A skincare routine should be something you understand, not a collection of bottles you feel obliged to use. If you are unsure where to start, take a moment to look at what is already on your shelf.

Can you explain what each product is for? Do you know when to use it? Is there something you bought because it sounded impressive but have never quite worked into your day?

Give each product a purpose

Write down the job you want a new product to do before searching for one. Perhaps you are shopping for a cleanser, a moisturiser or a treatment aimed at a particular concern. This gives you a more useful starting point than buying whatever happens to be popular.

A simple shopping shortlist can have three columns: the product, why you want it and its directions. If you cannot fill those in, read a little more before adding it to your basket.

Read beyond the product name

The word serum does not tell you when or how often to use a product. A daytime product and an evening treatment may have very different instructions. Look for directions, precautions and guidance about how a product fits alongside the rest of your routine.

For a specific example, Dermelect's Self-Esteem Beauty Sleep Serum is described as an evening treatment, with gradual introduction in its usage guidance. That illustrates why the individual product instructions matter more than assuming every serum is an everyday step. Official product directions.

Keep the routine practical

Choose a routine you can explain and manage. Save the directions somewhere easy to find, and ask for advice if you are unsure about combining treatments. A long list of ingredients or a high price does not, on its own, tell you whether a product belongs on your shelf.

Browse skincare by concern, and use each product's benefits and directions to build your shortlist.