Flawless makeup isn’t just about mastering the perfect brow, contouring or pulling off a bold red lip. What happens before you get to your makeup kit matters too - your skincare routine. These two go hand-in-hand. 

Let’s dive into the ultimate skincare routine for your most glow complexion yet plus a few extra sneaky tips to get your #skingoals...with or without makeup!

 

Cleanse (daily morning and evening)

 

It all begins with cleanser - the most basic, non-negotiable step in every effective skincare routine. The right formula will cleanse your skin without stripping essential, healthy oils.

When your skin loses too many of the natural oils it needs, your face is going to feel tight, irritated, and skin will get flaky. Layering makeup on top can make things worse. 

Oily skin types can opt for a formulation that controls oil but still leaves skin hydrated - without that tight feeling. 

Use a face brush or microfibre cleansing mitt to boost your cleansing results, especially at night.

 

Apply an antioxidant serum (morning and evening)

 

Adding a serum (or two) is really going to level up your skincare regime and all skin types can benefit from using an antioxidant-rich serum. 

What’s the big deal about serums? They’re super potent formulations that double down on delivering antioxidants and other active ingredients to the skin. 

The concentration of active ingredients in serums is higher than those in moisturising creams and lotions. This means they get more of the good stuff deeper into your skin. 

An antioxidant serum will boost the brightness of skin, hydrate, smooth your complexion and just generally help you achieve that dewy glow with or without makeup.  

Apply your serum to freshly cleansed skin before you moisturise and follow product directions to apply. 

 

Moisturise (morning and evening)

 

Hydration is everything if you want to pull off a flawless makeup look or rock a bare-skinned glow. 

Moisturiser does two important things - it smoothes the skin’s surface and provides a deep hit of hydration. 

This means your application of foundation, bronzer, and highlighter will be much smoother and hydrated skin will improve the look of your makeup overall. 

Try PONi Unicorn Champagne Highlighter and Unicorn Chocolate Bronzer

When choosing your moisturising cream, facial oil or gel keep an eye out for ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, cetyl and stearyl alcohol, squalane, and lactic acid. 

These are the hydration boosting and moisture trapping ingredients you want on your face. 

Always let your moisturiser absorb into the skin first - wait 60 seconds or so - before applying concealer, foundation or bb cream. 

If you’ve got oily skin, you might think you can skip the moisturising step. Bad idea.

Applying makeup directly to oily skin will have it ‘slipping off’ in no time. The right moisturiser will improve makeup’s staying power and also help to mattify the skin for a shine-free base. 

If your moisturiser doesn’t include SPF protection, follow this step with an application of sunscreen. Choosing a mineral foundation will also boost the SPF for the skin.

 

Exfoliate (weekly)

 

Exfoliation is a must-do weekly step in the best skincare routine.

It clears away dead skin cells and helps unblock pores to reveal a fresher, glowier looking complexion. 

Go easy! Over exfoliation can leave skin irritated and red -  definitely not a great look for underneath makeup. Depending on your skin type, exfoliating once or twice a week is usually your best bet. 

You’ve got a couple of exfoliation methods to choose from - 

Physical exfoliation:

Scrubs and cleansers with small, exfoliating particles or granules which you massage into your skin to buff away dead cells. Tools like konjac sponges, microfibre face cloths and facial brushes are also types of physical exfoliants, as is microdermabrasion. 

Chemical exfoliation: 

Chemical exfoliation is achieved with products that include AHAs (alpha-hydroxy acids) and BHAs (beta hydroxy acids). They work by dissolving the dead cells from the surface of the skin revealing a brighter, clearer complexion. 

If it’s perfect brows you’re after (who isn’t?) exfoliation can improve the look of your natural brows plus make the application of brow products easier. 

Try PONi’s much-loved Brow Magic for easy, shapely arches.

Exfoliating around your brows clears any dead skin cells - preventing ingrown hairs forming - and smoothes the entire area. 

There are also whispers around the internet that it may help promote brow growth, too. What have you got to lose?

Rub the area right around your brows (not directly over them) using gentle, circular motions with your regular face exfoliation product. 

 

Mask (weekly)

 

Face masks are easy to use, fun (hands up for a little ‘me’ time) and can help with everything from breakouts and tackling signs of ageing to hydration and all-round nourishment. 

As a bonus, masks also help all of your other skincare products work more effectively. 

Like exfoliation, going over the top with masking will cause skin irritation. 

Choose a mask right for your skin type and as a general rule, once or twice a week is usually best but always follow product directions. 

If you’re applying makeup for a special occasion or just want to give yourself the extra spesh treatment before a night out, include a hydrating mask in your pre-makeup routine. Hello plump, dewy skin!

 

Bonus tips for your best ever skincare routine 

 

Brush your lips

A soft-looking pout is gonna make your lip balm glide on easier and x10 how good your lip makeup looks. 

Try PONi Lip Magic Balm for creamy pink pout perfection

Gently brushing your lips with a toothbrush helps exfoliate and brush away any flaky skin while boosting blood flow for a naturally rosier pout. 

Curl your lashes

This lil’ trick will open up your eyes and help them look a little brighter. Add lashings of White Knight smudge-proof, volumising, tubing mascara to polish off your look. 

DIY face massage

A DIY facial massage is a lovely way to treat yourself to something a little extra luxe in your skin routine that will instantly improve your glow. 

Give yourself a facial massage before applying moisturiser or try a jade roller. It quickly boosts blood flow to the skin and over time can really improve the overall tone of the skin. 

Commit to a good skincare routine and you won’t be sorry. Naturally glowy, gorgeous skin improves every makeup look.