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Meet Hannah English – pharmaceutical scientist and beauty writer
You’ve probably seen Hannah English’s (also check out @ms_hannah_e) fresh skin and bright makeup looks all over your Instagram feeds. Her product reviews make you stop in your thumb-scrolling tracks, mainly because she throws the scary scientific jargon out the window and tells it like it is. She’s on a one-woman mission to a make skin care information accessible to all and that’s why we love her.
Hannah studied pharmaceutical science and creates content for some of Australia’s best publishers such as mamamia.com.au. So, with the launch of our new Pigmentation Correction Serum Level 2 (which features 2% Alpha-Arbutin) it was a no-brainer to get her involved in testing and explaining its benefits. Below you’ll find a deep dive into this hardworking serum along with other genius skin care hacks, plus the LA CLINICA routine she swears by at the moment.
ON HOW HER LOVE OF SKIN CARE DEVELOPED
“When I was in school (around 16 years old) I wanted to go to Napoleon Perdis makeup school and have my own makeup line. So, my parents suggested that I study chemical engineer or something like that to understand the science behind the makeup first. When I eventually got myself to Uni (after a few gap years!) I studied pharmaceutical science wanting to come back to beauty in a formulation capacity.
At around 25 years old I realised that my make up wasn’t sitting right. I didn’t know why. I guess around that age your skin starts to get dehydrated, right? That’s when you really have to start hydrating your skin properly, because it doesn’t look and feel like it did when you were 18. I started reading books and realising that there’s a lot of science to skin care and it started from there.
I think I’ve always had a need to get to the bottom of things. When studying pharmacology at Uni, they tell you how the drug works on the cellular level. I started researching that way with skin care ingredients, and of course, the formula matters as well. I ask the questions: how does it work? What does it work best with? And so on.”
ON WHY SHE GETS UP EVERY MORNING
“With my Instagram account and writing, I just want people to feel that it’s accessible and that it’s not super-nerdy. Not everyone has access to a doctor, or a dermatologist or a facialist. I want to be that for someone. I love getting DMs from people telling me that my advice has helped them. Loads of people message me about how I’ve helped them understand the need for sunscreen. That’s really nice and that’s why I get up in the morning.
I also just love skin care and the routine. I have severe ADHD, and I think jumping offline and doing something that takes your whole attention is really helpful for me. To recharge after being bombarded with other people’s feelings, opinions or messages on socials, and emails. So, doing a skin care routine is a great way to do that, or even having a bath and leaving your phone downstairs.”
ON HOW HER SKIN’S TRACKING AT THE MOMENT
“It’s very sensitive and I’m also starting to see Rosacea. That’s fun! It happens in fair skin types and as someone living in Australia who has probably had sun damage before I knew better. My focus at the moment is trying to address that underlying sun damage. Plus, with the change of season I’ve noticed that it’s dry and even more sensitive than normal. When that happens, I switch a few things up: I add a couple of drops of a face oil to my moisturiser, and I’ll change to a creamier cleanser and sunscreen. That’s how I guide my skin through that transition. I’ve also noticed mini breakouts around my mouth which I think is from an impaired skin barrier. I’m targeting that with LA CLINICA Hydrating and Healing Serum –I’ve been using this every day. I’ll go into more detail on that product later.”
ON SUN DAMAGE AND TESTING OUR NEW PIGMENTATION CORRECTION LEVEL 2 SERUM
“I have some sun damage spots in all the usual areas: tops of the forehead, tops of cheeks and under my eyes. And I’ve noticed it also around my jawline, especially on the driver’s side. Stupid sun! I think that a lot of this is because as a young twenty-year-old I used to think that wearing a SPF50 in my makeup was enough. To be honest, I was wearing a lot of it, but it wasn’t enough, no. It was misinformation. If only I had a time machine!
The new Pigmentation Correction Level 2 Serum came to me on the 6th of May, so I’ve been testing it for five-to-six weeks. I’ve been able to use it five nights a week, without any issue or sensitivity. It’s been great. Especially the first few weeks I was really noticing my skin was clear and bright.
My tips when it comes to guiding your skin through a new product or ingredient: I recommend using only one serum per routine and testing it out every second day for a week to begin with. When I first tried this particular product, I wasn’t sure how my skin was going to first react so I did a gentle cleanse before applying, and then followed up with the healing Deep Hydration Cream afterwards. A few days later I gauged how my skin was coping then slowly built up to five days a week.
Oh and of course, SPF all the time. There’s no point building up to wearing the new serum five nights a week if I’m not wearing SPF to protect my skin as well.”
ON SKIN CARE TRENDS AT THE MOMENT
“I feel that barrier support and barrier repair is a bit of a trending topic at the moment. Personally, I think that it’s something that we should be doing every single day so that our skin is as strong as it can be, and not as an emergency situation.
Another big tip: I feel as though people will use a harsh exfoliating serum and apply it all over their face when all they’re trying to target is the visible pores on their nose or forehead. Why are you wasting all that product and putting the rest of your skin through that? Just put it in the one spot where you need it.”
ON HER CURRENT SKIN CARE ROUTINE
Sensitive Skin Facial Cleanser
“I love a creamy cleanser. It gets makeup off like nothing else. I don’t know what I was doing before I discovered it, but I clearly wasn’t washing my face properly! This one smells of all those beautiful calming ingredients (Chamomile and Calendula) that feature in the formula. We’re all obsessing about double-cleansing however, I think that as long as you spend enough time (and care) when cleansing then you can get it all off with the one product. I put this on dry skin, massage in for thirty seconds (and get in everywhere), then take it off with a warm damp cloth.”
Pigmentation Correction Serum Level 2
“As mentioned above. I’ve been testing this serum out for five-to-six weeks, and now I’ve built up to applying it five nights a week. It’s been great. Especially the first few weeks I was really noticing my skin was clear and bright.”
Essentials Hydrating and Healing Serum
“I use this one very morning and have been since summer. I do the most (steps-wise) in the morning whereas at night I’m low key. I have more mental energy to try things out then! This one’s packed with barrier supporting ingredients. I love how it’s a watery-gel texture and that it never feels heavy.”
Essentials Deep Hydration Moisture Cream
“It’s lovely. I’m obsessed with anything that has oat, it’s so calming. Perfect for me. I’ve noticed when using this overnight that I don’t wake up with dry, angry skin. I like a rich cream like this. There are Ceramides in there too, which is quite a waxy molecule and it’s already there holding the top layer of skin cells in the barrier together. I really like when skin care uses that approach of looking at what the skin already does and supplementing that. It’s similar with Niacinamide which plays a role in every cell in the cellular metabolism so it’s cool to see it in this formulation. To help your skin get what it needs in the best way possible.”
Sunscreen Lotion SPF50
“Sunscreen every day. I find that if I forget to wear sunscreen, I notice more flushing in my cheeks and neck. It stresses me out because my desk is right next to the window. At this time of year, I like to wear a creamier formulation like this one. I could also skip moisturiser in the morning and go straight into SPF. It’s a really good formula, very comfortable particularly for winter skin.”
