Trinny Woodall's hack for finding out skin type that'll transform your make-up

09 March 2023 , 10:56

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Trinny Woodall's hack for finding out skin type that'll transform your make-up

Trinny Woodall is arguably best known for her hit early 2000s makeover show alongside Susannah Constantine - What Not To Wear.

But the fashion pro has turned beauty mogul with her make-up and skincare brand, Trinny London - and after launching in 2017, has become one of the fastest growing start-ups in Europe.

The Mirror met with Trinny, 59, at her concession inside Manchester's Harvey Nichols on Tuesday, to talk all things skincare and she offered up her technique for figuring out your skin type - and it's much easier than you think.

It's important to know whether your skin is dry, sensitive, dehydrated, oily, or combination so you can determine what type of products to use on your skin. And caring for your skin is also the foundation to perfecting any make-up look - which can stop make-up from looking cakey, flaking, and can give you a glow.

Beauty mogul Trinny launched her beauty brand in 2017 (Saffron Otter / Mirror)

Trinny's rule is that instead of looking in the mirror and deciding that it's dry, for example, you should actually close your eyes and feel it for yourself, running your fingers around each area.

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"We sometimes don't know our skin. What we see in the mirror is what we believe," Trinny says.

"Close your eyes and feel your face, feel how hydrated or dry it feels, go to the edges where your hairline is and feel if there is any congestion - is it bumpy? Maybe you don't wash around your hairline because you don't want to ruin your hair.

"Is there surface hydration? Excess oil in the nose?

"You can feel this so much more with your eyes closed because you can feel the drag in your fingers. It gives you an understanding of your face."

Daily Mirorr's Saffron and Trinny carrying out her hack for finding out the condition of your skin (Saffron Otter / Mirror)

She's right - as I instantly recognise that my forehead feels dry, whereas my nose feels oily, and I can feel bumps on the side of my face in front of my ears. My cheeks also feel quite taut.

The expert recognises that I have rosacea - a skin condition that causes redness across your cheeks - which I wasn't sure that I had until the consultation.

Trinny recommended that I avoid using strong products, adding: "A lot of trends right now are layering skin products - acid, a peel, but you've got to listen to your skin as it's not like anyone else's."

She begins with a cleansing balm to remove any dirt, oil, and make-up and states that everyone should double cleanse at the end of the day - meaning you do it twice over.

Whilst cleansing, she recommends using this time as a bit of self-care.

Trinny suggests using your fingers in a scissor motion to bring the blood to the surface of the skin (Saffron Otter / Mirror)

"This is your time," the TV presenter continues. "If you're a busy mum, just massage your skin and have that moment with yourself.

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"Scissoring your skin (where she uses her fingers to massage in a scissor formation) - this oxygenates the skin, gets the blood to the surface and takes off make-up, SPF and just gives your skin a little TLC (tender loving care), we all need TLC."

The pro then removes what's on the skin with a warm cloth.

"Cleaning our skin properly allows all that money we spend on a serum to go in," she adds. "If we don't clean our skin properly and it hasn't resurfaced, the excess oils aren't balanced out, anything we use on it won't go in - so don't waste your money if you're not going to clean your face properly."

Trinny stresses the importance of having clean skin - otherwise the products on top are pointless (Saffron Otter / Mirror)

For my sensitivity in particular, she recommends avoiding using an AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid) - which exfoliates the skin - or a BHA (Beta Hydroxy Acid) - used to unclog pores.

But those with sensitive skin could opt for a toner-like PHA (Polyhydroxy Acid) after cleansing, she says.

To finish off the skincare, we used a hyaluronic acid serum - which holds onto 3,000 x the amount of water you have in your skin for extra hydration before completing with a niacinamide moisturiser - which improves uneven skin tone and reduces inflammation.

And as Trinny says: "Now your skin is prepped for make-up."

Saffron Otter