As well as serving us daily style inspo and wanderlust courtesy of her envy-inducing Instagram feed, Hello October is also a major beauty sleuth.
Whether she’s sampling the latest launches or trying out a hero skincare ingredient, the social media star has garnered some seriously nifty skincare tricks, hacks and absolutes over the years and now, she’s sharing them with GLAMOUR.
From the chemical exfoliants she maintains are worth the hype to the one skincare superhero she can’t live without, Hello October shares her top takeaways from eight years of slathering her skin…
Less is more
My first tidbit of advice is that less really is more when it comes to your skin, especially if you’re still fairly young. The more my skin has aged, the more product it has needed and been able to handle. While my skin has matured now, in the early days of trialling new skincare products for my blog, my skin became very sensitive very quickly due to the sheer amount of new products I applied, as well as how inconsistent my routine was. My main takeaway from this was to keep your routine consistent by swapping new products in and out slowly and one by one. Keep the routine as minimal as possible (without sacrificing good skin) and don’t over apply product. Less is definitely more when it comes to your skin. Trust me.
Chemical exfoliants are worth the hype (as long as you remember to use SPF daily while using them)
In my early twenties I had a real love/hate relationship with chemical exfoliants. They seemed to just be too much for my skin, but it was worth persevering and researching further. Through trial and error, I found different types of AHAs affected my skin in different ways, with glycolic and lactic acids being better for my skin in different forms and PHAs being much more gentle on my skin. The OLE HENRIKSEN Phat Glow Facial, £42 is a favourite of mine for a quick exfoliation that won’t irritate the skin too much, as PHAs have larger molecules that don’t sink as far into the skin and exfoliate as deeply as AHAs. However, a quick swipe of the OLE HENRIKSEN Glow2OH Dark Spot Toner, £22 – containing both glycol and lactic acid – is gentle enough for a daily exfoliation when I need something a little stronger. Spending some time finding the right acids for my skin has ultimately been so worth it; my skin has never looked so smooth.
Daily SPF really is the gatekeeper for great skin
I resisted wearing SPF daily for so long because I was unconvinced about how much difference it could really make in the long term. I guess it’s one of those things you won’t ever believe until you slowly start to see the damage appearing, but SPF is so important to use – even when it’s cloudy in the winter and even if you’re not out in the sun for hours. I like to use a mist like La Roche-Posay Anthelios Sun Protection Face Mist SPF50+, £14 as the last step in my skincare routine each day, and over makeup throughout the day when I’m out in the sun for long periods.
Vitamin C isn’t only great for warding off that winter cold
Don’t just look for vitamin C in your diet and supplements – it’s a great ingredient that I added to my skincare routine this year and have seen the benefits. My skin is brighter, more even in tone and the texture is so smooth. There are serum options that can be mixed into your existing moisturiser or no fuss options such as OLE HENRIKSEN C-Rush Brightening Gel Crème, £36, which helps to correct and make skin look healthier long term, while its pinky hue instantly brightens.
