My Skincare Journey: Davina Catt
When I think about my skincare journey, it's almost like a way to live vicariously through the stages memories and rites of passage of my life.
Like many, my skincare journey has been far from linear; as if my evolving and shifting skin concerns directly mirror both my own life journey and wider societal moments of that time. Does anyone remember the teen skin breakout stage and the '3-step routines' so heavily recommended by skin counter experts of our school days? Or the lack of hydrating cleansing products for young skin short on sleep at that time?
Today, the advancements in luxury skincare products, cell science and even now laser technology are so profound the beauty landscape is barely recognisable. My approach to skincare has been heavily grounded from the get-go through generations of women in my family; my grandfather was a film producer in the golden era requiring my grandmother to look 'her best' travelling across sets and locations, well before the term 'injectables on a lunchbreak' existed. Make do with basics including makeup remover, intensive moisturiser and avoiding direct sunlight, her mantra to us all 'invest in your skin with good products and it will pay you back'!
As conversations on beauty in all its imperfect forms continue to evolve, the image of my grandmother sitting in front of her dressing table with her set of brushes setting her powder and red lip will always be indelible to me.
Today that mantra is still so rigorously ingrained in me that as I enter the end of my thirties I still haven't touched an injectable or anything invasive but feel the need 'to do the best for myself'.
As an anti-botox warrior, my skincare routine has developed from 'anti-ageing' to all things naturally 'preventative'.
In a luxury landscape which has become so trend based, it's ever more difficult to find a skincare brand with heritage, based on longevity and quality ingredients, that doesn't overload the skin's surface. Enter Oscar Charles in a sea of new new new! Their brand values of simple investment products, made from the highest quality ingredients and still family run, immediately aligned with my own.
My skincare routine has switched up to not always include toner, making cleansing and hydration even more essential. Combining both, is the Oscar Charles Hydrating Facial Cleanser with sumptuous ingredients including Aloe, Eucalyptus as well as hyaluronic acid. Having come out of the harsh Winter season, and the effects of stress and central heating on my skin, hyaluronic acid is a hero product for difficult times and an anti-aging serum is a boost for day or evening skin routines. I find that if my skin is hydrated the fine lines particularly around my forehead area, become less visible.
If ageing has shifted my mindset towards prevention, one vital addition to my skincare routine is SPF.
Whilst skin experts have been extolling the benefits of SPF for many years, I always found something very un-sexy about SPF, and tended to forget it as a last layer. But Oscar Charles gorgeously creamy Day Cream SPF30 is rewriting the script around SPF, and is now a hero part of my everyday routine. Combining all the protection needed - from both sun and blue light (my job consists of being behind a screen 24/7!) - as well as increasing skin elasticity, firming and hydration. It's a win win that I now carry in my bag as the texture is so non-greasy it works well topped up in the afternoon.
Ultimately skincare is far more than just about new products for me, when I find a hero one I tend to stick to it. Its a small piece of self-ritual to connect back to myself, to find acceptance in the universe's grand plan, and to celebrate our female ancestors, who fought for luxuries we now consider normalities.
Davina
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