Top Skincare Mistakes: Are you Making Them?

Learn what are the worst skincare mistakes and how to take care of your skin properly with expert skincare advice, tips, and tricks.

If you’re not a professional in the skincare industry (or possibly, even if you are) chances are you’re making at least one mistake with your skincare routine – and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Getting good advice isn’t always easy or affordable so we’ve compiled some of the most common errors and how you can avoid making them. Read on to see if you’re making any of these common mistakes and what you should do instead…

How to Know Your Skin Type

Before we know how and with what to care for our skin, it’s important to first identify and know your skin type. While some products like certain serums are usually suitable for even the widest range of skin types (they’re typically designed to target concerns like wrinkles or anti-aging) other products may be more suited for some than others and thus special consideration is required. Lancôme’s International Scientific Director, Annie Black, says “People often apply products that are wrong for their skin type and then wonder why they haven’t made a difference.”

So how can you know your skin type on your own at home and get the most out of your skin care routine? Annie Black suggests this simple method:

Firstly cleanse skin with a mild cleanser, refrain from putting anything on your skin, and wait for 30 mins. Then, look in the mirror and observe what you see. Do you notice a slight shine all you’re your face? If so you most likely have oily skin. Slight shine all over? Oily. Shine only in the T zone and generally dull on the rest of your face? It is likely you have combination skin.

If your skin feels tight and dry or you notice flakiness, scaliness or an overall dull look to your skin, your skin type is probably dry. If you notice visible redness and irritation to your skin and it feels tight, you are likely to have sensitive skin. If you want to double check your self-diagnosis, you can always go to your favorite Lancôme store or counter where our Beauty Advisors will be happy to help.

Cleansing too much, or not enough.

When it comes to cleansing, it’s all about balance. But that’s easier said than done for some, and many of us can end up over or under washing our face. For example, most of the time when people experience oily skin or frequent breakouts, they think the solution must be to wash their face more often or scrub it with stronger products. It’s not a silly idea because the idea that cleaner means better seems perfectly sensible. But in fact, over washing signals to the skin it needs to increase the amount of sebum it produces, making it more rather than less greasy. Plus, using harsh wash products or scrubs may damage the delicate skin barrier making it more susceptible to acne.

So how often should you wash your face? Once again Annie Black gives us her expert advice with her skin wash 101. Simply limit your face washing to morning and evening and immediately after sweaty exercise. Always use a gentle cleanser like Crème Mousse Confort with tepid water, don’t scrub or rub, and gently pat dry. Always favor gentler products, even if your skin is oily, because harsher wash products or rough scrubs may damage the delicate skin barrier leading it to dry up, crack, and develop rough patches. If you find yourself particularly susceptible to such problems, try a gentle and moisturizing toner like Tonique Confort Hydrating Facial Toner as a step in your skin care routine after cleansing.

Using your products in the wrong order.

Many are guilty of this faux pas at some point in our beauty routine! What to put on your skin after cleansing and in which order is another very understandable source of confusion. Applying products in the wrong order can wash away their benefits or prevent them from penetrating into the skin.

Once again, Annie Black, shared her expert advice so we can get this basic skincare steps right once and for all. In general, if you’re using a serum or other treatment product, put those on first so your clean skin can absorb them. After cleansing, when in doubt, always start with the most liquid formulas first. Then follow up with a hydrating moisturizer and lock in all those products benefits, before finishing with your sunscreen for daytime routines. Following these simple rules will make sure you get all benefits of your beauty routine!

Not Using Sunscreen

Sunscreen is one of the most important parts of your beauty routine yet it’s a product many people forget and don’t use in their skincare routine. Sunscreen is designed to help protect the skin against the harmful effects of the sun, including sunburn, skin cancer, and even visible signs of aging. For daily sunscreen use try UV Expert Aquagel Defense Sunscreen with SPF 50 it’s an innovative makeup primer plus sunscreen plus daily moisturizer with SPF 30 all-in-one. Since it’s such an in depth topic learn more about the importance of sunscreen and how and when to use it in your routine with our helpful guide.

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