accumulated overnight without upsetting your skin’s natural pH balance.

Skingredients PreProbiotic Cleanse (€27, theskinnerd.com) is fabulous because it’s a lightweight, creamy cleanser that’s suitable for all skin types. It contains prebiotics and probiotics to nourish the skin’s natural microbiome (aka the ecosystem of bacteria living on our skin) and polyhydroxy acid to gently exfoliate dead skin cells.

Hydrate

Next up, a hydrating serum. During your beauty sleep, a process called trans epidermal water loss increases. In a nutshell, this is when moisture is lost through the epidermis, the outermost layer of skin, to the atmosphere.

Unfortunately, there’s not much we can do to stop it from occurring, but we can replenish the moisture that’s lost. Look for serums with hydrating boosting ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin and aloe vera — all humectants, which work by attracting water from the air and retaining it within the skin.

Ideally, the serum you pack will also contain antioxidants. The ASAP Skincare Super B Complex (€69, theskinnerd.com) is a multitasking serum that replenishes moisture with hyaluronic acid, combats free radicals with powerful antioxidants resveratrol and niacinamide, and soothes and brightens with liquorice extract.

Protect

Finally, your broad-spectrum SPF, which will shield your skin from the harmful effects of UVA and UVB rays. UV rays degrade key skin
components, which damages the skin and leads to the formation of fine lines, wrinkles, and dark spots, as well as skin laxity and dullness. Not only does UV exposure accelerate premature ageing, but it can also lead to skin cancer.

The Murad City Broad Spectrum SPF 50 (€45, theskinnerd.com) is one of my favourite SPFs for good reason. It’s a high factor SPF that protects against UVA and UVB rays, infrared radiation, blue light from devices, and pollution. 

The Irish Cancer Society recommend that you apply half a teaspoon to your face, neck and ears and that you reapply the same amount every two hours if you’re in direct sunlight. A cleanser, hydrating and antioxidant-rich serum and a broad-spectrum SPF – all the products you need in your morning routine when you’re on staycation.

Nerdie pick

This high factor broad-spectrum SPF will protect your skin from UV exposure.
This high factor broad-spectrum SPF will protect your skin from UV exposure.

Let’s not forget about your body! Of course, active body washes and serum lotions aren’t a necessity on holiday, but your broad-spectrum SPF definitely is. 

The Avene Very High Protection Sports Fluid SPF50+ is great if you’re planning on being active during your staycation – I'm thinking you might be hiking, swimming and exploring. The product is sweat and water-resistant, but you should still reapply the SPF every two hours and immediately after swimming and excessive sweating.

Avene Very High Protection Sports Fluid SPF50+ (€22, theskinnerd.com)

More in this section

Lifestyle

Newsletter

The best food, health, entertainment and lifestyle content from the Irish Examiner, direct to your inbox.

Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited