"Spring Skincare" as seen in the Magdalen

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Spring Skincare With the changing weather, our skincare routine needs to change too. Here are some products which I use and highly recommend for a glowing complexion: Bioré’s Charcoal Cleanser Whilst the activated charcoal trend may seem like a complete fad, there is science behind the madness.

When carbon is treated with various gases and heated, it develops a spongy-like texture with air pockets which absorb particles they come in direct contact with. This allows it to pick up all the dirt from your skin and lift it away, making your skin feel soft and smooth. I usually use this in the shower when my pores are more open and the cleanser can work its magic!

I’d recommend leaving it on for around 10 minutes before rinsing.

St. Ives’ Blemish Control Apricot Scrub and Blackhead Clearing Green Tea Scrub I’m a huge fan of scrubs which use grainy particles to exfoliate the skin and St. Ives’ Apricot Scrub has been a favourite of mine for years. It makes your skin

feel refreshed and new, and contains benzoic acid, which acts as an anti-inflammatory, and salicylic acid which removes dead skin, allowing newer skin to breathe. The Blackhead Clearing Green Tea Scrub is a newer addition to my collection: it’s much gentler on the skin and soothes any redness or irritation - I’d definitely recommend this one for someone with more sensitive skin! However, I would perhaps stay away from abrasive scrubs if you have acne-prone skin or have just suffered a massive breakout as the particles in scrubs can break the skin and spread the bacteria around, leading to more breakouts! I’d recommend if you do want to exfoliate with acne-prone skin to try a chemical exfoliant such as Pixi’s Glow Tonic.

Witch’s Overnight Clearing Serum Another old favourite of mine from when I was in my teens and suffered spots a lot more than I do now - this is one of the few serums which help reduce the size of cysts and the appearance of spots and redness. It’s not as drying as other products either, so your skin will not peel or flake, and you can wear makeup on top without the cakey effects of layering products. It also

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works amazingly fast, and if you catch a spot on time it can be completely gone within the day.

The Body Shop’s Tea Tree Night Lotion and Tea Tree Anti-Imperfection Daily Solution The Night Lotion surprised me a lot when I first tried it - it made my skin look matte and smooth, and my imperfections seemed blurred. I also recommended it to a friend with oily skin and she noted less oiliness within three days of use and it has become a staple in her skin care routine! The texture of the lotion is also unexpected - it’s a lot thicker than you’d expect, yet absorbs into the skin very quickly. Similarly, the Daily Solution dries almost instantly, with a slightly more dewy satin finish overall. The Lotion comes in a bottle with a pump and the Solution uses a dropper - I’d recommend 2-3 pumps/drops for your whole face and massaging it in with your fingertips.

The Body Shop’s Drops of Youth Concentrate Since finding a white hair the week before my 22nd birthday, I got lead to the Drops of Youth aisle in

Body Shop and this serum caught my eye. I was very curious to see how it would work - it states it can reduce fine lines and wrinkles as well as repair damage to the skin. While many creams claim to have these properties, this one specifically uses plant stem cells to do this, meaning it has potential to work - plant stem cells are undifferentiated, meaning they can adapt to any environment where required, and repair or replace damaged cells. The texture of the product feels very smooth and it’s cooling on the skin, it absorbs very quickly, leaving a matte, “your skin but better” effect.

Whether dry, combination, or oily; it’s important to treat your skin well and notice what “type” of skin you have. I fall somewhere in the combination to oily category depending on the season, but my skin is also easily irritated and winter can be very drying. All these recommendations are based on my experiences and neither myself nor the magazine are receiving any endorsement to review these products!

Mila Georgieva Photography by Nicole Cumming