Irene Forte, Founder and CEO of Irene Forte Skincare, reveals the products and practices that get her through the day.

 The first thing I do when I wake up is drink the glass of water I have by my bed. I have an under-active thyroid, so I then take levothyroxine. You’re meant to take it 30 minutes before you eat anything or have coffee, so I have to do that right away.

I used to be a morning person, but work’s gotten really busy and now I’m productive between 10pm and midnight because I work a lot with the US. So, I actually started waking up a bit later and my poor husband gets the kids every morning [laughs]. Now I’m up around 7.45am, or sometimes I manage to push it to 8.

First I do my shower and skincare routine. I wash my hair once a week, and I mainly use Davines products. We now have an amenities range, so in the shower I use the apricot body cleanser, which I love. I also love the Dr. Bronner’s ‘Baby Mild All-One Magic Soap’, which I use on my kids as well. I then use one of my body oils – I love the rose one.

Irene Forte ‘Apricot Hand & Body Cleanser’ –  £45

Dr. Bronner’s ‘Baby Mild All-One Magic Soap’ – £24.99

Irene Forte ‘Rose Body Oil’ – £110

When it comes to my skin, I start with my almond cleansing milk – which I can’t live without. It’s cream-based and very nourishing and hydrating. At the moment I’m using Clinisept+, which is an antibacterial antimicrobial spray with hypochlorous acid. It’s great to keep rosacea and breakouts at bay. I’ve always suffered from rosacea and I’ve managed to control it over the last year or so.

I then use my ‘Triple Level Hyaluronic Serum’, which is very lightweight, absorbs beautifully, and is easy to use. During the day I’ll follow that with the hibiscus serum, which has a neuropeptide from hibiscus seeds that’s clinically proven to smooth wrinkles. It also has lifting ingredients like green pea polypeptides and tetra peptides. 

Irene Forte ‘Almond Cleansing Milk’ – £85

Clinisept+ – £15.95

Irene Forte ‘Triple Level Hyaluronic Serum’ – £110

Irene Forte ‘Hibiscus Serum’ – £155

My olive eye cream is really hydrating, lightweight, and is great under makeup as it doesn’t make it cakey. I also use the hibiscus night cream during the day. It’s quite rich, but it absorbs really nicely and it keeps my skin dewy and hydrated. In terms of SPF, I use Heliocare 360 ‘Oil Gel-Free SPF 50’. In the winter, I sometimes use the La Prunier ‘Plum Screen’ instead.

Irene Forte Olive Eye Cream – £140

‘Irene Forte Hibiscus Night Cream’ – £165

Heliocare 360 Gel Oil-Free SPF50+ – £31

Makeup wise, at the moment I really love the Westman Atelier complexion drops. They’re so hydrating and not heavy at all. I really like that dewy look. I also use the RMS Beauty UnCoverup concealer under my eyes or the Westman Atelier foundation stick. I always use a brow liner, and that’s it – I don’t wear mascara or anything.

I shouldn’t say, but I’m really not into fragrance. I like my products because they smell nice and they give me that fragrance experience, but without lingering too long. I don’t like anything that lingers.

Westman Atelier ‘Vital Skincare Complexion Drops’ – £62

RMS Beauty ‘UnCoverup Concealer’ – £39

Once I’m ready, I head downstairs for my coffee and breakfast. I used to have a really nice breakfast but I don’t really anymore. The first thing I have is an almond milk latte, which I know isn’t very healthy, but needs must! I then rush to take my daughter to nursery, and on the way to the office I might grab a juice.

In my bag, I love carrying around my triple level hyaluronic serum and my helichrysum toner. They’re both small and very hydrating, so I like to give my skin a boost during the day. I often have some makeup in my bag too, in case I have to go out for a meeting and need to top up. We’re actually about to launch a new lip product, so samples of those are in my handbag at the moment. I’m a little bit addicted to Ombar chocolate – there’s always a pistachio one in my bag or in the fridge in the office. I try and wait till after lunch to start digging into that [laughs]. Aside from that, I always have water, my computer, and a notepad.

