Post-exam beauty hacks

Whether you’ve completed all of your deadlines and exams or you’ve still got a few to go, stress can get the better of everyone. When you get stressed, so does your skin, and long hours sat at the computer drinking coffee and eating biscuits can take their toll, leaving it dry, oily, spotty, or just plain old dull. So which ever concern is currently affecting your skin, we’ve got a routine for you.

Cleansing

First things first, put down that foaming cleanser. It’s not doing you any good. Whatever skin type you have, foaming cleansers strip your skin of all their natural moisture, making dry skin drier, oily skin oilier, and spotty skin spottier. Instead, go for a milk such as the Avene Gentle Milk Cleanser, a balm like Clinique’s Take The Day Off Balm, or an oil like Una Brennan’s Vitamin C Cleansing Oil. Showing your skin a little bit of extra love with a really good cleanse will do it wonders.

Exfoliating

Stay well away from any type of exfoliator with little beads in it! Although they’re super cheap and it feels like you’re doing a really good job at getting your skin nice and clean, the reality is that you’re probably causing it even more damage. Instead, try an acid exfoliator. They sound a little scary but it’s nothing more than a jazzed up toner. Try using Pixi Glow Tonic or Nip and Fab Glycolic Fix Pads twice a day for glowing skin in no time.

Serums/Oils

Whether you’ve got oily skin or dry skin, oils are a must for repairing damaged skin. One of my favourite oils is the Clarins Face Treatment Oil as they do different versions of the oil depending on what skin type you have. Lotus is suitable for oily and combination skin whereas Blue Orchid is more suited for dry and dehydrated skin. However, if you’re more sensible with your loan, a budget friendly option would be the Body Shop’s Vitamin E Overnight Serum in Oil, which is suitable for most skin types. Oils are great for getting that glow back into your skin that staying up till 4am staring at your essay took away from you.

Moisturisers

A step that’s often quite easy to skip when you’re busy, but one that is as crucial as brushing your teeth. French brands like La Roche Posay and Avene have a great selection of moisturisers available for all skin types and are great basic products for getting your skin back on track. For oily skin try the Effaclar range and for dry skin try the Hydraphase range, both from La Roche Posay.

Extras

Spots getting you down? Try using a spot gel like the Origins Super Spot Remover on the affected areas overnight. Not only does this help reduce the blemish, it also helps reduce redness and any potential scarring that it may have caused. You’ll be left with blemish free skin and no reminders that you ever had one in the first place. Don’t neglect your lips either; with the cold weather well and truly here, lips can be left chapped, dry, and flaky. Giving them a good scrub with something like Lush Lip Scrub provides a great base for a really nourishing balm and helps take your lips back to their usual post-cold self.

There you have it! Some tips to get your skin back in tip top condition just as uni rolls round again.