Nadine Baggott is a health and beauty journalist with over 25 years experience in the industry. Her no-nonsense approach to skincare has earned her a legion of followers and viewers on her YouTube channel The Beauty Know It All. Here she tells us why giving up moisturiser was the best investment she made in her skin’s future…
My name is Nadine Baggott and I am a serum-a-holic; I made this silly joke on Instagram and the comments flooded in. You see I hardly ever use a moisturiser and, to be honest, I haven’t for the past fifteen years. This might sound like beauty blasphemy for a beauty editor of 25 years standing, but I’m part of a growing movement of ‘skintellectuals’ and dermatologists who think that you can give your skin everything it needs in a power-packed serum.
‘It’s a myth that the thicker the cream the more nourishing it is, and honestly only dry skins require a moisturiser every day,’ Deciem founder Brandon Truaxe once told me (Deciem being the company behind amazing brands The Ordinary and NIOD).
You can give your skin everything it needs in a power-packed serum
So what does your skin need from a serum? Well that depends on your skin’s concerns. If it’s dehydrated, look for hyaluronic acid, your skin’s natural moisture magnet that attracts water into the cells. If it is pigmented and sun-damaged look for vitamin C, while oily skins should look out for vitamin B3 niacinamide, and anyone prone to breakouts should try salicylic acid as their first port of call.
Now, here’s the thing about buying serums, there is not really a ‘one bottle suits all skins’ quick fix. Instead it’s like choosing a fresh juice every morning; ask yourself how your skin feels and is behaving and then apply accordingly. Because, let’s be honest, we all get the odd hormonal breakout, have dehydrated post night-out, dry skin days, and get back from a winter or summer break with a little sun damage (oh, is that just me then?).
Ask yourself how your skin feels and is behaving and then apply accordingly
And so my bathroom shelf is stacked full of serums (I posted a few to go with that Instagram joke) and, at last count it was around 20. I mix and match depending on what I feel that my skin needs on that morning or evening and can do everything with my serums from hydrate and repair, to resurface and exfoliate, firm my fine lines and deep clean my pores – yes they really can be that powerful. Now that’s the thing about serums, you will see a visible difference in your skin, beyond simply plumping it out with a moisturiser.
