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Sponsored: Skincity

This is my Skincity review after using the online skincare clinic and the routine it recommended for about 1.5 months. The useful part was not just buying products; it was having a certified skin therapist choose a routine around my combination skin, sunscreen use and wish for natural skincare.

Update July 2026: the old Skincity links and individual skin-test routes used in this article no longer work as originally published. Skincity has since moved under KICKS, so I replaced the broken routes with current KICKS destinations and removed a stale product affiliate link. Links marked with * are affiliate links.

If you’ve ever dreamed of someone just telling you what products you should use to get the best out of your skin, Skincity’s online clinic was exactly that kind of service. If you are still unsure about your skin type before choosing products, start with my skin type guide and then build a routine with my Skin 101 skincare routine guide.

Skincity review: skincare that works because it is tailored to you

When I worked at a salon, I loved doing facials and helping customers find the right products. Our skin is our biggest organ, and I think the little time we take in pampering it is very worth it. My take on skincare is compassionate, yet dedicated. I don’t focus on the problems in my skin; I accept its unique properties. I’m not looking for perfection, I just want my skin to look and feel healthy.

That said, it’s important to choose the right products for your skin. For instance, I have combination skin with bigger pores, so it is important to treat it right to avoid pimples. Skincity helped me choose products around those needs.

At the time of my test, Skincity sold several of my favorite brands including Vita Liberata, Clarins and Jane Iredale, plus brands that had been on my wish list like Hourglass and By Terry. The range and professional help were the reason the service felt useful.

Skincity skin tests and the current KICKS route

When this review was first published, Skincity offered free skin tests for different routine sizes and SPF recommendations. The test was simple: you answered questions about your skin, wishes and routine, and a skin therapist sent product recommendations a few days later.

I chose the skin test with 6-8 products, because I like a holistic take on skincare. There was also an option for a simpler four-product routine. Once you got your results, you could check out the products without an obligation to buy.

Those exact old Skincity skin-test URLs are no longer reliable. The closest current route I found is *KICKS Digital Beauty Tools and Skin Analytics, where KICKS describes digital tools such as Skin Analytics for tailored routines. If you specifically want Skincity products, use *Skincity Skincare at KICKS.

There was also an SPF test to find a suitable sunscreen. I love physical sunscreens, which work by reflecting sun rays away from your skin. I used Maria Åkerberg’s mineral powder with SPF20; makeup and sunscreen in two steps, perfect for me. If SPF is your main concern, continue with my natural face sunscreen guide.

Personal skincare advice

In addition to the test, you could chat with skin therapists if you had questions. As a beauty therapist myself, I really value advice coming from another professional. Just like a shoemaker can fix your shoes, a skin therapist knows how to treat different skin types and issues.

Maria Åkerberg mineral powder in Pure Beige worn on the face — Wearing Maria Åkerberg’s mineral powder in Pure Beige. More makeup details at the end of this post.

My Skincity skincare routine and Neal’s Yard Remedies

I’ve now been on my Skincity skincare routine for about 1.5 months and both me and my skin are very happy. I chose natural products and got recommended Neal’s Yard Remedies products. Getting to know a new skincare brand this way was fun, and I love that someone else picked the right products for me.

Neal’s Yard Remedies products feel effective, yet gentle. The luxurious glass packaging is a big plus for me. The natural fresh scents are therapeutic; my favorite scent is the orange in the face scrub.

Since I use physical sunscreen and makeup, I always double cleanse. Oil is the best option for removing physical sunscreens, so I requested an oil cleanser as an extra. If double cleansing is relevant to your routine, my oil cleanser guide goes deeper into removing physical sunscreen and makeup.

Maria Åkerberg Pre-Cleansing Oil for removing sunscreen and makeup — Maria Åkerberg’s Pre-Cleansing Oil is great for removing sunscreen and makeup.

Here’s how my routine looked with the recommended products.

