Left: Having a Dermalogica LuminFusion treatment at Skintopia | Right: My skin looking happy and healthy and radiant after a skin treatment
Over the years, I’ve spent a lot of time working on my skin health, and there’s a few things that have made a noticeable difference for me. They’re not specific to my skin type (because my skin might have different requirements to yours) or in any way revolutionary. Mostly, they’re things that I didn’t realise would make such a difference to my skin until I started doing them regularly. We don’t gatekeep around here, so I wanted to share them in case they help you too.
Sometimes people assume I’ve always had “good” skin, but I haven’t. Over the years, I’ve had lots of issues with hormonal acne, sensitivity, and irritation, plus I have rosacea. When I was working in the beauty industry, I always wore a full face of makeup to cover up my skin so those things were less noticeable. My skin issues were exacerbated by me not understanding what my skin needed, and trying way too many products that weren’t right for me. Unsurprisingly, that caused more issues than it helped! It’s been a long journey for me to improve my skin health, but I now feel like I’ve got a good routine in place – both for my at home skincare and what I get professional help with (including my rosacea).
These days I primarily use Dermalogica products. I’ve been using their range for more than 12 years and have found they given me the best, most consistent results. This post isn’t sponsored, but I have mentioned some of the products I use below, and I have a discount code you can use if you want to try any of them (or anything else). MEAGAN10 will give you a discount if you purchase through the Dermalogica New Zealand website.
L-R: Dermalogica daily microfoliant, daily superfoliant, and liquid peelfoliant
Ditching super abrasive scrubs in favour of gentle exfoliation
As a girlie who grew up in the time of really abrasive face scrubs with bits of walnut shell in them (IYKYK), I have had to learn that rougher (or scrubbier if you will) does not equal better when it comes to exfoliating. Exfoliating is great to help smooth and brighten your skin, but I’ve learned to keep it gentle.
My favourite exfoliating skincare product is Dermalogica daily microfoliant. It is super gentle and I use it every 2-3 days or more if I need to. The Dermalogica daily superfoliant is a bit more intensive, I use this when I travel as I find my skin often needs a little more exfoliating – especially over summer when I’m spending a lot of time at the beach and outdoors in general. The Dermalogica liquid peelfoliant is great for when my skin needs something with a bit more oomph or I’m experiencing breakouts. Usually this is around when I have my period or if I’ve not been in a great mental space and have been ignoring the fact that I have a skincare routine.
During a skincare treatment
Getting professional help with my skin
Regular appointments with a skin therapist have made the biggest difference for me. These are my monthly investment in my skin health. Buying them on concession saves me money in the long run and I get treatments tailored to what my skin needs at that time. It’s a great chance to check in with a professional for advice on products and my skincare routine. Best of all, it takes away the guesswork over what products I should use to help improve my skin health.
I spent so much time and money trying products that weren’t right for me over the years (even while working in the beauty industry!), but getting personalised advice from a pro has been a gamechanger. Because I primarily use Dermalogica products, it’s important to me to see a skin therapist who knows those products well. I can recommend Bare Waxing (multiple locations in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland) and Skintopia (multiple locations in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington).
I also get professional medical help for my rosacea, and use a prescription-only topical cream to manage that when needed. Using certain skincare products helps with this too, including a different type of SPF in summer.
L-R: Dermalogica invisible physical defense mineral sunscreen spf30, biolumin-c heat aging protector spf50, and dynamic skin recovery spf50 moisturiser
Wearing SPF every day
Sun damage doesn’t just happen during summer, so I make sure I’m using SPF every day (and remembering to reapply). My current fave is the Dermalogica biolumin-c heat aging protector spf50, it brightens my skin and helps me look fresh and glowy (as well as helping to protect my skin). I also really like the Dermalogica dynamic skin recovery spf50 moisturiser which I’ve used for a couple of years and currently have in my travel bag.
I use a physical sunscreen in summer, the Dermalogica invisible physical defense mineral sunscreen spf30. This was initially recommended for me to try to help with the rosacea flare ups I get in summer, and I’ve found that it really helps! If you’re not too sure about the difference between physical sunscreen and chemical sunscreen, and what each type is best suited for, this article gives a good overview.
Here’s the skincare I took away with me on a recent trip to Ōtepoti and Taupō
Sticking to my skincare routine
Now that I’ve got a skincare routine that works well for my skin, I’ve found that consistency is key. During the week, I usually get up at 5am for work so keep my morning routine simple – cleanser, serum, moisturiser. The sun doesn’t come up until after I get to work, so I wait until I get there to apply my SPF.
Evenings are a bit harder – after work I’m usually studying and then making dinner or I have classes until 9pm. After a 5am wakeup, I want nothing more than to crawl into bed as soon as I get a chance! But I know that when I don’t wash my face before the end of the day, my skin ends up feeling sad, so I try to make it a priority. I have a reminder on my phone to remind me to wash my face when I brush my teeth, kind of habit stacking so I have a bunch of things I do at the same time (floss, brush teeth, nighttime skincare, body moisturiser, pyjamas).
Keeping up the routine when I am away from home is important too. I used to compromise on what I took with me, because you can only fit so much in your bag and it was too annoying to try and decant things into smaller containers. I’ve since switched to using travel sizes, which make it easy to take my whole skincare routine away with me. No more compromising on what to take because of space!
I’ve also noticed that my skin has different needs when I travel – especially if I’m going somewhere with a different climate. Travel size skincare makes it easier and more affordable for me to change up my routine to meet those needs. For example, the air is a lot drier in Taupō than it is in Tāmaki Makaurau (which gets really humid), so when we go down to visit whānau I know I need more hydrating skincare products.
Staying hydrated
This probably seems super obvious, but when I’m not drinking enough water it shows on my skin. I carry my water bottle everywhere and try to sip on it throughout the day, but some of the medication I take dehydrates me so I have to work extra hard at this!
Not sure if you have strong temperature preferences, but I like slightly chilled water. Room temperature water is a hard no, because it somehow feels dryer? Getting a Frank Green drink bottle that helps to keep my water cooler for longer has really helped with this! When I’m not using a drink bottle, adding flavour (Bickford’s sugar free cordials are our go to) or even just bubbles to my water can also help to change things up.
I hope that’s helpful – if you have any questions let me know or feel free to slide into my DM’s on Instagram!
