The 6 Minute Skincare Routine For Ultimate Skin Goals

Wrinkles, lines, sagging skin, dull complexion, enlarged pores, dark shadows, all reminders that none of us are getting any younger. Time ticks on and with every passing year we show more and more of these unwelcome signs of aging. Seeing as time machines haven’t yet been invented, there’s nothing we can do about getting older, however we can at least make efforts to slow down the appearance of aging through diet, fitness, and our skincare routine.

Today I’m going to talk you through a simple 6 minute skincare routine using 3 incredible devices from FOREO Sweden: LUNA3, UFO2, and BEAR, that will visibly turn back the hands of time and give you those ultimate skin goals.

Cleanse, Tone, And Moisturise

In an ideal world, it would be amazing to be able to visit the local beauty salon every week for professional level skincare or be able to indulge in red light therapy at home. But let’s face it, none of us have the time nor the money to be able to commit to that level of beauty standard. And so the vast majority of us are looking for easy to use products, that we can use at home, and that give great results.

When it comes to good skin, you can’t go wrong with the classic 3 step skincare regime of cleanse, tone, and moisturise. However, as our skin composition changes as we get older and consequently so too do our skincare requirements, you can end up with drawers full of products and still be none the wiser as to which ones are right for your skin.

In a moment I am going to talk you through a 6 minute skincare routine that follows the traditional 3 step principle of cleanse, tone, and moisturise, with the added benefit of modern technology to give you the professional level results you’ve been lusting after.

This is no longer a skincare routine; this is a self-care ritual. Something you do, not just for how it makes you look, but because it makes you feel great too. So, let’s take a look at what this 6 minute skincare routine is all about:

1 Minute Ultimate Facial Cleansing With LUNA3

All good skincare routines start with cleansing and so let’s kick this off with a 1 minute LUNA3 facial cleanse. Now, you might well be thinking how on earth can you achieve a decent deep cleanse in just 1 minute? Well, you see, this lightweight silicone device is not all it seems. Because at the switch of a button and the download of an app, the LUNA3 becomes your ultimate facial cleansing tool. Powered by T-Sonic technology (the T stands for transdermal by the way) with 8,000 pulsations per minute the LUNA3 uses silicone bristles to go deep into the pores to remove all that nasty dirt and dead skin cells. In fact, it gets rid of a whopping 99.5% of impurities, which I think you’ll agree is pretty epic!

Once you’ve paired the device with the app on your phone (super simple, just turn Bluetooth on and follow the instructions) the procedure is as follows:

Remove any make up.
Apply cleanser to your skin.
Press ‘Start Cleansing’ on the app.
Glide the device over your face following the easy to understand guide on the app (The 1 minute is broken down into four 15 second sections, which focus on four areas of the face: T-zone (forehead and nose), right cheek, chin, left cheek.)
Pat face dry and rinse the device clean.

But what’s even more impressive, is that the LUNA3 doesn’t just cleanse. If you flip it over, you’ll notice some ridges, these enable the device to be used as a facial massaging tool too. Yes, this 2-in-1 device not only cleanses, but it also helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and frown lines, reduces puffiness, and tightens and firms skin, which makes for younger, healthier looking skin. The app has a choice of 4 downloadable modes which range from 2 – 4 minutes in length and cover areas such as the neck, jawline, eye and brow area, and around the mouth – basically all those areas where lines start to form. You can also choose from 16 intensity settings depending on your preference.

I have tried out the massage programs and really rate them, but not going to lie, my daily skincare routine needs to be quick because I’m a working mum and time is short. So, for now I have been focusing on the 1 minute cleanse and leaving the extra massages for the weekend when I have slightly more time. By leaving your skin cleaner and tighter, your face is now the perfect blank canvas for you to move onto the next part of the regime.

3 Minute Anti-Aging Facelift With BEAR

With our freshly cleansed skin we now need to work on a bit of anti-aging magic in the next stage of our 6 minute skincare routine and this is where BEAR comes in. You see BEAR is like getting a non-surgical facelift from your very own bathroom. Using microcurrent technology combined with the T-Sonic pulsations that FOREO are so well known for, in just 3 minutes BEAR can give your visage a full facial workout.

The microcurrents work by penetrating through the surface of the skin to work the muscles below. You also have the choice of whether to use the T-Sonic function in addition to this as an extra massage function that helps on a more surface level. I personally prefer to always use the two in tandem, because firstly I could do with all the help I can get in the skin department, and secondly I think the two work well together for more noticeable results.

Like LUNA3, BEAR can be used with the FOREO app and I would advise you do this, certainly until you’ve got to grips with how and where to use it on your face. If you then decide after a few sessions that you no longer need guidance then that’s totally fine as the device works without the app too.

This second stage of our skincare routine works like this:

Apply plenty of water based serum to your face – This not only acts as a conductor for the microcurrents to better penetrate the surface of your skin, but it also helps the device glide over the contours of the face a lot easier and this makes for a much more enjoyable facial.
Choose your intensity – There are 5 different intensity levels you can select on the app. I would advise starting low and building up. Think of it in terms of how you would approach a new workout; this is a facial workout for your face.
Select your program – Choose from 3 different guided programs that focus on different areas of the face and for specific problem areas.
Press start – And away you go. Follow the visual instructions on screen, moving BEAR across your face in the movements indicated.
Clean up – Pat any excess serum into your face, give the device a clean, and switch off.