My evening skincare routine

Maria Åkerberg Precleansing Oil
Maria Åkerberg Gentle Foaming Wash
Neal’s Yard Remedies Rehydrating Rose Toner
Neal’s Yard Remedies Sensitive Soothing Daily Serum
Neal’s Yard Remedies Vitamin E & Avocado Night Cream
Neal’s Yard Remedies White Tea Eye Gel

My morning skincare routine

Splash with water
Neal’s Yard Remedies Rehydrating Rose Toner
Neal’s Yard Remedies Sensitive Soothing Daily Serum
Neal’s Yard Remedies Purifying Palmarosa Daily Moisturizer
Neal’s Yard Remedies White Tea Eye Gel

My weekly skincare routine

Neal’s Yard Remedies Honey & Orange Face Scrub

Notes and thoughts on the products and routine

My favorite products are the Rehydrating Rose Toner and the Sensitive Soothing Daily Serum. It’s funny, because I used to really dislike rose scent. However, the toner smells fresh and provides the perfect hydration for my skin. I take it into my palms and pat it on to my skin.

The Soothing Serum is another lovely product for hydration. It contains hyaluronic acid, borage seed oil and soothing plant extracts. I’ve talked about the importance of a hydrating serum before and that goes for all seasons. As lovely as the sun is, it dries out the skin and at least my skin appreciates all the watery hydration it can get.

The Purifying Palmarosa Daily Moisturizer has been a good summer match for my skin. It absorbs quickly, controls oil and works really well under makeup.

Need changes to the routine?

When I tested the service, you could redo the skin test if you wanted totally new recommendations or felt like something was not working. You could also chat with a skin therapist if you wanted to change something. In my routine I ended up changing the facial wash; I first had the Purifying Palmarosa Wash for oily skin, but asked for a slightly more gentle cleanser and got two new product recommendations within minutes.

If you want to get your skincare in order, I still think the strongest idea here is a professional routine built around your skin, not a random product haul. Start with the current KICKS Skin Analytics route if you want a digital recommendation, or browse Skincity products at KICKS if you already know what you want.

*KICKS Digital Beauty Tools and Skin Analytics
*Skincity Skincare at KICKS

This whole makeup look was done with brands Skincity sold at the time. I’m wearing:

Maria Åkerberg’s mineral powder, Pure Beige
Jane Iredale Ellen Lipstick
Clarins Joli Blush in Cheeky Peach
Clarins Ombre 3 Couleurs palettes

For more skincare routines, product testing and daily beauty talk, you can also find me on Instagram @charlottaeve.

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Simple routine for curly & wavy hair

You can easily get the best out of your natural curls or waves with a simple routine. It’s not rocket science to tame and define those natural waves or ringlets!

I know that a lot of people don’t even give their curls a chance, once they get overwhelmed by the information overdose regarding The Curly Girl Method. I understand. But for now, forget about all the rules and intricate techniques. Simplicity works and here’s a four product routine to prove that. I urge you to try this.

Jasmin before and after a curly hair routine with Briogeo gel and Aquis turban — My sister Jasmin’s before and after this routine. I applied gel to wet hair and a bit more after drying it with the turban.

Annika before and after the four product curly hair routine — My sister Annika’s before and after using the 4 product routine mentioned in this post. I applied gel after drying the hair with the turban.

Simple four product routine for naturally curly or wavy hair

I washed and styled my hair using the methods and products of this post. Furthermore I tested this routine on two of my sisters, who have wavy hair (and who normally don’t treat their hair like this). The results are amazing, as you can see. It really doesn’t take that much more for the curls and waves to appear. You might be surprised!

4 products for naturally curly hair:
*Briogeo Superfoods Matcha + Apple Replenishing Shampoo
*Briogeo Superfoods Kale + Apple Replenishing Conditioner
*Briogeo Curl Charisma Frizz Control Gel

+ a satin sprunchie for style and night

1.Wash with Be Gentle Be Kind Apple Replenishing Shampoo
This shampoo is gentle, yet cleans well without drying out the curls. Really massage your scalp and rinse out the shampoo.

If your scalp feels oily or your hair has some product leftover, shampoo twice. Double shampooing might be good technique for anyone who struggles with scalp problems. I swear it’s not too much, especially with this shampoo.

