Podcaster and beauty expert Natalie Elliott shares her advice about the new celebrity edition of the OK! Beauty Box

When you’re a busy mum like Billie Shepherd, it can feel challenging to fit in an effective skincare routine. However as the glamorous TV star proves with her latest OK! Beauty Box, it’s certainly possible – and it’s affordable too. 

When putting together her latest beauty edit, Billie has included six skincare products from brands known for combating tired skin, fine lines, pigmentation and dullness. Speaking as a beauty expert and a mum myself, those skin issues are all very relatable! 

I want to quickly talk you through how you can make the best of her recommendations and fit them into an effective routine, even if you have minimal me-time.

Getting maximum effects with minimal time and cost is something I’m passionate about. I’m 41 and juggle a very busy working life and a blended family of four children.  Tired, ageing skin is a very real issue for me, and I believe in tackling it with quality ingredients at affordable prices and nothing that will require masses of time. Billie’s box ticks those boxes for me, as it contains over £200 worth of effective, trusted products for a very reasonable £45.

So what’s the best way to get the best from them? Firstly, forget any notion that you’ll need to make your current face regime more time consuming. I completely agree with the wise words of top UK anti-ageing expert Dr Ahmed El Muntasar (846K followers on Instagram) who I caught up with recently on my podcast (listen here). As he told me: “When it comes to skincare, you should always work smarter, not harder.  No-one has the time these days to have a twenty-step routine!”

Hear, hear! Here’s how I’d recommend adding Billie’s skincare products into an efficient regime, both for everyday and for those precious me-time moments.

Morning:

  1. Use your own cleanser
  2. REN Clean Skincare Brightening Dark Circle Eye Cream – combats dark circles and puffy eyes in seven days, a real winner for busy mums! Apply a small dot to the under-eye area and massage in gently to stimulate the muscles in this area.
  3. Gatineau Age Benefit Cream - moisturiser is a must for any anti-ageing regime, and there are some very effective active ingredients within this product. These include artichoke leaf extract and red algae to help with uneven skin tone, and anti-ageing hibiscus extract to help plump and firm up skin’s appearance. Apply small half pea size dots all over your face and then massage in.
  4. Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream All-Over Miracle Oil - contains tsubaki oil which offers intensive moisture for the skin, plus antioxidant ingredients to protect against free radical cell damage.
  5. Factor 50 SPF - a non-negotiable for anyone interested in anti-ageing.

Evening:

  1. Use your own cleanser
  2. REN Clean Skincare Brightening Dark Circle Eye Cream – apply as before
  3. REN Clean Skincare Overnight Recovery Balm - a product created for stressed skin, containing super ingredient beta glucan which soothes redness and irritation. Like Billie, massage this into your face and neck in upward motions.
  4. Gatineau Age Benefit Cream - apply as before.

Self-care routine 

  1. Use your own cleanser
  2. Nip + Fab Vitamin C Scrub – whisks away the dull, dead top layer of skin and helps lock in your moisturiser afterwards. On damp skin, use a gentle circular motion to remove dead skin cells and built-up make-up or dirt
  3. Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream All-Over Miracle Oil – apply to face and neck
  4. REN Clean Skincare Brightening Dark Circle Eye Cream – apply as before
  5. Gatineau Age Benefit Cream - apply as before

If you’re treating yourself to this routine in the daytime, it’s even more important to follow it up with a factor 50 SPF. Your skin is more sensitive to UV damage after you exfoliate the dead top layer to reveal fresh, younger-looking skin.

There’s one other skincare product in Billie’s box that I haven’t mentioned yet, and that’s the excellent Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant. It’s something you can use anytime of the day and anywhere on the body to soothe and protect. It’s a true multi-tasker – just like all of us mums!

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