Did you know we have 43 muscles in our face and 26 in our neck? And each of these muscles are supported by a framework of ligaments and connective tissue, and the thing that kind of helps all this lot stick together is collagen. Ah yes, collagen, you’ve all heard of it right? The skin superhero that gives us our youthful, toned, glowy, appearance, ahhhh how we love collagen. So, the good news is, us humans naturally produce collagen, we’re pretty epic like that. The bad news is that as we age, we start to produce less of it. Collagen production starts to decrease at a rate of 1% a year from about the age of 25, increasing to 5% during the perimenopausal years. When we reach the menopause, well that’s when it really goes to pot, as collagen production levels drop to 30% a year, which would totally explain the wrinkles, saggy skin, and crow’s feet!

BEAR is here to help stimulate collagen production with its facial fitness routine. You’ve probably heard of the phrase ‘use it or lose it’, yeah? Well, this is a prime example of that, the more we work our muscles, in this case the ones in our face, the more we stimulate collagen production. With regular daily use of a microcurrent device like BEAR we can achieve firmer, tighter skin as well as encourage cell renewal, which all leads to a more healthy looking complexion. Sounds, amazing right?

2 Minute Natural Facial Spa With UFO2

OK so, we’ve given our face a really good clean and followed it up with a deep massage, now it’s time to put some nourishment back into the skin to keep it hydrated and give it that healthy glow we all want. In the final 2 minutes of our 6 minute skincare routine we’re going to give ourselves a natural face spa with the help of the UFO2 device. Now, I’ve got to say I think this one is my fave, because this is proper self-indulgent luxe skincare.

The premise seems relatively straightforward: a beauty tech device that uses serum soaked sheet masks to give you the ultimate facial. But oh my days the UFO2 is so much more than that. Again using the FOREO patented technology of T-Sonic pulsations, combined with LED light therapy and hyper-infusion technology this is a clever little gadget.

Let me break it down for you…

T-Sonic Pulsations – Gently massage the face, stimulate blood circulation, and better aids absorption of products.
LED Light Therapy – I’ll talk about this a bit more in a moment, but basically different coloured LED light waves penetrate the skin all to good effect.
Hyper-Infusion Technology – This allows all those skin friendly nutrients from the masks to absorb into the deepest layers of the skin – the place where all the beauty magic happens!

The process of using UFO2 is again very simple, and the FOREO app is there once again to help guide you through it. The procedure is as follows:

Select the sheet mask you want to use – Each one targets a specific skin problem, in this instance I’ve gone for ‘Make My Day’ which combines Hyaluronic Acid and Red Algae to hydrate the skin and protect it against environmental pollution.
Attach the sheet mask to the device – Remove the small circular sheet mask from its packet, unclip the outer ring from the device, insert the mask, and clip the ring back on.
Select the correct program on the app – Each mask has its own custom program, just find your mask on the app and click to select.
Enjoy your facial – The app will visually guide you through your facial. The movements involve gliding the device over specific areas of your face. You will notice that at times the device emits heat (Thermotherapy to open pores which enables access to the deeper layers of the skin) and then cools down towards the end of the cycle (Cryotherapy to close the pores, thus reducing inflammation ad puffiness, and resulting in firmer, lifted skin). The LED lights will also change throughout the cycle, in the instance of the ‘Make My Day’ program the lights change from red to green.
Finish up – Pat in any of the remaining serum you have on your skin. Remove the mask from the device and throw away. Wipe the device clean.

So, let’s talk about this whole LED light therapy business then. UFO2 has 8 LED light settings and as I’ve mentioned, each mask has its own custom setting on the device which uses specific LED lights during its cycle. Each colour LED light brings its own benefits. To give you an example of this, the ‘Make My Day’ mask program uses a restorative red light to stimulate the production of collagen and elastin and to lift and firm, and a colour correcting green light to even out skin tone, brighten complexion, and soften age spots and dark circles.

As I said, this is my favourite FOREO device, because it produces salon standard results in a mere fraction of the time. If you think about it, most salon facials are going to take a minimum of 30 minutes, right? And whilst sure it’s lovely taking the time out to treat yourself to a bit of pampering, let’s be honest most of us don’t have that time very often. UFO2 allows you to enjoy this pamper session every day, taking just 2 minutes out of your day, but achieving effectively the same outcome as a professional facial – if not better, because you’re able to look after your skin consistently. It is quite frankly mind blowing that you can do this yourself at home – a complete skincare game changer!

6 Minutes To Ultimate Skin Goals

It is a myth that a good skincare routine needs to take a long time. Yes, you have to commit to doing it daily, but as you can see from the 3 steps described above, a daily 6 minute skincare routine is all it takes for rejuvenated, tighter, younger looking skin. And we can all find a spare 6 minutes in our day, right?

The hormonal shift of perimenopause has played havoc with my skin. My pores have enlarged, I suffer outbreaks of adult acne, patches of dry skin, areas of increased oiliness, dark pigmentation, and don’t even get me started on the fine lines and sagging. I am feeling well and truly middle aged. I’m very much still a work in progress (aren’t we all!), but after 3 weeks of implementing my new 6 minute skincare routine I have started to notice some changes. My pores look smaller, which is making the overall appearance of my skin look smoother and tighter, plus where they’re getting a really good clean out each day I am far less susceptible to spot outbreaks. But more than anything I am loving how these devices make my skin feel, because that to me is by far the most important factor here. My skin feels clean and refreshed and just generally healthier and that in turn makes me feel amazing too.