How to Do Alexa Chung’s Skincare Routine

Life clearly is not fair, because Alexa Chung has one of the nicest complexions I've seen on the red carpet—but she barely works for it. 

In fact, the 33-year-old has been quite vocal over the years about not only “smoking like a chimney,” but also her nightly habit of sleeping in makeup. (Gasp!)

“I don't think it's very sexy to have a routine,” she told Byrdie in 2013. “Like if you're going home with a guy are you like, hang on a minute?”

Nobody in the skincare industry would EVER advise a) smoking, or b) sleeping in makeup, but from what I can tell, Alexa's complexion hasn't been affected… yet.

If I habitually went to bed without cleansing, it would be a recipe for disaster, but Alexa just doesn't break out. “I've been quite lucky because I don't really get spots,” she told Hello! “At school and as a teenager I never had spots so I don't really know how to deal with them.”

Even still, she may be starting to change her ways—at least in the mornings! “Now I take skincare a bit more seriously as I'm getting older,” she admitted last year.

Here's what's involved in her routine (or lack thereof):

Alexa's Morning Skincare Routine

1. Cleansers:

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser: “It's not expensive, but it works.”

Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser

Sisley Creamy Mousse Cleanser

Solros-Tvål Swedish Dream Sunflower Facial Soap: “It doesn't dry out my skin too much, and it says it's made of egg whites, and it's five bucks.”

2. Serum:

Ling Moisture Plenish: “I went to the Ling Spa in New York once and the facialist was like, 'Very dry skin, driest I've ever seen!' So she gave me this serum that has something acid [editor's note: hyaluronic acid!], so I travel with that that.” 

3. Moisturizers:

“We had this disaster recently—I say 'we' because Tamah is my makeup artist and pal, and we just found out that our favourite moisturizer, Moisturel Therapeutic Cream, which was basically like Cetaphil Cream but thicker, has been discontinued. Why? We just don't know. So I'm on the hunt for the best moisturizer. Currently I use a mixture of stuff… I'll do anything that I think might save me.”

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream: “Kiehl's and Decléor do lovely moisturizers.”

Decléor Hydra Floral 24 Hour Moisture Activator Rich Cream: “I really like the Hydra Floral by Decléor one.”

Weleda Skin Food: “I use it on my face.”

Lucas' Papaw Ointment: “Yesterday, I just put Papaw all over my face on a plane because it got pretty bad. We are having a crisis, a full-on crisis.”

4. Face Oil:

Rodin Olio Lusso Luxury Face Oil: “My skin is drier than the Sahara desert—it's like sandpaper and the outside of a cactus had sex and made my skin. So, whereas some people are like, 'I hate oily things because I get breakouts!' I'm like, 'No, give me a vat of oil that I can dunk my head into, please.'” 

Décleor Aromessence Néroli Amara Hydrating Oil Serum: “I love oils, but the facialist was like, oils are not great to use—I thought it was hydrating. It's not. It's a barrier after you've done the hydrating. I didn't realize that, so now I've been using a serum, then moisturizer, and then the oil.”

5. Sunscreen:

Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat Le Teint Radiance Awakening Foundation SPF 22: “I mix YSL Illuminating Foundation and a bit of the Laura Mercier Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer together with my fingers and just rub it onto my face.”

Laura Mercier Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20

Alexa's Evening Skincare Routine

“My nighttime skincare routine is walk in the front door, put my keys down, take my shoes off, get naked, clean my teeth, go for a wee, drink some water and go to bed in full makeup.”

1. Cleanser:

Dove White Beauty Bar: “Sometimes I wash my face at night and sometimes I don't. I use whatever's available to me. Dove soap is good.”

Alexa's Skincare Treatments 

“I don't really indulge myself in beauty treatments. Whenever I've had a facial, I get spots, so I don't see the point.”

Alexa's Lifestyle

Sleep:

“I weirdly look better hungover with a bit of a puffy face than I do when I've had loads of rest. That's annoying, isn't it?”

Exercise:

Ballet Beautiful: “I'm obsessed with Ballet Beautiful; it's good. I have a one-on-one situation, I try to go three times a week, but not in pointe shoes. It's all normal exercises, they just make you think it's ballet because you have to move your arm in a certain way. But I only just got into that. Before that, when I was modelling, I used to do yoga and swimming and jogging and then I stopped and I realized that my body looked exactly the same. Then I turned 30 and I thought I should probably start doing something. I chose ballet for the outfits. I don't think I look that different, but I feel better.”

Quitting Smoking:

“I just gave up smoking because I was deathly ill and couldn't fit the smoke in my lungs. Whiskey is my main indulgence.”

Thanks to Byrdie, Into the Gloss, Vogue, Hello!, Stylist, W Magazine, Harper's Bazaar and The Telegraph.

Shop Alexa's Skincare Routine

What do you think of Alexa Chung's skincare routine?
Have you tried any of the products she uses?