How to pick your new skin hero – your bespoke beauty guide

There’s no doubt that we have a new relationship with beauty now, with recent times making us reassess everything from the products we use, their ingredients and efficacy, to how much time we spend on our routines and what they mean to us. 

Skincare in particular has been a focus, with a shift towards investing in products with proven results, and allowing ourselves the time to use them properly – building in a twice-daily ritual to reap the benefits of a therapeutic beauty regimen that boosts our mood, helps us centre and relax, and feel better inside and out. 

As our lives slowly return to normal, this is a change we want to maintain, despite the shifts in our day-to-day routines. To help, we’ve collated a bespoke beauty edit of hardworking products and tools that serve key skin needs, so you can get a routine that yields results and fits into every schedule.

“I want a simple, effective radiance boost”

The skin hero: Ultimune Face Serum

When it comes to skincare, our new take on beauty requires proven products with effective ingredients, so we can enjoy investing in ourselves via our daily routines. A hardworking serum is essential, allowing active ingredients to penetrate cleansed skin, utilising those natural antioxidants and hydrators, for smoother, more sculpted and radiant looking and feeling skin. 

The perfect powerhouse skincare choice for all ages and skin types, Shiseido’s Ultimune serum channels 25 years of skin research and the newest beauty technology into a powerful antioxidant combination of Rosella extract, Heart Leaf,  Iris, Reishi Mushroom, Lotus and Gingko Biloba. 

The rich, dewy texture ensures skin feels immediately hydrated, while the fresh, floral fragrance gives a sensory uplift. Use every morning and evening after cleansing and before moisturising – pump twice then smooth evenly over your face, massaging the serum in circular motions, giving skin a more radiant, healthy look and feel, and allowing you to enjoy a centring self-care moment, for a beauty boost inside and out.

“I want skin that looks more sculpted” 

The skin hero: Gua Sha tool

If you’ve been anywhere on social media recently, you’ll have come across Reels and Tik Toks featuring beauty influencers performing the Gua Sha tool treatment. It sees flat crystal tools made from rose quartz or jade being gently stroked across the face and neck. Why? It is said to reduce the appearance of puffiness and give skin a smoother, lifted look. 

Based on a traditional Eastern Asian practice, Gua Sha has been adapted from an invigorating body treatment to a relaxing skin ritual, whereby you use the tool dipped in water or oil to sculpt the contours of the cheeks, forehead and lips, pressing under eyes and across your throat and jawline. The gentle scraping motion enhances blood flow, giving skin a firmer look and feel. Look online for simple routines to follow morning and night on cleansed skin.

“I want to protect my problem skin” 

The skin hero: Silk pillowcase 

Beauty gurus love their silk pillowcases; not only because they add a touch of luxury to their beauty sleep, but because, compared with traditional cotton, they may be kinder to skin. 

Experts believe the benefits are twofold. Firstly, because silk is a smoother fabric, it creates less friction when your skin rubs against it, which may be good news for sensitive skin as it is less likely to irritate, damage or inflame. The other key issue with cotton is that it is absorbent, soaking up the natural oil and bacteria from your face and hair. This may accumulate on your pillowcase, which could make breakouts more likely, particularly if you tend to sleep on your side or your stomach. Finally, it makes for a lovely, luxurious aide to getting a good night’s sleep – one of the biggest skin boosters of all. 

“I want to tackle puffiness” 

The skin hero: Cryotherapy roller 

Another salon-based trend that has hopped over the fence into our at-home beauty routines is cryotherapy – using ice to lessen the appearance of redness and puffiness in one simple and very relaxing sweep. There are two types: stainless steel or gel/water-based rollers (the gel/water is encased in plastic) which you place in your freezer for no more than four hours to get them to the required temperature.

Once you’ve cleansed your skin and applied serum and moisturiser, take the roller out of the freezer and gently roll around the eyes, cheeks, and jawline, concentrating on any areas that are red or puffy, applying pressure as required, for five to ten minutes. Afterwards, skin will look and feel more taut, while redness will be reduced – which is why it can also help soothe skin after waxing or threading. All while allowing you to indulge in a cooling, relaxing beauty ritual.

“I want to deep clean skin” 

The skin hero: Silicone cleansing tool

For myriad skin benefits, it’s time to upgrade your cleansing routine to include a silicone cleansing brush. Gentler than exfoliant-based facial scrubs or bristle brushes, a pulsating silicone brush offers a deep, thorough, hygienic clean, penetrating deeply into the surface of your skin to effectively rid it of dirt, debris, dead skin and excess oil, leaving it looking and feeling smoother and brighter. 

The massaging quality of the brush will boost blood flow and make skin appear firmer.  Meanwhile, the deep cleansing action, which will remove any clogging debris such as pollutant particles or make up, can help pores appear smaller. Finally, it’s a great tool to use before applying serum and moisturiser, as your thoroughly cleansed (and therefore barrier-free) skin is perfectly primed to absorb the active ingredients in your skin care, allowing these to penetrate deeper into the skin and maximising results. For best results use once a day, as part of your evening skincare routine.

Restore your radiance with Shiseido’s skincare routine powered by the new 3rd generation Ultimune serum. Browse the collection at johnlewis.com