There are a few common beauty questions I’m asked in my Instagram DMs all the time.
One of them is what the difference is between a night cream and a regular face moisturiser.
The answer is simple. There is no difference, really.
As long as your face cream doesn't contain sunscreen, it can be used before bed as well as in the morning if you love it, or don’t want to invest in two separate products.
Watch: Speaking of night creams... there are seven ways to improve your skin while sleeping. Post continues below.
Moisturisers that are specifically formulated to be used at night tend to be richer or thicker and are calming, soothing and nourishing, but that’s not to say you have to buy one if you like how your day cream makes your skin feel.
Your body does some pretty cool stuff while you’re sleeping, including your skin. Blood flow increases, along with your skin’s metabolic rate, meanwhile, your body's overall metabolic rate is slower. That means it goes into ‘repair mode’.
Essentially your body works to rebuild collagen, repair damage and promote cell turnover — so it turns out beauty sleep is real!
But your skin can also lose moisture overnight, so 'feeding' it with skincare before bed helps to seal in hydration and nourishment.
Deciding what moisturiser to use at night will probably come down to your skin concerns and type. I have combination skin, so in the mornings I prefer to use a serum followed by a lightweight gel moisturiser.
When it comes to my PM routine I’m happy to go to bed looking like a glazed doughnut, so that’s when I use a richer night cream on top of my essence and serum steps.
This week Mamamia's Beauty Editor Erin Docherty crowdsourced a bunch of the best night creams and I thought the list was spot on!
Here are three I've personally loved that I'd add to the list:
CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream, $40.99.
Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Omega Rich Night Cream, $93.
Essano Collagen Boost Night Cream, $26.99.
What's your favourite night cream? Share with us in the comment section below.
Feature image: Instagram/@leighacampbell.
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