Robyn McAlpine is a skin expert. Along with her Diploma of Beauty therapy she has studied paramedical aesthetics, dermocosmetology, oncology aesthetics and advanced skin analysis. She has trusted clinical brand Dermaviduals with the care of her client’s skin for close to a decade. So when they asked her to be their official beauty ambassador the Newcastle businesswoman jumped at the chance.
Here, Robyn shares her personal and professional skincare secrets with The Carousel, and explains what makes Dermaviduals so different from other skincare products.
Congratulations on your ambassador role. Tell us more about your relationship with the brand?
Thank you. It is such a honour to represent a brand that I wholeheartedly believe in and use every day. I work exclusively with Dermaviduals. It has been my chosen clinical brand for almost 10 years. It is free of emulsifiers, SLS, mineral oils, silicones, amines, preservatives and added colours and fragrances. This is important to me as all of those things can disrupt how your skin naturally functions. I also love that it is bespoke and can be completely unique for every single client. No two skins are the same. Your skincare should reflect that
What is your skincare routine?
Personally, I keep to a very basic but effective routine. Despite being in the beauty industry, I don’t have a ten-step routine. I prefer to keep my skincare simple and consistent.
Morning and night I use my Dermaviduals bespoke cleanser, it is blended to support the lipid function of my skin, but it still provides me with a deep cleanse.
My choice of serum varies seasonally, depending on what my lifestyle, travel or seasonal changes are throwing at me. I have a few bespoke Dermaviduals serums that I rotate depending on how my skin is behaving.
I follow my serum with a High Classic moisturiser. The unique DMS (Derma-Membrane-Structure) component of Dermaviduals moisturisers support my skins natural barrier function – a lot of skins suffer from reduced barrier function, especially as we age.
At night I will swap my moisturiser out for the Dermaviduals Vitamin Enriched Cream Mask. I use this as a night treatment to replenish antioxidants that my body has burnt through during the day.
Other products I love are my eye gel and the Suusmoon Lotion M, a lipid rich hydrating spray. And I NEVER travel without the Dermaviduals lip balm… it’s the best!
How do you prevent your skin from drying out?
I never skip moisturiser. I also make sure that I don’t have long hot showers. Hot showers to the skin are like hot water to a greasy frying pan, great for breaking down makeup and oil but not so good for the skin as it removes the delicate oil mantle that supports our barrier function.
Who do you get your beauty tips from?
I’m very lucky to be surrounded by some of the most knowledgeable skin therapists in the country, we all call on each other when we need a little help in the styling and beauty department. I am also always the first to turn to Instagram for a little bit of make-up inspo. Currently I am crushing on the natural warmth and glow of @georgiabelleartistry, she’s a local girl. I’d love her to come to my house daily and do my makeup!
What’s the best beauty advice your mum ever gave you?
I wasn’t a very girly girl growing up and I was a late bloomer into the skin care and makeup world. Even now I am minimal with makeup, the only thing i know about “baking” is a mean batch of muffins! One thing I always tell younger clients is to start with a very simple routine of cleansing and moisturising morning and night. Creating this daily habit, much like brushing your teeth, goes a long way to healthy skin in your 30s, 40s and beyond.
Check out Dermaviduals here and Skintifix, Robyn McAlpine’s salon here.
