Well, as early in the evening as you can actually. If I’m staying in for the night, I try and do my evening skincare routine as soon as I get home to get the makeup and pollution off my face and allow a little more time for a bit of massage. My evening routine is still pretty quick, once a week I do a Mid-Week Mini Facial and a longer one on Sundays, but apart from that, this is my routine every night.

1. Cleanse



The first cleanse is to remove my makeup. (Even if you don’t wear any, you should be wearing SPF and you need to get that off your face.) My favourite first cleanse is plain old Garnier micellar water. I buy the biggest bottle they do as it’s more cost effective that way. It’s gentle, removes eye makeup and is light and refreshing. I tried the one they bought out for drier skin that has some oil in, but it stung my eyes, so I stick to the original.

If I’ve been wearing waterproof mascara I use specific eye makeup remover and I really like the No 7 two phase one, (when trying to find a link though, horror of horrors this is not online at Boots so I hope this is not discontinued)! Also great is the Simple cleanser, this doesn’t irritate my eyes either and is incredibly cheap. If you’re happy to spend a bit more I love Take the Day Off from Clinique which is a liquid and also great for eyes.

2. And Cleanse Again…

Yes, a double cleanse is really necessary, particularly if you live in a city! A Jo Malone facialist told me to do it over twenty years ago and it makes such a difference to congestion and right now, all the mask wearing. There are quite a few I like and I favour creamy, balmy textures. I try and spend a minute or two massaging this in, then rinse with a warm flannel or micro fibre cloth.

Two of my all-time favourites are from Beauty Pie which I’ve featured before in my Beauty Pie Edit. The Jeju Daily Purifying Cleansing Milk and soon I will switch to the Plantscription Apricot Butter balm which is richer and more nourishing for the winter. Also really good value is Your Good Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser, it’s unscented if you prefer that and works well. A little bit pricier, but lovely is the Ren Rosa Centifolia Hot Cloth Cleanser.

3. Serum


In the evening, (as well as the morning,) I also serum twice. I put the first one on, then eye cream, then another. If you read my blog or are friends with me, you will know my all-time favourite is Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair. Packed with antioxidants, I’ve stuck with it for over twenty years and just love it. It’s light, easily absorbed and good for all skin types.

The Beauty Pie Super Active Resveratrol Capsules are my go-to second serum at the moment. They’re also loaded with antioxidants together with fruit oils and peptides. Now we’re getting to winter, I will start on some retinol. I’ve used the Beauty Pie Retinol Serum before which is quite gentle for a retinol and doesn’t cause peeling. I wonder if at 45, I should be going for something stronger though, so I will do some more research, but one I’ve heard recommended over and over again is the Skinceuticals one which is probably where I’ll start with the 0.3 strength.

4. Eyes


It’s great to use an eye cream at night, particularly as it gets colder, as dryness makes fine lines more apparent, pat gently on the orbital bone with your ring finger. Again, one of my favourites is the old ANR! Light and effective on fine lines.

The Murad Vitamin C Dark Circle Corrector I’ve now finished and really loved it. My sleep has been horrific the last couple of months, (hello peri menopause I think…) and since I finished this cream a deep purple shadow has now framed my baby blues, so I need to restock. Although perhaps better suited to morning, I had to include the new Alex Steinherr Plump and Glow Eye Roller, one of the new products she just released for her Primark range which I’m such a fan of. The roller is cold and refreshing and it’s packed with hyaluronic acid. The Clinique Moisture Surge Eye does what it says on the tin and is a water based, super hydrating gel for those who don’t like a cream.

5. Moisturiser

Neroli and vanilla make this smell divine and are perfect for bedtime. It was reformulated a few years ago to include fruit resurfacing AHAs to slough off dead skin, so probably best not used with a retinol, but I absolutely love it.

Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream is lovely at night. Rich and hydrating it increases firmness and elasticity. One of my favourite budget buys is from Aldi, the Lacura Caviar Night Cream. This went out of stock for a while in lock down, but I have just purchased again. It’s a lovely cream but has a lightweight texture so a good hybrid if your skin is normal and only £6.99! From one extreme to another… I’m sorry it’s so expensive, but I do love the Crème De La Mer Cream. I trained on this when I worked for Lauder and they gave us a full-size cream and eye cream, I nearly passed out I was so happy! I was only 23 then and it was probably too rich for my skin at the time, but now it’s perfect – intense, hydrating and soothing.

6. Oil


I’ve only added an oil quite recently and I don’t use it every night. A great addition though as the weather gets colder and the central heating is on. My friend Jules gave me the Oskia Restoration Oil as it didn’t suit her and its gorgeous. Very pricy so I was lucky to be the recipient of it. I ordered the Beauty Pie Sleep Oil, but haven’t used it yet, so it is next on my list to try and I will report back. I try to thoroughly massage these in, my jaw is often tight and it feels good to get the circulation going in general. I recently bought the new Alex Steinherr Rose Quartz Face Roller, (£7!) which feels great with an oil, not sure I’m doing it correctly, but I figure if in doubt, move it upwards!!

What’s your evening routine? Do you double cleanse? Let me know in the comments.

Hannah x