As much as I love makeup (and trust, me I really love it), skincare is the place to invest when it comes to your beauty routine. I'm not saying you have to drop half your overdraft on a face serum, but you do have to invest time, patience, and yes, perhaps a little cash, when it comes to curating a skincare routine that works.
Having a perfect regime doesn’t necessarily mean you need a complicated 10-step routine (although if you do that, bravo) it’s mainly about getting the basics sorted like your cleanser, moisturiser and SPF. Then add in serums for your specific skin concerns and extras like masks and treatments for regular skin upkeep.
So where to start? There's a whole lotta noise out there and it can be tricky to separate the magic from the marketing when it comes to skincare shopping. That's why I asked the rest of the Cosmopolitan beauty team (past and present) which products they genuinely couldn't live without, from face creams to serums and oils to masks.
Our Editors try out hundreds of new products each year to keep up with the latest ingredients and buzziest launches on the market, so it takes a very special product to make it into our routines time and time again.
These are the holy-grail picks that we go back to every damn time, why? Because they really work. If a skincare product has made it onto this list, you can bet it's an A* buy...
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It's very, very rare that I find a skincare product I instantly fall in love with, but Allies of Skin Peptides & Antioxidants Advanced Firming Daily Treatment might just be my soul mate. Seriously, it is so good.
After a couple of days of use, it soothed my stubbornly red-tinged cheeks and after a few weeks, my skin is clearer and brighter. Plus, it's made a big difference to the texture issues (hi, pores and fine lines) I had been struggling with across my forehead.
With everything from Vitamin C to peptides, this moisturiser-meets-serum is perfect if you want glowier, healthier skin (fast).
- Victoria Jowett, former Beauty Director
On a day-to-day basis, if I’m out in the office or meeting up with friends, I love to wear a full-face beat. So, when coming home after a long day of said outings, I don’t want to be spending another hour lugging off all that makeup with a million cotton pads.
That’s why this Cleanse & Polish captured my heart – it’s suuuper convenient. Just apply two pumps onto your dry makeup-full face and it’ll melt away everything in a tick.
Oh and the best bit? There’s zero waste as you don’t need to use disposable wipes or cotton pads!
- Lia Mappoura, Beauty Assistant
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I've lost count of how many dermatologists have recommended this balm to me. It's brilliant at soothing irritations and dryness, the smart formula works to repair the skin's barrier, creating the perfect environment for damaged skin to heal.
It can be used on the face and body, and is incredibly gentle on sensitive complexions. These days I'm never without a tube on hand for soothing any skin flare ups.
-Victoria Jowett, former Beauty Director
As someone with acne inflammation and a total intolerance of the sun, I’m prone to redness on my cheeks. Ever the cynic, I didn’t believe Biossance when they told me their customers often saw a reduction in redness after 3 days of using this product (and I didn’t believe *namedrop* brand ambassador JVN when he recommended Biossance in general).
Skip ahead to me using it for ONE NIGHT, and waking up with calmed, even skin. It's my new ultimate favourite. It wasn’t a fluke - to this day, I’m willing to scrape out the empty tub with a toothpick, this stuff’s so effective. Sorry JVN. I’ll listen next time.
- Kate Pasola, former beauty writer
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Ceramidin Cream
I love this moisturiser so much I've written an entire dedicated feature on it.
I am religious about keeping my skin barrier protected and this is one of the few moisturisers I can always rely on. As soon as I apply it my face feels like it's having a duvet day and everything instantly feels better. Plus the thicker cream texture makes it the perfect hydrator for autumn/winter when you want some extra protection.
- Laura Capon, former Deputy Beauty Editor
Once upon a time, I got a bit overexcited with some exfoliating formulas and was left with very angry, irritated, red skin. Anything I put on my face stung – until I tried this.
It’s formulated with oat kernel oil and colloidal oatmeal, both of which hydrate skin but, most importantly, soothe and calm signs of irritation. As well as a cleanser, you can apply a layer on skin and leave for 10 minutes for a quick face mask moment – something that I think helped a lot.
- Hanna Ibraheem, former Deputy Beauty Editor
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As someone who has incredibly oily skin, I have long been on the hunt for something that can reduce the slick. And seeing as this BHA Liquid Exfoliant has one of my favourite ingredients as its key component, aka salicylic acid, I’m not too surprised that I quickly fell in love!
I use it every day in my PM routine after cleansing and before serums and moisturiser.
Lia Mappoura, Beauty Assistant
Before I tried this, I wasn’t on the vitamin C bandwagon. Loads of products I tried had the super-ingredient in it but I just didn’t see how it enhanced my skin.
But after using this gel cream for a few months I noticed how much my skin was glowing before I’d even put on makeup. It was the product that made me feel more confident to go out sans base product.
