So I’ve been thinking about skincare recently and thinking about the basic skincare rules that I always follow. I’m not going to talk to you about the best moisturiser, if you should retinol or Q-10 or the best chemical peel. We’re all different with different kinds of skin and you know best what works for you.

This post is just about some really basic tips for looking after you skin as time goes on. Easy bits to do which, I think, will pay dividends if you incoporate them into your daily routine. These are things that I do as often as I can with the hope that small steps will pay dividends as time goes on.

Water, water, water

For good skin, start on the inside and work your way . Yes you can do the whole clean eating thing and all that, but upping your water intake is one of those small changes that will make a big difference. I’m not talking about tea, coffee or fizzy drinks here, this is just pure, unadulterated water. My top tip for this one is to buy a two-litre bottle and just refill from the tap every day. That way you can keep track of how much you’re drinking.

Take your make-up off.

There are plenty of reasons to take your make-up off before you go to bed. Saving your pillow case is one, not waking up with panda-eyes is another. But your skin will thank you for giving it a big ol’ clean up at the end of the day – it works wonders for anti-aging. There are plenty of reasons why which you can find out here, here and here. But my argument is that it feels good and really helps you wind down at the end of the day – treat yourself to a little luxury and slap on the lovely skin oil that you never use.

Wear factor – every single day.

I started doing this in my 30s which is probably far too late but we all know that the sun ages you. I wear factor 30 under my make-up come rain or shine for a couple of different reasons – the factor 15 that a lot of moisturisers boast isn’t enough for me and also becuase I’m not convinced the factor in moisturisers is as strong as it thinks it is. I wear a high factor because my pale skin is more likely to burn and because I can SEE the sun damage i get on my chest each year. I doubt I’ll ever go down the botox route

Moisturise

I read an article once that said the single most important thing you can do for your skin is to moisturise it. I’m not going to start a debate about oils, serums or skin types. But find a moisturiser that is right for you, that balances your skin and makes it feel better once you put it on.

Exfoliate

This come from two places. The first is when I went through a bout of acne in my 20s – I hated it. A kind lady on the Origins counter told me a good i dea was to exfoliate – gently – to break down the surface area to reduce blemishes and ever since I’ve been having a weekly scrub.

The second came from Holly Willoughby who famously swore by skin scrubs to keep her skin glowing and stop it from looking dull. Let’s not go overboard here – once a week out to do it. You don’t want to dry out your skin.