Once upon a time I was bad to myself. To my skin to be precise.

I would party all night and not remove my makeup before crawling into bed. I barely drank any water. I would binge on bad food and alcohol. The sad part – it was written all over my face.

The silly season has gone and with it usually comes breakouts, big arse pores and those baggy blues.

Now is as good a time as any to get your skin back on track and repair all the damage you’ve done at those Christmas parties and after work cocktail hour.

Cleansers

Cleansers are what work to remove all the oil and bacteria from your skin. It’s recommended you cleanse twice a day, before bed and in the morning.

If you’re an acne sufferer try Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash, if you have oily skin try Clinique Wash-Away Gel Cleanser, for dry skin use Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser.

Moisturisers

When you’ve cleansed you then need to add the moisture back into your skin to repair it. I would recommend doing this in the morning rather than at night.

If you suffer from acne, try the Clinique Acne Solutions Clearing Moisturiser Oil-Free – it’s important to use an oil-free moisturiser if you’re an acne sufferer. For oily skin, use Dermalogica’s Active Moist and, for dry skin, use L’oreal Triple Active Nourish Intense Hydrating Moisturiser.

Sunscreen

If you’ve been spending a lot of time out enjoying the glorious sunshine, it’s time to stock up on the SPF.

One sunscreens perfect for using on your face is Estee Lauder DayWear Sheer Tint Release.

Makeup

I cannot beg of you enough – start removing your makeup before going to bed! This has huge effects on the condition of your skin. All you need is some cotton pads and makeup remover. Doing this every day will immediately enhance your skin. Follow on with your cleansing routine before bed and you’ll see improvements in just a few weeks

Pillow Cases

This may seem excessive, but change your pillowcase every week. Bacteria and grime build up on your pillowcase causing your skin to react and break out. By washing your pillow case every week you’ll be removing that bacteria often enough to make a difference. Also make sure you’re using an organic washing powder in case you’re prone to reacting to chemicals.

Go forth!

We’ve got it now. Our plan of attack to be kinder to our skin after the past weeks of eating, drinking and neglecting our face. We can do it together, change our bad ways and come out the other side fresh faced!