When I’m in the office, my day is full of meetings and calls, all day long. Half of our team is in the US, so afternoons tend to be jam packed with calls. I’m still very much running the business, so everything from marketing, email content, social, sales – so I’m always having calls with various heads of departments. 

After I leave work, I go home, put the kids to bed, have dinner with my husband, and then work until late. I eat really well – lots of super foods, fresh foods, lots of vegetables and fruit. I’ve always had a very balanced diet with lots of Mediterranean food, which was part of my upbringing. I used to take a lot of supplements, but it’s more about being organised about it. I still try to take vitamins D and C, but am I consistent in taking them daily? No. 

My evening skincare routine is quite similar to my day one, but with a few different steps. I use my almond cleansing milk, then the helichrysum toner, which hydrates and plumps. Then I use the ‘Triple Hyaluronic Serum’ again, and then one drop of the ‘Phytomelatonin Rejuvenating Serum’ on targeted areas – a little goes a long way. I also have a 20% prescription azelaic acid for rosacea and hyperpigmentation from pregnancies, which unfortunately is about keeping it under control basically.

We’re launching a new eye cream next year, so I’ve got samples of this delicious, rich eye cream that I use at night, and I follow that with the ‘Hibiscus Night Cream. If I’ve got loads of time, I might do an ‘Apricot Penta-Acid Polish’ and a pistachio face mask, but that tends to be more on the weekends. If my husband goes out on a Friday night, I might have a bath with bath salts and be a bit more indulgent with my routine. 

Irene Forte ‘Helichrysum Toner’ – £100

Irene Forte ‘Phytomelatonin Rejuvenating Serum’ – £225

Irene Forte ‘Pistachio Face Mask’ – £130

I watch a lot of football – I’m a big Chelsea fan. That’s my moment to relax, even though it’s actually quite stressful to watch [laughs]. I watch a lot of the Premier League, Champions League, Match of The Day… I wanted to be a football manager when I was a kid – I was obsessed with football. It’s a nice distraction from everything else. 

I always have a book on my bedside table, but has it been opened recently? No. [Laughs]. I’m quite enjoying the LYMA ‘Laser Pro’, which is also on my bedside table, and sometimes I write emails with one hand and use that with the other. There’s also the ‘Sculpta Pro’, which has a really nice microcurrent radio frequency, and I really like that tool. I sometimes use Clinisept and then go over my skin with that. This summer I was super consistent and did it very night, but then when you’re back to reality and working, it’s more challenging. 

LYMA ‘Laser Pro Starter Kit’ – £4,995

I think I’ve become quite resilient to stress over time, as I’ve had a business for some time now. I don’t really feel heavily stressed ever, despite obviously lots of stressful things always happening in the business. I used to do a lot more exercise, which was a great tool. I really try to do something three times a week, and that tends to be barre or Pilates. I’m still trying to work out where to slot that in, because it’s actually easier to do it over lunch rather than in the evening as I’m really tired once the kids are in bed and I’m not in the mood.

My office is walking distance from home, so I walk to the office and back every day, which is a good 40 minute walk. During that time I can’t be on my phone trying to respond to emails, so there are little ways in which I stay active. 

I did a vedic meditation course, but the reality is I only do it when I’m not that busy, ironically, so I’m not sure it’s become a great tool. But generally speaking, I sleep very well and I’ve never had problems sleeping. 

Time just goes too quickly. There aren’t enough hours in the day at the moment. The reality is, it’s very difficult to balance two young kids and a business, and my life is all about the business and my kids right now. Maybe at some point the social piece will come back in. It’s weird as you want time to pass quickly, but then you don’t. I can’t believe my daughter is already two and half, it feels like she was born yesterday. It’s bittersweet.