Marverine Cole is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster. She has worked for the likes of BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Midlands Today, ITV Central News, BBC Radio WM in Birmingham and Sky News. Currently she is the head of the Undergrad Journalism course at Birmingham University. She took time out to tell me about her teen skincare life.

I used drugstore products all my life, right up until I arrived at QVC (almost three years ago now) and was introduced to a world of premium skincare. My skin has never been so good because I’ve been able to incorporate brands like Alpha-H, Elemis, Liz Earle, Caudalie, Murad and Sarah Chapman into my skincare regime.

Sometimes I’d buy things recommended in magazines, or that I saw advertised on the TV but I had no real direction and I didn’t understand skincare ranges. Perhaps because I didn’t really appreciate the value and the effect of using more premium brands on your skin.

As a kid my Mum always had me wash my face with Simple Soap, and then I followed the brand as they diversified into facial washes. I’d moisturise with the original Nivea Cream in the small blue tub. I had dreadful acne as a teen and ended up using quite harsh stripping toners on my skin but back in the 1980s that was pretty much the story of mainstream skincare products. I stuck with the Simple and Nivea ranges. In my early 20s then I tried a bit of Clarins here and there but - at that time – as I was a secretary on a low wage, that range was out of my budget to be using on a regular basis, so I saved up to buy key lines.

What I’ve learned is that my skin – despite its strong melanin and elasticity - is still prone to problems and will obviously age and lose its firmness over the years. I’ve suffered from everything from hyperpigmentation and scarring from the acne I suffered in my 20s and 30s, hormonal outbreaks and sensitivity, dry patches and combination skin – they’ve all affected my face. So I call on different things to tackle them, but when I’m in a cycle of something that works for my skin I stick to it. Following the old adage if it ain't broke, don’t fix it.

My skincare has evolved hugely since then, because I’m choosing products from ranges based on their integrity, their experience in the industry, the ingredients and the textures I prefer, plus the results that other women see. I get a lot of products to sample – but not everything is right for my skin – there’s no use me using a range that professes to tackle the aggressive signs of ageing, because my skin is not experiencing that. I use a serum now where I never used to before – the dry patches just underneath my eyes and round the tops of my cheeks need attention so I add in that extra layer of moisture.

I cleanse and tone at night – which I never used to. On days where I wore no makeup I thought I could get away with not washing my face at night. Now I also use a Night Cream. I exfoliate regularly to keep those dead skills cells form building up on my skin and causing necessary breakouts. I like a peel (like Alpha H Liquid Gold or Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel) but I also like grains like Alpha-H’s Micro Cleanse.

You can follow Marverine on Twitter.

Pic taken by Clive Blair Photography