2.Condition with Be Gentle Be Kind Apple Replenishing Conditioner
Be Gentle Be Kind conditioner is ideal for different hair types, because it offers a good slip to the hair, smooths down any tangles and is very lightweight. Work the conditioner in the lengths of your hair and untangle any knots so that your hair feels sleek. Rinse out the conditioner.

If your hair is very dry, you can rinse out the conditioner lazily, leaving a bit of conditioner on the hair.

3.Dry your hair using a hair turban
After shower, scrunch out excess water from your hair. Then dry your hair using a hair turban. Using this special towel really makes a difference, because it absorbs water from the hair faster than a regular towel, it’s more gentle on the hair, gives the hair more shine and helps define those curls.

How to dry your hair to bring out the curls: Scrunch out water from your hair with the narrow side of the turban. It’s all about squeezing and scrunching, no rubbing. Then gather your hair in one pile on the wider side of the turban and wrap it up to let your hair dry inside the turban for 10-30 minutes.

4.Scrunch in gel to either wet or towel dried hair
The best styling product for waves and curls is a gel. Briogeo’s Curl Charisma gel is a trusted product, which I’ve used for years. I’m pretty sure this is my fifth tube already. The gel is easy to use, because it’s so lightweight yet it offers a nice, soft hold. I love that, because I like my hair to feel like there’s not really product in it.

If you notice your curls forming better when they’re more wet, you might want to try adding the gel to wet hair, instead of towel dried hair (so before wrapping up your hair in the turban). If the curls are fine towel dried, then add the gel then. My waves seem to like it more that I add a bit of gel to quite wet hair. And then after drying my hair in the turban I add a bit more. That’s how I did my hair for the photos in this post.

How to add gel for curls:
To add the gel, flip your hair upside down and to the side, and scrunch in the gel. You can also carefully slide your hands on the hair to get it evenly on the hair. And then, either let air dry or diffuse. Once your hair is dry and the gel is dry, you can just fluff up your hair and break out the curls a bit, whatever your preference.

+ Satin sprunchies for style & night

I’m not the best at hairdos, but I love styling my hair with beautiful scrunchies. A soft fabric is the most gentle for your hair. So at the same time, you can preserve your curls and look fabulous! I love Invisibobble’s satin sprunchies.

For night, I recommend tying your hair in a high loose ponytail to save the curls!

Briogeo + naturally curly or wavy hair = perfect match

I’m very happy that I got to do this post with Briogeo. Every once in a while I try different products, but I always go back to this brand. Briogeo uses a lot of natural ingredients (90-100% depending on the product) and the products are gentle and moisturizing on the hair. My hair feels luxurious after using these, like I had just used professional hair care products. Briogeo is also cruelty free and vegan.

*Briogeo Superfoods products are awesome, because they work for different types of curly hair. They look like delicious green smoothies and actually do have a lot of fruit extracts in them. The line also includes *Avocado + Kiwi Mega Moisture Superfoods Hair Mask, which I like to use every once in a while to pamper my hair. The products have a fruity scent, that is not too strong for my (sensitive) nose.

My sisters also liked the products. Jasmin was amazed how little conditioner was needed even for long dry hair.

Basically all the products work with the curly girl method, since they don’t contain sulfates or silicones. So they are an easy option for anyone with curly or wavy hair. The shampoos wash the hair well, without harsh sulfates. With the conditioners, you don’t miss the silicones, because these make the hair feel wonderfully sleek. I know that washing your hair can feel like such a task, especially if your hair is long, but these help by really smoothing any tangles and making the hair soft.

I might have said this before, but I think natural waves and curls are so beautiful. Yes they’re unpredictable and they don’t look like they’ve been made with a curling iron, but that’s the point! I love how soft and bouncy my waves feel. I like how they represent my personality. And best of all, ever since I started to take care of my hair, my hair became so much healthier and longer.

If you try this simple curly hair routine, I would love to see your results – tag me on Instagram @charlottaeve.

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Skincity Review: Online Skin Consultation + Routine