There is little I love more than climbing into bed after a long, luxurious, nighttime pamper sesh. Nothing beats a long soak in the bath, reading a mag with a face mask on, and then slathering some rich body cream on your freshly shaved seal body (only Jo Malone will cut it for such evenings). But the truth is, I don’t have the time for such treats.

Most evenings, between cooking dinner, eating dinner, showering, watching Love Island, Whatsapping everyone I know about Love Island and then reading all about Love Island on Twitter, I’m a little stuck for time. So, for the time-poor ladies amongst us (Tom has a very different routine which he finds equally as relaxing but not nearly as time consuming – hmu if u wan’ it), here’s how to treat your skin to some seriously speedy (yet effective) pampering in the evenings.

Before we get into this, I would like to highlight (for the non-beauty buffs amongst you) that I am a serial cleanser. The idea of getting into bed with even a little bit of grime on skin makes me shiver, let alone the thought of climbing between the sheets with a full face of makeup yet to be removed. Let’s just say in the last 10 years, I’ve only gone to bed without cleansing once. And that was because I was so drunk I fell asleep in the hallway. If you’re not someone that already cleanses at the end of the day (and that doesn’t mean one swipe of micellar water I’m afraid), please do read on. This is a super basic yet relaxing and effective skincare regime – a cracking place to start!

Cleanse

Shocker – I double cleanse. First of all, I take my makeup off with my favourite cleanser of all time, The Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter. This stuff. I just can’t even. If you follow me on Instagram then you know how much I love it. It comes in a tub (above) which is just a little bit too small if you ask me. I get through roughly one every month which isn’t too great considering I’m always trying new things in between. I’d like a new industrial size, plz Body Shop.

I like to take a dollop between my fingers tips, warm it up and then massage it all over my face. It legit removes every last trace. Even my mascara. I just think that in a world full of acidic cleansers and exfoliators, this lil guy is the ultimate way to nourish and treat your skin to some gentle lovin’.

Once I’ve cleansed. I cleanse again. Now that the makeup’s off, it’s time to make sure my skin is dirt-free.  At the mo, I’m using an old fave of mine – the L’Oreal Paris Fine Flowers Gel-Cream Wash. I’m on my second tube of this stuff. It’s totally no nonsense and just gets the job done. When my skin is on the drier side I tend to use something else as this can be slightly drying (which isn’t good considering its marketed for dry skin), but for the most part, it’s gorge. It doesn’t drag the skin, gives a deep clean without being overly stripping and the floral scent is insanely calming.

Exfoliate

So I probs only use these Rapid Resurfacing Peel Pads from Murad like twice a week. Sometimes only once depending upon how irritated my skin is. At the mo I’m having to forgo this step due to a nasty infection (guys, if you get bitten my an insect just go to the doctor, k? Don’t leave it for weeks and assume it will be OK. Especially if said bite is right in the middle of your damn face.)

Although the wound has healed, my skin is still super sensitive and needs to repair itself so whacking a 10% Glycolic Acid on it probs isn’t the best idea. Usually though, these are my go-to. You just swipe and chuck. Not only does the Glycolic Acid work on the whole resurfacing thing, they’re all formulated with Vit C for next level radiance.

Serum

Need I really go into this one? It’s just like, the most nourishing, calming thing ever. Estée Lauder’s Advance Night Repair is probably up there in my top five beauty products to ever exist. If my skin is feeling even a little bit irritated, I apply a few drops of this and by morning it’s back to being plump and juicy. Unlike other nighttime serums/concentrates, it doesn’t have an overwhelming scent. As you all probably know, I’m a huge huge fan of Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate, and while I do like to alternate using them (Kiehl’s just gives a glow like no other), this is the one for when it comes to really clearing my complexion.

Moisturiser

OK so you might notice I didn’t include this in the pic roundup. The reason for this being that I use a different one every single night, and on some nights I won’t use a moisturiser at all. At the moment, my skin is playing up a little and is super dry in places, so I’m switching it up between La Mer (original) and Lancôme Hydra Zen. When my skin is really aggravated and breaking out, I try to minimise the risk of any further irritation so cut out this step altogether and simply rely on the products I know my skin needs/drinks up.

Eyes

Oh hello – it’s ANR again. Although I’m using the Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Concentrate Matrix at the mo, I do tend to switch this up. If, like me, you get seriously dry skin around your eyes, it’s definitely worth investing in an eye cream. I used to sit very much on the fence with eye creams but since I’ve taken to using them religiously at night, I have noticed a definite difference.

My fave thing about applying an eye cream is the little massaging motion that it takes to apply it – I find it totally rejuvenates the area and is also v fun. While I love a little massager to cool and calm the under eye (think along the lines of Sisley’s Sisleya Eye and Lip Contour Cream), the glass stick that comes with the ANR isn’t it. The formula is next level, I just wish it was in a pot or had a pump. But yes, great eye cream + decent massaging tool = happy eyes and good sleep.

Lips

I’ve got a real thing about my lips because they’re always so god damn dry. Most mornings, I’ll wake up with insanely cracked lips and, in fact, this never used to be a part of my bedtime routine because I was actually just applying crappy lip balms all day every day. Now, I’ve really cut back on the amount of balm applications by using truly nourishing products. At the mo, I’m totally obsessed with the Glossier Coconut Balm Dotcom. It smells so good and keep my lips so bleedin’ soft right through ’til morning. I’m also a HUGE fan of the La Roche Posay Cicaplast Levres for when they really need a helping hand.

And relax…

Last but not least, I don’t think any nighttime routine is complete without this miracle worker. The this works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray contains Lavender, Vetiver and Wild Camomile oils to produce the most relaxing scent. Some people find it a little gimmicky, but I honestly can’t recommend it enough. Even Tom’s hooked on the stuff. While it might not send you straight to sleep, it definitely makes me forget all about the stresses of the day and helps prep for some peaceful shut eye.

Is there anything else anyone swears by to help them get to sleep? I’m also massively obsessed with the Lush Sleepy Body Lotion but mine’s recently gone off and I need to restock 😫.