I Spent a Whole Week Doing VB's Skincare Routine—Here's What I Thought

Before trying this, I was convinced that using a cleansing oil daily would mean I was dealing with some enormous breakouts by the end of the week. In fact, there seems to be some truth in the idea that oil is good for oil, as I found that the natural blend of argan, moringa and olive oils did a great job of deeply cleansing my skin without leaving it feeling stripped or irritable. In fact, I was so impressed that I would definitely swap my usual gel- and cream-based cleansers for something oil-based going forwards.

For the first few days of my skincare swap, I was loving this serum. It's a potent blend of skin-repairing L-ascorbic acid (an intense concentration of vitamin C), restorative vitamin A (aka retinol) and soothing vitamin E. I can say that I definitely noticed how much brighter my skin looked having used this product, however, daily use is a little too intense for my skin. By the end of the week, I was experiencing the first signs of irritation. Personally, I'd cut back to using this a couple of times a week at the most.

I never ever used eye cream until I discovered a £6 one from The Ordinary that I now swear by. This one had a lot to live up to—especially with the £75 price tag. To be fair to Victoria Beckham, she always looks pretty bright-eyed, so this cream definitely must do something right. (Unless she's just blessed with no under-eye circles or puffiness?) This product was nice—I did like that it was more of a serum formulation than a cream, which I can find a bit heavy beneath my eyes. But it didn't rival the results (or the price point) of my £6 favourite.

It's not just Beckham that adores this moisturiser. Celebs like Alexa Chung and Margot Robbie slather it on religiously too. Created by Professor Augustinus Bader—a leading expert in stem cell technology and biomedical science—this moisturiser is the result of over 30 years of research. (Hence the crazy high price.) But while it almost pains me to say it, this moisturiser is good. Like, really good.
It's lightweight, sinks in quickly and left my face feeling really soft and plump. But the thing that sets it apart from other moisturisers is how incredibly glowy it leaves your skin looking. I'm a bit of a highlighter fiend, but by the end of the week, I barely needed to use it, as I was loving my skin's natural radiance so much. I don't know how I'll ever be able to afford it once it runs out, but for now, this moisturiser is making a permanent home in my bathroom.

I'm a big fan of Sarah Chapman products anyway, so I was happy to see one of her products in the mix. VB also uses an SPF by facialist Melanie Grant, but unfortunately, it's not available in the UK at the moment. I use an SPF every day (Paula's Choice Clear Ultra-Light Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 30+ is my go-to), but I really enjoyed that this one had a slight tint to it. While it wasn't enough coverage to replace my foundation, it did help to amp up that healthy-skin effect. On weekends when I'm just hanging around the house or running errands, I was more than happy to just wear this with a bit of concealer.

After removing makeup with the Cosmedix Purity Solution Nourishing Deep Cleansing Oil, VB uses this one for a deep second cleanse. I am somewhat obsessed with this product now. It uses lactic acid to remove dead skin cells and impurities, peppermint oil to boost circulation and brighten and aloe vera to calm and soothe. You can massage it into damp skin and rinse straight off for an invigorating cleanse or leave it on for a few minutes as a radiance-boosting mask. My skin looked instantly less congested the first time I used this and I think I'll be keeping it in my regular rotation.

This is something of a cult French skincare product, so I was pretty excited to try it. However, of all the products that I tried from VB's routine, this is one that I categorically did not get on with. First up, it smells… off. With a little more research, I found that it contains vinegar and onion extract, which definitely goes some way to explaining the funky odour. Smell aside (if you can), it does do a decent job of refining the texture of your skin and making it look squeaky-clean. For me, this just felt way too harsh and not something that I'd want to apply on the daily.

After starting the day with a retinol-based serum, I was a little worried about ending the day with another one. So during the week, I only applied this product twice so as to limit any irritation. (And if you are new to retinol, then introducing it gradually is essential.) It was way more nourishing than I was expecting and actually felt really lovely when applied on the skin. Personally, I thought the formula was perhaps a little too heavy. It has been formulated with dry, sensitive and mature skin types in mind (none of which I have), so on this occasion, perhaps it just wasn't meant to be.

Oh, no—I've fallen for another £205 moisturiser. (Apologies in advance to my bank account.) As the name would suggest, this one is slightly more nourishing in texture and thicker than the original formula that VB uses during the day. As my skin is prone to breakouts, I tend to avoid really rich night creams but this one didn't leave any residue on my skin and felt really lovely. The thing I noticed most was that when I woke up in the morning, my skin still felt hydrated and soft, whereas usually my skin is totally dry in some places and oily in others. This stuff is magic. (Although, for the price, it kind of should be.)