- Keeks Reid, Beauty Director
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Spots followed by post-inflammatory pigmentation is a skincare issue I face on a monthly basis. However, this niacinamide-rich serum from Beauty Pie was a game-changer for me and even cut my monthly breakouts by half – no small feat, trust me.
I adore this so much, I even wrote a lengthy love letter to it which you can read here.
- Charlotte Bitmead, former Senior Beauty Writer
I'm all about a sun-kissed glow, it's such a great way to even out the complexion and fake a fresh-face - even if you're surviving on little-to-no sleep (which, with a teething one-year-old, is something I truly understand).
Tan Luxe have concocted the perfect potion to give skin a subtle, natural-looking bronze. It's also packed with added hyaluronic acid for hydration, and as someone who is forever trying to simplify my life, I love a skincare multitasker.
- Victoria Jowett, former Beauty Director
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I have used Garnier's micellar waters since they launched and I honestly don't think you can top them when it comes to price and affordability.
They remove your makeup far quicker than any wipe ever could, don't irritate my eyes and one bottle lasts me ages. I recently switched to this Hyaluronic Aloe version for a change as I'm a sucker for anything 'soothing'.
- Laura Capon, former Deputy Beauty Editor
In terms of texture, this is the nicest SPF I have ever applied and trust me when I say it will make you look forward to applying your suncream every morning.
I discovered this after meeting Jin Kwon, the founder of Korean beauty retailer Tonic 15 and I have never looked back.
- Laura Capon, former Deputy Beauty Editor
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Tatcha has long been on my 'must-buy' list, but for many years the elusive brand was only available in the US. Thankfully, Space NK have saved me (and my Avios points) by bringing the brand over here to the UK.
Of all their products, my favourite has to be The Dewy Skin Cream. As someone with permanently dry skin, this wonder moisturiser does just what it says on the tub, gives a dewy glow to even parched complexions.
- Victoria Jowett, former Beauty Director
If, like me, you have sensitive, blemish-prone skin, then look no further than this Cetaphil cleanser. It’s gentle enough not to irritate the face yet still firm enough to remove any dirt or excess oil from the skin.
So, do feel free to use it twice daily. Plus, it’s non-comedogenic, meaning it won’t cause those pesky under-the-skin bumps. Hallelujah!
- Lia Mappoura, Beauty Assistant
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Ok, hear me out, I know that this is a LOT of money to spend on skincare, but this is one of the best serums I've ever used (and trust me, I don't say that lightly).
Why? Because every time my skin freaks out, this serum calms it down asap. From hormonal breakouts to redness, dry patches or texture issues, this soothing formula contains an active, plant-based complex that calms skin, taking down redness and reducing irritation.
- Victoria Jowett, former Beauty Director
La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Hyaluronic Acid Serum
Now 82% Off
£6.75 at Escentual£45 at Boots£22 at Amazon
With continued use, this genuinely makes your skin look like you’ve only drank water and eaten greens for a month.
The hyaluronic acid sits in two different molecular sizes; the bigger of the two plumps the surface and the smaller ones penetrate the skin barrier to work from within… it’s all very techy. I just love how dewy my skin looks tbh.
- Keeks Reid, Beauty Director
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I use to steal this from my mum’s dresser when I lived at home (sorry, mum) and I still love it years later. It’s just the silkiest moisturiser that makes a fab base for makeup.
It’s especially great for dry skin– I hate when makeup clings to dry patches or doesn’t blend properly and this eliminates that.
- Keeks Reid, Beauty Director
I've tried so many sunscreens in my mission to find one that doesn't break me out. From oil-free to all-natural, they all seem to give me those tiny under-the-skin bumps. That was until I found this ah-mazing formula by Drunk Elephant.
Free from essential oils, drying alcohols, silicones, chemical screens, fragrance/dyes and SLS, this SPF kept my skin happy and breakout-free.
-Victoria Jowett, former Beauty Director
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In the mornings I always wash my face before I hop in the shower and then I do my skincare afterwards. Not really sure when I developed this bizarre routine but it works.
This is the perfect morning cleanser for me because it leaves skin feeling fresh as it foams but doesn’t leave your face feeling tighter than your favourite jeans post-lockdown in between washing it and applying my serum.
- Keeks Reid, Beauty Director
I credit this serum with clearing up my acne after a good 12 years. It comes at it from a prevent and repair approach, with salicylic acid to unclog and tighten pores, and niacinamide for evening the complexion. If there's one thing it taught me, it's that the best ways to target spots, often don't target the actual spots at all.
Now my skin is pretty much clear, this serum's taken a back seat, but if I do go into a breakout period, this is the first thing I reach for to stop it in its tracks.
- Elena Chabo, former Beauty Writer