The Steps You Need For a Minimal Skincare Routine

Colette Haydon, a doctor in dermo-pharmacy and founder of Lixirskin, has formulated some of the best-selling skincare products for some of the biggest beauty brands including REN, Jo Malone and HealGel, and is regarded as one of the leading creative experts in the industry.

Colette makes it her mission to bring an advanced yet relaxed approach to good skin for all ages. Believing that less is more; Lixirskin operates on the foundation that a good formula does it all, producing advanced, multi-purpose formulations for everyday use.

With so many skincare products on the market, it can sometimes feel a bit daunting to know what your skin really needs, and how to achieve results. Lixirskin is all about stripping back your routine and making just a few multi-tasking essentials do all the hard work. We spoke to Colette, the founder of lixirskin, to give us a run through of what a minimal but effective routine looks like...

What is your skincare ethos?

Here at lixirskin, we believe less is more. It is a mix of universal essentials for everyday skin needs and targeted night care for skin concerns – an advanced yet relaxed approach to good skin!

What is the lixirskin difference?

The cosmetic industry creates names for different products which often have essentially the same base and do the same job, for example; day cream, night cream, primer, moisturiser, serum, etc. A good formula does it all. At lixirskin we believe in clever, active formulations that are hardworking and multi-tasking for a minimalist routine - made for all skin types and ages. Put it this way - if you make an omelette with bad eggs, even if you add truffle to it, it will remain bad - you can do a plain, simple omelette with good eggs, and it will be good! This epitomises our attention to detail in the formulation of all of our products.

What does a simple but effective skincare routine look like?

Our Vitamin C Paste and Electrogel Cleanser are absolute essentials for everyday skin needs. They are for all skin types, for young and older skin, for face, eye, neck to hands. They are hard-working formulae and multi-tasking to the max, working together seamlessly whilst only taking a few minutes of your time with no layering required. They make an instant difference to your skin, but also work in the long term to give you that special ‘good skin’ look and feel.

Are there any steps which are non-negotiable?

Always remember that skin protects itself in the day, so make sure to always use a good moisturiser, and then a good cleanser at night so that your skin is clean when it is in repair mode. Otherwise, exfoliation! Even on dry skin! If you don’t, you’ll be moisturising over dead skin - it’s like moisturising over your dustbin bag.

Should a morning and nighttime routine look different? Why?

It’s always important to remember that skin is clever – it protects itself in the day and repairs itself at night, so there's no point using protective products at night as your skin doesn’t need it. This is why Vitamin C Paste is so good for being used in the morning. It is an antioxidant and protects your skin from free radicals and all sorts of nasty polluters. Follow this with Universal Emulsion and the Night Switch of your choice (to target your skin concerns) while your skin is in repair mode at night. People often don't realise that sleep is so crucial to helping your skin cells repair.

Does the order in which you apply your products have an impact on their efficacy?

I don’t like lots of layering, that is why I believe ‘less is more’ – to me, you do your morning cleanse, then you apply your hydrating moisturising in the day, and finally you use the nighttime product based on your skin concerns (i.e ageing, exfoliation, problem skin) to help it repair at night. By layering and applying too many products to the skin, it’s asking the skin to do too many things at once, and the skin has limited energy. It’s the skin’s job to do one thing and do it well!

What are the best products to help with anti-ageing?

Retinol. Night Switch Retinol 1% is the perfect solution for any ageing skincare concerns, as it is the only de-ageing molecule. Retinol regulates the skin’s metabolism, in both the top layers - the epidermal wall - to refine texture, control problem skin and reverse sun damage, and in the deeper layers - boosting protein production in the dermal fibroblasts - to give density, volume and firmness.

Skincare products aside, the best anti-ageing tip I can give is to carry on thinking you are beautiful. There is not an age when you stop being beautiful if you feel it from within. The act of grooming and caring for your skin also generates endorphins which are very good for the skin – so a little self care can make you feel great, inside and out.

Do skincare products really expire? And if so, when?

Our products don't have an expiry date, but they do have a 'Period After Opening' date of 9 months. So, once opened, we would suggest to end use of the product after 9 months.

People perceive an expiry date as a final point - it’s like ageing, there’s a point that you are ‘perfect’ and then one day they suddenly aren’t. Once you’ve made a product in your factory, it begins to age the minute it has been made - so the fresher the better. We give our product the 30-month regulatory use by date, but really, people need to be aware that as time goes on, the product won’t provide the same results as it once would have done!

My advice? Buy something, use it, and then buy something else once that product is finished - don’t stock up!

Do you have any insider beauty hacks you can’t live without?

Exfoliation (again!) but also: Cleansing, cleansing, cleansing! What you take off is always more important than what you put on. Because, removing dirt, dead cells, and free radicals, really removing what the skin doesn’t want and what harms it, is incredibly important - the skin can do the rest.

What skincare advice would you give to a 15-year-old you?

When you’re 15, you’re concerned by every little spot you have – you tend to confuse little spots with acne. My advice, if you have a few little spots, stick to your normal skincare products and use a good regime like our Good Skin Trio, but if they are serious then don’t ever think that normal skincare will fix the problem – go to the doctors!