I'm 20 Years Old, How Can I Preserve My Gorgeous Glow? Cleansing!

At 20, we don't notice the damaging effects of pollution, smoking or the sun, meaning we can get a bit lazy when it comes to pampering our skin. BIG mistake, girls! It's at precisely this age that we need to launch preemptive strikes and protect our skin from damage that will raise its ugly face in 20 years' time. So what's our arch enemy No.1? UV rays are responsible for 80% of the damage that causes our skin to prematurely age. It's no secret, but it's now that we should adopt beauty routines to limit the sun's harmful effects. Ready?

- Thorough cleansing: if you don't do so already, you should start to give your skin an evening cleanse to remove makeup. It's the one way ticket to keeping beautiful skin. Apply a cleanser both morning and night that's adapted to your skin type. The golden rule? Remove makeup and cleanse before crawling into bed. At 20, our pores are in tip top condition and the idea is to keep them that way for as long as possible! - Ditch the cigarettes. No negotiation on this one, if you want to keep your fresh-faced appeal. Smoking is the second most dangerous thing for our skin. It narrows our blood vessels, meaning our skin is deprived of oxygen and nutriments. - Protect our skin from UV rays during summer and winter. Apply a cream that contains UVA and UVB filters as soon as your skin is exposed to sunlight. Even if you're trotting around town on a cloudy, winter's day, it's important you protect yourself with a moisturiser that contains a sunscreen. An SPF 15 will do the trick: apply it in the morning, to keep your skin protected from even the mildest of rays.

At 20, our skin is often dehydrated yet produces too much sebum - the T zone is a classic example. So you'll need to both purify and hydrate your skin. Avoid soap and products that contain alcohol, as these will dry out your skin, which in turn will produce more sebum to compensate for any water lost. In the morning, wash your face with a gentle cleansing gel, micellar water or a purifying mousse to help regulate any excess sebum. Follow with a moisturiser that will nourish your skin. At 20 our skin doesn't need any specific treatments - you can leave firming and smoothing creams for later in life! In the evening you'll need to get rid of any grime accumulated during the day (make up, dust, pollution, sebum). Give your skin a thorough cleanse, use a face scrub once a week and apply a moisturiser before going to bed. You can also start using an eye contour cream. Eye contour skin is much thinner and more delicate than the rest of the face, so to avoid crow's feet at 40, you should start pampering your peepers now!